Ascent program badge
Trajectory · Adult foundations

AscentDog Obedience Training in Melbourne, FL

Your dog isn’t too old to learn. They’ve just never been taught. Six weeks of adult dog training to loose-leash walks, a recall you can trust, and calm manners that hold up in everyday life.

You do not need to book anything to talk to me. If you want to describe what your dog is doing and hear whether six weeks is realistic, call or text and just ask.

✦  MS, CCDT · Results guaranteed · Melbourne, FL

Is this the right mission?

Who Ascent is for, and who it isn’t

Maybe you adopted an adult rescue with zero history. Maybe life got busy and training never quite happened. Either way, you’re living with a dog who pulls, jumps, and treats come as optional, and somewhere along the way you started wondering if this is just who they are. It isn’t. Adult dogs pay attention longer, read you better, and once the rules are clear, they climb fast.

Cooper, a silver Labrador, recalling to his handler on a long line in a fenced Florida yard
A great fit if
  • Your dog is a year or older and pulls, jumps, or ignores you when it counts
  • You adopted an adult rescue and you’re starting from an unknown history
  • You want calm, everyday manners at home, on walks, and around guests
  • You can put in about fifteen minutes of practice a day between sessions
Look elsewhere if
  • Your dog lunges, growls, or has a bite history. That is serious behavior work, and it lives in Odyssey
  • Your dog is under a year old. Start with puppy training, where the first-year programs live
  • You want the dog fixed without changing anything at home. I train both ends of the leash
Not sure which column you’re in?

Plenty of people land between Ascent and Odyssey. Describe what your dog actually does and I’ll tell you which one fits, before you book anything.

Call (321) 209-0504 Text me
Your flight kit

What’s included

Australian shepherd astronaut floating in space
Six private sessions

Six weekly one-on-one sessions with Tonya, in your home or over video, working on your real problems in the real places they happen.

A written training plan

In week one we define Everyday Ready together, in writing: what your dog will do, where, and how reliably. You always know exactly where you stand.

Between-session support

Message me when the walk falls apart on a Tuesday. You are never guessing alone until the next session.

Take-home guides

A simple one-page practice sheet for every skill, so everyone in the house handles the dog the same way. Consistency is half the training.

That last one starts before you hire me, not after. Call (321) 209-0504 or send a text with any question about how the six weeks work.

The flight plan

How it works, week by week

01
Foundations and the honest assessment

Your goals go in writing, your dog learns the four-word marker system (Yes, Good, Free, No), and we build real attention on you. Adult dogs catch on fast once the rules of the game are finally clear.

02
Leash mechanics

Years of pulling is a habit, not a personality. We take the pressure out of the leash and teach walking with you, not against you. See our dedicated loose-leash walking training.

03
Recall you can trust

A name response and a come that hold up around squirrels, smells, and open front doors. First time, not the fifth.

04
Manners at home

Calm greetings, polite door behavior, and a place cue that turns guest-at-the-door chaos into settle.

05
Real-world proofing

Sidewalks, parks, and everyday Brevard County distractions. Skills that work where you actually live, not just in your kitchen.

06
Graduation: Everyday Ready

A final assessment against the goals we wrote in week one, plus a maintenance plan so the results keep holding without me.

Every adult dog brings a different history, so the pacing flexes to your dog. The destination doesn’t.

Wondering what six weeks would look like for your dog specifically? Text me the details.

Ascent results

Everyday manners that stick, from real Brevard County families

Ripley, a happy three year old Goldendoodle, sitting and looking at the camera
★★★★★

“Ripley, our three year old Goldendoodle, has learned more with Tonya than in all the other training sessions we attended with different trainers. She is patient, flexible, and extremely knowledgeable, and her sweet demeanor and sense of humor make it a joy to work with her. We love her, and so does Ripley.”

Dori Bisbey, Rockledge, FL
Ripley, Goldendoodle, 3 years
In person
Rooster, a one year old Bernese Mountain Dog, after finishing his manners training
★★★★★

“Wonderful experience with my pup. Thanks ever so kindly for your expertise and help with training my guy. We couldn’t be happier with the amazing results of your services.”

Ryan Lees
Rooster, Bernese Mountain Dog, 1 year
In person
The Steady Climb Guarantee

You put in the work, I put in the work

Do the homework, show up for sessions, follow the plan we build together. If your dog still isn’t Everyday Ready by graduation, here is exactly what happens, in order.

STEP 01
7-day extension, free

We keep going at no charge for a full week, with simplified homework and daily check-ins from me. Sometimes the plan needs to get smaller and the support needs to get closer.

STEP 02
An extra 1:1 session

A dedicated one-on-one session on exactly what isn’t sticking. New angle, hands-on help, same destination.

STEP 03
Full refund

Completed both and still not there? Ask for your money back and you’ll get it. No hoops, no hard feelings.

Good questions

Frequently asked

Is my dog too old for this?+

No. The old dogs and new tricks line is a myth with good marketing. Adult dogs actually bring advantages: longer attention spans, steadier nerves, and a settled personality I can read clearly. What they have is history, and we work through it. I’ve taken dogs of every age from chaos to calm.

What training methods do you use?+

Balanced and evidence-based. Positive reinforcement is the foundation, paired with clear communication and fair, proportional accountability once your dog knows the rules. Whenever a dog has play drive, I train through play as much as I can, because a dog who learns to respond to you in a high arousal state of mind is a dog who can respond when it matters most. Either way, your dog learns boundaries and a clear, simple communication system.

My dog barks and lunges at other dogs. Is Ascent right for us?+

Probably not, and I say that out of respect for what you’re dealing with. Lunging and barking at dogs or people is reactivity, and it deserves more than a manners program. That work lives in Odyssey. The free evaluation will sort out which program fits, honestly and without pressure.

If you would rather sort it out in two minutes than book an evaluation to find out, call me at (321) 209-0504.

What happens after the six weeks?+

For most dogs, Ascent is the whole journey. You graduate with a maintenance plan and the skills to keep the results yourself. If you catch the training bug and want to go further, or bigger behavior challenges surface along the way, Odyssey is where that work lives.

Where do you train, and do you offer virtual?+

In person across Melbourne, Palm Bay, Viera, and all of Brevard County, Florida. I also coach virtual clients worldwide over video, with the same plan, support, and guarantee.

Question that isn’t here? Call (321) 209-0504 or text me. You are not signing up for anything by asking.

Ready to begin the Ascent?

The free evaluation is a real conversation about your dog, your goals, and whether Ascent is the right fit. No pressure, no scripts.

Book a Free Evaluation
Not ready to book?

Just ask me a question first.

You do not have to put an appointment on your calendar to talk to me. Tell me what your dog is doing and I will tell you what I think, whether or not you ever hire me.

Serving Melbourne, Palm Bay, Viera, and all of Brevard County, Florida. Virtual training worldwide.