Frequently Asked Questions

Are we the right trainers for you?

In order for training to be successful, you must be 100% comfortable with our techniques and trust our methods and philosophy. We are balanced trainers, so we do use praise and food but we also correct bad behavior. We create clear and consistent communication with your dog. This comes through structure and establishing who the leader is in your relationship. When your dog is participating in one of our board-and-train programs, they will be crate trained for safety and for setting boundaries. For best results, we highly recommend continuing this at home after our program is complete.

Setting boundaries and enforcing structure helps your dog remain calm and make good decisions. It is crucial you understand and commit to the fact that this could mean minimizing praise and affection for a period of time and focusing on maintaining guidance and enforcing rules. In the long run, this will lead to less stress for you and your dog, making it easier to include them in your activities and daily life.

In our programs, consistency is crucial. You will need to follow through with homework upon graduation and continue to enforce structure and rules far beyond the completion of our progrom. While we provide you with all the tools you need, commitment on your behalf is imperative for your dog's success.

The whole family needs to participate to avoid sending mixed messages to your dog. Your dog may be asked to stay off the furniture or the bed; your dog might have to be crated; they may have to stay in command for long periods of time. The message must be consistent among all members of the family. Predictability from everyone in the family means predictability from the dog.

Finally, have fun and enjoy this training with your dog! We realize it is a lot of work and many rules to follow, but ultimately, you will be proud of your dog. You will enjoy having them around and be willing to include them in more of your adventures!

What Types of tools do you use?

It is very important to have a large variety of tools to communicate clearly and fairly in order to achieve the results desired for each dog. This is not a cookie cutter program but an individualized approach to different issues.

Every dog is different and may require different tools. During go-home and follow up sessions we teach you the mechanics of these tools so you're comfortable and can upkeep training at home.

Tools we use include, but are not limited to: •Slip leads •Long lines •Verbal and physical praise •Food and/or treats •Prong collars (Herm Sprenger only) •Ecollars (electronic collars) •Toys •"Bonkers" (rolled up towel) •Crates •Treadmill •Pet convincer (compressed air for interrupting behavior) •Our personal dogs and cat

Where will my dog be staying?

For our board-and-train program, dogs stay at our home with us on a beautiful farm property. We have a little over an acre that has been set up to benefit your dog in every way possible. For regular boarding and day care services, we have a commercial facility on Mae Anne Ave, just past Robb Dr. that is fully temperature controlled and has someone present 24/7 (feel free to contact us for a tour of either location).

Does my dog need to be crated?

All dogs in our board-and-train program and some dogs participating in our private lessons, will learn how to be in a crate. This is for safety and structure - especially if your dog is working through aggrsssion, pushiness, fear, or anxiety. Dogs sleep in their crates, take breaks from training in them, and hang out in their crates if we are busy with other dogs or clients. To keep up with the same consistancy, dogs are recommended to be crated once they return home and we urge owners to be comfortable with this if they'd like to be a part of the board-and-train program.

If your dog has never been crated, has issues in their crates, or needs to be re-introduced to it, please let us know and we will send over some resources to get your dog started before their drop off.

Can you tell me about prong collars?

Prong collars are one of the best tools to ensure clear communication with our dogs, and unlike most other collars or tools, prong collars allow us to use very little force to connect with our dogs on leash. Other tools tend to mask issues and do not actually teach the dog the right behavior, with the prong collar we can break through, create clarity, and create a vastly different state of mind with your dog. Due to the placement of the collar, high on the neck, it allows for more control and there is no pressure on the trachea. Dogs of all breeds and sizes can benefit from a well fitted prong collar, we’ve worked with 5lb poodles and even 100+lb mastiffs! When used correctly, dogs of all backgrounds (even fearful, nervous, or aggressive dogs) can excel and it has been proven to be the least physically taxing, and one of the safest collars to have in your tool box.

Do you use treats? What about praise?

Food and praise are VITAL and our primary tools used during training, especially when forming a relationship with the dog. While we use food, praise and other motivators, it is a delicate balance, as we want our dogs to listen to us without having to bribe them (hance the term balance trainers). Many times, owners discover their dog will only listen with the presence of a treat and will ignore them once the food is gone. We want to build a relationship with our dog based on respect and understanding to ensure good behavior, with or without food. We do use CALM verbal and physical praise, however, in cases with aggression, fear, or other behavioral issues, we find owners OVER praise their dogs - this doesn’t help! This is not to say you can never say “good dog” but you must realize you may be encouraging bad behavior by doing so. The best type of praise is the inclusion of your dog in your daily life. Yes, you will be able to praise your dog more frequently once your dog's mindset is in a better place. Setting boundaries and building the foundation for good behavior will create a calm dog who knows what’s expected of him and can live in peace with you, your family, and the outside world.

Do e-collars "shock" my dog?

The short answer to this question is yes Ecollars use electric stimulation to work with the dog. Fortunately, we live in a day and age of modern technology and high quality remote collars. We specialize in low level training (hardly dectecable/not painful) which ensures humane, clear communication whether your dog is heeling by your side, swimming, hiking, or running at a distance. Our preferred models are the Dogtra 280c and the Mini Educator Collar ET-300. These models have 100+ levels of stimulation which allows us to fine tune it to each individual dog and find the lowest possible level. Can this be misused? Of course, just as any tool can be misused. However, when used properly, the remote collar can safely open so many doors and freedoms for both you and your dog.

Can my child/ family join me for my lessons?

YES! It's very important that everyone is on the same page in regards to trainig, meaning the dog should have the same rules with everyone in the household. We recommend the main family members who will play a large role in the dogs training join lessons to learn the structure and commands.

We love when kids are a part of the training but it is important that with young children, that they respect other dogs' space as not every dog is kid friendly! We also require an adult to be the main participator in the training during our lessons at the facility especially if you have a younger child, this makes it easier for homework to be done at home as well.

How old does my dog have to be? What breeds do you or don't you train?

We can help you regardless of your dog's breed or age, we've done training with Chihuahuas to Great Danes and every breed in between. If your dog is in good health, we can even help you train your older dog.

What is the difference between a therapy, service and emotional support dog.

• Service Dogs are specially trained to perform TASKS to help a person with a disability to mitigate that disability and are permitted in public areas where pets are not allowed. Obedience and calm manners is a must as service dogs are not considered pets due to the importance of what they do, they should not pull out of control, sniff, bark, whine, or distrupt others. Legally there is no certification for service dogs, online registrations are not recognized by the ADA and are considered scams.

• Therapy Dogs are pets trained to visit with people who need comfort and are permitted to enter facilities such as schools, hospitals, and nursing homes, WITH PERMISSION FROM THE FACILITY, Therapy dogs do not have public access rights. Certification is usually required through a national or local organization.

• Emotional Support Dogs (ESA) do not require training or certification as their only job is to make their owner feel better, they DO NOT have public access rights. However, if the owner has a medical notice stating they need the dog, they may be permitted in housing and flights where pets are not usually allowed.

2024 Stand Proud Policies

• We require a recent fecal test for all dogs staying with us. If you are an existing client who has sent us a fecal test already, these are good for 1 year.

• If you are more than 10 minutes late to a private lesson, we will have to reschedule and it will count as a completed lesson.

• If you are more than 10 minutes late to a go home lesson, you will be charged a late fee and we may have to reschedule.

• Any payments made with a debit/credit card will incure a processing fee. In order you avoid this fee you can pay with Zelle, cash, or check.

• If a boarding invoice is not paid by the time the dog is picked up from their boarding stay, late fees will be applied.

• Bring all food for your dog in a closeable container.

• Follow up lessons do expire. If private lessons aren't booked within a reasonable amount of time, we will have to do a new consultation on our property.