Frequently Asked Questions

The evaluation is a relaxed meet-and-greet designed to understand you and your dog. We’ll talk about your goals, assess your dog’s temperament and behavior, and determine the best training approach. This helps me create a customized plan that fits your dog’s needs and your lifestyle.

We are balanced trainers - meaning we believe in ethical training methods (positive reinforcement and correction) and utilization of training tools (prong, e-collar, etc) as needed. Every dog is different, so we do not limit ourselves in how we establish the most effective form of communication for each individual dog.

We work with all breeds, ages and behaviors. Whether you're just wanting a well-trained best-friend or a partner to do K9 work with - we offer specialized working dog training (detection, service dog, tracking) or companion animal training.

Training length is dependent on each situation. The biggest part of training the consistency in reinforcement of training at home.

We primarily offer private lessons, day trains and board and trains. Once you become a member of the Ruff Patriots Pack, we offer discounted group lessons.

We expect owners to be an active part in training, during the lesson and at home. Consistency is key. We are available for training support in between sessions and encourage communication if you are struggling with any new instruction.

Training takes place everywhere dogs are welcome. We do not limit are training environments - we are dedicated to building well-rounded, confident and stable dogs that are adaptable to any environment.

At the end of the day, your dog IS an animal. They will have good and bad days - they are not robots. There is no cure for behavior, there are just methods to manage and shape it. Dogs are animals and that will never change. Training will be as successful as you make it with the amount you are investing or not investing your time.

Yes, we are always available virtually but hands-on instruction (as our schedule allows) is available within the first 3 months of training completion. However, if we are not contacted within that time period, we will require paid follow-up lessons.

We begin training as soon as you want! Training starts when you bring your puppy/dog home! We do recommend waiting to do board and trains until they are at least 6 months old.