Private Dog Training and
Cooperative Care Programs for Dogs & Cats
Passionate. Professional. Positive.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1 How can I become your client? A1 Thanks for your interest! Please submit the contact form, on the Contact Us page in the menu, to declare your interest or get started with any questions you may still have after reading through my website. I will reach out by email as soon as possible to discuss your needs and see if we are a good match. For all services, you'll be asked to complete a very in-depth New Client Questionnaire with information about you, your household, your pet, and your pet's history. From there, we can schedule your virtual New Client Consult over Zoom. Finally, we can strategize the best service and schedule for your needs and discuss the appropriate plan moving forward.
Q2 What services do you offer? A2 Perky Pet offers Private Dog Training Consultations, Day Training Packages, Specialized Dog Walks/Visits, and Cooperative Care Programs for families and professional groups.
Q3 What is the difference between the Day Training Package and your Specialized Visit services? A3 Specialized Walks/Visits are like normal dog walks or home visits, but with a dog trainer who is experienced with all breeds and needs. The dogs that benefit most from Specialized Walks/Visits (and therefore are eligible for them) are dogs with fear or anxiety, dogs that struggle to trust new people, and dogs with medical conditions including post-operative care and those under a weight management program. Day Training packages are training sessions done during your dog's walk/visit, as more of a 2-in-1 deal: your dog gets their walk, and you get the benefit of dog training with less time directly invested in the work yourself. These packages require weekly Client Sync Sessions, but during the week your Certified Dog Trainer puts in a lot of the foundational work for you.
Q4 What is Cooperative Care? A4 Cooperative Care, also called Care With Consent, is a training program designed to make caretaking and pet handling less stressful for everyone involved. Using combinations of desensitization, counter conditioning, Cooperative Care animal husbandry methodologies, my expertise in animal behavior, and LOTS of love and patience... I can help you teach your pet to tolerate, and even enjoy, being handled for things like nail trims, grooming, vet exams, medication administration, and coat maintenance.
Q5 What is Fear Free dog training? A5 When a trainer says they are "fear free", or that they are a Fear Free Certified Professional (like me!) that means they promise to never use pain, fear, intimidation, or unnecessary force while training your dog. Fear free dog trainers refuse to use aversive tools, techniques, and methods including but not limited to: shock collars, choke chains, prong collars, leash "pops", rattle cans, yelling, hitting, "alpha-rolling", or other "dominance" tactics. You may see trainers that are not fear free referred to as "balanced", "traditional", or "old-school".
Q6 What is a Certified Dog Trainer? A6 The dog training industry is, unfortunately, completely unregulated. This means that anyone can wake up one day and decide to call themselves a dog trainer. For the safety of your family, the well-being of your dog, and the respect of your wallet, it is important to find a dog trainer that has received an education or certification from a reputable source. Some of the most well-respected certifications you might see behind a credentialed trainer's name are: VSA-CDT (like Sophia!) KPA-CTP IAABC-ADT CCPDT-KSA CTC
Q7 Your company offers walks for dogs with severe anxiety, fear, and reactivity---but does not offer training for those dogs' families? A7 Correct. I have many years of experience working with fearful, anxious, overreactive, and fear-aggressive dogs in a dog walking & pet sitting capacity, and am very confident in my ability to establish myself as a trusted member of a dog's network in that way. I am capable of handling, and truly enjoy taking on, basic cases involving frustrated leash behavior, barrier over reactivity, and some mild fear-based issues...but I have not completed nearly enough education in canine psychology and aggression to assist with the more complex behavioral cases in the dog trainer capacity (yet!). If we schedule your Consultation and the case is beyond the scope of my abilities, I will not hesitate to make recommendations for better qualified trainers or a vet behaviorist. I am here to help. ***Any dog trainer who claims to be able to assist in cases where a dog has severe and debilitating fear, aggression, or separation anxiety should have an extensive list of qualifications that have prepared them to do so. Please do not take a chance on anyone claiming to be a "fear and aggression specialist" if they do not have a substantial education to set them up for success with your dog. Please reach out if you would like recommendations for reputable and qualified professionals that are equipped to handle these cases. I would be happy to work in tandem with your dog trainer or vet behaviorist.
Q8 Why is the New Client Consult virtual over Zoom video call? A8 The main reason that my initial New Client Consults are over Zoom is to make them more accessible to more people. With virtual consults, I can see more clients in less time which means I can help more pet parents with their pets, and I can also charge less for the consults. Initial consultations are also mostly human-focused, getting to know each other (your goals, my methods) and discussing the pet's history. Virtual consultations reduce stress on pets and better prepare me for meeting them in person.
Q9 What if I have more questions? A9 Ask away! Please submit the contact form on my Contact Us page with any and all questions about me, my company, and my services! I will respond as quickly as I can.