Your dog is your best friend, but your day to day life together is anything but easy…
Your dog means everything to you. Even so, there are moments in your everyday life that can be incredibly exhausting: walks are stressful, encounters with other dogs feel unsettling, your dog is pulling heavily on the leash, reacts loudly or is unresponsive to your commands. Instead of relaxed walks, you are quickly faced with uncertainty and stress.
You are not alone in this. Many dog owners face such challenges on a daily basis. The key is a targeted training, one that doesn't follow the standard cookie-cutter approach, but one that is tailored specifically to you and your dog. Clear, easy to understand steps can turn uncertainty into calmness, guidance and trust in your everyday life.
Every dog has different requirements, and because of that, not every journey a human-dog team faces will match that of another team. We value individual support, that is concretely oriented by your current situation, and starts wherever you are currently in your journey.
Our training happens in your usual environment, exactly where the challenges actually appear. This allows us to work in a practical way and bring about changes that work, not only in training but ones that will continue to support you in your everyday life.
Are these situations familiar to you?
If you feel that you and your dog don't speak the same language, and you don't know how to handle the challenges you face as a human-dog team, or you haven't seen the desired success on your own, then you probably recognize the following problems:
Encountering other people & dogs is a nightmare.
Every walk is a challenge. Even before you leave, you’re plagued with anxiety and worry. If you see another person on the horizon, you begin to panic: you start thinking about where you can go, if you should change what side of the street you’re on, if there’s an alternate route you can take, and how much distance to keep. No matter how hard you try though, it happens anyways - your dog freezes, barks, and pulls at the leash or jumps forward. What was supposed to be a relaxing walk with some fresh air ends as it always does: with Stress - for you, for your dog, and everybody who comes across you on your walk.
Your dog is constantly jumping into the leash and is difficult to control
Barely out the door, and it’s already starting: your dog is pulling non-stop, walking you rather than the other way around. A relaxed walk? Feels impossible. You’ve probably tried everything: staying still, changing directions, “Heel”, holding a treat in front of your dog’s nose…which works for a bit before you’re back to square one: taut leash, extended arm, and your dog pulling you along as if nothing happened.
Your dog reacts strongly and unpredictably to triggers
Your dog reacts strongly and unpredictably to triggers. A sudden sound, movement or another dog nearby is enough for your dog to tense, rush forward, bark and be unresponsive to you. For you it means constant tension and stress, because you don’t know what to expect from your next walk. You often leave the house with anxiety and a pit in your stomach because of the feeling that a trigger can appear at any time and that your dog will react to it.
Your dog is often scared, insecure or hides.
When the doorbell rings, or you have visitors, your dog suddenly seems like a completely different dog: Your dog withdraws, hides, cowers, freezes or starts barking. When you’re outside, just a loud noise, an unknown environment or a tight situation is enough to make your dog feel insecure, avoid contact and just want to flee. Instead of walking through life with curiosity and confidence, your dog is constantly stressed and you notice that when it matters, it is difficult for you to provide the security your dog needs.
As soon as your dog’s hunting instinct is triggered, communication is impossible
A bird takes to the sky, a deer crosses the road, or a minor movement in the bushes is enough for your dog to enter hunting mode. In such moments, your dog seems entirely foreign to you, fixated entirely on the trigger and unresponsive. For you it means constant tension and vigilance as you constantly have to scan your surroundings on walks, and you’re never sure to what and when your dog may react. Instead of mutual trust you’re left with the feeling of having to constantly intervene so that the situation does not get out of control.
I understand your frustration. Because…
You were so excited for this new journey and your life with your dog, but the reality is completely different to what you expected. Your daily life is often much more complicated and stressful than you expected.
Maybe your dog is heavily pulling on its leash, reacts insecure or completely overwhelmed in new situations, or overreacts even with the smallest of triggers.
Regardless of which problems you face, you often feel powerless because nothing works, and you question why it works for others effortlessly, but not for you.
You’ve already tried plenty of dog schools, trainers and methods, but as soon as you are at home, everything seems to start right back at the beginning. Your dog is not reacting or behaving in the way you want, and you begin to think:
“Am I doing something wrong?”
“Is my dog just difficult?”
“Will it ever get better?”
But here is the truth:
In 90% of the cases, it is not the dog that is the problem. The human in the equation often has a substantially bigger influence on everything.
But don’t worry, there is a fitting solution for you and your dog. We will help you find it and implement it, step by step.We will also happily work with your Vet and/or Behavioral Specialist if needed.
How our training for problem dogs differs from other dog schools
Many dog schools rely on a standard solution or approach for training. While this approach can be useful for basic commands, it’s important to recognize that your dog is much more than the standard situation. Every dog has a unique personality, individual needs and learning speed. Additionally, every person is unique as well in their expectations, communication and the bond they have with their four-legged companion. Because of this, rather than taking a blanket approach that is unlikely to lead to the desired results, a tailored solution, fit exactly to the specific needs and challenges as well as the dynamic between the handler and dog, is absolutely indispensable when it comes to training.
Blanket approaches often cannot comprehend or address the complex factors and reasons that can influence behavior, and therefore they cannot fully change them. Therefore it is necessary to choose a training method that considers these individual qualities, and that offers a solution that not only works but also strengthens the unique bond between you and your dog.
This is how we approach training with problem dogs
Every dog and every situation is different. Because of this, we don’t use blanket approaches but rather structured, individual approaches in which we look at the cause, specifically target it and work step by step for noticeable changes in the day to day.
Understanding behavior and recognizing the cause
At the start we will specifically look at how your dog behaves in specific situations and where the actual problem lies. We analyse the current state, consider the triggers, surroundings and previous experiences in order to build a baseline for a training that really suits you.
Build an individual training plan
Based on the analysis, we will create a clear and agreed upon training plan for you. Instead of blanket approaches, we value individual methods and approaches that are tailored to the behavior of your dog, your daily life and your current situation.
Improving behavior sustainably
We will work step by step to change problematic behaviors into constructive alternatives. This way we are not only creating short term improvements, but a sustainable development that will bring you more security, peace and trust in your day to day life.
Our prices for individual training
Prices for initial consultation, individual session, and behavioral counseling.
Individual Price
CHF 100
60 minute Individual Lesson.
CHF 150
90 minute Individual Lesson.
10 Lesson Pass
CHF 800
for 10 hours of Individual Lessons.
Travel Costs
CHF 1.5
per Kilometer. Maximum of CHF 75.
Request a consultation
Let us see together what you would like to achieve with your dog. We start with a consultation as this helps us get to know you and your dog better, as well as understand your wishes and/or needs. It would be ideal for the consultation to occur at your home so we can get a good impression and properly assess how you work together as a team in a protected and familiar environment. If this is not something you are comfortable with, we can proceed with the consultation at a neutral location. There is also the option to have a video conference as the consultation, this however cannot replace an in person consultation.
