We have 1.3 seconds to influence our dog’s understanding of cause and effect. Sometimes we have even less time. Having great timing is critical to clear communication with our dog.
We must provide a consistent set of rules for our dog. This is important to maintain to minimize conflict within your dog. The more consistent we are about creating and maintaining behaviors, the faster these behaviors become habitual.
One of the first steps of the training process includes charging the marker with something that’s meaningful.
Through this, an action that is ordinarily mundane to the dog (the sound of a clicker, a vocalized command, etc.) obtains meaning through following it with what the dog wants (for example, food). This is how your dog will learn to respond to all of your commands.
During this process, we believe it’s important to understand the timing between the cue (the marker) and the reward. All we want is to mark the specific behavior that we desire from the dog. We are careful to include a split-second delay between giving the marker and reaching for or delivering the reward. This way, your dog understands the difference between the marker and the reward. Otherwise, dogs can become confused by things like misplaced body language, potentially ruining their training.
What will make a dog work? Food, pets, a ball or toy; anything physical that they enjoy.
We extinguish behaviors with correction collars that provide an uncomfortable feeling. We can also withhold rewards to create a negative, and make bad things go away to create a positive experience. We use positive and negative reinforcement and punishment, classical and operant conditioning.
MUST be done first and foremost. If you just recently brought a new dog into your home and you're not sure what's next, this is the place to start. During this lesson we will go over basic care, management and training philosophies. This is the first step towards entering any of our Full Potential K9 training programs.
Starting at $100.00
Our Board and Train program is our best program for getting results quickly. You drop off your dog, and we do the work for you!We put in hundreds of repetitions, and that’s what it takes to teach all the behaviors the correct way. We have programs specifically for puppies, for friendly but untrained dogs, for service dogs and for behavioral cases such as aggressive and fearful dogs.
Starting at $2,800.00
One on one training for you and your dog. Want to be more involved in the training process? Private Lessons with one of our Full Potential k9 trainers are held at your home. One of our most popular programs, and a great option for anyone who wants to learn how to teach their dogs how to learn!
Starting at $100.00
Once you and your pet meet certain prerequisites, you can join our semi-private group sessions to work in a controlled group setting with 5-10 other owners and their pets. Group classes are held Wednesday Nights and Saturday during the day at various dog friendly locations so we are able to generalize behaviors.
Starting at $40.00
A FREE phone consultation is available for all dogs.
We do appointments by scheduling only as we are not open to the public. No dog is permitted on our property without undergoing a complete behavior assessment and temperament test.
We can’t say enough about the amazing training our puppy, Sadie, got with Dillon and his staff at Full Potential K9. Sadie came to us as a rambunctious and rebellious puppy who definitely did not know structure or rules. After 6 weeks in training, she came back to us a more organized, rule-abiding puppy who was also happier as she had structure and better understood her boundaries. Dillon taught Sadie commands, such as sit, heal, and to go to her place, crate trained her, got her acclimated to walking on a leash, and also helped us navigate the sometimes treacherous process of potty training. Additionally, he helped to guide us on how to have a respectful puppy with two wild toddlers. He helped ensure we understood what Sadie was taught through our own training sessions with him so we could make sure to continue to reinforce her learning at home. Everyone who meets Sadie comments about how she’s well behaved, obedient, and what a gem she is to walk on a leash. Every step of the way through training and since returning home, Dillon checks up on our girl and is invested in her success (and happiness) in our family. Thank you Dillon and Full Potential K9 for shaping our sweet Sadie into our awesome puppy and helping her achieve her full potential. With gratitude, The Williams Family
