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| Cooperative Paws llc
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| Private, customized dog training and behavior consultatsions with an emphasis on owner education. Serving residents of Northern Virginia (Arlington, Alexandria, Fairfax), Washington DC and Maryland (Bethesda, Chevy Chase) |
| Home :: About Us :: Testimonials :: Our Services :: Frequently Asked Questions :: Contact Us |
What happens during a dog training or behavior consultation session?
During the session, we will teach you how to train and modify your dog's behavior. Sessions include a combination of educational information, observation and assessment of your dog, discussion of animal behavior, behavior modification and training techniques as well as direct, hands-on practice opportunities. You will need to practice daily between sessions in order to make progress.
Our clients also receive:
- A customized informational packet with handouts selected to address their specific needs in the first session
- Additional handouts are often provided in follow up sessions
- A customized, emailed "homework" summary with numbered instructions after each session
- Phone and/or email support between sessions
Have you worked with the breed of dog I own?
Our trainer has worked with thousands of dogs from all the breed groups as well as many extremely rare breeds. Our clients have dogs from shelters, rescue groups, purebred dogs from breeders, mixed breeds - including many "doodle" crosses - and we have even worked with "village" dogs (pariah type dogs found overseas and brought into the United States). We probably have worked with many members of the breed of dog you own.
How many sessions will be needed?
We offer packages of two and four sessions for new clients as well as packages of three additional follow-up sessions or individual follow-up sessions for clients who have already purchased a package. The first session is two hours long, follow ups are one hour.
Four sessions are an appropriate starting point for most clients whose dogs need basic training, for puppy owners, or for dogs that need to brush up on basic skills. We also find that four sessions works well as a starting point for most cases of dog-dog aggression. Clients often start with a package of four and then purchase either individual sessions or an additional package.
Packages of two sessions may be appropriate starting points for very narrowly focused behavior problems or for long standing behavior problems where follow up sessions may need to be scheduled several weeks apart.
Should I work at your home office or have you come to my house?
If your dog needs socialization with other dogs, to practice among distractions or to practice around other dogs, our home office is generally the best bet. We see most clients at our home office because we find it is usually in the dog's benefit to do so. It's easy for most dogs to obey a command in the environment that they see every day, going to a new place is where things are more challenging.
Our home office is designed specifically to facilitate training. Your dog benefits from the opportunity to practice around distractions at a level where he or she can succeed and not be overwhelmed. Our home office is a wonderful environment for new puppies to learn how to be confident in a new setting and also be socialized with gentle dogs.
A few specific behavior problems are best addressed at your home. For example, some types of aggressive behavior may only be evident at the owner's home. Also, some multi-pet challenges may be best addressed at the owner's home.
In some cases, the best bet is a combination of sessions at our home office as well as a session or two at your home. Contact us and our trainer will tell you what is right for your dog.
Do you offer group classes?
No, we specialize in private lessons. While some dogs benefit from group classes, many dogs (and their owners) do better in private sessions. Toy breed dogs, shy dogs, and dogs recently adopted from shelters or rescue groups are often overwhelmed in a group class setting. Dogs that are extremely energetic or too easily distracted often frustrate their owner in group classes. Dogs with fearful or aggressive behavior problems are generally inappropriate for most group class situations.
Private lessons also offer advantages such as a curriculum that is customized for your needs and content can often be covered more quickly allowing for fewer sessions.
When do you schedule sessions?
Most sessions are scheduled for our Vienna home office during weekdays, Monday through Friday, between 8 am and 6 pm. We also offer late evening sessions on Monday and Thursdays at our Vienna home office (7-9 pm). Friday sessions may be scheduled at either our home office or at client's homes. Late evening sessions and sessions at client's homes are reserved extremely quickly, often weeks in advance. Please plan ahead for the best selection of times. Appointments are scheduled by telephone only.
I have a question that is not listed here?
Please contact us!
We have personally owned dogs of various breeds and backgrounds. Our Monty is a shepherd mix from a local shelter. He has earned an AKC Canine Good Citizen certificate.
Some toy breed dogs can be overwhelmed in a group setting. Our adorable student above, Tiger, learned basics quickly in private sessions.
Drifter, a gorgeous dalmatian (also one of our wonderful students), balances a toy on his head. We often discuss strategies on how to incorporate toys and play sessions in training.
To see more of Drifter and more photos of our students, check out our new "graduates" page.
