The Inner Pup, an in-home, customized dog training business, has been successful at designing programs and problem-solving to consistently achieve the training goals of clients. 

 

Dogs at the Inner Pup love training because we pay attention to what motivates each dog, and we use this for reinforcement. Our techniques are an amalgam of techniques Lindsay has compiled from books she values, trainers she's worked with, seminars she's attended, as well as Chris Bach's THE THIRD WAY. All our methods are reward-based, with gentle management. Our premise is that the fewer tools we start with, the fewer we need to eliminate later. Thus, we don't employ lures, or clickers. We intuit from a dog's natural body language how to best communicate with that particular dog.

 

We utilize the knowledge of what each dog loves, how he directs his energy, whether it is food, toys, or play, to effectively train. Dogs are receptive to these cues, so they learn that everything they love in this world comes through their gentle loving leaders. This reward-based training is the key to establishing a wonderful relationship between dogs and humans. Early in the training process, the dog in training will turn to the trainer for guidance and approval, often with questions, "Can I greet that stranger?" or "Can I walk through the door?"

 

People and dogs are natural partners. We will educate you, teaching clients how their dogs think, communicate and learn. This eases the frustration of pet owners, and translates into enhancing the confidence of both clients and their pets.

 

One of our client's favorite techniques is "life rewards." This is a way of expanding training to real life situations, making canine good citizenship a part of everyday routines. A common problem of other positive reinforcement training methods is dogs that refuse to perform without clickers or treats. We help the client overcome these obstacles while we build solid behaviors that accrue as training progresses.