In-Person Lesson
Ideal for dog owners who need help with problems that occur in specific environments or situations that are not easily replicated during a group obedience class. In-Person lessons are here so you can get the help you need, where you need it.
Truly effective behavioral change requires managing your dog's environment where the problems occur, while putting a training plan into action to reduce repetition, and therefore reinforcement of those problem behaviors. In conjunction with this, we will work on establishing new habits that replace the old, undesirable ones. Basic commands such as sit, down, come, and stay, are easily acquired through a class. But when your dog barks at the delivery driver, jumps on guests, or pulls and lunges on neighborhood walks, it can feel impossible to bridge the gap from a class setting to daily life.
If this sounds like you and your dog, then you can benefit from working in and around your home with guidance from one of our professional trainers.When
You can book your in-person lesson on days or times that work best for your schedule.
Email or call today to startWhere
On location @ EQ dogs in Saint Cloud, Minnesota.
Public (dog-friendly) locations and/or your home.How long
Lessons are 1 hour to 1 hr/15 min in length.Investmentone lesson $120.00
package of four $440.00
package of eight $835.00
package of twelve $1,300.00Virtual Lesson
Virtual lessons are great for dog sport competitors, check-ins, and any dog behavior or training questions you may have. You can connect with your trainer remotely and watch them demonstrate your training exercises via live video, with greater scheduling flexibility than an in-person lesson. We regularly schedule virtual lessons for early birds and night owls.
Worried about the risks of COVID-19? Understandable! While EQ dogs is being as safe as possible by cleaning our equipment after use, using hand sanitizer, and masking up to your comfort level, some students prefer to keep it entirely risk free by utilizing our virtual lessons to minimize in-person contact when receiving training services for their dog.
When
You can book virtual lessons on days or times that work best for your schedule; even outside EQ dogs' regular operating hours.
Email or call today to startWhere
Online! We host our virtual lessons through a free-to-use application called Discord that you can easily download onto your phone, tablet, or computer. You will need a webcam and working microphone.How long
Lessons are 1 hour to 1 hr/15 min in length.Investment$80.00 per lesson
We guarantee positive results.
Shape Divider - Style mountains
Shape Divider - Style mountains
FAQ
Will my dog be fully trained in one lesson?
"Fully trained," is dependent on your goals and what fully trained means to you. Most often we hear this from students who mean to ask, "Will my dog stop doing X behavior in one lesson?" The answer is almost always no. Learning is highly variable and every learner is different, changing the brain (forming new habits and unlearning old ones) takes time.
In a single lesson, we can teach you how to manage or make small changes to behavior, and how to maintain good practice hygiene to embed those changes. Nobody can impress upon your dog's brain complete behavioral change in an hour. This only happens with consistent practice, that's how brains work! We offer one time lessons to help as many dogs and people as we can. These single lessons allow us to introduce you to how we approach training, and get urgent concerns under control at an affordable rate that doesn't sacrifice the quality of our instruction. We value complete honesty and transparency; no EQ dogs trainer will promise unrealistic or impossible results at any point during the training process. |
We typically recommend multiple lessons. This is because, in our experience, we see the best results when students have the ability to follow up with their trainer. This allows them to work through any problems they've encountered while practicing alone, and have the accountability to practice regularly. If you are highly motivated, an experienced animal trainer, learning skills for competition, or just need some management ideas for one or two problem behaviors- a one time lesson would be a great fit for you!
If you aren't sure, you can give us a call with no obligation to start training. Once we know your goals, your assigned trainer will be happy to recommend what they think the best course of action would be. At the end of the day, training your dog is like learning a new language. If you only go to class once, never study, or study incorrectly, you wouldn't be able to hold a conversation in French. And similarly, your dog wouldn't be fluent in the behaviors we want to teach them.
If you aren't sure, you can give us a call with no obligation to start training. Once we know your goals, your assigned trainer will be happy to recommend what they think the best course of action would be. At the end of the day, training your dog is like learning a new language. If you only go to class once, never study, or study incorrectly, you wouldn't be able to hold a conversation in French. And similarly, your dog wouldn't be fluent in the behaviors we want to teach them.
Before booking.
Do you require vaccinations?
Yes. We require that your dog is up to date with the 2022 AAHA recommended core vaccinations, as appropriate for their age. These are as follows: Distemper, Adenovirus, Parvovirus, +/- Parainfluenza, and Rabies (required by law). In addition, we require dogs we train to be vaccinated against Bordetella, which is a highly contagious upper respiratory infection (also known as "kennel cough"). How old does my dog have to be to start training?
You can start training your dog at any age! How long will training take?
The dog trainer's favorite answer: it depends! Training your puppy to walk nicely on a leash will take a lot less time than training your 4 year old dog, who's had years of leash pulling practice. Simply put, habits take time to change. Teaching new skills (like fetch or going to a mat) tend to go quickly. If you're concerned about the possible time investment please contact us and we can give you an estimate of how long training might take. Do you offer group classes?
They're coming soon! We get asked this a lot and while we'd love to offer group classes, we want to maintain the high standard of training we're known for. Naturally, this means we're still developing our curriculum. Thank you for your patience while we iron out the details! Do you train service dogs?
On a case by case basis, with trainer selected puppies (not your current pet). Unfortunately, we are unable to accept insurance. Please contact us if you would like more information about our assistance dog programs. |
Before training.
What do I need to begin training?
First and foremost, a hungry dog! As long as your dog is healthy, we ask that you refrain from feeding them a couple hours before your trainer arrives. This way they're more likely to be motivated by the food rewards we're offering. If you're brining your dog to day camp in the morning, you can put your dog's meals for that day into a container for them to take with. If your in-person lesson is in the evening, consider using your dog's dinner for rewards. Besides this, we recommend investing in a treat bag that you can comfortably wear during lessons. For all training, we request that your dog is fitted with an appropriately fitting collar or harness with a leash. As your training plan progresses there will likely be more items or management tools your trainer suggests. These could be: a baby gate, raised bed, long line, muzzle, food dispensing toy, electronic collar, or various treats etc. The cost associated with such items are your responsibility, though we are happy to help you find affordable sources to purchase them. In our online community server, we have an equipment trade board where you might be able to find items another student of ours no longer needs and is willing to donate. Please speak to your trainer if you're concerned about the costs of any equipment. Our intention is to help you and your dog with accessible solutions, not to complicate things with unexpected expenses. Who should be present during lessons?
At least one adult (18 years or older) must be present to handle your dog for the entire duration of any training lessons. With day school, an adult only needs to remain present long enough to hand the dog off to their trainer for the day, as well as be present to receive the dog at pick up and go over homework. Outside of these general guidelines, members of your family (i.e. anyone who interacts with your dog on a regular basis, including roommates or friends) are highly encouraged to be involved with training as much as possible. I won't be available for a scheduled lesson, can a member of my
family step in for me? Absolutely. Training should involve every member of your family; this helps keep everyone on the same page. Rotating who handles your dog during lessons can be an excellent way to achieve this. What are your cancellation and rescheduling policies?
We ask that you notify your trainer 24 hours in advance of any cancellations or rescheduling of lessons. This gives us ample time to reorganize our own training schedules, and ensure we can fit you back in as soon as possible. Your payment, for the services previously listed, can be transferred to another date. Refunds are only possible in the event of a single session purchase that you have provided a 24 hour cancellation notice for. We want to thank you in advance, for being courteous to our trainers and respecting the time we put into helping people and their dogs. It goes a long way towards making our jobs something that we truly enjoy doing every day. |