The Fine Print
FAQ and Disclaimer
What kind of behavioral modification do you specialize in?
Fear aggression
Example: Barking, lunging, snarling, growling, biting when a certain area is touched, or people moving/walking around, or towards certain objects/people. Otherwise, the dog is usually fine. Normally the dog is described as timid, nervous or skittish.
Anxiety
Example: Non-stop or triggered whining, excessive pacing, shaking, begging/smothering (usually asks to be pet); Trigger can be outdoor, indoor, inside the car, in a crate, or anywhere/anything.
Resource guarding
Example: Food aggression, toy/treat possessiveness, human cannot easily take the object away. Some dog may growl or snap even when people are just close by. Dog may know "leave it" command very well and still demonstrate the behavior.
Please reach out to professionals if you have a severe case and with children in the household. Please DO NOT forcefully take the object away by yourself. Please avoid yelling, hitting, or using another object or tool to scare the dog away.
Phobia
Example: Wouldn't get close to the object/people that elicited fear, would run the opposite direction or shut down (lock the body on the ground and wouldn't budge). May exist with or without traumatic experience. The fear is usually exacerbated by dog's low-confidence personality (naturally jumpy and skittish) and/or relationship with the handler (that was not based on trust).
Obsession
Example: Hours of repeated behavior such as barking/fixating/chasing on an object (sometimes toy), digging/licking to a point of hurting itself, etc. When the obsession is present the dog ignores everything else.
Socialization
Example: Overexcitement (whining, barking, lunging, charging) or Compete Avoidance (hiding, shivering, yelping, freaked out when being greeted, never demonstrated playful behavioral) when seeing other dogs. Hard to make friends.
Leash pulling
Example: From mild to extreme, the dog never walks calmly next to or follow the human. Handler has considered walking chaotic and anxiety-driven, sometimes had avoided walking altogether.
Pack integration
Example: Having 2+ dogs never get along, the dogs had been separated into different areas (indoor/outdoor, downstairs/upstairs); Bringing a new puppy/rescue into your original pack but they don't seem to like each other.
Do you work with Pitbull / Doberman / Mastiff, a specific breed (you name it) ?
Yes!
Yes to a chihuahua, yes to a pitbull, yes to a golden retriever and a rottweiler, and many else yes.
Breed is something human-created. They are first and foremost, dogs.
The breed specificity only comes into consideration after the understanding of basic canine psychology. That is trust, and respect!
My dog just had surgery / has special needs / underlying health concerns, what should I do?
It is always recommended to have your vet's clearance before committing to any engagement.
I'm very happy to work with any existing conditions and collaborate with your vet so we could customize our session based on the pup's limitation and the family's expectation - there is always something that we CAN do.
By accepting my service, you have agreed that the family/handler will be forthcoming about these conditions, willing to communicate, and are comfortable working through them. It is your responsibility and right to terminate the engagement anytime during/before/after the session whenever you are concerned about your dog's health.
My dog has never been trained,
My dog has been trained to ____(guard, fight, protect, herd, etc.),
My dog doesn't like ____ (a person, crate, be groomed, be held, etc.),
My dog came from shelter,
My dog had bad experience before,
Does it matter? Is it too late?
No. And it's never too late for anything.
Human is the only animal on this planet that ruminates the past and worries about the future. My job is to show you that dog lives in the moment, here and now. They are ready to move forward, whenever you are.
What's your training method? What tool do you use?
Life is simple for dogs. Keep it simple for them.
There are great things in the realm of positive reinforcement. We will keep the best part. But you don't hear a wolf telling another wolf to "sit" and throw it a treat in the wild, do you?
Let's use minimum sound (and yelling), minimum tool, and just a little more intuition.
Do you offer Board and Train / Obedience Class / Group class?
Short answer is No. I only go to client's residence, workplace, or the location where the dog exhibits certain behavior.
Here's why:
When the dog learns everything at a facility, it is pertaining to that location. The rules and boundaries do not automatically apply to YOUR home.
When a dog learns everything solely from a trainer/behaviorist, it is pertaining to that person. It does not automatically respect YOU or understand YOUR LIFESTYLE.
When you choose to be absent from your dog's development and growth, then you are not part of it. The dog will eventually get somewhere, yes - with or without you.
A Schutzhund champion can have flying colors and perfect scores in the ring, and still be a terrible house pet at the same time. The truth is most people and families just want a chill lapdog right next to them without barking/chewing/biting/pulling, etc. There are other experts in the field who specialize in dog sports, personal protection, search and rescue, hunting or herding, etc., perhaps that is what you're looking for - It is also my job to help you understand your expectation.
However, outside of behavioral modification, I do provide Therapy Dog and Service Animal training, if your dog's temperament is suited for the job after evaluation.
You would receive a customized program for you or family member's individual need ( i.e. physical stability, anxiety/panic alert, deep pressure therapy, etc.), all personal and disability info will be confidential. Contact for more details.
How many sessions does my dog need?
A great question. I don't have any package recommendation because if we can solve a problem within the first session, we don't need 5 or 10 more.
I teach how to fish, I don't sell fish - I think a better question would be how many sessions do you and your family need? That depends on your understanding, clarity and consistency.
Project and Outreach
To shelters/fostering families that are handling unadoptable dogs or dogs that are about to be put down, please reach out or text me (313-455-6966) with your situation, I want to help. And I will be able to help.
If you are/the facility is experiencing financial difficulties, I will be happy to work with any long-term payment plans so we are able to address the urgency. Money will not be the reason we give up on helping dogs or families.