Personal, In-Home, Private Training
We can get your dog to be easy and fun to be around and we guarantee it, whether he’s a puppy or a senior. Our personal, private training will solve problems in your home and out in the real world so you can enjoy your dog again.
Now, imagine your dog listening to you every time. No longer pulling on the leash or jumping on visitors. Imagine a dog you can take places and not be embarrassed.
Our method makes it simple for anyone in your family to have control and confidence with your dog, without a lot of boring drills. It works for all ages and all breeds. We teach better behavior through play, so your dog will love it! These are manners that last a lifetime.
We can even help if:
Your dog is mostly good, but you are simply overpowered by his size or strength on walks
Your dog is deaf or starting to have diminished hearing
You are at the end of your rope and facing some tough decisions regarding your dog’s future
Our guarantee assures that we will retrain if your dog ever forgets a lesson!
Dog Training
There is a big difference between a dog who can perform classic obedience commands, such as sit and stay, and a dog who has good behavior. Some of the worst-behaved dogs we see at Super Dog School have learned obedience commands! Traditional commands are great for dogs to have, but they don’t stop the most troubling issues, such as anxiety, lunging at other dogs, taking things from the counters, acting crazy in the house, or embarrassing you in public. For these kinds of issues, we need to address the dog’s state of mind. Does he know how to relax when told? Does he understand how to walk calmly past another dog? Obedience commands generally add to the dog’s resume: skills like fetching, staying, performing service work. Behavior modification is generally taking away undesirable learned reactions: anxiety, fear, aggression, barking, biting, chewing. Super Dog School uses both to give dogs skills and a calm, happy state of mind.
Dog Obedience Training
Who wouldn’t want an obedient dog? How cool it would be to tell your dog to heel, and he’s right there. Throw in a few more commands and pretty soon, people notice. “Wow, what a good dog you have,” they say. Well, obedience isn’t some difficult, far-off dream. Everyone can have obedience. Dogs love to connect with us. They enjoy doing things that earn them your attention, your affection and your snacks! So why doesn’t everyone have an obedient dog? Mostly, it’s because we don’t clearly communicate with dogs. We get frustrated, the dog gets frustrated, and pretty soon, you both just give up. Super Dog School makes it easy and fun for you to teach commands and fun for the dog to learn them. Obedience becomes a game that you play with your best friend and the benefits are better behavior, a better relationship, and a skills you can show off.
Puppy Training
Super Dog School believes you start training your puppy the moment you bring him home. There’s no need to wait until he’s old enough for a group class because by then he will have developed bad habits. Start simply. Instead of putting his food in a bowl, use it to start teaching simple movements, such as Sit, Down, Stand and Come to your side. Measure out all his food for the day and put it into a container so you can use that food as his reward. Most puppies are so greedy for the kibble, they will happily follow your food-filled hand as you guide them into position. Start teaching him what it feels like to wear a leash and that every time he feels a slight pressure, he comes into position for a bite of food. Be sure to offer the food at your side, so he learns how to follow you in heel position. You can get a small food pouch to hang on your waistband, so the puppy always gets excited to see it there. Go through the commands, feeding for each, for a few minutes following every time you take him out to go potty. It should seem like play to him, and will help you build a bond. Take whatever is left of the meal and put it in a toy (there are toys especially designed to deliver kibble) and put it in his crate. Be careful you don’t accidentally reward bad behaviors, like putting feet up on you to get attention. Keep in mind, you get what you pet. If your puppy nudges you for petting and you do it, you’ve taught him to be rude. Always ask for a behavior, such as sit, before petting. Be especially careful not to cuddle him if he’s scared or anxious, or you will reward that and could make it worse. Super Dog School puppies love their training and by the time they are fully immunized, they already have leash skills and manners for public!
Housebreaking
The easiest way to potty train a puppy is to use some kind of confinement, preferably a crate. This makes it easy to teach where and when to eliminate, because most dogs will not soil their own area. Take the puppy from the crate directly outside. If, after 10 minutes, nothing happens, put her back in the crate for another 10 minutes and try again. Feed on a schedule and pick up the extra as soon as she stops eating. Water should be offered multiple times throughout the day so you can see when she drinks. Put your puppy back in the crate, with a treat, every time you cannot watch her (for instance if you are in the shower, cooking, or distracted). You cannot turn your back for a second because she will learn to sneak off and hide her mess! Try to take the puppy out as often as possible at first, including when she wakes and a few minutes after eating or drinking. Eventually, you’ll see a pattern and you can start stretching the time between going out longer and longer.
Balanced Training
Of course we want to teach our dogs things in a way they enjoy! Treats and love go a very long way in teaching dogs how to do things and Super Dog School uses reward-based training and lots of food rewards. It’s easy to get dogs to do things if they love the treat at the end. Unfortunately, this is only half the picture. Positive-only methods usually don’t work at stopping unwanted behavior or in getting a dog to listen when they would rather not. That’s where a balanced method is best. Dogs, like all living things, learn by consequences. If there is never a negative outcome for a behavior, why should anyone follow the rules? Gentle, clear corrections show your dog what you don’t want, so you can direct him to what you do want instead. Dogs who know exactly what is expected are much calmer.
Marker Training
Sometimes called “clicker training,” this method is fun for both humans and dogs! Super Dog School believes that marker training can help anyone become a great dog trainer. The concept is simple: We start with a sound. Every time the dog hears that sound, he gets a tiny treat. Very soon he knows that sound means a pay day! Once you have that, it’s easy to start pairing the sound to a behavior. Let’s say you ask for a Sit. The very moment your dog starts to sit, the sound confirms the correct behavior. Pretty soon, your dog will be looking for all kinds of ways to earn the sound. The marker helps the trainer with timing, because timing is everything when teaching new behaviors. Giving treats after a behavior, which is what most people do, may not connect the command to the reward. The marker makes it clear for the dog. And dogs of any age love marker training. It’s the best way to teach that old dog new tricks!
What's the problem?
You have wasted your money, your time and your hopes on trying to solve your dog’s issues, but you still have them!
Taking your dog for a walk is too stressful, and taking him places with you is too much of a hassle, and frankly, embarrassing. So he stays home, getting more and more bored and anxious, leading to more and more problems.
Problems at home?
Maybe your dog knows all the basic obedience commands, but you still can’t trust him in the kitchen. If he gets into your stuff, gets up on counters, goes crazy at the door, or has no manners in the house, we can help with that, too. Many of our programs are taught IN YOUR HOME, so we can fix exactly what’s wrong. If you live in the Daytona Beach or Palm Coast area, call us today to get started with your personalized dog training.
Real-world training
Does loading the dog into the car for an outing fill you with dread? If you never needed to take your dog out of the home, life would be easy. But Super Dog School wants you to be able to take your dog with you without the worry of him acting up or embarrassing you. So we make sure your dog will behave in public, around people, kids, skateboards, noises … anything that he might encounter.
How are we different from methods you tried in the past?
Maybe you’ve done some training or have taken a class. But just knowing the commands does not mean your dog will perform them reliably, especially around distractions. Our method will have your dog happily listening to every command, even around distractions, and you don’t need to be a skilled trainer yourself. That’s what we’re for!
