It’s never too late (or too early) for you and your dog to learn!  We offer a variety of services to help dog owners better understand, train and enhance their bonds with their companion dogs.   You will acquire the basics of how to teach your dog: how dogs learn, how to give clear, meaningful information, how to use life rewards in training, and how to set yourself and your dog up to successfully reach your goals.  Dogs of all breeds and ages – from puppies to senior canine citizens – are welcome. 

Pre-Puppy Consultations:  Advanced planning before your pup comes home will go a long way toward getting you off on the right paw.  Discover strategies for setting up your puppy’s area with appropriate crates, gates, and other ‘management tools’: which toys, chew bones, and accessories to have on hand; the best methods to successfully house train your pup from day one; how to handle inevitable puppy annoyances such as biting, chewing, jumping, “accidents”, etc.  We can also advise you on breed and temperament to help you choose a puppy appropriate to your family and lifestyle.

New Puppy Guidance and Beginning Manners:  Teach your new puppy what you want her/him to do right from the start.  Early sessions focus on home set-up and basic puppy matters (see above).  You learn to help your puppy develop self-control and to problem solve when puppy is out of control!  Although much groundwork can be laid in one session, three to six weekly meetings are recommended.  During that time, basic obedience competencies, including “sit,” “down,” “come,” “off” (don’t jump), “leave it/drop it,” “stay,” and walking nicely on lead, are introduced.  Sessions are held in your home.

Private Training for Dogs of All Ages and Abilities:  Have you recently adopted an older dog?  Do you have a special training goal or manners problem you need help with?   Perhaps you plan to compete with your dog in obedience or other dog sports.  Lessons are tailored to your individual needs and goals; we work at your pace and focus on the behaviors that are important to you.  Sessions are held in your home unless your specific needs dictate otherwise. 

Group Classes:  From time to time, we offer small group classes.  These can include preparation for the AKC’s Canine Good Citizen (CGC) Test, Rally, CDSP or Competition Obedience, or “Real World” training to practice skills while out and about in public.  We also regularly give training workshops at Village Critter Outfitter in New Canaan.  Please call or email us for more details.

Behavior Consults

Some behavioral issues, such as guarding toys, bones or space from humans or lunging and snarling at other dogs on leash, are stressful to live with and potentially dangerous if left un-addressed. The good news is many of these behaviors can be dramatically improved through the use of positive training methods and, often, a process called “desensitization and counter-conditioning.”  However, such issues do require special attention, owner commitment and medium- to long-term response programs to be successfully resolved.  In such cases, we meet with you and discuss your dog’s history, environment and the presenting problem in detail and work with you to set reasonable objectives.  We then put together a detailed program for you to follow, both on your own and with our guidance.  Costs vary depending on the situation; please contact us to discuss.

“Board & Train” Programs

We believe training is most effective for the long term when you and your dog learn together.  However, we recognize there are cases in which a “jumpstart” in laying a training foundation can help.  We offer a limited number of “board & train” slots each year for intensive manners and obedience training for those who need or desire an accelerated training process for their dogs and cannot invest the time up front to achieve it.  During “Board & Train,” your dog lives with us in our home environment and learns good house manners, gains a foundation in basic obedience, and enhances his social skills with people and friendly dogs.  Special training goals (e.g., competition prep, assistance dog foundation training) can sometimes be accommodated. 

It is extremely important that “Board & Train” clients recognize that -- in order to maintain and build on the good behaviors their dogs learn under our tutelage -- they as owners must understand and reinforce the training once their dogs return to their homes.  Follow-up instruction is included in the fee and is required as part of the agreement.  Please note we cannot accept dogs with aggression issues (people or dog-dog) into the “Board & Train” program.