Steve was all it took for my dog Major and I to have a better relationship. His training techniques really work. I could tell Major liked working with Steve, because after the first training session I had already seen a change for the better. I used to wrestle with Major all the time because he wouldn’t stop nipping and biting my hands, especially when I would try and discipline him. By the end of the month-long session I finally realized there were no more teeth-on-hands. Without Steve’s expertise in training this would never have been accomplished.
Steve truly cares about your pet and about establishing a better relationship between you and your best friend. Another thing I liked about Steve’s training is that he urges you to call him anytime, no matter how small or big the problem is. He’s on time all the time and really cares if he gets through to you and your pet. Steve is always honest with you throughout the training sessions to better help you in the long run.
Thank you Steve, for all you have done to help us with our dog Major. We’ll never forget you. We honestly have to say, we could not have chosen a better person to bring us and our dog closer and happier.
Proof of the power of Place command
Well, this is proof of what can happen.
This puppy, a full bore border collie was chasing the poor cats around like crazy in the house before he learned the place command. The cats were getting a bit fed up, the people were getting a bit fed up and well, the puppy was just doing what puppies do…. which is wreak havoc.
After working on the command for about 30 minutes, this little bit of peaceful coexistence came about. Can you say happy dog/cat owner or what?!
And, just to toot my own horn a bit, here is the email I got from the owners a couple of days after the lesson.
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Steve,
Thank you SOOOO much!!!! I think Monty had a great time with the lessons (yay treats!). He is certainly having fun practicing with us!
We were so impressed with you that we are telling all of our friends who have dogs about you. Thank you for being so helpful and friendly…we are eternally grateful! We’ll keep you updated on his progress!
Brittany, Scott, and Monty
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Once again, Place command saves the day!
Steve Haynes
Austin Dog Trainer
www.fideliodogs.com
In the last few weeks I’ve had a number of emails from potential clients asking what “methods” I use for training. Well, I just responded to another one of those emails and thought it’s time to put my response in the blog.
So, here is the text of the email with just the name removed. I think it will clear things up for a lot of people on the “method” type of trainers and where we at Fidelio Dog Works fall in the continuum of dog trainers.
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Well, to tell you the truth, I’m not a “method” trainer. I don’t subscribe to a single method or rigid dogma. I’ve found over my years of training, especially working with clients who came from other trainers, that the “only one way” trainers can help about 60% of their clients. The other 40% of time, their “method” doesn’t work either for the dog or for the owner.
What I try to do with Fidelio is to find out what goals you have for your dog and then work within a framework you are comfortable with to achieve those goals. As a couple of examples, I’ve had clients in the past have insisted on NEVER having a leash on their dog, and others insist on only positive methods, while still others who insist on using remote collars. All of these are valid methods and I’ve got no issue with any of them as long as the clients are willing to understand the advantages and disadvantages of each. Every owner needs to understand that some techniques take longer and require more practice and repetition than others. It’s just the nature of training. The thing that’s most important for us at Fidelio is to make sure that the relationship between you and your dog is strong.
With all that being said, I’m familiar with and implemented most of the major “Method training” and Techniques out there, and will be happy to work with you using any approach you would like to try. Or, if you need guidance, we can discuss things together and map out a strategy that works for everyone.
As a final note, dog training is an exercise in repetition. There is no way to get a well behaved dog without practice, patience, and lots and lots of repetition.
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All my best,
Steve Haynes
Austin Dog Trainer
Fidelio Dog Works
www.fideliodogs.com