Dogs are like children, they need to be taught proper behavior through positive motivation. Obedience training is an art that requires patience and diligence.

At Ravenwood we train the total dog A dog cannot be expected to do correctly what he does not understand. Teaching basic manners and obedience is the foundation for success.

At Ravenwood, we work with verbal praise, food reward and leash corrections to modify behavior patterns.

There are two options that I offer for dog obedience training, Private Lessons and In-House. One is just as good as the other, depending on your personal situation. During the Private Lessons, you will teach your dog the commands. During the In-House training, I teach the commands. Who teaches the dog the commands is irrelevant. What is important is what you do AFTER the dog knows the commands. The follow-up training is essential to success. Your dog needs to be worked DAILY ~ ON LEASH. My training technique is to TEACH the dog. I teach dogs through praise. Dogs recognize praise in three ways: Touch. Food. Voice (Tone). Your basic commands (recall, heel, sit, down and stay) is the foundation for whatever you want to teach your dog and whatever behavior you want to break your dog of. For the protection of your dog as well as others, dogs staying in my home training must have a negative fecal examination within 7-10 days of visit, be free of external parasites (i.e. fleas and ticks) with the application of Front-line Plus or Advantix and they must be up to date on all their shots. Bordetella is not required.

Common Problems:
• pulling on the leash
• escaping the front door
• not coming when called
• jumping up
• nibbling on hands
• excessive barking
• aggression

There is only one Alpha in a pack. The Alpha of the pack is the leader. Alpha is responsible for making the decisions. In the wild Alpha will determine where to hunt, when to hunt and what to hunt. Alpha is not necessarily the biggest, meanest or ugliest of them all. Quite on the contrary, Alpha is the smartest, the quickest, the most confident and the one who can take initiation.

In your home Alpha is either you or your dog. If it is not you; you need to take the helm and become Alpha, as a dog is incapable of leading a human pack.

Establishing yourself as Alpha requires the foundation of obedience. Again, the bully effect is not necessary nor productive. Respect is rarely earned by this tactic and Alpha is always respected.