Well if you are ready to have positive changes for both you and your dog, you have come to the right place.
A rescue dog arrives carrying a history you were never part of. What looks like bad behaviour is usually fear, confusion, or nobody having shown them what to do instead. All of it is workable.
They are on alert all day and never quite switch off, even weeks after coming home.
Barking, backing away, or freezing when someone new comes near.
Walks are a battle, and you have started going out at quieter times to avoid people.
Recall vanishes the moment something more interesting appears.
Lunging or barking at every dog you pass, often after a bad experience.
Destruction, howling, or pacing the moment you go out the door.
Stiffening, growling, or snapping over things they are afraid of losing.
Accidents indoors, often from stress rather than not knowing better.
The single biggest thing you can do for a rescue dog is stop treating them like a person. They don't think like us. They need to look at you and see calm, consistent confidence, because that is what tells them they are safe.
A dog who trusts their owner's leadership stops scanning for threats. That is when the reactivity settles, the anxiety eases, and they finally get on with being a dog.
Book nowA nervous dog cannot learn. We expand their comfort zone at their pace, never by forcing them through it.
You learn to read what your dog is telling you, and to give them signals they can actually understand.
Dogs are pack animals. When they trust the person leading them, the anxiety and the reactivity drop away.
Clear, consistent rules make a rescue dog feel safer, not restricted. Most of them have never had any.
Leash manners, recall, settling when guests arrive, being handled at the vet. The things that make life liveable.
You get Steve, one on one, working with your dog and with you. Training starts in the very first session, not after forty five minutes of talking.
Fill in the form and Steve calls you back between lessons, or book straight in if you already know you want to start.
Fill in the form →Steve meets your dog, reads what is actually going on, and gets to work in that same visit.
Training the dog is the simple part. Steve coaches you, because consistency at home is what makes it stick.
We highly recommend Steve!! We reached out to Steve for our rescued dog. Radar has anxiety and pulled us on walks so he needed some additional help. Steve helped us learn more about Radar, giving us the confidence, and ultimately Radar the confidence, to enjoy a walk and meet new people. The recall tricks we learned are amazing!
Duncan, a terrier mix rescue, had previously spent time as a street dog, an ASPCA kennel dog, and a foster pup living on a farm. The poor boy was pretty badly scarred by his history. When he and Steve met, there was an instant connection. Steve taught Duncan and his owners about handling the leash yanking, gaining this fearful dog's trust, recall when he tries to run, and his confusion around other dogs. The improvement has been tremendous.
Millie was a 12 month old lab mix rescue from South Carolina when we started working with Steve. She was very scared and timid, especially with men. After only a few sessions he taught us so much about her emotional behavior that she is a different dog now. We learned commands, but more so we learned how to grow Millie's confidence and gain her respect to form a stronger bond.
We were really struggling with our German Shepherd rescue dog who has heartworm and a lot of pent-up energy. He had bitten my brother and barked aggressively at visitors. Steve was incredibly kind, patient, and professional. Even though our dog initially went after him, by the end of the session he had stopped barking and was much calmer. Unlike other trainers who felt rushed, Steve genuinely cared.
I can't say enough good things about Steve. He was very responsive when I reached out for help. He came and gave us hope when we were running out of it and were so stressed with our rescue dog, Auggie. Steve taught us valuable tools, while exhibiting patience and understanding throughout the whole process. I knew upon his first arrival that he knew exactly what he was doing and that we were in good hands.
It's been a great journey with Steve. He is kind, honest and a very gifted dog trainer. We got our rescue Precious in March and she is a very good girl but had some issues with walking on the leash and a squirrel obsession. We had significant improvement immediately and it just got better after weeks of training. We would highly recommend Steve to anyone who wants an obedient and happy dog.
I went because I knew how much help they needed. That is the short version. I also have extensive experience training service dogs for Marines with PTSD, which teaches you very quickly that the dog in front of you is always carrying something.
Rescue dogs always tell you their story. You just have to know how to listen. Once you do, the work is straightforward, and honestly they love you that much more for it.
Every owner and dog has the potential to be amazing once they understand the art of effective communication.
New clients start with the first session, where training begins straight away. After that you book as many or as few as your dog needs.
If you have additional questions, please don't hesitate to ask.
Send over a few details and Steve will call you back when he is between lessons. If you already know you want to get going, book straight in instead.
Steve will get back to you once he is out of lessons.
Your details go straight to Steve and are never shared.
Can't find your town? Send us a message and we'll see how we can help.
Book your first session and the training starts that same visit.
