My Approach

My goal is to help you live in harmony with your dog.

Dogs need to feel safe, before they can learn. San Francisco is an inherently unsafe city. So many dogs struggle with the ever changing environment.

They get labeled as reactive, aggressive, anxious, dominant, alpha or territorial.

I believe many dogs are suffering from TOO much social pressure.

What they often need from their guardians is a social buffer.

I understand the frustration of living with a sensitive dog.

But I no longer think that obedience is the solution.

The reality is:

If you do not keep your dog?

It will be for 1 ( or more) of the following issues:

YOU CAN’T

Walk your dog in public

Have visitors

Administer veterinary care

Leave your dog alone

Leave your dog with dog professional

FORGET OBEDIENCE !!!

Let me help you develop these life skills with your dog.

Control the environment. Support your dog.

Adolescent dogs are a HUGE challenge!

Adolescence in dogs is similar to the boundary pushing we see in teenagers.

Most people typically struggle when their dogs are between 1-3 years old.

It’s critical to support them through this phase without corrections or punishment.

When something goes wrong with your dog- ask yourself:

Did my dog have choice, control and predictability?

Chances are, 1, 2 or all 3 were lacking.

We can control environments & situations- NOT our dogs.

It’s amazing what can happen when we collaborate with our dogs to meet their social & safety needs.

After watching the videos on this page, you will have a good idea if I’m the right dog trainer for you.

Adolescent Dogs

Adolescence is the time to learn 4 things:

How to stay safe, how to stay fed, how to make friends and how to find a mate.

Even though we are responsible for all 4 things- your dog’s software is running in the background 24/7.

Learn how I navigate this developmental period.

Recall

It’s very tempting to start teaching our dogs recall at the beach.

Learn how I begin the process and the steps I take to ensure it works.

Strangers & our dogs

Dogs deserve access to public space with anonymity.

Learn why I avoid interacting with the public when I am walking a dog.

Where dogs learn

It’s tempting to start reactivity training in your neighborhood.

But that’s like learning how to swim in the Pacific Ocean- way too complicated.

Learn where I begin the dog training process.

Meeting your dog where they are

We all have expectations that will not be met when we bring a dog into our lives.

Learn how I adjust the environment to help dogs be successful.