We are so excited to start NEW classes on Tuesday, 17th August at 6pm!  Located at the historic and beautiful Ravisloe Country Club! Puppy Start Right Preschool is a hybrid class of online and in person classes. You can start anytime! Puppies between the ages of 8-15 weeks of age are welcome! (4) Online Lessons (online lessons are available for your viewing for 8 weeks once you have started the course).

• (4) One Hour Classroom Lessons.
  
• The Puppy Start Right book ($25 value!)
  
• Clicker, wrist coil and Treat bag
  
• Live weekly trainer Q & A’s in our VIP Facebook group.
  
• Limited class size of only 6, so you and your pup will get personalized attention.
  
• 🐾 Preregistration is required- contact info is on the picture below. Contact us for more info!

​Calling dog friends and their people! Best of Behavior is hosting our first Sniffari pack walk!

A Sniffari is a fulfilling walk that engages all of your dog's senses, engaging and tiring the brain, while you both get physical exercise in the setting of the beautiful Izaak Walton Forest preserve. Sniffaris help to create a fulfilled, happy and relaxed dog. We will go at the dogs pace as well as practice appropriate leash skills and manners.

This pack walk will be held free of charge at the Izaak Walton forest preserve located at  1100 Ridge Rd, Homewood, IL 60430. We will be adhering to all social distancing guidelines Izaak Walton requires as well as keeping our group size appropriate for State mandates.

Please register with us either through facebook messenger or at our email [email protected]. When you register we will give you the exact meeting location for the pack walk within Izaak Walton as well as more details about leashes and Sniffari facts. 

Spaces will fill up fast so don’t wait! We look forward to meeting you on the trail!

Positive Reinforcement based training DOES include discipline. But what is discipline and what does it look like? Being that discipline means "to Teach" rather than "to Punish", we prefer to teach an animal what it is we would like them TO DO, and then also teach them to do that behavior in different and changing environments. We  build value in the behavior.
We don't expect the animal to guess. We don't focus on punishing an animal for incorrect guesses or challenges in execution. We help the animal learn appropriate behaviors for living with us humans, and when to use them around us. Clear boundaries are healthy in ALL relationships. The ones that we have with our dogs don't need to be any different.

Turning back the clock to 2004 and 2006! 

​I’ve been going through my old ‘professional dog training paperwork boxes’ and I found these two separate newspaper articles that I was featured in as a trainer 🤣.

14 and 16 years later I can look back and see how my training has developed and changed, mostly due to knowledge (staying current with science and training is *critical*) but also, experience. 

​I can see training errors in those photos and how dog training methods have developed in general, even in positive reinforcement based teaching! 

It’s okay to say that we don’t know everything- none of us know everything- especially in training because there are SO many areas to training (K-9, bite work, nose work, service dogs, therapy dogs, obedience, agility - the list is endless!). 

That is why we specialize. 

I specialize in pet dog training and behavior modification (aggression etc..).
I am always learning from each dog that I work with, each client that I work with. 

If we watch and listen to our training partners, we can learn so much. 
We just have to be open to learning together.

Continuing education is very important in dog/ animal training and behavior work for a trainer. 

Whether it’s self directed (books read etc..), classes taken, certifications obtained, seminars attended, courses taken or the such like, it is what keeps us on the ball about new or fresh techniques and knowledge, and deepens our current knowledge, understanding and use. 

It is something that sets trainers apart. This is important for clients so they can know they are not only working with an experienced trainer, but one that is also constantly learning to become better and more knowledgeable themselves. 
 In 2019 I started out the year attending Clicker Expo (my first as I had only attended APDT conferences in the past), and continued on through the year by attending seminars and workshops with some incredible teachers.

Here are a few pics of some of those amazing people (some that have influenced me since the last century!). Sadly I just didn’t get pics with all! (On my list of things to get better at!)

I look forward to meeting and learning from even more incredible people this year!

​I also look forward to building Best Of Behavior and connecting with more people and dogs.