What Sets Us Apart

We are a family-owned and operated business, rooted in a real home environment on our three fenced acres in Shingle Springs. Dogs learn alongside the everyday sights, sounds, and personalities of a real household, with controlled and safe exposure to our resident animals and family members, including small children, our own dogs and cats, and soon chickens, ducks, and goats. As your dog builds proficiency in a new skill, we intentionally raise the challenge, changing up the environment, adding new distractions, and spending significant time training off property in public spaces, so the training generalizes to the real world, not just our property.

We believe great training goes beyond commands. It's about understanding how your dog thinks, how they communicate, and how they fit into the rhythm of your life, then building something that actually works for both of you.

We focus on quality over quantity, which is why we only accept a small number of dogs per cohort. This allows us to give each dog and handler the individualized attention needed to make real progress, rather than spreading ourselves thin.

Every client relationship is a partnership. We work alongside you to navigate manners, obedience, daily routines, and behavioral challenges, not with a fixed formula, but with a plan shaped around your dog's temperament, your lifestyle, and the goals you want to reach together.

Our focus is always on the bigger picture, helping you gain confidence, deepen your connection, and enjoy life more fully with your dog. We give you the tools and understanding to keep growing long after formal training ends.

Dogs are extraordinary companions, and the bond you share with yours is worth investing in. We're here to help you make the most of it.

Whole-Dog Approach

A whole dog approach means looking beyond commands because what happens outside training shapes everything that happens inside it.

That means considering your dog's diet, exercise, health, and natural instincts: the need to sniff, explore, and engage with the world on their own terms. It means understanding what actually motivates your dog, whether that's food, play, or praise, and building from there.

When all of that comes together, training becomes something more than obedience. It becomes a plan built around who your dog actually is.

Relationship First

When we say 'relationship first,' we mean building the kind of connection where your dog genuinely wants to engage with you, not because they have to, but because you've made yourself worth listening to.

That means clear, fair communication and making every interaction as rewarding as possible. When your dog trusts you and finds you more compelling than whatever else is going on, they start looking to you naturally, eager to learn, ready to work.

From that foundation, reliable behavior follows. Not because your dog is complying, but because they're choosing to.

Clear Communication

We communicate with dogs in the language they already speak. Food, body language, leash pressure, and marker words that give precise, real-time feedback.

When dogs understand what's being asked of them, something shifts. They become calmer, more confident, and more trusting because the world starts to make sense.

On-Going Support

Ongoing support and community means exactly that… we don't disappear when the program ends.

We stay connected through membership programs (coming soon) and free monthly pack walks, so you and your dog keep progressing, stay supported, and never feel like you're figuring it out alone.

One on One Training

  • Our 60-minute virtual or in-person sessions let you work one-on-one with a trainer from your own home. No travel, no disruption to your day, and a more affordable option without compromising on quality. You get real-time guidance, troubleshooting, and personalized instruction, all while your dog is in the environment where their everyday behaviors naturally show up.

    $125/hr in-person

    $70/hr zoom

  • Day Train is a four-week immersive day train program where you drop off your dog with your trainer Monday through Thursday to build real, lasting obedience, including e-collar-based off-leash reliability, while sleeping in their own home each night.

    We begin with a phone consultation and detailed questionnaire to make sure we're a good fit and to set clear, measurable goals. From there, every day is tailored to your dog's needs: practical problem-solving, core obedience skills, and clean training mechanics built through structured repetition across real-world environments.

    Over four weeks, your dog will work through sit, down, place, loose-leash walking, heel, crate training, and long-line and e-collar off-leash recall, proofed across distractions and real-life situations building the kind of reliable structure that holds up in everyday life.

    This set up is the best of both worlds. Your dog gets the volume of repetition and controlled real-world exposure needed for genuine, lasting learning, adequate exercise and structured enrichment throughout each day. Plus, your family never has to say goodbye to your dog for weeks at a time. Every Thursday at pick-up, you'll receive a hands-on go-home lesson so you can reinforce what your dog has been working on over the weekend. Every Monday at drop-off, you’ll have the opportunity to share feedback on how it went, what clicked, what felt hard, what came up at home. That loop means both you and your dog are learning and growing together throughout the entire four weeks. Let us do the heavy lifting in training, exercise, and socialization while you work and we'll send home a tired, well-worked pup every evening.

    This program works well for newly rescued dogs, (6m+) adolescent dogs ready for structure, and adult dogs who need a reset. And because every dog is different, the pace and focus adapt to meet your dog exactly where they are.

    Hybrid Board & Train Option For owners whose schedules don't align with daily drop-off and pick-up, a hybrid option is available where your dog stays with the trainer Monday through Thursday for an additional $150 per week, keeping all the benefits of the Day Train format, while removing the daily logistics. To qualify, dogs must be fully crate trained and potty trained (meaning quiet and comfortable in the crate with no crate accidents, indoor accidents, or indoor marking behavior). This is a firm requirement.

    Graduates of this program are welcomed back for boarding in the future.

    $4395/dog. All tools and gear are included in your investment.

    $3000/dog without e-collar training. This program is 2.5 weeks in length.

  • GSDCO Graduates are welcome to come back and board with us. Think of it as a tune-up while you're out of town. This is a chance for your dog to brush up on skills with someone they already know and trust, alongside other trained dogs. With skilled supervision, thoughtful pairing for play, and a home environment that balances intentional activity with built-in downtime, we make sure dogs stay engaged without becoming overstimulated.

    Dogs who have completed another trainer’s training program that includes off-leash e-collar work, may be evaluated and considered for boarding on a case by case basis.

    $85/dog/calendar day

  • A Monday-Thursday Day Train of intensive, focused training designed for one outcome: a dog that comes back every single time, off leash, no matter the distraction.

    Your dog will day train with us throughout the week, then you'll join for a 30-minute lesson at pickup each day. You'll learn the exact communication and timing we used with your dog that day, so the reliability we build during training transfers directly to you at home.

    This program is intentionally narrow in scope. We're not working on manners, leash walking, or general obedience here, it's recall and only recall, built through consistent e-collar conditioning and real-world off-leash practice. By the end of the week, your dog should reliably return to you under distraction, and you'll have the skills and confidence to maintain that off-leash reliability long after the bootcamp ends.

    Recall training is genuinely one of my favorite things to teach, and it's personal for me. I love off-leash hiking and adventuring with my own dogs, and that freedom only happens when you trust your dog to come back no matter what's going on around them. The more things you can do together off leash, the trails, the open fields, the real adventures, the deeper your bond becomes. This program exists because I want that same freedom and connection for you and your dog.

    $1395/dog Includes E-Collar Equipment

Work With Us

Our training asks something of you, too.

We ask that you follow the guidance, stay open to new approaches, and reach out when challenges come up because they will. We pour our heart into every dog we work with, and we ask that you show up with the same commitment. This is a team effort. With consistency on both sides, real and lasting change is possible and a more enjoyable life with your dog is the result.