D&G Dog Training

We just completed the six-week Roots to Obedience class with Indy, our young Aussie mix, and I can't say enough good things about the experience. It was clear from the beginning that D&G approaches dog training differently. Shannon is incredibly thorough and has an impressive ability to explain why dogs behave the way they do and, more importantly, how we as owners can learn to communicate with them. It's about developing a relationship, establishing expectations, building trust, and creating a genuine partnership between you and your dog. Shannon and Molly were our trainers throughout the six weeks, and both were incredible. The classes were held Saturday mornings in a conditioned barn with plenty of room for the dogs and their owners. Each week built naturally on what we had learned the week before, starting with exercises to help the dogs become comfortable and focused, then progressing into basic communication, leash work, obstacles, and increasingly more challenging distractions. One thing we particularly appreciated was how intentionally the class teaches your dog to focus on you, rather than automatically wanting to interact with every other dog or person around them. There was no emphasis on gimmicks or complicated equipment. The training was remarkably simple: treats, gestures, short verbal commands, leash work, and especially learning how to use your tone and presence to communicate effectively with your dog. Shannon and Molly worked with dogs and owners of different ages and experience levels, and everyone could understand what they were teaching. D&G also has an incredibly impressive depth of experience and an enormous range of programs beyond basic obedience, from specialized working-dog training and scent detection to agility and other advanced courses. It's obvious that Shannon has built this around a genuine understanding of dogs and a tremendous amount of experience. Indy and the whole family loved the class, and we've come away with a much better understanding of how she thinks and how we can communicate with her. Roots to Obedience is a perfect name for the program because it really does give you the foundation to build everything else on. If you're looking for someone to simply “train your dog,” there are plenty of places that can teach commands. If you're looking for someone to teach you how to understand your dog and build a better relationship with them, I highly recommend D&G Dog Training.

Shannon and her staff are knowledgeable, curious, fun, patient, and excellent communicators. She helped me TONS with teaching me specific skills for my senior dog with reactivity. Her golden years are even more golden now :) I recently took my puppy to the puppy classes and the progress we made in 6 weeks was honestly beyond what I thought was possible. Training your dog is so empowering & bonding and I highly recommend D&G to walk ya through it.