Hounds Around Town

Enhancing the Dog-Human Relationship through reward-based training.

A reward is something your dog finds rewarding and can be so much more than food!  A reward can be a game of tug or fetch, ear scratches, going for a walk, etc, but it needs to be somthing your dog finds rewarding.  The science of learning tells us that if you reward a behavior, sit, for example, that behavior, sitting, becomes more frequent.  

To busy to train your pup?  Sign up for Walk and Train!

Walk and Train I train previously agreed upon behaviors during dog/consultant visits (35.00) and we schedule client/consultant sessions (50.00) weekly or biweekly to update you on progress and behaviors.  During the client/consultant times, I will teach you the cues for your dogs new behaviors and you can practice with Fido while I assist!  Transfering a previously learned behavior from the consultant (me) to the the dogs lifelong trainer (you) takes much less time on your part than if you were to train the behavior start to "finish".

“I want to continue using your services - I think the dog (Casey) is a LOT better… You are terrific… he is much more responsive…Good job.  Thank you.”

Judy of Tacoma-Walk and Train

Private, in home training One hour client/consultant sessions-Teaching puppy and basic manners such as walking on a loose leash, sit, down, stand, stay and come (recall) along with problem behavior prevention.  We will also address other issues such as jumping on people, mouthing/puppy biting, house soiling, etc.  As we advance, we will increase duration to stays, distractions to recalls and teach your dog how to greet a friendly stranger on the street . You can also participate in Outdoor Adventures like trips to a local park or trail!  (see "Outdoor Adventures" below) 50.00 per hour

Outdoor Adventures Trips to a local park can be very distracting even for well behaved dogs.  That's because behaviors your dog knows in low-to-no distraction environments, your living room, can be difficult to maintain when a leaf floats by or a garbage truck roars past.  It is important to train in several different places to ensure a quick response time for behaviors.  In Outdoor Adventure we take important behaviors such as sit, walking nicely on leash, stay and coming when called out of the house an put them to use in real life situations.  In Outdoor Adventures you will learn how to gradually increase distraction to make your dog successful in challenging situations.  (Prerequisite, 90% reliability of the following inside; sits, 15 second stays and recalls.  Subject to trainer evaluation.) 60.00 per hour

To click or not to click? 

You have probably heard of clicker training from somewhere but what is clicker training? “Clicker training” is the popular term for the training method based on what we know about how animals learn.  Research has shown that animals are more likely to learn and repeat behaviors that result in consequences that the animal enjoys. Clicker trainers provide consequences their animal likes in exchange for actions or behaviors preferred by their trainers.  We term these consequences “rewards” and the method is called “reinforcement.”  Therefore, clicker training is a positive-reinforcement-based system of training.  The "Clicker" is a very effective way of training new behaviors but some can find juggling a clicker, leash and reward a bit daunting which does take a little practice.  In this instance, we can insert a marker word, I use "yes", that marks the moment your dog does something you like, i.e. sit.  Our canine friends tend to learn quicker with a "click" but the decision is up to you.

***Just an FYI-I will not be available Thursday and Friday, June 26^th and 27^th.  These two days I am lucky enough to be attending a trainer seminar in Seattle given by Kathy Sdao at Ahimsa Dog Training School.  Kathy is a Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist and a known expert in her field.  You can learn more about Kathy at www.kathysdao.com.  Again, I apologize for any inconvenience but I promise you will have a better trainer for it!