Customized Dog Training in Maryville, TN.

A well behaved companion is about more than just commands—it's about building a connection of respect and trust.

Dogs are quite unique in their readiness to give us their unconditional loyalty and love. When we take the time to learn who a dog really is and work with their nature not against it we can achieve true partnership and cooperation, while giving them their best life.

Play is a primal instinct for social species and when done right has extremely powerful properties in dog training. It serves to fulfill genetic drives, builds problem solving and social skills, trust, confidence, emotional regulation and it allows a very natural and highly effective way to establish authority. Learning to play effectively with your dog is not only incredibly rewarding—most importantly, play provides a very natural way to establish clear communication and rules, all while in high drive and spirits, and this rulebook directly translates to the real world.

Training with play, as well as engaging your dog’s other natural instincts, has the power to make behaviors self-rewarding and delivers the most satisfying, long-lasting results in behavior and obedience.

Training Approach

In our evidence based training, we first take the time needed to properly evaluate the dog before any training begins. We need to discover what truly motivates your dog—"what makes him tick”—and where the problem behaviors are rooted and then build a training plan that fits into your life using our expert training methods, tailored to your situation. In training we incorporate play, structured walks and activities, and various real-world outings to create experiences for your and your dog’s individual needs and situation.

Many training approaches use one-size-fits all methods and ‘solutions’ and rely heavily on food and/or strict control and suppression, often skipping the vital aspect of motivation and emotion. This so often only leads to ongoing struggles, emotionally flat, avoidant or aggressive dogs, with a need for constant management; an end result of frustration for both dog and owner.

In stark contrast, we emphasize taking the time to assess the dogs personality and natural instincts and work on a realistic training plan that works for you and your dog, bringing everyone onto the same team, resulting in a dog that behaves well because they truly want to—not just because they have no other choice.

I will work closely with you to meet your specific training goals and methods, always progressing at your dog's pace for sustainable progress, one lesson at a time. No fixed commitment to an overpriced and overpromising training package necessary.