Train how you live. Live how you train.
Social Animal Dog Training is your personal dog trainer. Train your dog in private sessions at home and in public. Teach your dog self control and obedience. Change your dog’s anxious, fearful and aggressive behavior. Become the human-dog team that walks through everyday life with confidence.
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TRAIN YOUR DOG
The partnership between you and your dog is one of nature’s great symbiotic relationships. For at least 30,000 years our species have shared space and resources. We’ve evolved together. Many of the social behaviors of the domestic dog, Canis familiaris, only make sense in the context of living and working in human society. Your dog is wired to work with you.
Give your dog a job. Your dog’s job may be as basic as walking on a loose leash, coming when called, politely greeting other dogs, or calmly laying down while you’re out in public. It may be as complex as obedience competitions, sports, service or protection work. But you can be sure that your dog is always working on something and always learning.
Teach your dog. Your dog learns through success: if a behavior delivers, repeat; if not, change tactics. You will show your dog what success looks like through clear communication and consistency. Your dog has their own will, no doubt about it. But your dog will always tell you the truth about what they want.
Learn your dog’s language. What does calm, confident, eager, ready to learn and explore look like? How about distracted, anxious, fearful, or aggressive? You want your dog to listen to you and to respect you. It’s only fair that you listen to and respect your dog.
Work as a team. Every successful human dog team has a unique relationship. You can’t download a behavior and obedience app to your dog. Training your dog is work that is part science, part art and all love. There are as many methods as there are dogs, but the right way to train your dog is the way that works. There’s no getting around it. There’s just getting after it. Train your dog.
Reviews by Social ANimals
Services
The Evaluation
30 Minutes - Dogs 20 Weeks or Older
We start with an in-home evaluation. I’ll meet your dog and get a sense of their routine and environment. I’ll assess their level of obedience and diagnose any problem behaviors. We’ll discuss your goals and I’ll recommend a training and behavior adjustment program to achieve them.
$0
Obedience Training
The basic
Puppies 19 Weeks or Under
Introduce order to the chaos that is puppyhood. Establish a lifetime of good habits. Set your puppy up for success in obedience training.
$300 (3 Sessions)*
Learn the basics of Communication, Husbandry, Manners, Socialization and Obedience, including:
Grooming & Feeding
House Rules & Placing
Mouthing, Jumping & Polite Greetings (People & Dogs)
Leash & Door Manners
Attention, Leave It & Drop It
Sit, Down & Stand
Recall
*Pay in full or per session.
The Hundegarten
Small Groups of Puppies 19 Weeks or Under
The Basic for Families, Friends & Neighbors. Learn together. Play together. Get everyone on the same page.
$500 (3 Sessions)*
we’ll cover The Basic while we learn about polite play and how to navigate group dynamics.
*Pay in full or per session. 2 Puppies. Each Additional Puppy $75 per Session. At least 1 Handler per Puppy. Maximum 4 Human-Puppy Teams.
The Standard
Dogs Displaying No Anxious, Fearful or Aggressive Behavior
Enjoy a full social life with your dog. Confidently seek out new experiences. Prepare your dog for work and competition.
$200 First Session
$100 each Succeeding session
Learn the tasks that every human-dog team must master and teach your dog to do their work at a distance of 10 meters amidst distractions:
Communication
Handling, Grooming & Feeding
House Rules & Settling
Mouthing, Jumping, Play & Greetings (People & Dogs)
Loose Leash & Door Manners
Attention, Ignore & Drop
Long Sit, Down & Stand
Long Recall
Place, Walk & Run at Heel Position
THe TEAM
Small Groups of Dogs Displaying No Anxious, Fearful or Aggressive Behavior
The Standard for Families, Friends & Neighbors. Work your dog alongside your people. Socialize your dogs. Navigate your group's unique dynamic.
$350 First Session*
$175 each Succeeding session*
Each human-dog team will get up to The Standard, learn to maintain discipline and self-control in group settings, manage the social environment, and avoid or calmly deal with conflict.
*2 Dogs. Each Additional Dog $75 per Session. At least 1 Handler per Dog. Maximum 4 Human-Dog Teams.
The immersive
2 Week In-home Basic Training
Dog Displaying No Anxious, Fearful or Aggressive Behavior
Get your human-dog team in shape in no time in the comfort and security of home. It's an obedience training camp without separation.
$1300 per week*
10 Dog-Only Sessions, conducted daily, in which your dog will get up to The Standard, settle into their new routine and get plenty of exercise. You’ll also have 5 Sessions of instruction in Communication, Husbandry, Manners, Socialization, and Obedience, giving you the essential skills your human-dog team needs for everyday life.
*Each Additional Dog $975 per week.
Behavior Adjustment
The Solution
Dogs Displaying Anxious, Fearful and Aggressive Behavior
Face your dog’s anxiety, fear, and aggression. Give them confidence, security, and peace. Teach them self-control and discipline.
$200 First Session
$100 each succeeding session
Learn to safely manage and react to challenges in your daily environment and to identify the elements of your dog’s sequence of negative behaviors. You’ll learn to interrupt that sequence by introducing your dog to positive alternatives, including the obedience tasks that will constitute their “job”. As your dog progresses we’ll get them up to The Standard.
Leash Reactivity
Separation Anxiety
Social Anxiety
Dog Aggression
Human Aggression
Biting
Destructive Behavior
The intervention
4 week In-home behavior modification
Dogs Displaying Anxious, Fearful and Aggressive Behavior
The Immersive service for dogs in need of The Solution. Get your home situation under control quickly and safely. Get your dog on the path of good behavioral choices and reliable obedience.
$1300 per week
20 Dog-Only Sessions, conducted daily, in which your dog will learn to react to their environment with calm confidence and to meet The Standard of obedience, like a good dog. You’ll also have 8 Sessions of instruction in Behavior Adjustment, Safe Handling, Communication, Husbandry, Manners, Socialization and Obedience.
ALWAYs training
The Social Animal SociaL
2 Hour Group Sessions for Social Animals
Keep your obedience tight, learn new skills, explore and socialize with other human dog teams.
Free FOR all Social Animals after completion of training
Monthly Obedience Drills, Pack Walks, and Games.
About
I began my professional dog training career at Blue Sky Farms in Chesapeake, Virginia, under the guidance of Head Trainer Dwayne Nolan and Owner Jeannine Foster. After completing my apprenticeship, I joined the staff there as a Master Dog Trainer. I now train dogs in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, doing business as Social Animal Dog Training.
I train dogs and teach my clients to train their dogs. I provide instruction in canine husbandry, obedience training, and behavior modification training. I am expert in kennel operations including sanitation, nutrition, administration of medicines and basic grooming services. I am experienced in protection sports and physical therapy. I am an AKC CGC Approved Evaluator (#110152). I am a member of the International Association of Canine Professionals (#14630) and United Schutzhund Clubs of America (#31686). I am certified in canine CPR and first aid by Paws N Claws 911.
I was born and raised on the Southcoast. I’ve lived and worked in Rhode Island. I was a U.S. Army Infantryman assigned to the Blue Spaders of the 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division, The Big Red One, based in Schweinfurt, Germany. After my enlistment I moved to Virginia Beach and settled in Portsmouth, Virginia. I am a graduate of Old Rochester Regional High School and Tidewater Community College. Today I live in Dartmouth with my wife, Alycia, and our Rottweilers Duchess and Behr.