Being a Fear Free Certified Professional, means I use the least stressful methods  possible while working with your dog. My training techniques focus on positive reinforcement to strengthen the bond between you and your dog. I have experience working with anywhere from puppies needing manners to fearful and aggressive dogs needing some redirection. 

There are many different terms used to describe positive training techniques: positive reinforcement, reward-based, force-free, and more. What proponents of all of these interrelated philosophies have in common is a shared belief that it is much safer, more effective and humane to teach animals using the overarching concept that if you reward a behavior you like, it is more likely that that behavior will be repeated. Similarly, if you ignore or redirect a behavior you do not like, it is more likely that incidences of that behavior will decrease. Combine these concepts with the awareness that dogs are not wolves trying to dominate us to achieve 'top dog' status, and therefore do not need to be controlled using dominance-based punishment techniques, and you have the recipe for positive training. 

I keep seeing posts all over Facebook of pet owners looking for "board and train" options to help with problem behaviors. Unfortunately, in the US, dog training is unregulated.  What that means is that anyone can say they are a trainer and whatever methods, inhumane or otherwise, are legal.  I have several dogs where I have been the 3rd, 4th, or even 5th trainer to work with that dog, after being made worse by these "trainers".  Most of these "trainers" use methods like prong collars, shock collars, or even worse to "fix" behaviors.  In reality they are just suppressing them.  For example, say you had a crippling fear of spiders.  If any time you reacted to a spider, I shocked you, you would likely stop reacting.  I didn't cure your fear of spiders.  I simply suppressed your reaction.  Now say, one day you end up in a room FULL of spiders.  The shock is no longer a motivation to keep your cool.  You explode.  You scream, you run, you flail.  You do anything in your power to escape those spiders.  People see a therapist for an extended period of time to work out fears and anxieties. Why should we expect our dogs to go to a stranger, potentially using questionable methods, and get over their issues in a week or two?  Credentials matter.  Training techniques matter.

The more you understand about how your dog thinks and learns, the more effectively you can communicate. Clear communication means successful training and good behavior. You cannot build a strong bond with your dog unless you truly understand how he perceives the world around him, but to do this effectively you must first learn his language and appreciate his sensory experience. My training programs build on that communication to help you and your dog learn together to create a lifelong relationship centered around a strong human-animal bond.