Private
Dog Training

From comprehensive basics to advanced obedience, you get everything you need, one-on-one, in the comfort of your home.

Do you want your dog to listen to you and behave politely at home and in public?

Enjoy private, one-on-one lessons in the convenience of your home, with customized training plans based on your needs. Taught by a board-certified behaviorist and trainer with 25 years of professional experience and post-graduate degrees in animal behavior.

Depending on your needs, we can cover:

  • House soiling
  • Destructive behavior: “stealing,” chewing or digging
  • RJM — rowdy jumpy, mouthy and rough play with pets or children
  • Polite greetings with people on walks or visitors at home
  • Counter-surfing and garbage raiding
  • Crate and confinement training
  • Car training
  • Attention & listening skills
  • Sit, down, stay
  • Reliable recalls (come when called), indoors and outdoors
  • Door & gate manners (to prevent door dashing & escaping)
  • Settle (down-stay) and relaxation training
  • Impulse control and household manners (sit-to-say-please)
  • Drop it and leave it
  • Gentle mouth training
  • Leash manners and heeling
  • Quiet Training
  • Up & Off
  • Fun, practical tricks like twist & turn, back up, retrieve, close the door, take a bow

Key Advantages of Private Training

  • You enjoy personalized training and coaching instead of a prewritten, one-size-fits all curriculum.
  • Lesson plans are tailored to your goals, focused on the activities you want to enjoy with your dog, and adapted to your and your dog’s current skill level.
  • Flexible lesson plans allow us to address specific behavior problems that group classes don’t have time for and aren’t designed for.
  • Training in your dog’s home and neighborhood boosts training success because it’s where your dog is most comfortable and where the problems occur.
  • With personalized lessons, you’re more likely to stay committed and achieve the best results.
  • Some people feel self-conscious about learning in a group. Others feel embarrassed by their dog’s behavior. Private training avoids most self-consciousness and embarrassment.

How to Get Started

We start with an initial 90-minute consultation to discuss your dog’s current skills, nuisance behaviors you’d like to improve, and your goals. We outline a training plan and then start training!

Getting Started with a Consult (Review, Plan & Train)

At your initial 90-minute consultation appointment, we review your forms and goals, and discuss your pet’s history and current behavior and skills.

I observe and evaluate your pet (behavior, temperament, training aptitude and motivation).

We discuss ways to manage any nuisance behaviors in the short term for quick relief, and outline a training plan to improve obedience skills in the long term, based on your goals.

You learn first steps of initial training skills, and afterward you receive support materials (handouts with written training steps and videos) to review and learn more.

I provide my recommendation for the number of follow-up training sessions needed.

Then you’ll schedule typically 6–12 sessions to train your pet and reach your goals.

Vancouver Behaviorist &
Pet Training

Ready to get started?