VERONICA'S DOG TRAINING
PLAY AND RELATIONSHIP-BASED DOG TRAINING
MAINE
Dogs are complex creatures with instincts, desires, and biological needs. They are highly intelligent and emotional beings with whom we have developed a deeply symbiotic relationship over millennia.
Good training is built on this foundation.
I aim to teach people how to develop a harmonious relationship with their dogs in our man-made world.
What I Offer
I offer a variety of services from training to boarding. The place to start for any service is a free phone evaluation so we can discuss your and your dog's individual needs and come up with a plan. Services include private lessons, boarding, day boarding, and board-and-trains.
Private Lessons
Private lessons take place either in your home or in public. Each lesson includes a detailed write-up so you can continue the work we do together. Lesson packages include lifelong follow-up support, as well as priority sign-up for group classes, events, and boarding. Virtual lessons are available for those not local to Maine.
Some examples of things that we can work on in training are puppy raising, basic obedience (sit, come, down, stay, place, heel, etc.), leash walking, off-leash reliability, handling and grooming cooperation, and things like reactivity, resource guarding, fear, and separation anxiety.
I aim for success with each and every person and dog I work with. The training I do is not only fun and engaging, but it is effective and has lasting, sustainable results.
In-person evaluation/single lesson: $175 | 3 Lesson package: $450 | 6 Lesson package: $780 | 12 Lesson package: 1320
Virtual lesson: $50
Puppy package (6 months and under): $450 for 5 lessons
Dogs in foster or rescue: 60% off
Day Boarding and Overnight Boarding
I offer in-my-home boarding for eligible dogs. Dogs stay in my home with my family, participate in outings, and have access to a private 70-acre wooded property. Walks, hikes, and all daily care are included in prices. Past and current clients are given priority scheduling for boarding.
Overnight Boarding: $75 per weeknight|$85 per weekend night | Puppies under 6 months of age: $100 | Holidays: +$10
Day Boarding: $35 per weekday | $45 per weekend day
Board-and-Train Program
The board-and-train program takes place in my home. Similar to boarding, dogs live with my family and my personal dog and are in a home environment, not a kennel. This comprehensive program includes daily training and detailed updates (text and video), training field trips, outings, play, hikes, and whatever care your dog needs. Go-home lessons and write-ups are included to ensure success. Required training tools are included in the cost of the program as well. Hand-off lessons are mandatory for board-and-train programs so that you can learn how to maintain training once you bring your dog home.
This is not cookie-cutter training; I will structure training based on your individual goals, but if you are just looking for a well-rounded dog with real-world skills, some things we can work on are:
Play skills
Loose leash walking
Manners in public and in the home
Dog socialization
Grooming/handling cooperation
Sit + implied sit stay
Down + implied down stay
Stand + implied stand stay
Place for duration
Kennel on cue
E-collar recall off wildlife, people, dogs, and other distractions
Mountain biking, hiking, canicross, bikejoring, and other outdoor adventure skills
Scent work foundations
Therapy Dog and Canine Good Citizen prep
Behavior modification when applicable - things like resource guarding, aggression, reactivity
***all training will be proofed in a variety of real life scenarios***
$1000/week
4-week minimum required for basic obedience plans, 5-week minimum for behavior modification
Dogs in foster or rescue: 60% off
Pay-What-You-Can Private Lessons
I offer sliding scale pricing for private lessons for anyone facing a financial barrier to training. If you are willing to put in the work to train your dog and can't afford it, I will work with you. If the only reason you're not training your dog is money, this is for you. You can begin the pay-what-you-can option at any time, even if you have already begun training with me and have been paying full price. Please note, I do not offer sliding scale payment for boarding or board-and-train programs.
Sliding Scale $5-50/lesson
About Me & Lewey
The Dog Who Started It All
I'm Veronica. Some years ago, I got a crazy coonhound puppy I named Lewey off Craigslist. The first thing out of the vet's mouth at our first visit was, "you can NEVER let this dog off leash". After the initial heartbreak of being told the creature I got to accompany me on my adventures in life would always be confined to a leash, I decided that I didn't accept this assessment. I did my research, and dispensed with many styles of training that I thought would limit our potential as a team. I looked for a training philosophy that would let me have my cake and eat it too. I understood that a dog's natural instincts were both enduring and vital, and though the dog in front of me was hard-wired to run miles away into the woods following his nose, I began to get a sense of how to harness my dog's natural inclinations instead of fighting them. After some trial and error and blundering about, Lewey and I found harmony in our life together. The majority of his life is spent off-leash. I got on my first mountain bike to keep up with him, and for that I'll always be indebted to him. We've traveled all over the country to hike, mountain bike, and backpack. We're working on completing the 48 4000 footers in New Hampshire. Together we've done nose work, AKC Rally, bird hunting, barn hunt, Canine Good Citizen, bikejoring, canicross, and many, many trail miles.
Lewey started me on this dog training journey and has taught me more than many people I've met. My professional career began when I started leading off-leash pack-hikes, after which I transitioned to training client dogs in their homes. I haven't looked back since.
My Philosophy
I believe in the power of willful cooperation for both humans and dogs. I work to make training fun and inherently motivating; I use play whenever possible, and I tailor each training plan to each dog (and human) so that we can use the intrinsic motivators dogs are born with. Quite often, training will not involve stopping behaviors, but simply channeling them in a way that can be more easily integrated into one's lifestyle. My training does not adhere to any one style or school of thought, but is dialectical in nature, meaning that all methods, tools, and techniques are assessed so that our approach is ethical, humane, and based on observation of concrete circumstances. Training is holistic in that I consider all aspects of a dog and human's life when problem solving. Diet, life stage, breed, health, and environmental factors are all taken into consideration in my work. My approach has been developed over the years through mentorships, apprenticeships, workshops, seminars, and the sage advice of the dog trainers I'm lucky to call my friends.
I am a Certified Training Without Conflict Professional Dog Trainer.
