Training Camps.
The length of training required depends on the training goals, the dog's (s’) capability to learn, the dog's genetics and prior experiences and what the owner's learning curve, and abilities and commitment will be regarding dog training. Basic obedience training generally requires 2-3 weeks, but may be longer in some cases. The mini retreat addressing 1 or 2 issues can be 7-10 days. Puppy programs will produce age appropriate results. The trainer will give periodic progress reports to the Owner via texts or email with photos and short informational videos. The trainer will update the Owner on the anticipated length of training required to reach the agreed upon goals. The owner will also receive a mini course on training mainenance at home vai email, during the dog's camp. Your dog will come home trained upon completion of our training camps. A trainer will show you everything the dog has learned and what to do at home to continue the program. Dogs are intelligent creatures with feelings, and they thrive on consistency. For the training to transfer into your life with your dog, you have to consistently follow and practice what your dog has learned in the camp. The final training results are not guaranteed since they depend on the owner’s commitment and involvement.
We want you to succeed, we offer follow-up lessons, day school and boarding Maintenance and Tune-ups for Dogsports4u Academy graduates with deeply discounted membership and lifetime support.
Location. The dog(s) in the Boarding programs will stay with the trainer(s) during training, and the trainer will take reasonable steps to keep the dog safe, comfortable, appropriately exercised, and engaged with play, exercise and treats. The trainer will, when and if necessary, take the dog to locations and property for socialization, training and veterinary care. Training sessions will be customized to the dog’s attention span, ability to learn new behaviors/commands and interest level.
Evaluation and goals. The trainer and the owner will evaluate the dog's (s’) current skill levels and identify unsatisfactory areas needing improvement. Training will focus on the areas identified as unsatisfactory during the initial evaluation. In general, the goals for the dog(s) are:
To be in control and polite around other dogs and people.
To perform basic pet obedience upon command: sit, stay, off, wait, loose leash, let's go, stop doing what you are doing, go to place, stay in place, impulse control, recall, etc.
To improve upon identified bad habits that may exist, or to prevent them from developing. Such as chewing, barking, jumping on people, rushing through doorways, grabbing and biting, or others.
Behavioral issues such as anxiety, or aggression requires modification training so we can stabilize it and give the owner the tools to manage it. This is usually a longer program of a minimum 4-5 weeks, whereas week 4-5 may involve lessons at the Academy and/or in public.
Our Advanced Obedience, Competitive/Sport Training and Service Dog programs will include the above plus additional goals discussed prior to registration and should be mentioned in comments above.
All dogs enrolled in our boarding or day camps age 5 months or older are expected to be potty trained/housebroken, unless specifically mentioned prior to registration. While we can work on instilling proper helpful behaviors and skills to assist owners with potty training, the results will not be guaranteed because it takes a long time of building consistent habits for the dogs in their own home. If the housebreaking is an issue, it has to be discussed and evaluated prior to enrollment so a proper program can be developed during the dog's stay and learning with us.
Re-evaluation. At the conclusion of the training, the owner and the trainer will re- evaluate the dog and identify whether the dog has met the goals. If the dog has not met some goals, the owner and trainer will discuss whether these goals can be achieved by the dog with additional training and will consider additional training.
Expectations. It may not be possible in some cases to achieve all goals. For example, a dog may have a medical pr psychological condition that prevents the dog from being reliably housebroken, The trainer will notify the owner if any areas are identified where goals need to be modified. In most cases, however, all goals should be achievable given appropriate time and owner's compliance with homework.
Maintenance of Goals. Follow-up training is imperative and tune-up and maintenance stays or lessons should be scheduled on regular recurring basis for the best results. Our students become a part of Dogsports4u Academy family for a lifetime and we welcome them for boarding, tune ups and more advanced obedience training, tricks, AKC Canine Good Citizen certitications, fitness or sport training. To encourage participation and to promote the dogs enrichment and flourishing relationship, we provide convenient maintenance programs memberships with deep discounts for all pur students.
It may take your dog some time to re-acclimate to the usual environment and some time to settle back down emotionally into the home routine. Owners should expect to give their dogs time to greet the family before beginning training. The owner is expected to continue to train the dog in the same manner that was demonstrated by the trainer at the time of pick-up lesson.
(1) Follow-up lesson at the Academy The follow-up session is included in the program free of charge if scheduled within 30 days after the dog has gone home.
The owner recognizes that the Training camps will result in the dog obeying the trainer, and that this will not train the dog to obey the owner without the owner’s follow-up involvement. In order for the dog to obey the owner, the following must occur:
- The owner must understand the basic principles of training (covered in the mini course and the going home pick up lesson).
The owner must apply the basic principles of training.
The owner must not interact with the dog in a way that rewards bad behavior and/or punishes good behavior.
The owner must regularly train the dog at to maintain the level of training achieved. The owner must not give commands that they are not ready to reinforce if the dog does not perform.
Dogsports4u Academy will deliver the results of training your dog, however, dogs are not robots and such results will not work and diminish without your involvement and maintenance.
Equipment and Methods Used. Dogsports4u Academy uses a relationship based training approach based establishing fair leadership and defining clear and consistent rules and rewards for the dog to follow. Each dog is an individual, and each program here is tailored to each student, so depending on your dog’s individual needs, it may be a combination of positive reinforcement techniques such as treats, toys, play, verbal and physical praise along with a variety of tools including prong and remote collars training whereas necessary to explain the task to the dog in the most clear and direct way for the dog to understand with the least amount of stress when learning. These are all used in different configurations depending on the goals to be achieved and the place in the dog's training. We believe in the holistic overall dog approach involving good physical and mental health, proper nutrition and exercise.
Our Canine Fitness Programs become additional fun relationship building interaction for owners and dogs and are easy to follow and are a valuable addition for dogs all ages setting the foundation skills while they are enrolled in our camps. Just like our training, they are indvidually developed for each dog and set a lifetine of fitness and well being.