Off-Leash Programs

Unleash Your Dog’s Best Manners^SM

It’s true, a Turnkey Off-Leash Companion Dog is a dream for most, but achievable for all.

We don’t tell you how to live with your dog… we give you the ability to tell the dog how to live with you. We produce a dog that can be taken anywhere, while you enjoy the confidence that your companion will be welcomed, behaved, and make you proud.

We do the work, while you enjoy the spoils of our labor of love: your dog.

There is no better gift than the company of a happy and well-mannered companion dog.

And, best of all, the results are guaranteed.

Additionally, we work with licensed health professionals to provide companion dogs for challenged people who can benefit from the psychological well-being achieved through the human-animal bond. Dogs completing this program are fully compliant companions under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

Two Options to Choose From

Our Professional Training Programs produce turnkey Off-Leash companion dogs.

Webster’s Dictionary defines turnkey as, “installed complete and ready to operate.” When it comes to companion dogs, that’s what we do best.

Choose the program that is best suited to the demands of your time, your experience, and most of all your goals: our most popular Pinnacle Program, or the top of the line Capstone Program.

How It’s Done

Our Professional Companion Dog Training Programs begin with an initial planning session to meet the family, understand the environment, and set goals and objectives for the training process. The average stay is 6 weeks to 7 weeks, followed by sessions to transfer the training to the family before the dog returns to live at home. Included is ongoing support to assure continued success and satisfaction, and to address any concerns that arise after the dog is back in its home and public environments.

Once admitted into the program, dogs live a highly structured and enriched routine of socialization, play, training, feeding and rest periods. All animals in the program receive ongoing house training (teaching them to eliminate outdoors) and are trained to sleep and travel in a kennel enclosure for their safety.

Socialization teaches each animal to interact appropriately with other dogs and all people. Likewise, aggressive behavior towards prey animals, including cats, squirrels, birds, and the like is not allowed.

Play is essential to a well-rounded companion dog. Play is promoted as a learning tool, reward, for exercise, and just because it feels good to the dog and is fun to watch.

Training takes place on two levels.

First, is the animal’s recognition and responsiveness to signals such as: Sit, Down, Come, Stay and to walk at your side. In all, each dog is taught 16 or more signals that allow you to control them in three dimensions and without the need to touch or guide them with a leash.

Second, is training that shapes the animal’s temperament or personality. We teach the dog when it is time to be serious and attentive, to relax in the face of stressful situations, to subordinate to and seek safety from its caregivers, and when it is time to simply be a dog.

Each animal is unique and our training is adapted to meet the capabilities and limitations of each dog that goes through our program. We use many academically proven and humane approaches to achieve the finest results for your companion.

Training begins in contained environments having low levels of distractions and triggers for inappropriate behavior. We utilize canine staff members that are specially trained to work with our trainers and to help your dog learn. The complexity of the training environments is gradually increased as training benchmarks are reached, until the animal is stable and responsive in all situations.

Field trips are essential to the training process. In the final stages of our programs dogs visit homes, businesses, retail establishments, residential neighborhoods, and areas of heavy pedestrian and vehicle traffic to polish and proof the results.

When the animal is ready, we work with you in 4 to 5 90-minute sessions to transfer the training results. We teach the dog to be responsive to you, while teaching you how to communicate with and control the animal. Once we agree that you are in control, and independent of us, the dog is discharged to home.

Follow-up is essential to your continued success and satisfaction. We require a brief recheck at one, three and eight weeks after discharge. In addition, we are always available to address any concerns that may arise after the dog is living back with you.