Frequently Asked Questions
At what age should I start training my dog?
The training of your puppy starts as soon as you bring him into your home, either good or bad. So the sooner the better. After one week has passed your puppy’s second series of vaccinations, it is generally safe to start a puppy class. More dogs are surrendered or put down due to behavioral problems than they are due to contracting an illness. That is why it is crucial to start your pup’s socialization and education as soon as possible, e.g. at about ten weeks of age. This recommendation is backed by Dr. Ian Dunbar, an internationally known Veterinary Behaviorist.
Is my dog too old to learn new tricks (behaviors)?
No. Obviously, the younger you start the less retraining that needs to be done. But a dog is never too old to learn new behaviors.
Do you work with all breeds?
Yes, we work with all breeds, temperaments, and sizes.
Do you work with dogs who are aggressive toward people and/or other dogs?
Yes, we specialize in working with dogs who show aggressive tendencies as approximately 80% of our private clients come to us because of their dog’s fear aggression. We have a very high success rate of helping owners manage and retrain their reactive dogs.
What is the difference between the board and train and the Day School?
The Board and Train program is where your dog resides with us for several weeks and is trained throughout the morning and afternoon, 5 days a week, Monday – Friday, Drop off is typically between 6:30am-8:00am and pick up between 4:30pm-6:00pm.
You’ll receive faster results in the Board and Train program as your dog will be trained by MDT professionals in the evenings and on weekends in addition to during the day. Whereas, the benefit of Day Training is that your dog will be home with you during the evenings and weekends.
Following either program, you will receive a private training session and entry to MDT’s Perfect Practice group classes for follow up support among distractions of other dogs and people.
How do I decide between Board and Train/Day School or Private Lessons/Group Classes?
If you are limited on time or patience to train your dog due to family and work responsibilities, we recommend you consider the Board and Train or the Day Training programs.
If you have the time and enjoy training your dog during the week via homework assignments, then Private Training or Group Classes will be a good fit for you.
After a board and train program, will my dog listen to me?
Yes, because of the way we train your dog and the on-going support we provide. While at MDT, your dog is trained by several different trainers thus they become accustomed to listening to several different people. After teaching your dog new behaviors, we give you the tools to continue reinforcing the new behaviors in a private session. Additionally, you have followup support by attending our “Perfect Practice” group sessions.
When my dog completes the board and train, will he/she remember me?
Absolutely. A neat thing about dogs is that they think in the moment. They don’t agonize over the past nor fret about the future like we humans do. So while they are with us, they are having fun and learning new skills. You’ll be missing them more than they will of you. However, the cool thing is when you come back to pick them up; they’ll be so excited to see you. It is always as if they are saying, “Mom, Dad, where have you been!?” So they won’t be lonely but they also won’t forget you.
While my dog is at your board and train program, can I come to visit my dog?
We would never tell an owner that they can’t visit their dog however, we don’t recommend it because it would be hard on the dog to see you go home again without them. We might also lose part of a day of training them.
So to help you out, we post pictures of your dog on our Facebook page so you can follow your dog’s progress during training. While we can’t post pictures every day, otherwise we wouldn’t get any training done; we try to post them weekly so you don’t have to wait long to see your dog’s next picture. You will also receive weekly texts regarding your dog’s progress.
What is the difference between Private Lessons and Group Classes?
Private lessons are crucial if your dog is fearful and/or aggressive toward people or other dogs or if you prefer one to one customized training for you and your dog.
Upon completion of private training, you will receive entry to MDT’s Perfect Practice group classes for follow up support amongst distractions of other dogs and people. Private Lessons are the more efficient way to train with controlled distractions followed by the Perfect Practice group classes that are included.
Group classes are an economical way to train your dog who must be friendly toward other dogs and people. We have a variety of fun group classes. If you have a puppy, we recommend starting with the Puppy Classes and then continuing with either the Adult Dog Group Classes or one of our other programs.
