Training

I teachlife skills.

Life skills include the things we teach our dogs to do — sit, down, stay, come, heel, go to bed, settle, and more. Successful training also means addressing the behaviors we don’t want. We teach new skills. We address unwanted behaviors. We give clear guidance. And we make sure your dog’s needs are being met along the way.

Whether you're starting with a brand-new puppy, working through specific behavior problems, or simply want more freedom and a better life with your dog, we start with the life you want to build together.

The goal is a dog who understands how to live in your world, and has as much freedom as they’re ready to handle.

The skills that make life work.

Sit
Down
Stay
Come
Heel
Go to bed
Settle

These are just some of the basic life skills I teach that help dogs navigate everyday life. But I’m not just training your dog. I’m teaching you how to become your dog’s trainer.

You’ll learn how your dog learns, how to communicate clearly, how to reinforce the behaviors you want, how to address the ones you don’t, and how to make good training decisions when I’m not there. The real measure of my success is what happens after I leave.

Loose-leash walking
Coming when called
Sit, down, and stay
Settling and relaxing
Greeting people appropriately
Waiting patiently
Navigating distractions
Reliable off-leash freedom, when it is appropriate and safe

Dog doing a sit-stay while its owner walks away (a clear skill moment)

Puppies

Some of my favorite work happens before there is a problem to solve. With a new puppy, you don't always know what you don't know—and that's exactly when good guidance can make the biggest difference.

Puppyhood is the chance to build routines, communication, and habits that make life easier later.

House training
Crate and sleep routines
Mouthing and nipping
Confidence
Socialization
Relaxation
Household expectations
Preventing bad habits

The goal isn't a puppy who performs perfectly. It's a puppy who is learning how to live successfully in your family.

Puppy in a lesson: focused, treat in view

And when there is a problem

We solve it. If it is making life with your dog harder, that is enough reason to address it. You don’t need an entire training curriculum because one part of life isn’t working. If you call me about jumping, we can work on jumping.

Jumping
Pulling
Barking
Reactivity
Aggression
Anxiety
Resource guarding
Door bolting
Counter surfing
Running away
Household chaos
Something else entirely

Susan and a client at the front door working through a problem behavior

Calm is a life skill too.

Dogs don’t need to be entertained, engaged, or involved in every waking moment. Learning to settle — to simply exist peacefully while life happens around them — is an incredibly valuable skill.

Conditioned relaxation helps a dog learn that nothing is being asked of them right now. They can rest. The humans can live their lives. Everyone gets a little more freedom.

Dog settled on a mat or bed while people chat nearby

Training should make your dog’s world bigger — not smaller.

Dogs were built to move, explore, sniff, and experience the world. Reliable recall and off-leash reliability, when appropriate and safe, can open an entirely different world for a dog. Freedom means more than being off leash! It can mean lunch together, a walk through a festival, visiting friends, traveling, relaxing at a park, exploring on a long line, or having guests over without chaos.

Training matters because of the life it allows you to live together.

Wherever you want your dog to succeed, we can work there. The goal is not to look good during a lesson. The goal is for life to feel better after I leave.

Schedule your first lesson See Simple, Honest Pricing

Dog on a long line exploring a park, or out to lunch with its family