FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Based on your dog’s history and your goals, the Pinnacle Program, the Summit Program, or the Peak Program will be the best fit for your and your dog.

Submit the form here to receive a personalized recommendation for a private dog training program in Vancouver, Washington or online via Zoom.

The cost varies based on the private dog training program your dog is enrolled in. Rates for the Pinnacle, Summit, and Peak Program can be found here.

Payment in full is due to reserve a training program. If a training program is out of your budget, sessions may be booked one at a time here.

Silas is a Certified Professional Dog Trainer – Knowledge Assessed (CPDT-KA) with the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers, a Canine Good Citizen Evaluator, a Trick Dog Evaluator, and a Virtual Home Manners Evaluator with the American Kennel Club.

Silas is a graduate of The Aggression in Dogs Master Course and enjoys continuing education as a professional dog trainer, most recently attending the Aggression in Dogs Conference and the Success with Sensitive Dogs Conference.

Zenith Dog Training uses reward-based dog training. This means motivating and reinforcing dogs using food, toys, play, praise, sniffing, attention, access, and more.

As a Certified Professional Dog Trainer, Zenith Dog Training adheres to the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants (IAABC) recommended Humane Hierarchy protocols.

“The Humane Hierarchy serves to guide professionals in their decision-making process during training and behavior modification. Additionally, it assists owners and animal care professionals in understanding the standard of care to be applied in determining training practices and methodologies and the order of implementation for applying those training practices and methodologies.

Hierarchy of Procedures for Humane and Effective Practice

1. Health, nutritional, and physical factors: Ensure that any indicators for possible medical, nutritional, or health factors are addressed by a licensed veterinarian. The consultant should also address potential factors in the physical environment.
2. Antecedents: Redesign setting events, change motivations, and add or remove discriminative stimuli (cues) for the problem behavior.
3. Positive Reinforcement: Employ approaches that contingently deliver a consequence to increase the probability that the desired behavior will occur.
4. Differential Reinforcement of Alternative Behavior: Reinforce an acceptable replacement behavior and remove the maintaining reinforcer for the problem behavior.
5. Negative Punishment, Negative Reinforcement, or Extinction (these are not listed in any order of preference):
   1. Negative Punishment – Contingently withdraw a positive reinforcer to reduce the probability that the problem behavior will occur.
   2. Negative Reinforcement – Contingently withdraw an aversive antecedent stimulus to increase the probability that the right behavior will occur.
   3. Extinction – Permanently remove the maintaining reinforcer to suppress the behavior or reduce it to baseline levels.
6. Positive Punishment: Contingently deliver an aversive consequence to reduce the probability that the problem behavior will occur.”

– International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants

Dog training is a legally unregulated industry. This means that anyone can call themselves a professional dog trainer, regardless of education, experience, or ethics.

Voluntary certification with the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers requires extensive experience, testing, and continuing education, so you can feel confident that you’re being guided by a knowledgeable professional who stays up to date on their knowledge and skill and adheres to strict ethical standards.

Training solutions are customized to you, your dog, and your life. Your dog’s genetics and history, your home, your lifestyle, and your goals all shape your unique training plan.

In-person private dog training sessions are 30 – 60 minutes.

Online private dog training sessions are 20 – 40 minutes.

Private dog training sessions are available by appointment Tuesday through Saturday 9:00 am to 5:00 pm (Pacific Daylight Time).

The sooner the better! According to the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior, appropriate socialization and the right kind of training during the first three months of life is essential and can prevent serious issues in the future including fear and aggression.

“The primary and most important time for puppy socialization is the first three months of life. During this time puppies should be exposed to as many new people, animals, stimuli and environments as can be achieved safely and without causing overstimulation manifested as excessive fear, withdrawal or avoidance behavior. For this reason, the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior believes that it should be the standard of care for puppies to receive such socialization before they are fully vaccinated.

Because the first three months are the period when sociability outweighs fear, this is the primary window of opportunity for puppies to adapt to new people, animals, and experiences. Incomplete or improper socialization during this important time can increase the risk of behavioral problems later in life including fear, avoidance, and/or aggression. Behavioral problems are the greatest threat to the owner-dog bond. In fact, behavioral problems are the number one cause of relinquishment to shelters. Behavioral issues, not infectious diseases, are the number one cause of death for dogs under three years of age.

While puppies’ immune systems are still developing during these early months, the combination of maternal immunity, primary vaccination, and appropriate care makes the risk of infection relatively small compared to the chance of death from a behavior problem.”

–American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior

Your first in-person private training session with Zenith Dog Training is in your home in Vancouver, Washington.

Subsequent sessions are in your home, at a park, coffee shop, brewery, or other dog-friendly location depending on your dog and your goals.

Yes. Online private dog training via zoom is available.

Yes. AKC Trick Dog evaluations can be submitted here.

Yes. AKC Virtual Home Manners evaluations can be submitted here.

AKC Canine Good Citizen evaluations are not currently offered.