Frequently asked questions

Am I the right trainer for you?

It is important for you to be familar with my training techniques and philosophy. I have lots of examples of my work on the website here, Instagram, Facebook, and Youtube. Please watch and learn about how and what I do when training your dog. You also need to be excited to changing your lifestyle to get your dog into a better state of mind. You must recognize that if your dog is having behavior issues such as: nuisance barking, biting, growling, anxiety, nervousness, snapping, barging through doors, jumping, counter surfing, food stealing, resource guarding. then their IS a problem. The way your dog see's its enviroment and people in it's life may be contributing to the issue. You and I share the same goal, to help you and the dog to have a better life together. This needs to be a team effort by everyone involved. I am more then happy to do whatever it takes to help, but you also need to make that same commitment to your dog. You need to be 100% comfortable with my training techniques that I use to help you with the issues you're experiencing. I ask all clients, especially those with dogs who show aggression, anxiety or fear, to significantly cut down on giving love and affection to their dogs. This affection is a very valuable reward to your dog. Your dog will get all that love and affection back, but only once they behave in a calm, respectful, polite way and they understand what is expected of them can they be rewarded. I also ask to cut down on allowing your dog on furniture and start having your dog sleep in a crate at night. You must be willing to follow through with all of the homework and education that you are given. You MUST follow through at home for your dog's training to be successful. Remember, this is a team effort. Every family member who lives with or has contact with your dog must agree to follow the training rules, structure, rewards, and discipline. If you start lacking in these areas, you will create confusion and inconsistency. If somoene is soft and easy on the dog, typically because they are afraid of losing the dogs affection, and another family member is quick and confident to correct the dog. The dog can become confused and communication is unclear, therefore the boundaries are unclear. This can cause old behaviors to start to come back. Something we must be diligant to prevent. All family member must partake in corrective measures so that the dog has clear and consistent commands and responds to them. Daily structured walks are a must. They don't have to be overly long. Even just exercising your dog in a Heel position for 10-15 minutes each day does wonders mentally. It's so much more work for them then just letting them pull or drag a loose leash around. It also is a great leadership exercise for the human to have important bonding time with the dog. I understand if this feels overwheling. We all just want to have fun with our dogs, and that is possible, but first we must create the correct boundaries and structure. When we all work together and everyone is on the same page, your dog will consistently make good choices. Dog training is a lifestyle, and never truly ends. Everyone involved benefits from properly training your dog. I want your dog and your family to have the fullest experience of living with mans best friend.



What's my dog's daily routine while training?

All dogs sleep inside my home, in a converted kennel room, even my personal dogs sleep there. I only work with a couple of dogs at a time, which allows for personalized attention. We maintain a calm, quiet enviroment at all times. Your dog will go for a long structured walk every day. At the beginning of training we start with the Place Command. We do this to help learn patience and impulse control. Once this command is taught we use it daily to have downtime and to practice calmness. This downtime is usually upstairs with the rest of my family. This is how we get a dog to withstand the busy life of family life when it comes home. Free roaming is not allowed. Dogs will not interact with other client dogs, unless it is during supervised social time or structured playtime Every moment of your dog's day is training. Therefore every moment is part of Permission Based Training. This means your dog will always be in a command. None of your dog's actions will be a choice made by him. Everything will be because I gave him permission to do it. This is how we create a calm, obedient dog.



What tools do you use?

Tools are what we use to communicate to your dog. Since dogs are all unique, their is no set of tools that works for every dog. For example, one dog may be surprised by a Pet Convincer. which is a can of compressed air used to surprise and stop an unwanted behavior. Another dog my completely ignore and couldn't care less about it. The tools that I use are: food, Mini Educator e collar, prong collar, slip lead, Pet Convincer, a Bonker (this is a rolled up cotton towel used in a similar fashion as a Pet Convincer) The balanced training approach brings calm and balance back to your family with your commitment and consistency. I am very adamant in showing examples of my work. I share on various social media sites because i want to educate dog owners about these tools. I want to show how they cause no harm and how effective they are.



Can i visit my dog while it's in training?

We don’t allow visits during a board and train program. We find the owner’s presence can be counter-productive to the relationship that we are trying to establish.



Okay! I'm on board. What changes will i be expected to make at home?

II tell people treat your dog as if they just got out of drug rehabilitiation. We have started the journey of stopping all that learned bad behavior. So the next stage is learning to manage the new good behaviors at home and in the daily routine. As part of my program a 30-90 day relationship reboot is required. What does that mean? -Your dog cannot sleep with you. -He will need to be crated at night and anytime they are unsurpervised. -Affection should only be given when your dog is complying to a command or performing a wanted behavior. -Your dog is only allowed to play when given the release command and should be done outside only. -Practice huge amounts of duration work on their place cot. 30-90 minute long sessions should be practiced while you do things around the home such as: make dinner, clean, watch tv. -Your dog should only eat during feeding times, no more free feeding. This includes no treats in between feeding times. -You must practice walking skills on a daily basis with no pulling, sniffing, free roaming, whining, barking, charging, unless given the release command. -Any behavior that is unwanted is given a consequence firm enough to stop it in its tracks.



What is an E-collar? What is a prong collar?

An E-Collar is a remote dog training system that uses a wireless remote and a wireless receiver. I use the Ecollar Technologies Mini Educator ET-300. It has 100 levels of stimulation. Most dogs work at levels 9 or below. These levels most humans can't even feel.. No shocking or residual pain experienced. The training program involves low level conditioning that is layered over obedience the dog has already learned using the prong collar. This leads to complete off-leash handling. The prong collar is one of the most effective tools of communication between you and your dog. Even though they're portrayed as hurtful or dangerous, and look barbaric, they happen to be the one of safest tools to effectively communicate with your dog. In fact they come with a built in saferty ring, to prevent harm. Minimal pressure on the neck, unlike slip leads or choke chains, creates a]n effective conversation between you and your dog.



Is your training guaranteed? Is my dog done training when they return home?

Due to all of the variables involved in dog behavior and training, especially owner commitment, consistency, and follow-through, it would be unethical for us to offer a 100% guarantee. Training is never "complete" or "over". You will be expected to build upon the foundation laid down at Ace Dog Academy. I tell everyone that training is a lifestyle. We must change our everyday interacdtions with our dogs to continue their training. Dogs, like humans, have good days and they have bad days. They will make mistakes. My goal is to set you up with the tools and knowledge for you and your dog to succeed.



Will i get updates about my dog's training?

Of course! I know i would not want to leave my dog somewhere and not know what was going on. I post daily updates to Facebook and Instagram, especially the "Stories." I will always be honest about what your dog is good and what they need to continue to work on when they come home.