Sit Means Sit Dog Training Richmond

Originally took my dog for a consultation given his insecurity and reactivity to other dogs and humans. The consultation was extremely uncomfortable watching my dog beg for help as he was dragged around and continuously shocked to “force” the behavior he wants. This over use of the e collar can jeopardize your relationship with your dog and can make behavioral problems much worse. Did some extensive research on the company after the consultation and decided to cancel our training program, as many other customers have the same experience. An e-collar is an effective tool to communicate with your dog, but should never be used to instill fear into your dog like sit means sit does. We decided to go with holiday barn, which was a great experience, where they use a humane and balanced approach to e-collar training.

My big dog, Edmund, was generally anxious, unable to see other dogs, insecure and afraid of new things and people before Sit Means Sit. He was aggressively protective of me and of himself from just about everything because he didn’t know how else to be. He’d even bitten a person trying to protect me from a harmless situation that had made him anxious and protective. He can now go on walks & sit right next to unfamiliar dogs and people, I feel safe and comfortable walking out and about with him, he’s able to walk and play confidently and with so much less fear. I cannot give enough thanks to JP & Kelly for everything they’ve done for Edmund. I am so proud of how much he’s grown, how well-behaved he’s becoming and of how his anxiety is starting to subside. We’ve got some work to do at home still, but that’s a lifelong thing. I feel like we’ve both gotten our lives back after Sit Means Sit. Thank you, JP, Kelly & everybody at Sit Means Sit.

My review is based off the lengthy experience my girlfriend and I have with JP and team over the course of about a year. To sum up my review though; JP and team are excellent. Your dog will be in great hands and I recommend this place to anybody and everybody that has ever asked me about dog training. My girlfriend and I were first time dog owners, and we were anxious about how to approach training our rescue Border Collie (Kuma). We had read many opposing opinions online regarding e-collar training, but ultimately moved past our reservations due to several behavioral issues that we were too overwhelmed to address. The biggest challenge we were facing was this seemingly paradoxical urge Kuma had to greet every dog but then attack half the dogs she got close to. Whenever she would see a dog, she would lay down and refuse to move unless we walked towards the other dog. But as mentioned previously, we became anxious about letting her meet other dogs because we were never sure whether it would be a positive interaction. Walks became an anxious chore; I was regularly late to work and other dog owners were beginning to avoid us on walks. Kuma was not welcomed at daycare due to her aggression. Advice we read online and received from friends regarding positive reinforcement were ineffective, as Kuma seemingly had no interest in neither treats nor toys. JP was very understanding during the consultation, addressing all of our concerns regarding e-collar training. JP discussed clear and strict guidelines of when to use the e-collar and at what strength. Fairness and compassion were emphasized. It also greatly alleviated our reservations when we got to feel the e-collar's buzz and learned that these are not the same as outdated shock collars; the e-collars used here do not harm the dog. Positive reinforcement was also strongly encouraged in conjunction to the e-collar. With help, we ultimately discovered that Kuma responds well to praise. We ended up going with the 3 week boot camp option with recurring weekend classes. It was the best decision we have made for Kuma, to date. By the end of the 3 week boot camp, we already felt like we had a different dog. Kuma was drastically more obedient! We had spent weeks prior just trying to get her to respond to her name, and suddenly she was not only responding but actually listening to basic commands! Most surprisingly of all, she did not seem to be fearful of the e-collar. She was actually excited to have it on, since at that point she began associating the e-collar with going out of the house on adventures. However, her aggression had not completely resolved. And this is why I am writing this review today. JP was direct and honest. He did not promise us that Kuma would magically be fixed in the span of 3 weeks. We were encouraged to proceed with the classes hosted every weekend and offered continued support in our efforts in training Kuma. This was, as I mentioned, about 1 year ago. Since graduation, we have taken Kuma to nearly every weekend class. Weekend classes provided a controlled, supervised environment for her to have repeated positive experiences with other dogs. The foundation established during boot camp was built upon steadily She is a completely different dog today compared to 1 year ago. She is friendly, obedient, and confident. We can walk her off-leash and she participates in agility training. She no longer gets distracted by cars, animals, or sounds. She is no longer aggressive towards other dogs! Although she still wears the e-collar every day, we rarely have actually to use it to get her attention. With pressing matters like recall addressed, we have been leisurely teaching her fun tricks through positive reinforcement. My girlfriend and I are incredibly grateful to JP and team for their support and guidance in our journey with Kuma. We were never treated any differently after boot camp; we always felt welcomed at weekend classes. JP has even helped us with aspects of training beyond what was advertised originally.