Frequently Asked Questions

Dog Training Questions

Q. What kind of training do you offer?

A. I follow a holistic, welfare-focused approach to training and behaviour, where the safety, health, and comfort of your pet comes first. This means that along with training your dog, I will also make suggestions on small things to add, remove or modify in your daily life(nothing huge - for example, putting down rugs to avoid slipping especially for dogs who are growing, older or who might have mobility issues)

With holistic training, I consider the whole of your dog - their mental and physical well-being, their environment, daily routines, history, and the dog as an individual.

I use positive and ethical methods only. This means that I do not use methods that include punishing the dog, hitting them, shocking or yanking them with collars, or limiting comfortable movement with headcollars and front-clip harnesses.

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Q. Do you do obedience classes?

A. Yes and no.
Most obedience classes are structured to teach your dog to be compliant and respond as calmly as possible to most, if not all, situations.
Unfortunately often what is considered calm is actually just the dog being uncomfortable with showing his natural behaviour, or being too focused on following the commands of the owner to actually have a holistically enriching walk.
The classes also teach you how to teach your dog "commands" - but with a positive relationship with your dog, there is no need to command them to obey. See how that sounds?

A lot of the time, obedience classes also teach your dog to sit,  stay, heel and recall, considering these behaviours to be  skills learned for life, to help the dog navigate through their life. However, when you think about the necessity of certain commands, you  will find that many are actually not all that necessary and can even be detrimental to your dog's health, while others should be a given in training anyway. This is why I cover all the needed life skills and training in my other classes, and blend this "obedience" training into them.
I also don't love the term obedience training - my methods focus on building mutual respect and understanding each other, while utilizing ways of communication that both you and your dog can rely on.

Think about it. Dogs' bodies are not made to walk in a straight line, and teaching them to heel in their everyday life as a "life skill" does not make sense. Some may argue that it is a good skill to use when passing other dogs. With the methods I use, you will be able to do this without the risk of frustration and potential sensitivity(or reactivity) in your dog while maintaining calmness in your dog. Your dog will not be trained to listen to you, he will simply want to!

I do, however, teach certain behaviours that you would see in traditional obedience classes, in my dog-dancing classes. However, those classes are designed to teach you more than just teaching your dog to sit, stay, heel, or walk closely to you. In these classes, you will learn extensively about your dog's health and physical abilities, and the training is tailored to what your dog is truly comfortable with - the truth is, not all dogs are comfortable with performing certain behaviours, and that is okay. We will never force them to perform what they don't want to. I like to do an assessment of your dog before starting dog-dancing classes, to see what they are comfortable with and pair them up with dogs of similar abilities to make the classes similar for everyone attending. This means that while your dog may not want to perform sit, he can perform lots of other tricks that are just as impressive if not more, and create a dancing routine with you that is unique and helps build trust and bonding! The aim of my dog-dancing classes is to offer your dog a type of enrichment separate to those I already offer, but doing it holistically and understanding his needs and welfare.

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Q. How soon can I see results?

A. The honest and true answer is, result times always vary. Every dog is different, and as mentioned, I treat every dog as an individual so some dogs will show improvement after the first session and others will take a few sessions. This is entirely dependent on your dog's age, history, health, physical ability as well as their environment, routine and how you work with them during and in between sessions.

Never believe it when someone claims to train a dog in minutes. This is often guaranteed in those videos you see online of trainers yanking and shocking "out of control" dogs which appear to be walking calmly by their side five minutes later. Those are dangerous methods which hurt the dog physically and emotionally until it shuts down, and it is very easy to create a dangerous and fearful dog this way. I don't, and never will do that kind of training, as it is simply not ethical.

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Q. What breeds do you work with?

A. Every breed, big and small! From companion dogs to working dogs, I'm happy to work with all of them.

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Q. Do you work with dogs with a bite history?

A. Of course. Often these dogs are very misunderstood and a lot of people don't want to help them. And sometimes, owners may feel embarassed or upset that their dog has bitten in the past, and don't say it until I visit them. We work with the dog anyway, as I believe every animal deserves the chance to be understood and treated with respect, and taught calming methods to feel safe and no longer feel the need to protect themselves.

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Q. At what age should I start to train my dog?

A. Training can start any time. It is always recommended to train your dog from the very beginning, but if you've had a dog for a while, it is never too late to start training. You can also start training with me before you get your dog!

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Q. What does a first visit look like?

A. I will visit you in your own home, or wherever is a comfortable space for your dog, e.g. your daily walk route. We will have an introduction and meet each other, I will meet your dog and they will meet me, and we'll all get to know each other. From there, if possible I would like to see the behaviour and how you would try to handle it.

Sometimes dogs don't show these behaviours when I visit, so if you think it would be better feel free to send me a video ahead of the visit. However, don't worry if I get there and your dog is not doing what they normally do - I am a new person after all and they will be more interested in figuring out why I'm there and who I am! We will work with what they show.

Next, we will talk about how you would handle it, give you tips on what to do more or less of or anything to add to or remove from your methods. The first visit always consists of a lot, a loooot, of talking and I will explain to you what your dog is doing, why, what can be done to help them, and why it will help them. We will then do some first training and I will show you some techniques I will want you to start implementing. We will also go through a training plan for your dog.

By the end of the session you may be tired and it's understandable with all the new information to feel like you won't remember any of it. Because of this I offer some notes after the session where I will send you, either by text or e-mail, a recap of the session. The sessions following the first session will have more training and less talking, and will be shorter.

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Q. What methods of payment do you take?

A. Cheesy treats! Ahem, apologies, that was Ori answering... I take cash, card payments, or online payments via PayPal, but if you have another method of payment that works better for you(such as a cheque or a certain payment provider), we can work with that some way. Just let me know!

As of 2025, I now require payment to be made up to 48 hours prior to the first session.

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Q. Do you offer discounts?

A. Currently, I only offer discounted prices for rescues and shelters.

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Q. Do you take on work experience students or those aspiring to work with animals who want to shadow a professional?

A. I will happily take on work experience students and those who would like to shadow in training sessions. However, please only contact me about this if you are really, genuinely wanting to learn something from the experience! I will not take on students just to fill up your work experience slot if you don't have a genuine interest in working with animals.

To ask about shadowing or work experience, send me an e-mail via the Contact Me page, and let me know when and why you would be interested in shadowing me!

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Q. Do you work with people with disabilities or vulnerabilities?

A. Absolutely! I will be delighted to work with anyone at all, and we can tailor the training to suit your needs. If you can't come to me or can't have me visit your home and maybe require to meet in an area that is spacious, wheelchair-accessible, or otherwise adaptable to your needs, please feel free to let me know and I'll work with you on this.

I will also be happy to work with you if you have a hidden disability or a mental health issue, and you do not have to disclose what it is, if you need any accommodations while training, I will do my best to help you.

For those with social anxiety, I would be delighted to work with you as well. My work is judgment-free and my goal is to help you and your pet have a more comfortable life together.

If you have a learning disability, or struggle to memorize or take in information, please let me know so that I can provide training notes, take photos or videos for you, or help you in any other way you need.

Oak & Howl as a team hold a strong belief that everyone deserves the same respect, regardless of abilities, barriers, neurodivergence, mental health and anything else that makes us unique.