Train
Paws4ever is committed to supporting you and your dog throughout your relationship together. Our professional dog training instructors use positive and proven-effective methods to help you and your dog achieve your training goals.
We offer a variety of fun and accessible private lessons, group classes, and workshops for every age and level.
Tuition supports shelter pets
Paws4ever is a completely independent non-profit organization that operates an Adoption Center for dogs and cats rescued from our local county shelters. Unlike tuition fees at for-profit dog training businesses, your tuition for Paws4ever’s Dog Training Program saves lives and provides quality care for homeless pets in our community.
Paws4ever’s Training philosophy
You may have noticed that your dog does not speak human language or read minds. Wouldn’t that be easy? Positive reinforcement is the best way to build communication, cooperation, and trust between you and your dog. The best part about this type of positive training is that it not only works well, but it can be fun and confidence boosting for both of you!
Think about dog training like driving a car: you can steer all day, but you still won’t go anywhere without the gas. Rewards are the fuel for behavior that keeps your dogs engaged and encourages them to keep trying. Rewards are our way of communicating to Rover what it is that we like and want to see more of.
Punishment on the other hand, such as yelling at a dog or yanking their leash, is like the brakes. It impedes progress, so it doesn’t have a place in the Paws4ever classroom. If a dog is too afraid to make a mistake, then they’ll stop offering behaviors altogether, leaving no opportunity for productive learning. Instead we want them to enthusiastically keep working with us so we get the chance to say “Yes! That right there! Do that!”
Positive training isn’t just safe and humane–it’s proven effective. Dogs learn better when they are motivated and comfortable–don’t you?
Our trainers are happy to talk your ear off about the many benefits of using positive-reinforcement based training, so please feel free to ask further questions if you are curious about the hows and whys of dog behavior. Let’s talk!
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NOTICE
Due to COVID-19, we have not been holding in-person classes for several months We will be updating you as we follow guidelines from heath professionals and the state to determine the safest course of action for our dog training classes.
Puppy School will reopen on June 7th, with social distancing measures in place and masks required. See the course listing for safety details.
We are also currently offering private consultations in-person and virtually by phone and video.