Training By Trina

We at Training by Trina are firm believers in setting your dog up to succeed. We use a lot of love, praise and food rewards, whatever it takes to make them succeed! We treat your dog as if it were one of our own. We teach you, the Owner, all the tools you need to become the best “responsible pet owner” there is.

Our methods cover a combination of positive and negative reinforcement. We do absolutely nothing that will harm your dog. An example of negative reinforcement, using my dog Dante: Dante jumps for a treat and turn my back on him (a negative response). He gets neither treat nor attention. He learns that jumping causes me to turn my back and ignore him, netting him no reward for his lack of manners. The next time he doesn’t jump for the treat, he gets his reward (a positive response). Not all dogs are food motivated, but are praise motivated. We find what motivates the dog and use that.

In class we use buckle collars or, on occasion, prong collars, which we personally fit for the best results. We recommend only Herm Sprenger with the quick release. As with all training equipment, we teach you how to use it properly and safely. We do not condone the use of shock collars, electric collars or choke collars whatsoever.

We also do not condone the Alpha Roll method of teaching that has become popular on some television shows as of late. The misconception is that this method is done by dogs or wolves in packs and this method is dangerous. We have seen first-hand the resulting nerve damage and aggression that this so-called training method can cause to a dog.

The methods we use have gotten excellent results but will require the Responsible Pet Owner to follow through. Once you have gone through one of our classes we are available to you for future follow up if needed.

We offer two classes:

Puppy Kinder, and AKC Star Puppy, is for puppies 3 months and up. This class includes a lot of socialization and puppy basic skills.

Basic Obedience is for the adult dog. It is more structured, teaching the basic lessons that make for a well mannered dog. At the end of the Basic Obedience course we offer the AKC Canine Good Citizen test for an additional fee.

All dogs must be up to date on shots before attending classes.

--Trina Strong

LINKS

AKC Star Puppy

AKC Canine Good Citizen testing

AKC Responsible Dog Owner Pledge

Humane Society on Positive Reinforcement