Our Services

We’re happy to help you with any of the following and more

Basic Training

  • Crate- and House training
  • Independence building
  • Sit/Down/Stay
  • Basic recall
  • Leash walking skills
  • Place- and mat stationing
  • Play skills

Behavior Adjustment

  • Over excitement – jumping, barking, pulling
  • Destructive chewing
  • Separation related problems
  • Confinement issues
  • Fearful behaviors
  • Aggressive behaviors – strangers, other dogs, resources, on leash

Initial Consultation

The beginning of all training plans!

On our first consultation, we meet at a previously set up time and go through your dog’s basic information, behavior-, social- and training history. This helps me determine the best approach to start to work on our training plan.
After the information gathering, I observe and – if appropriate – do some basic exercises with your dog to find out their response to the training approach. It gives me an idea of the pace that we need to go to successfully reach the goal behaviors.
We set up your goals and create a training plan that fits your needs and lifestyle. Together we figure out the best option moving forward with the training, whether it’s private sessions, day training, or a combination package.
We also talk about management and the first training steps for you to practice, tools to get until the next time we meet.

  • Takes 60 – 90 minutes

Private Lesson In-Home

Learn to train your dog in the comfort of your home

With private lessons, I meet with you in your home weekly for about an hour to teach you the skills you need to achieve your training goals. Together we create a training plan that fits your schedule and we discuss the exercises you’ll need to practice until our next session. We practice each exercise to make sure you have all the details you need. You work on these exercises until our next meeting and we move forward with the training plan accordingly. In each session, we review the previous exercise and move on to the next skill.
Private lessons are a great fit if you are interested in training your own dog, learn skills in detail, and have a short period of time committed each day to keep up with the training.

  • 45-55 minutes

  • Flexible meeting schedule
  • Email follow up

Day Training

Let me train your dog

The day training option is a good fit if you’d like to accelerate your dog’s learning progress. In this case, I work one-on-one with your dog on behaviors that you would like to achieve.
With the day training option, you could see results faster and it is a good fit if you don’t have time every day to do the training. This option gets results when the schedule allows two training days a week for consecutive weeks. You get updated by report cards after each session. The day training packages are combined with private sessions to make sure that you also learn the skills needed to keep up with the training. Additional day training sessions can be added anytime.

  • 30-45 minutes

  • 2-4 times a week

  • Report card, text follow up

Frequently Asked Questions

Below you’ll find answers to some of the questions I get asked the most about my training methods. If you have any other question, please contact me.

I use non aversive, science based methods like classical- and operant conditioning. I also follow the LIMA guidelines. https://www.ccpdt.org/about-us/least-intrusive-minimally-aversive-lima-effective-behavior-intervention-policy/

When initially teaching a behavior I focus on positive reinforcement. It means that we find out what is most reinforcing for your dog and use it to motivate. The beginning stages usually that means food/treats and when the behavior is fluent, we switch to play and other real-life rewards. 

When working on behavior modification I use classical counterconditioning, differential reinforcement of alternative behaviors and/or other behaviors, desensitizing.

In my training philosophy, there’s no need for intimidation, dominance, alpha roll, physical- or mental punishment. There’s no place for choke chains, prong- or shock collars. We work on creating a healthy human-animal bond as a foundation and the rest of the training depends on that trust.

If we want our dogs to learn something, we need to motivate them. Food is a primary reinforcer that is easily accessible and can get the best results without unwanted consequences. As your dog gets better and more reliable, you will transfer from using treats to real life rewards. But first, you need to motivate your dog. S/he won’t do it because s/he loves you as you don’t go to work just because you like your boss!

Every dog is an individual therefore different dogs have different learning abilities. It depends on many factors like training history, age, breed, owner’s skills and time to train etc.

Training your dog doesn’t have to be a chore that must be done. In fact, it should be fun for all parties that are involved in training. Finding 5-10 minutes in the morning and evening can make a huge difference. Learning occurs all the time, no matter what. Our dogs observe and make associations – whether good or bad – every awake minute. It is up to you, how much of that valuable time you use during the day but you will only be able to see results if you are involved in the training.

Private sessions are designed so that you practice what you’ve learned. For certain behavior modification – like aggression – owner participation is crucial since sometimes it’s only one or two people who can handle the dog safely. 

Daytraining helps the dog to learn behaviors faster but needs to be practiced even when the trainer is not there.

“I contacted Vivien because my dog was showing aggressive behaviors towards other dogs when we were out on our daily walks. She gave me tips on how to manage it and to teach my dog to behave better. ”

Sarah S.

“I started to work with Vivien after I got my two puppies. She’s given me a lot of valuable information that has been helpful ever since. ”

Danny E.

“It was nice to work with Vivian. She taught me things about my dog that were greatly misunderstood before. Training made it a lot easier to see my puppy growing into her teenage phase.”

Jill M.

Contact Vivien with any questions