When I first started working with dogs, it was with service dogs in training. Those were all group sessions with 5-10 dogs, depending on what we were doing. As with any other subject I have taught, you always had the ones in the front, the ones in the back, and those in the middle. It seemed that especially for those in the middle and the back, frustration came fast as they felt overwhelmed trying to focus on the trainer and apply it to the dog. Admittedly, we were dealing with Veterans and First Responders who mostly suffered from PTSD, anxiety, and depression, but often we would need to give them a break. When people become overwhelmed, especially in front of other people, they often shut down. It feels like the whole world is closing in on you. This is the primary reason that when I went into business, I decided to offer sessions in a client’s home and also a space I was renting.
In a very short period of time, it was obvious that the majority of the people wanted to train at home. Here are the pros of in-home training-
Availability, we train Monday – Friday with appointment times at noon, 2 PM, and 4 PM.
We come to you and get to see the interaction between all the dogs and people there. You would not believe how many times we start working with another dog besides the ones we are called for. By identifying and first working with that dog, it naturally adds flow to working with the pack. Often the higher-ranking dogs are irritated and trying to correct the unwanted behavior of another dog in a way you might not recognize.
We are able to observe environmental factors that have an impact on your dogs.
The ability to control light, noise, and who comes and goes in the training environment encourages better learning conditions.
One of the keys to Focused Based Canine Training is threshold work using doors that your dog sees as the most valuable. For most dogs, it is the front door where all the excitement comes like guests and deliveries. The back door is often their primary door, especially if it leads to a fenced in yard. There are a lot of moving pieces here based on type of door and which way they open. We like to break things down to easily digestible steps and that is hard without seeing the door you use every day. It is helpful for us to be able to see where the dog gets walked, so that we can make recommendations.
The cons of in-home training-
We typically do not get to see you handle your dog outside of your house and in and out of your vehicle. This can be very helpful for us to establish a baseline of your relationship.
The lack of humans and other dogs as distractions to pressure test the effectiveness of Focused Based Canine Training. By reading our reviews, you will see exactly how fast and effective our training methods are. Across the board the number, one behavioral issue we get called in for besides leash pulling is reactive to people, places, and things. Reactivity is excitement based and the goal of FBCT is simply conditioning your dog to respond to you when exposed to a stimulus instead of you reacting to them. The absolute best way to train this is using the distraction of another dog. Because our in-home sessions are typically during the day, we spend valuable training time walking the neighborhood trying to find a dog. This, coupled with the environmental issues of temperature and weather, end up burning time that would be better spent training. When it’s not too hot, I can bring Odin, but he is a service dog and will literally ignore other dogs barking and growling at him as long as I am there.
Pros of group classes–
Typically group sessions are on weeknights and Saturdays.
You don’t have to have anyone come to your house.
From the minute you arrive, we get to work with overwhelming reactions to other people and dogs, thus setting the baseline to measure against at the end of the class to show you exactly what you and your dog are capable of. What the in-home session often lacks is omnipresent during group sessions.
Once together, with your dog on lead, we talk you into a state of mindfulness, peace, and calm before we move on. Within minutes, you will see a striking contrast between the excitement level of what you arrived at this point. Within minutes, this confirms our belief that dogs state of mind is affected by your state of mind more than any other factors.
Opportunity for modeling. One of the most effective ways to teach something is modeling. Modeling takes place in two ways. One is when the trainer shows you exactly what he wants you to do. Two is when you get to watch others and learn from their mistakes. You may be doing the same thing but are not able to see it from the inside out. Just like the dogs, practice does not make perfect. Perfect practice makes perfect. We coach through mistakes and praise when the standard is reached. We do the same thing during in-home sessions, but being singled out no matter the reason makes some people feel uncomfortable.
My favorite thing about group classes is my ability to take a dog from an attendee when they or their dog is struggling and use it to model how to calmly and effectively get them under control.
You can enjoy the encouragement of other attendees that leads to friendship based on shared interests and goals. These are the people and dogs you want your dog to associate with. Not Mrs. Johnson who gets walked by her Pug on an extendable lead and harness.
You get to see the struggles of other attendees. This allows you to realistically deal with your expectations of you and your dog instead of some fantasy of immediate perfection.
All of our FREE ongoing training for MCS Pack Members is done in group sessions.
Cons of group sessions-
You will need to take your dog somewhere.
Only one dog per handler may attend.
Dogs with bite histories are not allowed in group sessions.
We do not get to see your dogs in their home environment.
Whether you choose a private in-home training session or a group session, here is what you get-
In person training from George, the creator of Focused Based Canine Training
(1) set of Immediate Correction and Traffic Leads
Access to the post session training notes on our website
Access to our clients only Facebook Group, the MCS Dog Pack
Access to FREE unlimited Pack Gathering for all dogs whether trained in home or in a groups session as long as they do not have a bite history.
Next step discussion about things like therapy dog, service dog, or advanced obedience.
Lifetime support
There you have it. Just wanted to give out this information to allow people to make a better informed decision.
Click here to schedule an in-home training session and here to see upcoming group training times and dates.