Dog training questions, answered.

It depends on your dog’s age and what you’re trying to solve.

Under a year old? Those are the Puppy Pros programs. Build covers 8 weeks to 4 months, Launch covers 4 to 12 months, and Journey is both of them as one continuous plan across the whole first year.

A year or older, and you want everyday manners? That’s Ascent. Loose-leash walking, a recall you can trust, calm greetings, and settle.

Lunging, barking, panic, or a bite history? That’s Odyssey, where the serious behavior work lives.

Want something social and low-pressure? Pub Manners is a seasonal group class at Intracoastal Brewing Company.

Not sure? That’s exactly what the free evaluation is for. We’ll sort it out together, honestly and without pressure. Or if you’d rather settle it in two minutes than book a meeting, call (321) 209-0504 and describe what your dog does. That is usually enough for me to point you at the right one.

In-home training. I come to you. Hands-on coaching in your dog’s real environment, where the behavior actually happens. This is how most programs run.

Virtual training. Live video sessions where I watch and guide you in real time. Good for clients outside Brevard County, and genuinely better for some cases. If a stranger walking into your home is the exact trigger we’re managing, video removes that variable entirely. Sessions can be recorded so you can rewatch them. More on remote training here.

Trainer-handled sessions. Part of Odyssey. In the first phase I work your dog directly, including solo field trips where I take them into the real world for the precise, well-timed reps that move behavior fastest. Then I transfer the skills to you. Your dog sleeps in their own bed every night. This is not a board and train.

We’ll figure out which format fits during your free evaluation.

Every age, from 8-week-old puppies to seniors.

• Puppies, 8 weeks to 4 months. Socialization, confidence, and heading off problems before they start. Build.
• Adolescents, 4 to 12 months. Impulse control, obedience foundations, and surviving the teenage phase. Launch.
• The full first year. Build and Launch as one continuous plan. Journey.
• Adults, one year and up. Everyday manners and obedience. Ascent.
• Any age with behavior problems. Reactivity, anxiety, aggression. Odyssey.

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.

Pricing depends on your dog’s age, what we’re solving, and how much support you need, so I don’t quote a number before I’ve met your dog.

The free evaluation is where that happens. I’ll see your dog, we’ll talk honestly about what’s realistic, and you’ll get a clear number with no surprise fees and no pressure. If a different program fits better than the one you called about, I’ll tell you that too.

If you want to understand what drives the scope before putting a meeting on your calendar, call and ask. I’ll walk you through what makes one dog’s plan bigger than another’s.

Payment plans are available. Call (321) 209-0504, send a text, or book your free evaluation.

Most clients notice improvement within the first week, with meaningful behavior change by weeks two and three.

Every dog learns at their own pace. What speeds things up is the structure: one-on-one attention, written milestones, homework you can actually do, and check-ins between sessions so you’re never guessing for a week at a time.

Behavior work is less linear than manners work, so Odyssey clients should expect progress in steps rather than a straight line.

In-home training across Melbourne, Palm Bay, Viera, Cocoa Beach, and the rest of Brevard County, Florida.

Virtual training is available anywhere in the world.

Somewhere else in the county and not sure whether I come out that far? Call (321) 209-0504 and ask. I travel.

Book a free 30-minute evaluation, by phone or in person. We’ll talk about your dog, what’s been happening, and which program fits. No pressure, no scripts.

Book a free evaluation, call (321) 209-0504, or send a text.

Booked sessions are non-refundable. Consistency drives your dog’s progress, and that time is reserved for you.

Need to reschedule? Give me 24 hours notice and we’ll find another time. Illness and genuine emergencies are always an exception. Just call (321) 209-0504 or send a text.

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 is a dog who can respond when it matters most.

Either way, your dog learns boundaries and a simple, consistent communication system that everyone in the house can use.

If you have strong feelings about methods in either direction, call me and say so. I would rather have that conversation up front than halfway through a program.

I train both ends of the leash. The goal isn’t a dog who listens to me. It’s a dog who listens to you, after I’m gone.

I come to you. Training happens in your home, your neighborhood, and the places where real life actually occurs. No driving across town to a classroom that looks nothing like where the problem happens.

Structure you can see. Every program has milestones written down in week one, so you always know whether you’re on track instead of hoping it’s working. Clear homework, and support between sessions when the walk falls apart on a Tuesday.

A guarantee with teeth. Follow the plan, and if your dog doesn’t hit the goals we wrote down, you get a free extension, then an extra one-on-one session, then your money back. Most trainers won’t put that in writing.

Yes. Reactivity, anxiety, and aggression are the core of what Odyssey is built for.

These behaviors usually come from fear, frustration, or gaps in early socialization, not from a dog being bad. The work involves:

• Identifying what actually triggers your dog, which is often not what you’d assume
• Counterconditioning, so triggers start predicting good things instead of bad ones
• Working at distances where your dog can succeed, then closing them gradually
• Building confidence in dogs whose default is fear
• Teaching you to read the early signals and redirect before things escalate

I’ve worked with leash reactivity, dog-to-dog aggression, resource guarding, and fear-based behavior, including dogs with bite histories.

If your situation is outside what I can safely help with, I’ll tell you at the evaluation and point you toward the right person. Either way you leave with a real next step.

If you’d rather not type any of this into a booking form, call me at (321) 209-0504. I have heard it before and I am not going to judge you for it.

Prevention is far easier than correction, which is why the puppy programs exist.

For puppies, 8 weeks to 4 months. Socialization done properly: controlled exposure to people, dogs, sounds, and environments that builds curiosity instead of fear. A confident puppy doesn’t become a reactive adult, and obedience layers on easily once the confidence is there. That’s Build.

For adolescents, 4 to 12 months. This is the window where habits either solidify or get fixed. Impulse control, reliable obedience, and real-world focus, established before teenage testing turns into lifelong problems. That’s Launch.

For both. You learn to read your dog. When you understand what they’re telling you and how they learn, you can redirect small things before they become big ones.

So much of what I see in reactive adult dogs traces back to missed windows in early puppyhood. If you have a puppy, you have a head start most owners never get, and that window is genuinely short. Text me your puppy’s age and I’ll tell you what matters most right now.

Group classes teach general obedience to eight dogs at once. Private training solves your dog’s specific problems in the place they happen.

• Attention. All of it on your dog, rather than a share of the instructor’s time.
• Setting. Your home, your street, your front door, instead of a room your dog will never be in again.
• Pace. Your dog’s speed, not the curriculum’s.
• Scope. Reactivity, anxiety, and fear can be addressed, not just sit and down.
• Support. Between-session contact, not questions squeezed in at the end of class.
• Logistics. No travel, no weather, no missed weeks.

That said, group work has real value for the right dog, which is why Pub Manners exists. Practicing calm in public around other dogs is something you can’t replicate in a living room.

Every program carries a results guarantee. We write your dog’s goals down in week one, so there’s no argument later about what success meant.

If you’ve done the homework, shown up for sessions, and followed the plan, and your dog still isn’t hitting those goals:

1. A 7-day extension, free. Simplified homework and daily check-ins from me. Sometimes the plan needs to get smaller and the support needs to get closer.
2. An extra one-on-one session. Focused on exactly what isn’t sticking. New angle, same destination.
3. A full refund. Completed both and still not there? Ask for your money back and you’ll get it. No hoops, no hard feelings, and you keep all your materials.

We adjust. Every dog learns differently and there’s always another approach to try. That’s what the weekly sessions are for: to catch what isn’t working early, rather than at the end.

If we’re still short of the milestones by the final week, the guarantee takes over.