SCROLL DOWN FOR TIPS ON “HOW TO PICK A DOG TRAINER”
Proven K9 Training wants to help you and your dog understand how to live together in a cohesive environment. We will take the time to show your dog a multitude of commands that both of you can implement in your daily lives. When dogs understand what is being communicated to them by their owners, they are able to fulfill that genetic want to please. Simple commands—taught in a manner which builds drive to do more—are life changing for both the owner and dog.
Let us help you begin the quick journey to a new relationship for your entire family, including your dog!
We offer multiple ways to get you and your dog moving in a new direction.
It all starts with a phone call to one of our truly knowledgeable staff. Whoever answers the phone will be able to get you the help you need! We will ask a variety of questions so we can give you the options for you to choose from, that best fit you and your dogs goals for each other. By the end of the call you will know about each program in depth, investment, time and date of your class!
ONE ON ONE TRAINING
3WEEK PUPPY or 5WEEK ADULT
Imagine getting to spend private time just you, a professional dog trainer and your dog! We will spend one hour with you once a week focusing on you and your dog teaching the basics all while showing you how to be the trainer!! We will show your dog what the command is and then we will teach you how to solidify the command with your dog over the rest of the week. Each week we will build on top of the last week. The time you will need for this course to be successful is a minimum of one hour per day. By the end of this course you and your dog will have the confidence to apply the new commands into your everyday way of life! These courses range from $350-$1150
3 WEEK PUPPY CLASS
We offer a puppy course for puppies 8-20 weeks old. This course is designed to help you establish boundaries with your puppy, and get you both off to a great start for future training! Since this course is one on one, we are able to work with your schedule!
Our 3 week, one on one Puppy Course guarantees you get a solid base for future training with your dog. This course is designed for puppies between the ages of 8 weeks and 4 months old. The course is one class per week for an hour to an hour and a half, allowing time for you to ask any questions or our trainers to cover anything you may be struggling with. During the first session, your trainer will go over some puppy-proofing ideas with you; how to keep your puppy safe and keep your things safe from your puppy, feeding, potty training, establishing general manners and begin learning. We also cover basic puppy problems like jumping and nipping. Helping you to establish boundaries with your puppy.
During the 3 week course, your puppy will learn leash manners, door manners, food manners, and the start of the proper structure needed to teach your pups how to coexist with you in your home. The trainer will work with you and your puppy, teaching you how to continue with training throughout the week. The program is designed to build each week of the previous week, so the more sessions you get in with your puppy, the more effective this program will be! We are currently offering this course in person at our facility.
Once your puppy is 5 months old, you may choose to continue training with either our 5 week one on one course or one of our board and train programs. If you choose one of our board and train programs, we will apply a discount according to the puppy course you complete.Since our board and train programs offer a payment option, a lot of our clients will pay for their puppy course, and make a down payment toward the board and train program by completion of the puppy course. This gives you a couple of months to make payments vs a few weeks, and reserves your puppies spot on our calendar for the earliest available date after the puppy turns 5 months old.
5 Week 1 on 1 Class
Our next option gives you the ability to be more hands on with your dog’s training. This course is most effective, if you are able to complete 3-5 20 minute training sessions with your dog per day.
Our 5 Week One on One training course is designed for dogs 5 months old and older. This course is designed to cover one command per week, building each week off the previous week. this way each week we begin to stack commands. We teach sit, down, stay, come on command and heel. We teach one command per week, building each week off the previous week. Your trainer will teach your dog the command and then teach you how to work with that command throughout the week. During this time you can contact your trainers should you have questions about your training. We are always available to you throughout the process. This program is for the self motivated and those that can dedicate time for their dog every day.
2 WEEK BOARD & TRAIN
5 MONTHS AND OLDER
Sit back, relax and let us do the work! This is dog trainers doing what dog trainers do best. Your dog will come stay with us in our training facility. Every one of our facilities are equipped with indoor/outdoor kennels, climate control, state of the art camera system, sanitization that is truly unmatched by any other training company. We welcome you to come to any of our 3000+SQFT locations.
While your dog is with us they will grow their vocabulary to learn a long list of obedience commands. Sit, Stay, Lay Down, Come on command, Heel on a leash, place as well as manners. We work on door manners, food manners, crate training, greeting people properly(not jumping on them) and neutrality to different stimuli. Your dog will be socialized to things the world has to offer. We will take your dog into public and get them to understand using their new obedience in high energy environments.
Next we have to focus on you and your family! we pride ourselves on being the leading dog training company when it comes to teaching you. We will give you real dog training knowledge throughout their entire stay with us. We also want you to get as much hands on as possible, so we want to have one on one classes during and after training. This is all included in the two week board and train package!
4 WEEK BOARD & TRAIN
We also offer a 4 week board and train course that includes everything listed above. This course is geared towards the dogs earning their AKC CGC titles. This course gives us more time working with your dog in social environments, solidifying the obedience with distracts even more! There is no need to be registered through AKC, with a resident evaluator at each location, we take care of everything including the paperwork. Mixed breeds may be registered through AKC utilizing their PALs program. The CGC stands for the Canine Good Citizen. It is a title the AKC (The American Kennel Club) awards to dogs who are able to display a higher level of obedience and manners in their home and as members of their community.The AKC evaluator for your dogs CGC will not be your trainer, this is to keep the test ethical and honest. The test is completed in public and covers 10 different things.
- Accepting/greeting a friendly stranger.
- Sitting politely for petting.
- Appearance and grooming, where the dog is required to be well mannered when inspected for grooming or vetting purposes. This means having their ears, faces, and front paws touched/handled.
- Out for a walk (Walking on a loose lead/leash)
- Walking through a crowd.
- Sit, down, stay
- Coming when called.
- Reaction/greeting another dog.
- Reaction to distraction.
- Supervised separation.
Each one of these test items are to be completed with the expectations that the dog remains well mannered, obedient, confident, and focused throughout the entirety of the test.
WE DO ALL THE WORK! Our most effective package teaching your dog a vast array of commands and we use that time to show the dog when and where to implement its new training. For the best results we highly recommend this package.
E-COLLAR ADD ON.
For those wishing to have more off-leash capabilities, we offer an E-Collar add on. Since we believe in training dogs at the lightest level possible, your dog learns the commands without the collar first ensuring he has a solid understanding of each command and desired behavior. We then use the E Collar to help refine each of the listed commands. The E Collar has a ½ mile radius, giving you the ability to let your dog roam, while periodically having him check in with a silent recall. You will also be trained to properly use the E Collar, that will be sent home with you.
The cost for our Ecollar training is $600 added to any board and train program. (ECOLLAR IS WITH BOARD AND TRAINS ONLY)
Group classes are currently on hold in some areas due to Covid regulations. Plans to restart in 2022 are being made.
Group training is fun for bonding with your dog as well as making new friends. We have two levels of group classes (Intermediate and Advanced).
Intermediate is a great start to instilling commands into your dog. This set up for you to learn while one of our trainers show the entire class how to teach their dogs the command of the week. You will gain a lot of great knowledge while enjoying time with your dog.
Advanced is a chance to really sharpen your and your dog’s skills. You will get to really grow as a handler and trainer for your dog. Select handlers from the advanced class are chosen to help guide other students in the intermediate class while being offered a discount on advance classes.
Tips for picking a DogTrainer
We understand that we are not the only dog trainers in the Amarillo, DFW, Hannibal/Quincy & Lubbock area. We wrote this post to help you do your research and find the best dog trainer possible for your needs. It’s not always us. We have made a video for you (click here to skip reading) of 5 things to help you choose the right dog trainer and we’ve summarized the points below.
You have a handful of other choices to choose from and we encourage you to follow our 1st tip for choosing a dog trainer which is to…
Do Your Homework!
Look at the company’s website, social media, videos and reviews. This will tell you a lot about how these pet dog trainers actually train the dogs they work with and how they interact with clients. You want to look for consistency in the reviews, the videos and the interactions to clients. With the internet it’s really hard for a bad company to hide, you just need to look. After all, this is your family member and you want to make sure they are with the best dog trainer possible!
Does the Trainer Send Videos?
See if the company will send you videos of previous dogs in action to see how they interact with the dogs. Look for the different training environments in the videos to understand their training process. Ask the company if they send videos of your dog throughout the 2-4 week training process. Will the trainers be available via text or call throughout the training process? Proven K9 Training posts videos of all pet dogs on our Facebook, Instagram pages throughout the training process and we have videos on our youtube page!
What is the Boarding Environment Like?
Ask the company to set up an appointment to see the facility. Ask where your dog will be kept and daily routine throughout the training process. We recommend asking to see cleaning logs and feeding logs. If accidents happen, ask the company how emergencies are handled. Are they trained and certified to deal with emergencies? A trainer’s priority should not only be training the dogs but also maintaining the health and safety of the dogs in their care. All of our trainers have been trained in canine first aid, as well, many are former vet techs. Does the company have a vet on call and do they have a relationship with your vet?
What is the Training Methodology?
Purely Positive (Treats and love) works to gain trust with the dog but is not the only method used by Proven K9 Training. Purely Positive is good for gaining the trust of the dog but in reality it is a myth. It is best to have a balanced training method. We are not a one tool fits all company. Having a good tool mix is important because dogs learn and respond in different ways. You don’t use a hammer to put a screw into a board. Look for transparency from companies in their training methods and tools used. The only tool we expressly will not use is a choke chain and we do not use a “Bonking” method. We use all other tools at the softest level necessary to gain the result we are want for the dog in the moment. Our first tool used is always love and affection!
What is the Price?
You’ve probably heard this before “You get what you pay for”. Be leery of 2-4 week Board and Train programs for the least amount. This price does not reflect confidence in the trainer’s methods. Look for the company that is undercutting everyone else just enough to draw you in. This shows again lack of confidence to be priced at market standard. If they are running “Sales” every month, there is a reason. Look for true passion from the trainers. Do they really enjoy or take pride in the work they do or are they just trying to make a buck. Proven K9 Training shows clients how to implement training methods into daily routine to keep structure for the dogs for life. We will give you all of our “dg training secrets” free of charge and do many times in person and in our videos. We offer a lot of extra value outside of just “training the dog” and we actually want you to take advantage of what we can offer you!
Those are our tips for choosing the right dog trainer. Remember its is your choice of where to go, you should never feel forced. If it don’t feel right, walk away. We wish you happy pet dog trainer hunting. If you think you’ve already found the perfect dog trainer in us, just fill out our contact form on this page or give us a call at AMA/LBK 806-410-0374, DFW 817-807-3342, Midwest 573-719-6687