About Our Dog Training Methodology

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Training a dog starts by looking at the natural desires and instincts of each individual dog and figuring out how that drives them. Dogs all have innate drives from years of selective breeding (even unknown mixes had purpose-bred dogs somewhere in their lines that we can use to help figure out what that dog finds the most valuable). We place a lot of value on positive reinforcement; not just with food but with a strong emphasis on play —both competitive and non-competitive games— and working toward a goal as a team to build a bond with the dog. This approach teaches trust and using that trust we can begin to introduce rules in a way that allows the dog to feel purposeful and not suppressed.

Our training style is not a simple single answer because it has been built based on years of experience and education, failures, and achievements. For each of you that comes to us, we cater our training methods based on how we need to connect the correct pieces to satisfy your mutual goal with your dog. Dogs are like people and they all come with strengths and weaknesses, some breed specific and some based on the individual. Some come with poor past experiences and some with restriction and/or suppression, abuse, lack of environmental awareness, aggression, and fears. Due to all this diversity, we can not have a one size fits all approach to any type of dog training. We must look at what drives the animal and we must not suppress or hide their behaviors, but redirect and repurpose them with stimulating activities that help drive what is acceptable for our current situation. Some bonding activities that require the significant level of stimulation and purpose that we help you tap into are:

Agility • Tracking • Competition obedience • Search and rescue • Dog sports • Nose work • Bikejoring • Dog treadmill • Hunting together • K9 detection • Therapy or service dog work • Farming • Personal protection • Dock diving • Herding • Active family dog •

These are just a variety of purposeful dog sports and activities that were created to leverage the genetic asset of the individual dog. Every dog requires a need to belong and have emotional relationships, with purposeful objectives, interaction, structure and good old fashion play! Taking the time as a dog owner to interact and learn from your dog and working as a team is what a strong relationship is all about.

We're proud to service the Long Island, NY area. Find top-rated dog training classes with our expert dog trainers near you today! We also offer virtual or at-home dog training.