Leader of The Pack, Inc.
Leading the way in quality services and care for your pet
Training Philosophy
Our training programs are designed to educate the human, then train the dog.  Once your understand why your dog acts the way it does, how dogs learn and what motivates your dog, it is much easier to change behaviors without the use of harsh training devices.  We do not use choke chains, pinch collars or electronic devices.
 
Earning your dog's respect is essential is having a well mannered pet.  Respect is earned by what YOU do and don't do in regards to your dog.  Strong leaders earn respect in extremely subtle ways, not by hitting, or putting a choke chain or pinch collar on their dog and jerking them around.
 
You will learn how to become a strong, benevolent leader using proven leadership principles.
Understand Your Dog
Establish Leadership
Understand How Dogs Communicate
Dog's can't tell you in human language what they are thinking, but if you understand how dogs communicate with each other, you can quickly recognize what your dog is feeling or thinking. This is key in preventing unwanted behaviors or encouraging wanted behaviors.
Understand How Dogs Learn
Understanding how dogs learn is the crux of teaching your dog new behaviors or eliminating unwanted behaviors. It is a simple principle that is incredibly powerful. 
Dogs are not furry four legged humans.  If we treat them like humans we are not doing them justice.  You need to understand your dog from its point of view. 
 
Understanding the components of a dog's personality and how they think gives you the ability to teach your dog and provide guidance in ways your dog understands. 
In order to effectively and humanely train a dog, humans need to:
After educating the humans, we then work with dogs using positive motivation and leadership principles. 
Tools Use For Training
1) YOU - The most important training tool is you and how you relate to your dog.
2) Food Treats - We want to make learning fun for your dog.  Food treats are used to teach new commands and reward appropriate behavior.  Food is only one way to reward.  You will learn other ways to motivate your dog.
3) Collar - We do not use choke chains or pinch collars, but is important for your dog to have a collar.  You may be able to use your dog's everyday flat collar, or based on your dog's personality and breed, we may recommend a martingale collar or Gentle Leader.
4) 6' Leash - We use leashes for controlled walking exercises.  We do not recommend chain or retractable leashes.
Tools required for all training programs:
Other training tools used as needed:
Toys, balls, play items
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Squirt bottle filled with water
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Bitter Apple
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Crate, bed or blanket for dog to lie down on
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
20' longline for teaching the Come When Called command