Dog training can feel like you have to be toxic to be successful; like it's about power and control and dominance and all that not-very-year-of-the-barbie-movie energy. Every dog trainer I met 5 years ago dressed in black with slicked back hair in a low pony and they all have the same Malinois that stares at them while they walk (you know exactly what I'm talking about). Many times early on in my dog training journey I wondered if it really existed, a dog training that was both effective and didn't make me feel grimy. Because even though we all feel guilty handing out even mild negative reinforcement we can all admit that positive parenting sometimes makes us want to rip our hair out: how do you balance authority without being authoritarian? How do you enforce boundaries with only the carrot and never the stick?

 

The solution to all those existential questions is something you've probably heard of already: cooperative care. At the end of the day, Fido can't just run into the road when he feels like it because I'd be the one splattered on the pavement trying to save him. I convince your dogs to want to do what you ask; through trust, understanding, and consistency. The kind of want where your duck-obsessed retriever recalls the first time, even during migration season (no e-collar included). The kind of want where your shepherd mix with enough anxiety for a Xanax prescription crosses a busy crosswalk in the perfect loose leash position because he trusts you more than he fears the cars. That kind of want.

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I've been training service animals through a non-profit that provides working dogs to blind folks for eight years and was part of a pilot program to test out positive reinforcement at the highest level. Let me tell you, there were definitely some kinks. Through an enormous amount of trial and error, and a drop-out labrador who now drools on my throw pillows, I developed a personal training style that is effective, enforceable, and efficient.

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I don't deal in quick or easy (that means there will tragically be homework). My dogs are a part of my family, and I know yours are too. Our training is focused on compassion, communication, and cooperation. You'll get the best of both worlds, where I'll spend about 70% of our sessions training your dog personally so you get a professionally trained pup, but the other 30% I'll teach you how to live without me. It's about what matters to you and none of the fluff you don't care about, and it's accessible for the generation of dog moms and dads who don't think fear = respect.

 

By the end you'll know how to train your dog to do... well anything really.