Training
Methods
How we support you and your dog on your journey to more confidence and less stress
Fear-Free Dog Training
As Fear-Free certified dog trainers, we put your dog's emotional wellbeing first. Instead of pushing your dog to "get over" their worries, we address those underlying feelings first. The more we can minimize your dog’s stress and focus on what makes them feel secure, the faster and better they will learn new skills. NYC is stressful enough, your dog’s training doesn’t have to be.
This approach is all about building a trusting relationship between you and your dog and teaching skills at your dog’s pace. Rather than doing something scary or uncomfortable, we focus on gentle and effective methods. Our goal is to help your dog make good choices because they feel safe enough to practice their skills, not because they’re afraid of what will happen if they don’t. Whether we're working on something like loose-leash walking or delving into behavior modification for big feelings, every step is taken at your dog's pace, always keeping their emotional wellbeing in mind.
Have a dog who needs some reassurance?
Applied Behavior Analysis
Just like you learn that pushing a button gets you coffee from a machine, your dog learns that their behavior affects the world around them. When we use Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) in dog training, we utilize this very natural real life learning. It can help us understand why your dog does something (dogs do what works to get the outcome they’re looking for!), and inform how we can best change that formula. We focus on rewarding behavior we want to see more of, managing behavior we would like your dog to stop practicing, and teaching new skills to navigate their environment more successfully.
Instead of just hoping your dog will somehow "get it," we teach them how to work within your environment. We can’t control our surroundings in NYC, and we want your dog to make the right choices more easily and more often, even in difficult situations. For example, if your dog barks at other dogs on walks, we might start with feeding every time they see another dog to start making positive associations, and then reward for looking away and continuing to walk. Over time your dog learns how to check in with you and keep walking when they see other dogs!
Have a dog who needs some clear direction?
Humanizing Dog Training
You, the human, are arguably the most important part of this relationship. And not for reasons you may think! Yes, how you live with, train, and manage your dog is important, but just as we focus on your dog’s emotional well being, yours is just as important. When we say this is a judgement-free company, we really mean it.
You’re learning as much, if not more, than your dog is. Just like we’re teaching new skills to your dog, we’re teaching them to you too. Leashes, and treats, and timing, and triggers - it can be a lot! We’ll always go at your pace. If you have questions, we will explain the whys and the hows. We can adjust most protocols to fit you, you don’t have to fit the protocols. We believe our job is to give you options, and support you in your choices.
Living with a spicy dog can take its toll, and we understand that. We’re here to listen and we’re here to help make it better.