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Typical Day at the Canine Counselor's Training School
Spending time at Training School is a relaxing, rehabilitating, intensive learning experience for your dog. Phyllis takes time to make each interaction with your dog, from a potty break to a training session, meaningful in their training. Upon arriving, your dog is given a quick walk, training session, and a potty break. Then Phyllis gets your dog settled in and works on crate training. A typical day begins with a potty break for your dog. Then breakfast or a training session may be planned, depending on the plan for the day. Several potty breaks and 2-3 training sessions take place throughout the day. Dinner time is often followed with inside training. Each dog is started with easy skills such as crate training, being calm around other dogs, exiting doors politely, pottying on command, and loose leash walking. Dogs with fear or anxiety are worked with calm confidence to help the dog gain trust and relax. Each dog gets two to three customized training sessions per day. Many times more than one dog is trained at a time. For example, two dogs might be practicing a down stay while another dog is practicing walking on leash around other dogs. Training sessions may be in house, on a neighborhood walk, at a local pet store, park, or even the airport. As your dog's skills progress, your dog will get to practice skills around higher level distractions. Dogs learn a "bed stay" (picture at right) where the dog stays on a bed for an extended period of time. This comes in handy when guests are visiting or when you want your dog with you, but need him to stay in a contained area. Dogs in training school get closely monitored exposure and social time with lots of other dogs. Phyllis' dogs can school your dog is polite behavior with other dogs. At the end of the training school, your dog will be a pro at obedience commands such as sit, down, stay, and come. Phyllis teaches your dog these commands at a slow pace so the dog throughly understands the obedience when returning home.
Your dog will also learn to become a more relaxed, polite, and well behaved dog. Part of the training school is behavior based. Many behaviors such as anxiety, whining, aggression, insecurity, fear or dominant behavior cannot be fixed with obedience alone. Phyllis gives the dog clearly communicated and consistent boundaries and guidance so the dog feels secure, which alleviates many problem behaviors. Dogs can make quick changes given the proper environment, but it takes 30 days to change a habit or way of being. Phyllis keeps dogs long enough that the new improved behavior is becoming a habit.
The final part to the Training School is training you how to train your dog. Your dog will return to you well trained. Your Training School package includes three to four lessons at your home. Phyllis works with your entire family explaining the new protocol for your dog. She will explain and demonstrate how to keep your dog walking on a loose leash without reacting to dogs, greeting visitors, or being quiet in the home. She also explains how children can help the dog be polite with them through appropriate play and interactions.
