I want my clients to be as excited as I am to bring the best out in their dogs! In order for you to get the best possible results out of my program and for your dog to have the total transformation in behavior that you are hoping for, it’s important for you to use and maintain what I have taught your dog when they return back home.

If your dog is having ANY behavioral issues- pulling on the leash, barging through thresholds, not coming when called, excessive barking, counter surfing, getting into the trash, jumping up, aggression, anxiety, fear, going to the bathroom in the house, or destructive behaviors - I want you to recognize that there is a problem. The way that you live with your dog and the way that they view their environment and the people/other animals in it are contributing to their behavior. Training humans is a HUGE part of what I do and it is incredibly rewarding for me to help shed light on the seemingly insignificant interactions that may be sending your dog mixed messages as well as teach you how to improve your relationship with them overall.

I need you to be 100% comfortable with my training methods and techniques. I am a balanced trainer which means I will absolutely be using positive reinforcement such as food rewards and praise to teach new behaviors and reward the things we DO want, but the flip side to that is I will also be correcting bad behavior to stop the unwanted, and sometimes even dangerous, behaviors we don’t want. Giving our dogs clear, consistent feedback for the choices they make will create reliability in their behavior and alleviate stress for everyone!

Part of the “rehab” process for our dogs and the reason why the board and train model is so successful is that it gives you the opportunity to leverage your dog’s time away from home to implement new rules and ways of life upon their return. I may ask you to dial back on certain privileges temporarily until your dog earns them back with good behavior. These could be things like sleeping in the crate at night, limiting excessive affection (especially with aggressive or anxious dogs), restricting furniture privileges and limiting their “free roam” within your home. You may be concerned that dialing back on these things that you have always done and allowed will make your dog upset or ruin your relationship with them but I’m here to blow your mind...dogs CRAVE structure and clear leadership and by following my suggestions your relationship with your dog will improve more than you ever thought possible!

I need the whole family on board with everything I recommend! Dogs are SO smart; if they find a “hole” in the new expectations they will absolutely take advantage and you will have trouble getting consistent success and keeping it long term. If you have other dogs, I highly recommend getting them all on the same page with the training. An untrained dog will be a big distraction for the trained dog and things will run much more smoothly if you can hold them all to the same standards and expectations.

Owner success post board and train is my utmost goal! My training is designed to be used daily and practically as a lifestyle. You won’t need to make extra time to “practice training” but it is important to use it within your existing daily interactions with your dog. Taking daily walks in a structured heel (which is a healthy exercise in leadership and bonding), having them relax on their place bed in your home during downtime, waiting politely at thresholds, laying down calmly on car rides - is all using the training! The more your dog practices “listening” the easier it is for them to behave appropriately even around distractions. Our most successful clients are providing daily exercise and mental stimulation for their dogs by utilizing the training regularly.

Ultimately we want you to have fun with your dog! Once your dog sees the value in listening to you SO much more is possible- off leash freedom, more inclusion in your life and a lifetime of being your trusty sidekick. We want to help you get there!

The E-collar is a rechargeable 2 part system with a collar that the dog wears that is paired wirelessly to a remote control that you will carry. It allows you to communicate with your dog off leash, at a distance and under a high level of distraction. During your dog’s time here they will be trained to respond to the E Collar so that it becomes quite literally an invisible leash! This means your dog will actually listen to you when they are both highly distracted and not connected to you by a leash. It is the ONLY way to safely have your dog off leash and maintain reliability. The ability to recall your dog back to you, be it simply from another room in your home or at great distances outdoors, is something unavailable with any other tool.

Fortunately E-collars have evolved A LOT from the “shock collars” of the days of old. Modern day remote collars feature the same technology as TENS machines used for physical therapy in humans. This means the dog feels a sensation that stimulates the muscle in their neck which gets their attention. It does NOT cause them physical or mental harm and in fact is actually more gentle and less confrontational than physical leash pressure when used correctly.

Dog training is not one size fits all. Part of the reason I started my own company was so I would have the freedom to tailor my program to the individual dog. Ultimately all dogs end up on the remote E collar by the end of their program because as stated above, there truly is no better tool to give you the reliability under distraction or off leash. However, I use lots of different tools along the way of the conditioning process depending on what works best for that dog. Tools include the dog’s kibble as reward, treats of various values, toys, slip leads, long lines, prong collars, dominant dog collars, muzzles when necessary for safety, clickers, and various equipment I come across in the environment for confidence building and agility.

Due to the many variables involved to create a well-behaved, balanced dog, including owner commitment, consistency, and follow-through, it would be unethical for us to offer a 100% guarantee. However, we take great pride in our ability to deliver consistent results and improvement in all dogs despite their breed, age or issues.

Once you hire us, we consider you part of The Country Life K9 Training family and your success is our utmost priority. You will receive a comprehensive go home packet emailed to you prior to your final go home lesson that is specific to your dog and outlines protocol we suggest to promote success and help ease the transition of your dog back into your home. We also document your dog’s training journey from start to finish on social media and those videos are always there for you to refer back to if needed.

Yes! We offer a free optional 1 hour follow up lesson a few weeks post board and train graduation to go over things with a trainer if you need additional help with anything.

We also offer a 1 week “Refresher Board & Train” for $700 to any past graduates of our program. This includes a full 1 hour go home lesson on pick up day to help refresh the humans as well! This is a good option if you’re going to be boarding your dog with us while you’re away on vacation anyway, and want to take advantage of having a trainer work with your dog daily for dedicated training sessions aside from pack walks or social time in the yard. We can help clean up certain areas you feel you or your dog struggle in, or take your dog on field trips to clean up their manners in public if that’s something you’re interested in.

We don’t allow visits during the board and train program. Although we understand it can be hard to be away from your dog, we find the owner’s presence to be counter-productive. It slows the progress of the program and can actually move the process backward. We want your dog to have all of the skills and training to be their best by the time you're reunited, and we need the full length of the program for them to be prepared for that! However, we do post updates over the course of their training to social media as well as contact you directly to update along the way which allows you to follow along with their progress and helps to pass the time :)

It comes down to the type of training I offer. The e collar is my primary tool because I want to be able to help your dog become the ABSOLUTE BEST they can be: off leash and anywhere with you. As stated above no other tool allows for this reliability. However, proper conditioning is VITAL and is a highly technical and nuanced process. It is something that I have studied for hours, have A LOT of practice doing and I feel is better left to professionals. Any tool can of course be accidentally misused but this is especially true with the e collar due to the large range of levels and the highly variable personalities and sensitivity level of dogs. By sending your dog to me, I do all of the conditioning process and your dog graduates fully trained. Additionally, this process only takes me a few weeks since your dog is totally immersed in my training lifestyle (we live and breath dog here :) ). Most owners lead busy lives and the same training could take them months, or even if they do have all the time in the world, they may never reach the point of total off leash reliability due to lacking the expertise and experience to get their dogs to that high level of conditioning.