Diamond in the Ruff: Dog Trainers Are Improving Pet-Owner Relationships
Photographed by Sela Gonzales
Choosing bully-free trainers for your dog is the best way to build trust and encourage positive behavior.
Even the sweetest dogs can fall back on bad habits and home-life issues. For dedicated fur parents looking to train their dogs or at least keep them from tearing up the couch pillows, a reliable dog trainer is a must.
Scattered across the Metro, these dog trainers have their own speciality, from behavioral reinforcement to habit rehabilitation. Here’s a guide to help you find a trainer whose approach and expertise best suit your furry companion.
Dog Coach Francis
Coach Francis Roel Cleofas believes that at the heart of training well-behaved dogs is the strong trust built between an owner and their pet. Dedicated to normalizing a force-free way of nurturing dogs, Cleofas has spent 15 years of his life connecting with owners and their pets.
Employing ethical and science-based methodologies, Coach Francis offers a five-to-six-week program at his quiet, serene dog ranch in Lipa City. Throughout the boarding school training program, owners are provided a digital dossier of their dog’s progress and have a mid-training break where pets can return to their owners for a week. If you’re interested in teaching your puppy basic skills or would have your pet unlearn bad habits, Coach Francis provides an assessment period to better tailor the program to your pet.
If you want a pet trainer that provides a boarding school-style training package, his ranch may be the right fit for your dog.
The Dog Tango
It takes two to tango, according to licensed family dog mediator Cheryl Salvador, whose philosophy hinges on equipping both owner and pet with the skills needed to build a relationship with one another. The Dog Tango’s course is a three-month program called BEAD: Behavior & Enrichment for All Dogs (and Their Humans).
Focusing not only on the dog’s behavior, the course also teaches owners how to deal with their dogs in moments of stress and anger. By building resilience over time, the course is designed to build a conducive environment where both pet and owner can live under the same roof peacefully.
Offering coaching sessions and chat support, clients can create a customized training and contingency plan to target specific concerns and issues. The program’s customizability and focus on moderating the owner’s emotions is what sets The Dog Tango apart from other pet services.
South City K9
Simple and sustainable define South City K9 dog trainer Keith Salas’s program. By emphasizing easy but actionable steps, the training center offers a range of services from rigid, weeks-long programs to at-home consultations that can be used anytime within a certain period.
What makes South City K9 different from other providers is that it deals with aggression and behavior cases and provides structured day care for owners who are busy but still want an enriching experience for their pets. Charging is based on pet size; dogs are properly screened so they can socialize with other dogs.
They also offer behavior management and reformation courses that build better habits, starting at eight weeks and extending as long as 6 months. If you’re interested in long-term behavioral programs, perhaps South City K9 might be better suited to your pet’s needs.
Pet Centrics Dog Training with Dr. Marose Magpily
Pet Centrics leads with the idea that appropriate stimulation for every dog can lead to a calm and relaxed home. Founded by Dr. Magpily, a veterinarian, this place offers the basics of pet-owner respect, house training, and behavior modification.
Through the use of positive reinforcement and science-based solutions, owners are able to consult and learn how to execute a tailor-made training plan made specially for their dogs and specific goals.
For owners who live an active lifestyle and are interested in bringing their pets along for runs and exercise, Pet Centrics also provides pet agility training and goals. Here, pets are trained to do agility jumps and run through obstacle courses, making this a unique feature of the business.
Frequently Asked Questions
You may browse through each dog trainer’s official website and social media to see a detailed description of their training programs. Depending on the service, they also provide consultation sessions for curious customers.
All the dog trainers in this guide claim to take a force-free approach to training pets and are against using bullying methods to discipline dogs.
Each dog trainer may specialize in different aspects of dog behavior, hence it’s important to get to know the dog trainer and decide if their program is suitable for your pet’s temperament and goals.
Many dog coaches provide different programs outside of behavioral management. Included here are courses that teach dogs how to socialize with other pets and humans or how to behave around the house.
Depending on the decided length, type of course, and business, dog owners are encouraged to reach out to the trainers for an exact price quote based on their pet’s needs.