About
American K9 Training Services was formed because I identified a void in the local dog training world available to households in need of help in creating an enjoyable living environment for their dogs and family members. Dogs have always been great companions and with the proper training, your companion can be even more successful than you ever imagined. A training philosophy based on love and respect provides you this opportunity.
I have been honored to receive a wide range of training from handlers, trainers, and animal behaviorists. I truly feel that after having so much formal education and over a decade of K9 experience at such a high level, I can offer you the most modern and positive-based training. The feeling of complete satisfaction is not only possible, but it is my standard. Know it is never too early or too late to have proper training.
My training is all one-on-one, in your home, allowing me to guarantee that your dog receives the most quality dog training your dog can possibly receive. You, and your dog, will not have to wait your turn in a class, hope that the individual trainer is even qualified, or more importantly, knowledgeable. If you have ever been witness to a dog trainer making the following statement to a dog owner: “If your dog can’t follow the instructions, I will have to separate you from the rest of the class or drop you from the program” – you have been witness to what I like to refer to as the downfall of civilian dog training.
A qualified dog trainer can handle any situation that can occur at anytime, from you or your dog. It is by choice that some individual trainers or organizations choose to produce quantity over quality. You and your pet should not have to suffer because of that.
There are two current popular methods of training that I disagree with the Cookie/ Food Reward and E Collar/Stimuli Collar Training:
Cookie/Food Reward
This method of training is ineffective and not acknowledged by professional dog trainers. It does not reinforce anything other than your pet doing a desired action for a cookie. If your dog is solely conditioned to make a response on an item, compared to your voice, you will see the lack of respect in your dog’s response in anything other than a lab setting. Your dog’s primal instinct and response to any situation will outweigh anything that is re-enforced with a cookie. I have found that not only is this method unreasonable, it can and has created food protection /aggression issues in dog(s) that did not previously have those issues. The reason for this occurrence is you are making a treat, something that should be enjoyable, seem more important than it really is. What really frustrates me is that now individuals are trying to tell the general public that this method can correct aggressive behavior in dogs. If you have aggressive issues with your dog, PLEASE do not make any decisions on the future of you and your dog’s relationship together based on training that you and your pet received with this method. *Clicker training also falls under this category.*
E Collar/Stimuli Collar Training
This method of training is a tool that when used properly can be effective. However I am extremely concerned with the ease with which some “dog trainers” recommend this method for any and all issues pertaining to your dog. To date, out of the hundreds of dogs I have trained, I have only had to use or suggest this method of training on less than 1% of my client’s dogs. I believe in handling an issue in the least obtrusive way possible. This method can be effective in dog(s) that have extreme aggression or extreme distance recall issues, but should not be used for anything other than that. Please note I used the word extreme. There are many different ways to correct issues before applying this method. The amount of individuals who have contacted me, who now have dogs that lack confidence, are frightened or skittish are alarming to me because of misuse or overuse of this method. Do not use a sledgehammer to correct something that a tack hammer will correct.
– TOMMY DOEHLER