Transparency

Dog training is an unregulated industry. Therefore, it’s the responsibility of trainers everywhere to provide the highest level of transparency to their clients. The trust between client and trainer is essential for many reasons.

Fundamentally, you should always know what’s happening with your pet and why. I am committed to explicitly outlining processes, so our training plan is understood and agreed upon before it’s undertaken. If you were a fly on the wall of any of my training sessions, I feel confident that you’d easily identify what we’re working on and see everyone having an awesome time.

Furthermore, in order to do my job well, I require transparency from you. Bringing a dog trainer into your life can be an intimidatingly intimate process. I need to inquire about your living situation, family dynamics, and more to guarantee my safety and yours during our time together. In other words, I am transparent with you, so you’ll be transparent with me. That’s what enables us to do powerful work together.

Consent

I believe that choice is empowering and builds confidence in dogs and humans. Throughout your dog’s training, they will experience a lot of opportunities for structured choice within safe situations. It’s amazing what they’re willing to try when they know that their feelings will be honored and that they can opt out with our support at any time.

Similarly, you will be diving into a host of new skills. I want you to feel safe to make mistakes, knowing that if you ever feel overwhelmed, you can pause or stop at any time. If you are ever uncomfortable with a training exercise, I would love to provide an alternative. That’s my job. I want you to feel sure of your training plan and know in your bones that it’s a good fit for your dog.

Compassion

We’re all just doing our best—your dog included. Dog training can feel really high stakes, but we all do our best work when we leave perfectionism at the door and feel safe enough to just go for it. It’s so important to accept where we’re at (big feelings and all) so we can move through tough situations with tender hearts.

When we’re present with what’s happening in the now, we can find contentment and a bit of fun in just about everything. Forget what you’ve seen on Instagram and ditch that inner critic, let’s get you and your dog feeling supported, treasured, and accepted right in this moment.