FAQs

Dog Coach focuses on helping dogs and their owners build a calmer, more cooperative relationship. Training is not just about teaching commands. It is about helping a dog learn how to live comfortably in the human world.

Our programs focus on clear communication, consistency, and calm leadership. Dogs learn how to settle, follow guidance, and make better choices even when distractions are present. When that foundation is in place, everyday life with your dog becomes much easier and more enjoyable.

No. Many of our clients simply want a calmer, more reliable dog for everyday life.

We help with common challenges like pulling on the leash, jumping on guests, or dogs that get over-excited on walks. We also work with more complex behavior issues such as reactivity, fear, and aggression.

Dogs tend to relax when someone is clearly guiding the situation. When expectations are unclear, many dogs become anxious, over-excited, or reactive.
Good training helps dogs understand what is expected of them and gives owners the tools to guide their dog calmly and consistently. This clarity helps dogs settle more easily and behave better in everyday situations.

While treats for training will work for some dogs to attain better behavior, not all dogs respond in a positive way to learning in this manner. Our feeling is that if treats have worked for you and your dog in promoting good manners, that’s great!

We use treats in a limited way during training. In our experience, consistent treats become a distraction for most dogs rather than an actual training tool. Treats tend to energize dogs instead of settling them down for learning. We teach you why your dog is better off calm and focused. We do use food as part of a training strategy; a routine for mealtime feeding offers a powerful training opportunity. Establishing a state of mind at mealtime that is calm and unexcited can have a remarkable amount of influence on your success. Watch our video about feeding to learn more.

Treats are not the primary method we use in training.
Many families come to us after trying treat-based training without success. While food can be helpful in certain situations, lasting behavior change usually requires more than simply rewarding behaviors with treats.
Our training focuses on helping dogs learn to stay calm, follow guidance, and respond reliably in real-world situations.

Yes, when used correctly, a Herm Sprenger prong collar is a safe and effective training tool. They distribute pressure evenly around the dog’s neck and are designed to mimic the natural corrections dogs give each other. Dog Coach teaches you to use the least amount of leash pressure necessary to remain in control of your dog’s focus.

Yes, remote collars are safe and utilize similar technology used in human physical therapy practice for muscle stimulation. We exclusively use remote collars made by E-Collar Technologies. The brand offers a unique calibration, with the lowest level signal not even detectable on human skin but effective for training dogs. The signal becomes a virtual leash that allows excellent and safe communication. We have found that other branded remote collars can be calibrated too high or with inconsistent delivery of the signal. Collars from E-Collar Technologies are the best calibrated remote collars for training family dogs. You can read more on their website and on our blog.

All dogs are den animals and a dog feels safe and secure in their den. With training, proper use of a dog crate teaches your dog a calm state of mind that is essential to calm behavior out in the world of high distractions. It is recommended to have a properly sized dog crate before your first session. All Dog Coach clients achieve success with full crate training for their dogs. Read: Crate Training for Puppies and Dogs

Dog Coach offers several training programs designed to meet dogs at different stages of life and behavior.
Team Puppy focuses on building strong foundations for young dogs. Foundation Training helps dogs develop reliable everyday manners and better leash skills. Remote Collar Training is designed for additional off-leash reliability and behavior challenges. Program pricing is listed on each page.

The best program depends on your dog’s age, temperament, and the challenges you are experiencing.
Many clients begin with Foundation Training to build better everyday behavior. Dogs with more serious behavior issues or those needing advanced off-leash reliability may benefit from Remote Collar Training.
We help guide you toward the right program during the consultation process.

Upon arrival at our training barn or when the trainer arrives at your home, please have your dog on a standard buckle collar and leash. The first session of the program begins with getting to know you, your family, and your dog. After some conversation, we dive directly into working with you and your dog.

After each session, we give you a lesson sheet that recaps that day’s session. If not all family members are able to be present, the lesson sheet can be shared at home for practice between sessions.

Yes. All training programs are 1-on-1 private dog training, except for some more advanced programs.

We work on a case-by-case basis with dogs with moderate aggression who may have a bite history with a person or another dog. In some cases, aggressive dogs require more than can be accomplished in the owner-based training lessons we offer. We encourage you to contact us to discuss your issues and available training options.

Yes. Many dogs struggle on walks because they are already over-excited before they even leave the house.
Training focuses on helping dogs stay calmer, follow guidance on the leash, and move past distractions without escalating. As dogs learn to regulate their excitement and respond to their owners, walks become much more enjoyable.

We offer training Tuesday through Friday, with the first session starting at 9:30 am and the last session finishing at 6 pm, based on availability. Saturdays we are available 9:30-3:30.

When you commit to transforming your dog with Dog Coach training, we join your family team and make your success our utmost priority. Since we track your progress throughout our programs, we share a commitment to see your dog make major improvements. We are in weekly discussion with you about your progress. As all outcomes are dependent on many variables, like consistent practice and full family support of your objectives, it is unethical for us to offer a 100% guarantee. Our clients regularly see excellent results in transforming their dogs’ behavior with our training, which you can read about here.

Dog Coach will remain on your team to help you manage your dog with follow ­through advice, professional referrals, and additional resource recommendations for the life of your dog.