I love dogs.
So do you.
Everything else, I can teach.

How I got here

Neither of them was a dog I chose.

I didn't go looking for Leo. He came to me through a loss in my family, already grown — a seven-year-old Australian Shepherd. I had him for eight years, and lost him when he was fifteen. Eight years was more than enough time for him to become the center of everything.

When he was gone, I was hesitant to do it again — and it had nothing to do with the work. I know the work, I love the work. It was the other end of it. Dogs don't live long enough, and losing one is crushing. I wasn't ready to sign up for that grief again.

People don't get a dog for logical reasons. They get a dog for love. And however much you come to understand about how dogs learn — and I understand a great deal — how you handle your own dog always starts from the heart. That isn't a flaw in an owner. It's the whole reason any of this matters.

Then Milo turned up with nowhere to go. His home couldn't keep him. I didn't take him because I wanted a dog. I took him because I couldn't look at him and say no.

Milo is the ninth dog of my life. He's a certified therapy dog, and he's my own service dog. He's the proof of where this work can go.

"I'd trade five years of the life I have left for Milo to live forever. Milo would trade me for a chicken sandwich."

What's possible

How far do you want to take this?

In our very first session, I'll show you exactly what's achievable with your dog, in plain terms. Where you take it from there is up to you.

Maybe all you want right now is a calmer walk and a dog who sits when you stop. That alone can change your whole day.

But most dogs can go further than their owners think: a dog who greets people without jumping, walks easily through a crowd, holds a stay while you leave the room, and comes the first time you call.

Put all of that together, and it has a name. The American Kennel Club certifies it as a Canine Good Citizen: a tested standard for a genuinely well-mannered dog. I'm one of the evaluators the AKC approves to test for it, so I can train your dog to that bar and certify them myself. It's an actual finish line, with your dog's name on the certificate.

A rare few go further still: therapy work, even service work. That road reveals itself through the training; it's never something I sell up front.

You'll likely see real progress quickly, and that's encouraging. But the dog who does it reliably, every time, in the real world, is built over time.

Credentials

Certified, and verifiable.

• International Dog Training Professional (IDTP) Certified through QC Pet Studies.
  
• AKC Canine Good Citizen Evaluator Approved by the American Kennel Club to test and certify the CGC team.
  
• TADSAW Trainer Network I'm also a service-dog instructor for TADSAW (Train A Dog, Save A Warrior), the 501(c)(3) that trains service dogs for veterans with PTSD, TBI, and related conditions.
  

“Finding someone who treats your pet like family is rare, and Ben gave us that.”

The first call

It starts with a call.

The first conversation is free. No charge, no pressure. I listen, and I tell you honestly whether I'm the right trainer for your dog. I don't take every dog that calls; the work only sticks when it's a real fit.

If we're a fit: $250 a session. A session isn't an hour. It runs as long as it's productive, usually ninety minutes to two hours. I'm not driven by a clock. Most people call about one thing — and that one thing is often resolved in a single session.