Our Training Philosophy, Methods, and Tools
Our goal in training is to achieve results that allow your dog to be a trustworthy and responsive
companion in your ordinary everyday life, from walks in the park, to relaxing at an outdoor table
with a cup of coffee and a well-mannered companion lying at your feet. And we believe your DOG
wants this too-because it means he gets to spend more time with you out in the world instead of
cooped up at home. Our approach teaches commands, but more importantly instills responsiveness,
focus, and self-control.
We teach your dog that listening and responding to you is a way of life and is the expectation 100% of the time, not just during training sessions or when you're holding something in your hand that the dog wants. By setting clear and consistent expectations, providing both an incentive to comply and a consequence or interruption if they choose not to, your dog gets a balanced learning experience that accelerates his initial comprehension as well as his ongoing training proficiency.
We teach your dog that listening and responding to you is a way of life and is the expectation 100% of the time, not just during training sessions or when you're holding something in your hand that the dog wants. By setting clear and consistent expectations, providing both an incentive to comply and a consequence or interruption if they choose not to, your dog gets a balanced learning experience that accelerates his initial comprehension as well as his ongoing training proficiency.
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A balanced approach paints the whole picture for the dog, telling him both when he has succeeded
and when he has not. This helps him learn a lot faster than if we just gave him half of the
information by only positively reinforcing the correct responses and ignoring the incorrect
responses. Positive reinforcement is used to mark a correct response and helps motivate the dog to
repeat the behavior. This most often includes food rewards and praise, depending on the dog and
the task at-hand. "Help" is also provided in the form of verbal encouragement, targeting, and body
manipulation to assist the dog in obtaining the correct response. Correction or behavior
interruption is also used to get the dog's attention and stop him from continuing to make the
"wrong" behavior decision. Interruption takes the form of a nick on the e-collar, a physical leash
correction, or verbal correction using the word "no." These interruptions are not meant to punish,
rather, they are issued at the lowest necessary intensity to redirect the dog's attention to the
correct response. Corrections and interruptions condition the dog to maintain focus even if there
are distractions present, and give the owner a calm, proactive way to communicate disagreement
with the dog's behavior, rather than ignoring the unwanted behavior or getting angry.
Training Methods
Training Philosophy
We take one of two training approaches with a dog, depending on the owner's goals: leash and collar
or remote training collar (also referred to as a "shock" collar).
Leash and collar training utilizes a metal training collar (also referred to as a "choke" chain) or prong collar, and all commands are initially taught and practiced on leash. This approach is great for dogs that are primarily exhibiting on-leash behavior problems and for which off-leash reliability is not a concern.
Remote collar training is done both on and off-leash. After the dog has learned the commands, you can easily reinforce them from a remote location, off leash and at a distance. We believe this approach is the best way to address off-leash behavior problems like barking, unwanted backyard behaviors like poop-eating, and not coming when called. We take the time to make sure the collar is being used at the proper level for your dog, that is, just enough to get the dog's attention but not so high that it creates anxiety. Then we teach your dog how to stop the sensation by paying attention, and finally, responding to commands. By training this way, we're able to use the collar very effectively at a relatively low setting for most dogs in most situations. The remote training collar allows you to get the results you want a lot faster and more reliably than most other training tools and approaches, meaning you can enjoy your dog out in the real world that much sooner.
If you're interested in using the remote training collar with your dog and have questions or concerns, please feel free to contact us.
You can also check out some of these helpful online resources by experienced and knowledgeable remote training collar professionals:
The Truth about Shock Collars: Science or Not?
Robin MacFarlane (That's My Dog, Hazel Green, WI) hosts a very interesting and informative blog about remote training collars. This page includes posts about the science of shock collars, including why they are more humane than citronella collars, proof that they do not and cannot cause heart problems, and a very intelligent article by Janeen McMurtrie (Smart Dogs, Red Wing, MN) on the published "science" of shock collars. Read more.
Dog Training in Maryland
Pat Nolan (Ponderosa Kennels, Smithsburg, MD) presents some valuable, free information about how to use the remote training collar with a dog for basic obedience, as well as defining the e-collar terminology (nick, stim, tap). Read more.
Pawprints: Rhetoric in Dog Training Literature
This blog post discusses the way language is often sneakily used to color a person's perception about particular dog training approaches and tools. It also discusses the difference between real scientific proof and anecdotal evidence and why it's important to distinguish between the two when a "scientific" claim is made. Read more.
Lou Castle Articles
Veteran Police K9 handler and dog trainer Lou Castle provides a wealth of practical information about effectively and humanely using e-collars in his article archive. He also directly responds to e-collar critics, addresses propaganda surrounding e-collar use, and dispels myths and misinformation about the tool. Read more.
Dobbs Training Center
Modern remote training collar pioneer, Jim Dobbs, has a wealth of background information as well as valuable (free) e-collar training advice in the Dobbs Training Center. Read more.
Leash and collar training utilizes a metal training collar (also referred to as a "choke" chain) or prong collar, and all commands are initially taught and practiced on leash. This approach is great for dogs that are primarily exhibiting on-leash behavior problems and for which off-leash reliability is not a concern.
Remote collar training is done both on and off-leash. After the dog has learned the commands, you can easily reinforce them from a remote location, off leash and at a distance. We believe this approach is the best way to address off-leash behavior problems like barking, unwanted backyard behaviors like poop-eating, and not coming when called. We take the time to make sure the collar is being used at the proper level for your dog, that is, just enough to get the dog's attention but not so high that it creates anxiety. Then we teach your dog how to stop the sensation by paying attention, and finally, responding to commands. By training this way, we're able to use the collar very effectively at a relatively low setting for most dogs in most situations. The remote training collar allows you to get the results you want a lot faster and more reliably than most other training tools and approaches, meaning you can enjoy your dog out in the real world that much sooner.
If you're interested in using the remote training collar with your dog and have questions or concerns, please feel free to contact us.
You can also check out some of these helpful online resources by experienced and knowledgeable remote training collar professionals:
The Truth about Shock Collars: Science or Not?
Robin MacFarlane (That's My Dog, Hazel Green, WI) hosts a very interesting and informative blog about remote training collars. This page includes posts about the science of shock collars, including why they are more humane than citronella collars, proof that they do not and cannot cause heart problems, and a very intelligent article by Janeen McMurtrie (Smart Dogs, Red Wing, MN) on the published "science" of shock collars. Read more.
Dog Training in Maryland
Pat Nolan (Ponderosa Kennels, Smithsburg, MD) presents some valuable, free information about how to use the remote training collar with a dog for basic obedience, as well as defining the e-collar terminology (nick, stim, tap). Read more.
Pawprints: Rhetoric in Dog Training Literature
This blog post discusses the way language is often sneakily used to color a person's perception about particular dog training approaches and tools. It also discusses the difference between real scientific proof and anecdotal evidence and why it's important to distinguish between the two when a "scientific" claim is made. Read more.
Lou Castle Articles
Veteran Police K9 handler and dog trainer Lou Castle provides a wealth of practical information about effectively and humanely using e-collars in his article archive. He also directly responds to e-collar critics, addresses propaganda surrounding e-collar use, and dispels myths and misinformation about the tool. Read more.
Dobbs Training Center
Modern remote training collar pioneer, Jim Dobbs, has a wealth of background information as well as valuable (free) e-collar training advice in the Dobbs Training Center. Read more.
Training Tools
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By Sarah Smith (CPT)