Frequently Asked Questions

I began professionally training dogs in 1996.

Dog Training Skills: Skills are all those artificial and necessary actions we teach dogs (Sit, Down, Heel, Come, Fetch, Drop It, Leave It, Stand, etc.), from Beginning to Advanced, focused mostly on obtaining off leash obedience and good Manners in the home and in public. This type of training would be called applied learning psychology (my main emphasis is on R+, also called “positive reinforcement”, methods). My belief is every dog owner should work to obtain as much off leash skill training as possible or needed for the situations their dogs will encounter in the real world (do you hike; have guests; let your dog off leash; have kids; do therapy dog work; bring your dog to work or to restaurants; play with other dogs; go on vacation; etc.?) I prefer to work dogs in “drive”. 

Behavior Modification: “Behaviors” are all those things a dog does that makes it a dog. As a dog behaviorist, everything I do is viewed from the standpoint of appropriate canine behavior. . . I have spent years studying canine behavior to do this kind of work; it doesn’t come easily. Some people call me a “dog whisperer”, but I don’t like using that term because it is used by many companies as a marketing gimmick. I am an experienced, respected, professional Dog Behaviorist. 

I use my canine behavior expertise for behavior modification work (aggression, anxiety, fearfulness, panicking, depression, and often involves digging out medical reasons with your veterinarian), and a wide variety of stress related symptoms. It isn’t unusual for students to hear about me as a result of a veterinarian referral.

I work with dogs of all ages and breeds. Including pit bulls (a lot of trainers won’t work with this or that breed; I work with all breeds). At last count, after over 25 years, I had personally worked with over 63% of the 203 AKC recognized dog breeds; 8 of the AKC Foundation stock; and many rare breeds not recognized by the AKC. There are over 500 pure breeds in the world; some are so rare, or don’t exist in the US, including some of the AKC breeds, that no one has worked all of them. 

Dog training should be behaviorally correct, and not based upon popular myths, ignorance or harshness. Owners and dogs need to develop an affectionate and mutually rewarding bond. Dogs deserve a good life, and all training must be fair to the dog, thus I want a dog to want to do the things we want them to do, and to “think” it was their idea. I do not use Negative Reinforcement methods; instead I heavily use Positive Reinforcement methods and mesh that with a proper application of canine behavior theory. I avoid corrections if a positive reinforcement method can be used instead. I have spent my entire career developing, testing and perfecting positive reinforcement techniques. Every lesson is individualized, for the dog, owner and situation. I assess the entire picture: dog, owner, and situation, and will come up with a recommended plan of action. We then implement the plan. I also follow up to ensure success. (See: https://samthedogtrainer.com/uncategorized/what-is-sam-the-dog-trainers-method/ )

I’m philosophically opposed to the idea of “boot camps,” because harsh methods and environments are central components of their approach. Many programs are very stressful, focus on using e-collars to force dogs to lay like a carpet on a dog bed and not to pull on a leash… or else. I would never do that with my dog, or your dog.

Generally, I will conduct an initial in-person evaluation (although I do offer online services) and first lesson during the first meeting. This, of course, depends on your goals and the results of my evaluation. In-person lessons will typically start at your home. But, some lessons require working in public. So, we will coordinate times and dates and “just right” set ups for your dog.

Many years of hard, purposeful work to become the best I can be for my students and their dogs. Being good always starts with having and training dogs of your own. I attended numerous classes, and still attend seminars to increase my skills and knowledge. Eventually I found and hired a mentor in 1999, and trained with him for 2 years in Canada (we are still good friends and does K9 consulting internationally). I studied, and continue to study, animal behavior science. My animal science library has over 100,000 pages of animal behavior and learning psychology textbooks and scientific studies… which I have read, studied, underlined, taken notes from, discussed and debated, etc. Hands on experience built working with real dogs and real owners with real life problems and needs. And over 25 years of animal rescue/ welfare volunteering (which has shown me the bad side of what happens when people, dog trainers, and society abuse dogs or don’t know what they are doing).

I do this out of a love for dogs and people… it is a career, a passion, and a cause. I have a lot more experience and knowledge than most professionals. I am good with dogs and people. I can provide plenty of references. I don’t use any marketing gimmicks. I am well known in the animal welfare/ rescue community, donating many hours every week to save homeless animals. I cannot stand by and see animals suffer: I know too much, and so I feel a moral obligation to improve the lives of dogs in our community. In other words, I’m a well-rounded animal expert, and I can draw from many years of life experiences and study to figure out what is going on with your dog, and to provide humane solutions.