At School of Dogs we use positive reinforcement techniques to train your dog. Specifically, we reward the desired behavior by providing properly timed treats which stimulates your dogs association to good behavior. Much like humans, dogs will perform wonderful feats when they learn a pay day is involved. While we may prefer money, dogs will work for treats.

Other rewards can be toys, play or going for a walk. Treats can be anything that a dog desires: but small tidbits of food tend to work best with most dogs. Using small amounts of food, properly timed to create the association to the desired behavior, done in multiple repetitions, is usually enough for most dogs to learn anything. Eventually, the treat or other reward is phased out, but the behavior remains. That is the basis of our positive training and it works!


Clicker Training

At School of Dogs, we are strong believers in the Clicker. Like the name suggests, the Clicker is small handheld device that creates a “clicking” sound when pressed. The Clicker is activated at the moment your dog displays the desired behavior which is then subsequently rewarded with a treat. This pairing of the properly timed clicking sound with the subsequent treat is a powerful tool.

Animal trainers have used this type of pairing to train animals as diverse as whales, elephants, and even chickens. The audio key of the clicking tells your dog that a reward is imminent. Quickly, your dog will be able to determine which behaviors are rewarded and therefore worth continuing.

School of Dogs coaches you to train your dog using positive reinforcement methods. We distance ourselves from methods using force or those that are physically or psychologically harmful. School of Dogs does not support the use of choke chains, shock collars or prong collars. Our goal is to strengthen the bond and trust between you and your dog.