How to prepare for a first training session

AVSAB's guide to choosing a trainer starts with training goals, and a first session starts there too. Vague goals produce vague plans. Better ones name a behavior, a place and a distraction: walk past the neighbor's dog without lunging, come back from the far end of the yard when called, settle on a mat through dinner. Each describes what you want rather than only what you want gone, which matches the AKC's point that good trainers teach alternative behaviors in place of unwanted ones.

Keep the list short and ranked. A first session cannot fix five things, and a trainer who tries will hand you homework nobody finishes. Under the goals, write what your dog does today, where and how often, what sets it off, what you have tried and for how long, plus health notes and any medication. If a goal involves fear, growling or a bite, put it first and say so on the training form, so the assessment can be planned around it.

The AKC's advice for a first class carries over to a first session: leave plenty of time to get there, give your dog a bathroom break beforehand, and expect an excited dog in a new place. Use treats to hold its attention and keep the leash short around other dogs. A responsible trainer, the AKC adds, makes sure you understand each skill and never causes your dog discomfort, pain or fear, so ask whenever something is unclear.

If you are driving in from Rockport, Essex or Manchester-by-the-Sea, allow for traffic on Route 127, 128 or 133 so you are not rushing through the door with a wound-up dog. Our address is 210 Eastern Ave in Gloucester. A few minutes of slow sniffing outside does more for focus than any warm-up exercise squeezed in on the back seat.

At Dogtown, training begins with the training form, and we reply within one hour on business days. The first session is a short assessment with Gabriella Pope, our Director of Training & Canine Behaviorist, who watches your dog, looks for the why behind the behavior and chooses the program and level. Private sessions start from $94, and the plan is confirmed after the assessment, so you know the shape of the work before committing.

Bring your notes and the treats to 210 Eastern Ave in Gloucester. If the goals point to a program rather than private sessions, Gabby will say so: Bright Beginnings for everyday manners from 4 months, Calm & Connected for adolescents, rescues and adults, or React Less, Relax More over 8 weeks and 16 sessions for reactivity. Every program ends with go-home lessons so the results hold where your dog lives.