Frequently Asked Questions

It’s flexible! Whatever keeps you motivated to practice consistently, but without overwhelming your schedule. It depends on how fast you want to progress and how much time you can make for practice. I often recommend jumpstarting with 2–3 weekly sessions, then spacing out to every other week or monthly as you master enough key techniques to do more on your own.

Ensure that your dog or cat is calmer from recent exercise or enrichment, and a little hungry (has not eaten a complete meal for a couple of hours before training). Be sure to have rewards ready (their favorite treats and toys). Get out training equipment — harness, leash, training pouch or large pocket. Set up training space in your home with secure flooring (not slippery laminate or wood).

No. We start training in your home, where it’s easier for your dog to focus on you and what you’re trying to teach. Then we gradually take it on the road to walks in the neighborhood, parks, downtown, meeting people and dogs — wherever is relevant for your dog’s issues and your goals.

Everyone is welcome! For best results, we recommend that all family members who care for, walk or train the pet participate in all sessions. Minors must be accompanied by an adult, and very young children (who naturally have shorter attention spans) may need supervision and activities set up to keep them occupied.

At your first appointment (90 minutes for a training consult, 2 hours for a behavior consult) we review your forms and goals, and talk about your pet’s history and current behavior. I observe and evaluate your pet (behavior, temperament, training aptitude and motivation). We discuss ways to manage behavior in the short term for quicker relief, and draft a training plan to improve behavior in the long term, based on your goals. Toward the end, we start first-steps training practice with initial skills.

That’s a million-dollar question! The answer depends on several variables, related to both owners and their pets. It depends on what’s going on with your cat or dog. Are we teaching/advancing basic obedience skills, or overcoming a behavior problem? If the problem is related to emotions (like anxiety, reactivity, fear or aggression), emotional change is by nature a slower learning curve than simple skill acquisition.

The path to improvement, its speed and success, also depends on pet owners — since they make up at least half the training equation! The oldest adage in the book is, “Consistency trains a dog!” Can owners put in consistent effort to learn and time to practice? When they absorb information provided, watch the videos, learn different ways of responding, master new training techniques, develop good timing, and follow the training progressions (planned increments that start out easy and gradually advance), I find this rule of thumb applies: you’ll achieve noticeably better behavior within 3–6 weeks and reliably better behavior within 3–6 months.