How to Connect with Your Dog on a Deeper Level
You want to improve your relationship with your dog!
That’s awesome!! Dogs are such an amazing species. No other animal is as connected with humans as our canine companions, and building that bond is truly rewarding. It’s why I do what I do!
Play!
There is no more fulfilling relationship with your dog than a playful one. Play shows them where to be who they are, where they can chase and run and bite. It also fulfills their genetic need to be social and have a long fulfilling interaction with their favorite person, you! If done properly, it can even build their confidence to really healthy levels which they will come to associate with their interactions with you.
For some reason, our culture has become emphatic on walking your dog. And there isn’t anything inherently wrong with walking your dog, but why do we do this? Potty breaks, exercise, and spend time together. You will always need to make time and space to potty your dog, but walking doesn’t even come close to the physical and mental exercise that comes from play and especially the social bond that comes from play. Learn more about play here:
https://www.thetrustedcompanion.com/thetrustedcompanionblog/play-why-its-important-and-how-to-do-it
There are so many ways to engage your dogs genetics!
There are a lot of cool things you and your dog can get involved with to develop their natural abilities and your relationship with them!
Tracking which teaches your dogs to find things based on scent in open areas.
Nosework which teaches your dog how to track scent through items, furniture, and cabinets etc.
Bitework which teaches your dog how to bite something and hold their bite building confidence, even if you don’t ever want them to bite a person.
Agility competitions
Frisbee competitions
Dock diving competitions
Herding competitions
Flyball competitions
And many many more!!
The levels of competition in these areas can grow pretty extensive and intense, but you don’t have to be the best to have fun! Your pup doesn’t care if they win or lose, they just care about having fun with you doing these really cool things! Dogs at their core are predators. And where we don’t let them (for the most part) go hunt and kill things, giving them an outlet for those drives really brings them to life and you’ll find joy in your dog they maybe haven’t experienced with you yet!
Bonding with your dog through obedience
Obedience is another fantastic way to develop your relationship with your dog! If you don’t matter to them, and they blow you off for whatever distraction or concern passes by, then you both would benefit from developing trust in your relationship. We accomplish this through obedience and communication. Asking a dog to do something they wouldn’t normally do to show them that listening to you works in their best interest builds trust and a bond with your dog above the relationship of you being just a fun person who gives them pets and treats. With the right communication, you can build a relationship with your dog that teaches them that when you are together, they are safe. They can trust you on a level where they know you’ll take care of them in any situation. Dogs that don’t have this relationship often develop insecurity and anxiety, and these dogs need a new trusting relationship. But even dogs that don’t seem to need this relationship, certainly deserve to have that relationship with their owners. All dogs benefit from knowing their owners are looking out for them and from knowing they can fully trust their owners in any situation even if they aren’t connected by a leash! I can help you with that.
Recommended Packages
ESSENTIAL $500:
Includes 3 30-60 minute private lessons at a park in Elkton, VA or Penn Laird, VA (appointments subject to weather)
Includes Herm-Sprenger prong collar and long training leash
Teaches how to improve your relationship with your dog through play
Teaches leash manners, “out”, and “place” or “come”
Teaches how to play and set parameters for inappropriate behavior
Can cater to specific issues
For dogs at least 5 months old
COMPLETE $850:
Includes everything in Essential package plus 3 additional 30-60 minute private lessons for a total of 6 lessons and electric collar (appointments subject to weather)
Includes remote electric collar
Teaches fundamentals of play and how to use play to develop your bond and communication with your dog
Teaches leash manners, “out”, “come”, “sit”, “place”, “down”, and “heel”
We will proof commands for distance and duration
Will cater to any specific issues with your dog
For dogs at least 4 months old
ROCKSTAR $1100:
Includes everything in the Complete package plus 2 additional 30-60 minute lessons in Elkton for a total of 8 lessons (appointments subject to weather).
2 additional private lessons can be used for teaching additional advanced commands to really bring out the rockstar in your dog! Advance commands can include your choice from extended distance sit and down, come to the heel position, send aways to place, stand, front, maintain eye contact, or feel free to ask about something else!
For dogs at least 4 months old
ANXIETY & AGGRESSION $1100:
Includes everything in the Complete package plus 2 additional lessons in Elkton for a total of 8 lessons (appointments subject to weather).
2 additional lessons will be used to work specifically around the sources of the anxiety and aggression where applicable.
Focus on building confidence and trust
For dogs at least 5 months old
*Military, First Responder, and Multiple Dog discounts can be applied!!
ESSENTIAL $800:
Includes 3 30-60 minute lessons conveniently in your home
Teaches how to improve your relationship with your dog through play
Teaches leash manners, “out”, and “place” or “come”
Teaches play and how to set parameters for inappropriate behavior
We will proof commands for distance and duration
Includes Herm-Sprenger prong collar and long training leash
Allows us to address specific issues in your environment
For dogs at least 5 months old
Includes everything within an hour of Massanutten, though further distances are able to be accommodated for a small surcharge.
COMPLETE $1550:
Includes everything in Essential package plus 3 additional 30-60 minute in-home lessons for a total of 6 lessons and electric collar
Includes remote electric collar
Teaches fundamentals of play and how to use play to develop the communication and bond with your dog
Teaches “out”, “place”, “come”, “down”, and “heel”
We will proof commands for distance and duration
Will cater to any specific issues with your dog
For dogs at least 4 months old
Includes everything within an hour of Massanutten, though further distances are able to be accommodated for a small surcharge.
ROCKSTAR $1800:
Includes everything in the Complete plus 2 additional 30-60 minute lessons for a total of 8 lessons
2 additional lessons can be used for advanced commands and specific issues anxiety or aggression. Advance commands can include your choice from extended distance sit and down, come to the heel position, send aways to place, stand, front, maintain eye contact, or feel free to ask about something else!
For dogs at least 4 months old
Includes everything within an hour of Massanutten, though further distances are able to be accommodated for a small surcharge.
ANXIETY & AGGRESSION $1800:
Includes everything in the Complete plus 2 additional lessons for a total of 8 lessons
Lessons will be used with an emphasis on building confidence and reliability around the source of the aggression or the anxiety where applicable.
For dogs at least 5 months old
Includes everything within an hour of Massanutten, though further distances are able to be accommodated for a small surcharge
*Military, First Responder, and Multiple Dog discounts can be applied!!
BASIC $575:
Having a blast playing hide and seek with your dog while getting a great cardio workout following your dog through woods and shrubs to find the hidden person!
5 lessons in Elkton teaching your dog to find out what tracking is about and have some fun seeing your dog learn how to harness their olfactory organs! We will begin creating drive and with short tracks through the woods.
Can train for human, pet, or game recovery (client may need to provide sources of odor for training).
For dogs any age
Handlers must be able to keep up with their dogs as they move rapidly through a diversity of terrain to find the target
ADVANCED $950:
10 tracking lessons in Elkton with a focus on longer and more difficult tracks in more difficult settings.
*Military, First Responder, and Multiple Dog discounts can be applied!!
BASIC (in your home) $975:
Having a blast watching your dog impress you with how well they find hidden odors!
5 lessons at your home for you and your pup to be introduced to the fun and exciting world of detection where your furry friend can become confident in how to use their primary sensor, their nose
For dogs any age
ADVANCED (in your home) $1650:
10 lessons for you and your pup to become increasingly proficient in finding singular scents in more complex environments.