My Mission: to provide proactive, holistic dog and handler (R+) education.

People ask me: when can I start training? My answer:

**Age minimum = 8 weeks or general age when they are weaned from the mother and get the first round of shots. In order to join a class, must have at least 2 rounds of shots. 

**No age maximums, unless the dog is senile or disabled. It is UNTRUE that an old dog can’t learn new tricks… I had a 14 year old golden retriever who wouldn’t even respond to her name when her mom first came to me for training, I was able to get the basics from her within about 2-3 weeks). 

–> I also do shaping plans for more difficult or long term tricks such as:

* “Ring the bells”, to go outside potty

* “Bang – Shoot the Dog” dog rolls over and plays dead

Puppy and Adult Pawsitive Training Classes are offered for those who are fully vaccinated. Please contact me if your puppy is not fully vaccinated yet, there are training sessions and possible play dates I can host in a safe and clean way so that your puppy may benefit from socialization during the critical socialization period  (see below) 

I have a few regular on-going classes that people can inquire about at any time. Most of my classes include a bit of play time in class, either at the beginning of class or the end, so that the dogs may benefit from play time and training in the same session. This is structured this way so we are giving adequate chances for breaks and so that they can get the most out of this opportunity and convenient for you! There is a tremendous amount of learning about boundaries, respect and play etiquette that dogs can teach each other during play time and will sincerely accelerate the learning process!

These classes will be scheduled weekly, with more play dates available upon request.

Parents will learn how to positively reinforce good/wanted behaviors and how to redirect unwanted behaviors. 

Please contact Marina for more information on class schedules.

Critical Socialization Time Period for young puppies:

There is a developmental time period for young puppies from about 2 weeks of age until about 4 months where the experiences they have with other people and dogs will shape their feelings, excitement, understanding of behavior including calming signals (dog’s body language and primary communication language), etiquette, desires and self-control/impulse control. They learn a lot about bite inhibition (how hard they can bite on other people and dogs before it hurts and their playtime stops because the person or dog being bitten on doesn’t want to play anymore) from their litter mates, however because litter mates learn to tolerate a lot more than other dogs will, they don’t learn as much as they will with new dogs. This is why socializing after they are adopted is so critical as early as possible and as much as possible from 8 weeks until 4 months because this is the most impactful time of their early childhood learning experiences and will shape who they become as an adolescent. 

When you take your puppy to get his/her shots the Veterinarians will recommend that you keep the puppy away from other pups until they are fully vaccinated to keep clear of Parvo and many other transmittable diseases and sicknesses. Parvo is most commonly spread through feces and saliva of other dogs who are infected and can be fatal (signs of infection usually occur within 24 hours of exposure). As a dog trainer this is a difficult problem as the time it takes to get a puppy fully vaccinated means that they aren’t able to socialize with other puppies until fairly close (if not after) the critical socialization period is over. So as a professional, I do my best to facilitate a clean (sanitized) and safe environment for puppies to come play with other young puppies who have not been out to many places where they could have been infected and can get the learning that is so necessary and helpful for their development. For this process I do recommend the puppies to have their second round of shots done (round meaning, DHLPP series (which consists of Distemper, Hepatitis, Leptospirosis, Parvo and Parainfluenza-in one shot) and Bordetella)