Dog Training Coach

Absolutely not! With puppies - the younger they are the less time they have to learn bad habits and the easier it is to break them and lead them to good ones. Your dog's training should begin from the moment you want to build a relationship with them. There is no minimum age to when your dog should respect and listen to you.

Great question! First off - my services don't cost thousands and thousands of dollars. I also don't keep your dog at a facility for over a week, that just sounds crazy to me!

Most importantly, I will get your dog to follow and obey YOU, not just me. You need to understand that trainers have a gift - its easy for them to command/lead dogs and get them to stay engaged. But as soon as they drop them off to their owners, they go right back to their old habits. MY MISSION is not to train your dog, but to teach you how to train your dog. To transfer the control, loving leadership, and knowledge onto you so that you can take your dog anywhere and enjoy them much more.

It definitely can be if you are using it incorrectly or for punishment.

But when used correctly - your dog should get excited when you reach for the collar and put it on them. They will know what's coming: which should be training with rewards and going outside. 

This is a process and there is no short answer here. But to make one of the main points as simple as possible to give you a short answer: REWARD

Just watch and see how much more your dog will be interested in you when you carry around a bag of small treats with ham or slices of turkey. Of course - you can't just free give your dog's treats all the time, they will lose interest. You have to make them earn their treats. Do this by making them come to you and sit still 20 times a day. Then increase the sitting time before you give them reward. Then go for walks and make them sit every 1-2 minutes.  When there are distractions, it will be much harder but try to get them to sit still and give them huge pets, "good boys", and hugs and kisses when they follow commands. They will start to love you. 

Pro Tip:  Keep a bag of treats by your toilet and every time you sit down -  don't call them -  but make them come to you with the crinkle sounds of the bag with the treats. Give them reward and a bunch of attention until you're done with your business. 

Ultimately... YOU want to become your dog's reward. Your presence should make your dog happy and excited every time you pet or reward them. The more you do this the more your dog is going to want your attention and leadership anywhere you go. 

First off - NEVER leave a bowl of food out for you dog to pick at. This a good way to kill your dog's motivation and for them to become overweight. An obese dog is unattractive and cruel on your behalf because you are not feeding them correctly, causing them severe health problems. By giving them the biggest reward all the time whenever they want it - they won't appreciate or value it. This is the equivalent of giving your kid chocolate cake and soda anytime they want - a recipe for disaster. 

With that being said, food is the most important thing to a dog. They should get super-duper happy when its feeding time. They should attack their bowl (after you made them sit still of course) and finish it.  Feed them once in the morning and once in the evening. 3 times a day if they are less than a year old. Make sure they finish the bowl.

If they don't eat their food right away, PUT THE BOWL AWAY UNTIL THEY ARE HUNGRY. And yes, they will get hungry. If they still won't eat after a whole day - try cracking an egg or mixing some ham/turkey in their bowl. If they still won't eat after 3 days -get some new food. If they still won't eat after 4 days and you can see your dog's ribs, (meaning they are underweight) something is wrong with your dog. Take them to the vet. Otherwise, if your dog is not underweight, keep at it and DON'T leave an open bowl of food out for them to eat at their own time. They should eat it immediately every single time. Healthy dogs can go 5 days without food. But if your dog hasn't eaten in over a week, take them to a vet. 

A hungry dog is a good dog. Even when they finish their bowl they should still be hungry for more. This will make training your dog with treats more productive.