We also believe firmly in the ethics of starting with the least intrusive, minimally aversive (LIMA) methods. This means lots of positive reinforcement along with identifying opportunities to manage the environment to keep pets and family members happy and safe. Training, even for difficult behaviors, should be a positive experience for both you and your dog.

When it comes to problem behaviors, we use our training in behavior analysis to assess why a behavior is occurring (i.e., what in the environment or history is causing the behavior to continue). Our interventions are tailored to address the current causes of the behavior and support more desirable behaviors instead. We also make sure to identify and discuss the behavioral risk to maximize safety for all involved. Common behavior problems to address include mouthing, avoidance of the veterinary clinic, avoidance of grooming, reacting to other dogs on walks, and so much more.

Training new behaviors is always fun! We are happy to help you use positive reinforcement to get some great new behaviors from your dog. Loose leash walking, party tricks, waiting patiently at doors, etc. Whatever it is, we’ll break the behavior down into smaller steps in order to maximize success and minimize frustration for everyone.

We are also big proponents of measuring the behavior over time so that we can see whether the intervention is working or whether procedures need to be modified to increase efficacy. For behaviors where there may be a health component, we will always recommend first seeing your veterinarian to rule out any health issues or to identify whether medicine can assist our behavioral modification.