A Tired Dog is a Happy Dog
Imagine a companion who pays attention, walks nicely on leash, follows basic commands, and is a joy to take with you wherever you go. James is fully aware of the therapeutic effects of a calm, happy dog, and desires to help the dogs he works with to become everyday therapy dogs for your household. James Cisneros is an Animal Behavioral College (ABC) Certified Dog Train
er, trained in many different holistic approaches to dog training and exercise. He utilizes techniques best suited to each individual dog, always from a calm-assertive leadership angle, emphasizing owner participation and consistency. All Dogs are Good Dogs
Do you have a dog who is good and smart, but who has a few quirks that you just can’t figure out how to solve? We hear all the time, “He’s a good dog, but…” Maybe he jumps, chews, gets over-excited, is mouthy, knows commands but doesn’t obey, chases cats, pulls on walks, can’t walk on leash, barks at other dogs, has separation anxiety, growled at a kid, acts aggressive, or got in a fight with another dog. We've worked with countless cases like these and more, and have successfully retrained owners and rehabilitated dogs, mitigating all these issues. The First Step: Companionship Training
We start all dogs with a one-hour Companionship Training session, where my wife and I meet at at the place of the dog's residence (within a 5-Mile radius of Gig Harbor Proper) and work with you and your family and your dog. We focus on the underlying practices that are causing the unwanted manifesting behaviors. This is an important investment, because we train your family to train your dog. Companionship Training lays the groundwork so that whatever follows, be that exercise, more behavioral training, obedience training, or a combination, will have a solid foundation to be effective. At the end of that session, once we've worked with you and your dog to lay the groundwork for any future training to be successful, we'll discuss the next step, what specific training or exercise may be needed to meet any continuing needs you may have for obedience training or exercise. Puppies
Maybe you just got a puppy and want to start out on the right foot, so that none of those pesky behaviors develop, and you know how to raise this new creature. While your dog is being a puppy, there are behaviors that you may like to address before they become permanent aspect of a grown-up dog. We can help show your family ways to mitigate and change any emerging confusing or challenging behaviors gently and effectively. We start with a session of Companionship Training in which my wife and I come to your place, meet your pack, and work with you and your puppy. We focus on teaching the owners, you, the foundation for raising a really good dog, so that all future training will be more effective because you are equipped with the knowledge to be a consistently good owner-trainer. We also tackle any underlying issues that may be causing the difficulties with housebreaking. After that, we can talk about if you would want to continue with Puppy Preschool, which focuses on the basic obedience to make behavioral training (and potty training) easier. We do individual hour-long sessions, 4 Saturdays in a row, at $100 per session. But first let's do the Companionship Training. Price
This first Companionship Training session is $225 for the hour and half (90-minutes). Additional Information
With multiple dogs in the household with different issues, we would need to schedule additional sessions. Local Community
Unfortunately we don't have a facility yet. We do all our training on-location. We work within a 5-mile radius of Gig Harbor Proper. Our program is based on the principle of the home-base being root of all behaviors, so the techniques we use require that the initial Companionship Training session start in the home with the dog's family, in order for root problems to be addressed. The groundwork that owners lay before stepping out the door is a major factor in how the dog relates to the outside world. If initial training takes place away from the den, we will continue to be treating symptoms, and the client will be disappointed with the results and feel s/he is not getting the benefit s/he is paying for. Since all our appointment times fill up, we cannot schedule appointments that would take us more than twenty minutes to get to and from, so that we can be on time for all our appointments. I know this is disappointing; we desperately wish there were another dog behaviorist, because the demand is great! We would love to be able to help with the rescue of all the troubled dogs, but we have to work with our current constraints so that we can sustain the maximum benefit we can provide to as many dogs as we can. For Inquiries about Boarding
We don't know of a boarding-school option. Once we have a facility we will probably offer that service, but that is yet only a hope. For Inquiries about Grooming and Supplies
We don't know of a Grooming and Supply options. Cancellations
Please give 72 hours notice if you need to cancel so that we have the chance to schedule someone in that time slot. If you cancel within 72 hours, we will charge a $20 fee. When you call, we will ask a few basic questions, but request that you don't get into detail about the dog's issues. The less we know about the dog's situation going into it, the more spontaneous and instinctual we can be as trainers. I hope this answered your preliminary questions. We look forward to hearing from you via email or call us during business hours and we can set up an appointment. We really would love to work with your dog to help you have a calm and balanced pack.