I'm interested in having you help me with my dog... how does it work?
The first step is to submit my Intake Questionairre. It's an online form that takes about 5 minutes or so to complete. The link to the form is located on the 'Contact' page of the website.
After submitting the Intake Questionairre I will contact you to arrange a (free) telephone consultation to learn more about the issue(s) you described in the Questionairre.
Following the phone consultation, if you would like to book an in-person session (or a virtual consultation), we'll need to find a mutually convenient day and time to meet.
When the day and time have been set for the in-person (or virtual) session, I will forward you an invoice to confirm the appointment (the invoice doesn't need to be paid until the day of the session).
If you have any questions about the above-noted, please let me know!
What forms of payment do you accept?
The following forms of payment are accepted:
- Cash
- E-transfer
- Interac (tap or swipe)
- Visa (tap or swipe)
- Mastercard (tap or swipe)
- American Express (tap or swipe)
Interac and credit card payments are processed using a 'Square' reader (shown below).
There's so much information available about dogs, training and behaviour. How do I tell the good from the bad?
The first thing to understand is that, in most of the world (including here in North America), the dog training/behaviour industry is unregulated. That means ANYONE can set up a business as a training or behaviour 'professional' without any qualifications or experience. Accordingly, there is a lot of misinformation and outdated practices still being recommended and used today... I see it all the time.
So who to trust? If you're looking for assistance with your dog you need to do your due diligence and research... you owe it to your dog and yourself.
Some important questions to ask:
- How long in business?
- Business license and insurance?
- Relevent education/background?
- How does the person keep up-to-date with advancements in training/behaviour?
- Which other trainers/behaviourists does the person follow and look to as mentors?
- Does the person have experience with the specific issue you're dealing with?
- What tools and methods will be employed?
- Are there any negative side-effects to the methods being recommended, and if there are, how will they be handled?
- Can you can attend (just to watch) a session or class?
- Can references and testimonials be provided?
If you have any questions please don't hesitate to contact me!
Why is there so much controversy about using corrections and punishment with dogs... don't those methods work?
The concept of 'dog training' that we're familiar with today actually got its start a long time ago with the training of dogs for the military, where aversive methods such as coercion, force and punishment were used.
Our knowledge of canine behaviour has come a long way in the last 20 years, and despite the significant advancements that have been made, the use of punishment-based techniques in dog training/behaviour remains wide-spread.
In my mind, it's not so much a question of whether or not punishment-based methods can work. Instead, it's an ethical question of, "Why continue to use punishment-based methods when there are other methods which are equally (or more) effective, more humane, and far less risky?"
Generally speaking, punishment-based techniques cause the suppression of problem behaviours through fear of subsequent consequences. While these techniques often give the appearance of being quick and effective solutions, due to the fact that the behaviour is merely being suppressed, the 'solution' often ends up being temporary because the underlying cause of the behaviour has not been addressed. In addition, it is common for these tactics to result in unintended negative behavioural side-effects.
Are there any breeds that you don't or won't work with?
There's absolutely NO breed bias at A BETTER DOG Training Company... I'm happy to work with your dog no matter what breed!
