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

When can I start training? My answer:

Most puppies are adopted at 8 weeks or general age when they are weaned from the mother and get the first round of shots. I can start private lessons at your home as early as you would like. However, to join a class, the puppy must have at least 3 rounds of shots (if meeting in public places). 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  – 2 weeks of age until 14 weeks (which is generally by the time the vaccination period is done, bad timing!)

Future Possibilities: I may have options in the future to host playdates for under-vaccinated puppies in a safe location. Please inquire.

There are no age maximums when it comes to training, unless the dog is becoming 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 respond to her name when her parent first came to me for training. I was able to get the basics from her within about 2-3 weeks! 

Information on Puppy and Adult Pawsitive Training Classes:

All dogs must be fully vaccinated and attend a Private Lesson Orientation prior to joining a class. This is so that the trainer may observe the level of aptitude of the dog and the handler/parent, to find the most appropriate class for you. Please inquire for information on diseases in your area.

All classes are scheduled once a week for an hour.

Most of the 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 with training. This is structured this way so we give the dogs adequate opportunities 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  bite inhibition (how hard dogs can “mouth” before my playmate doesnt want to play anymore), boundaries (calming signals-body language communication), respect (when to back off from warning signs) and play etiquette (understanding eb and flow in the play field) that dogs can teach each other during play time and will sincerely accelerate the learning process! 

Puppy class fundamental basics include:

Come when called, sit, down, stay, wait, leave it, drop it, walking on loose lead, making training a lifestyle and how to handle mouthing, jumping, barking and much more. Puppy play time included in class!

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

Shaping plans can be offered in Private Lessons for more difficult or long term tricks such as:

* “Ring the bells” : to go potty outside

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

Please note: if you are starting training during adolescent stage (5-11 months) and you have not yet socialized (with other dogs), it is not a guarantee that a class setting will be ideal for your dog, however socializing is a critical part of their learning but will need to be evaluated to find out whether the dog is ready for group training. It is usually very common that if a puppy starts training and socialization after 5 months of age, it is rather difficult to keep attention around other dogs and usually needs to be handled carefully; class setting is usually not the most practical (to start with), but can be worked up to.

Please contact Marina for more information on class schedules.