My expectations were hugely exceeded by Scott. He is a highly skilled and experienced trainer and is incredibly intuitive about dogs, their behavior, and the ways they communicate with each other and with us. He also, crucially, understands human behavior and the ways that we as dog owners and dog lovers actually can build ineffective and confusing communication and make it harder for our dogs to learn, perform to their potential, and enjoy themselves.
With our dog Henry, the treat-based reinforcement training that we did on our own helped him learn basic commands but was not effective in moderate or high distraction settings. Even though his favorite things are to run, explore freely outside, play fetch, and most of all play with other dogs, he was not able to do these things on a regular basis because we didn't have an effective form of communication that was reliable and that I could trust in the case he needed to come back to me immediately or even simply listen when it's time to go. It was not worth the risk of him running away, getting in an altercation with another dog, or other problematic or dangerous consequences. Walking became a chore because he was constantly pulling to get to other dogs, squirrels, etc. I was frustrated and he wasn't getting to do the things he most loved.
After the two week home front program, Henry's impulse control has improved tremendously. He is still his playful happy self, but has learned by working with Scott how to channel his intelligence and focus. He is far more receptive, even when we are not specifically training. He truly loves to work and use his mind, and we have fun practicing and reinforcing the training. When we saw Scott for our follow up lesson, Henry was SO excited to see him. All through the two week program I was able to follow Henry's progress and see him on Facebook having a blast getting to play and learn social skills with the pack. In addition to the stellar obedience, Henry is much more confident and calm when meeting other dogs, compared to the more insecure "in your face" greeting style he previously exhibited that would rub some dogs the wrong way.
Henry now gets to run, play fetch, and play with other dogs off leash. He comes when called, even when he is in the middle of running towards other dogs playing or a squirrel. I am no longer afraid of him running away or getting into other stressful or dangerous situations because we are in sync with our communication and it works. Walks are no longer a struggle for us. And because he knows what he is supposed to do, he has more confidence and his anxiety-based behaviors are greatly decreased. This is also true because of the mental energy he uses up when we are working. He is overall much calmer and less reactive.
In sum, we couldn't be happier with the results of Henry's training, and more importantly, the invaluable education and tools we have gained. We highly, and without reservation, recommend Scott Dancer, a.k.a DC Dog Wizard! read more