Training
Three levels.The first one is already included.
Every dog here learns from the moment it arrives. What changes between the levels is not whether your dog is being taught. It is how much one on one time it gets, and how specific the work is.
Basic
IncludedIncluded with every daycare and boarding day.
Dogs here are managed, not just watched. They learn to read other dogs, come when called, keep off people and counters, and settle indoors once the running is done. Outside is for play. Inside is for settling. Most owners notice that one at home first.
Foundational
One-on-one sessions on top of the day.
Recall, loose leash walking, sit, down, stay, place, waiting at doors, and greeting people without jumping. Then we take each skill somewhere new, because a dog that only listens in our yard has not really learned it.
Specialized
Built around one thing you name.
Leash reactivity, fear of people or dogs, barrier frustration, separation problems, off-leash reliability, or a goal like agility or sport work. More time on that one thing, and time spent showing you how to hold it at home.
Level 1. Included
Basic
What the day teaches on its own
Every dog here is learning from the moment it arrives, whether or not anyone is paying for training. The tiers do not differ in whether your dog learns. They differ in how much one on one instruction it gets.
- Reading other dogs, and being read by them. Body language, boundaries, when to back off.
- Confidence for the shy ones. We advocate for a nervous dog and give it space from the group until it wants in, rather than throwing it into the middle.
- Regulation for the loud ones. A dog that arrives at maximum learns it does not have to stay there all day.
- Patience around food, doors, people and anything exciting.
- Getting used to normal noise, movement and several different handlers.
- Coming back to its name, so any dog can be recalled and redirected if the group needs managing.
- Off people, off doors, off furniture, off counters.
- Settling indoors after outdoor play, and respecting other dogs' space while doing it.
Leash work and formal stay work are not part of Basic. Those start at Foundational.
Level 2
Foundational
Skills, then the same skills somewhere else
Dedicated one on one sessions on top of the day. This is where a dog stops being well managed and starts being trained.
- Recall you can rely on
- Loose leash walking
- Sit, down, and stay with real duration
- Place and settling on a bed
- Waiting at doors instead of bolting them
- Greeting people without jumping
- Retrieving
- Impulse control
- Working while something interesting is happening nearby
- Confidence in places the dog has never been
The part that matters most is the last one. We take each behaviour somewhere new on purpose, because a dog that only listens in our yard has not learned the behaviour. It has learned the yard.
Level 3
Specialized
One problem, and the time to actually solve it
You name the thing. We build the plan around it and spend significantly more time on it than a general program allows.
- Leash reactivity
- Fear of people, or of other dogs
- Barrier frustration
- Separation related behaviour
- Advanced socialisation for dogs that missed it
- Off leash reliability
- Advanced obedience
- Public access preparation
- Trick training, agility foundations, sport work
- Rehabilitation after a bad experience somewhere else
The goal is never a dog that performs for us. Most of the effort goes into showing you how to hold it at home, because that is where the dog actually lives.
Two named programs
For the dogs that need something more specific
These sit alongside the levels rather than above them. Most of the dogs in them are rescues, and several arrived after somewhere else had run out of ideas.
Behaviour Rehabilitation
Reactive, fearful and aggressive dogs.
Dogs that lunge, bark, guard, or cannot be walked without a fight. Most of the dogs we take on are rescues, and several arrived after somewhere else had given up.
Off Leash
Dogs that are reliable on leash and ready for more.
Recall and control without a line, built in stages and proofed against real distraction. This is a later step, not a starting point.
“We have a large dog that grew more and more reactive and territorial as he grew into adulthood. Michael and his team spent a week boarding and training our dog to wear a muzzle and respond less aggressively to stranger dogs and people. Then Michael trained us how to better guide our dog's behavior and has provided tuneups ever since.”
Before any of it
Everyone starts with an evaluation
The evaluation gives us a baseline: what your dog can do now, what you want to improve, and whether regular care or specialized training is the right first step.
Book an evaluation$125 at your home, $50 at the farm. If you start any program, the full evaluation payment is credited toward your first program payment.
Questions
About the programs
- Which level does my dog need?
- That is what the evaluation is for. Most dogs coming for daycare are fine on Basic. Dogs with a specific problem usually need Specialized, and everything in between is Foundational.
- Is Basic really included?
- Yes. Every daycare and boarding day includes it at no extra cost. We do not run a version of this where your dog is only supervised.
- How long does training take?
- It depends on the dog and the problem. We give you a realistic answer after the evaluation rather than a number designed to sound good.
- Will it still work once my dog is home?
- Michael shows you what changed and what to keep doing at home. If more help in the home would be useful after the main program, that can be added separately. The evaluation and the work itself tell us whether you need it.
- Can you help with an aggressive dog?
- Often, yes. Most of the dogs we take on are reactive, fearful or aggressive, and many are rescues. The evaluation decides it, not the label on the dog.
Start with the evaluation.
An hour with your dog, in your home or at the farm. You will know what it needs and whether we are the right people to do it.
$125 at your home, $50 at the farm. If you start any program, the full evaluation payment is credited toward your first program payment.