Foundation Concept Training Packages

Concept training is revolutionary in the dog training world! Fast, effective and fun for you both! Learning to teach your dog foundation behaviors by concepts rather than method empowers you to become the best trainer you can be for your service dog in training! Learn to train like a professional dog trainer! 

Think of a concept as a template. They provide the framework and can be applied to many different behaviors. Once you understand the template, you can make small adjustments that make a big difference! Concepts for training your service dog are separated out and offered individually as self-paced packages. Your dog learns the needed behaviors as you learn to teach him the concepts. This gives you the opportunity to learn how to use concepts to apply them to different behaviors.

Pay-As-You-Go: When you sign up, you will have immediate access to all the modules contained in each package. These packages allow you to focus on learning and applying one concept at a time, rather than being overwhelmed with many at once. You can purchase them as you need them. 

There may be some overlap in the behaviors being taught since there are many ways to teach a single behavior. One concept will work for one dog and others for other dogs. Teaching your dog several ways to learn each behavior will also help him better understand each behavior. 

Dogs must be at least 4 months of age to start learning a package. If he is under 4 months, check out our Service Puppy program.

How long each package will take to complete will depend on the behaviors you choose, how often you train, how fast you and your dog learn to apply each concept, and what your dog already knows.

Sign up for the classes as you need them. They are designed to be taken in order and the skills and behaviors build on previous ones. 

Instructional Method:

In our modules, we use ‘direct instruction’ for the most part. That means we give you the information you need upfront, laid out in sequence in a step by step format, with some video examples, then you apply it. You learn by reading and observing and then applying what you learn.

For some topic areas, we do encourage experiential learning where you dive in and experience the learning for yourself before evaluating what happened for you and the dog afterward. We also offer opportunities for reflection in our discussion topics that ask higher level (more thoughtful) questions. 

Physical Layout of Program:

There are Three kinds of posts in a Module: Lessons (background information), Games (practical training) and Discussions (get you thinking more deeply about your learning).

Modules include lessons that broken into tiny bite-sized bits of a combination of text, short video demos, photos and diagrams. There are discussion questions to get you thinking about the training principles and concepts and you can generalize them to teach other behaviors. There are other linked resources to read such as blog posts, webinars and books to read. 

This program is set up for people who like to read (a lot of text) and then watch short video clips to apply the learning. Some students prefer to listen to a screen reader reading the text for them. Text is ideal for non-native English speakers.

You have access to all modules as soon purchase them so you can work at your own pace. 

Try a free sample lesson to see if the class structure will work for you!

Other Features:

There is a progress bar for each module to keep you on track and motivated to move forward.

All module materials can continue to be accessed for one year from initial purchase date. After the year is up, to continue to access the modules, you can purchase a Library Subscription. 

In order to fully participate in our “Concepts” program, you will need:

• a high-speed internet connection
• a computer, laptop, tablet or mobile device that has a recent operating system (older systems may have trouble displaying the lessons)
• a dog that you have access to every day for 3-5 days a week (ideally for at least 2 separate training sessions per day)
• a web cam (for web cam sessions)
• a video recording device (to video yourself training) and tripod

A training space in your apartment, condo, single family house or a recreation vehicle. How much space depends on what behavior you are working on. Ideally a minimum of a 10′ x10′ (3m x3m) to start with. You may also train outdoors and pet-friendly stores.

All training equipment for our program are materials found around a house and yard, or can be bought second hand or borrowed while you need them. 

Concept training is taking off as humans better understand a dog’s amazing capabilities that surpass any ability we thought possible just 20 years ago.

From discovering how their biology affects their behavior and emotions, to natural abilities that help them empathize with their human partners, dogs are simply amazing creatures! No longer are they subjected to outdated experiments or kept as junkyard dogs or “just” pets. Now they are integral in many people’s lives and billions of dollars are spent annually caring for their every need. 

Dogs naturally relate to humans better than any other species in the world. This knowledge offers us almost limitless possibilities on how to strengthen the bond with our dogs, how to best communicate with them and how to teach them what we want them to do in different situations without nagging, using coersion or punishment. Applying the new conceptual knowledge allows us to build a true partnership with the dogs we live with. That’s key to individuals who rely on their dog to help them every day to live an independent and fulfilled life!

Acquiring new behaviors is about building confidence to take risks, not suppressing unwanted behaviors. A dog can’t learn new things if he’s afraid to try something new. We will teach you the most recent teaching approaches and proven functional ways to give your dog outlet for normal behavior and how to eliminate the ones you don’t want to see. 

What you will discover about dogs in our concepts packages will open your eyes to how amazing they are, shift your perspective, use their natural talents more effectively and make the bond with your own dog stronger! Teaching any new behaviors is a breeze when you understand how to apply concepts to teach your service dog!