Behavior Mediation
No Fee Behavior Consultation (30 minutes)
The first step for any of our dog training services is a free 30-minute consultation to meet you and your dog and hear your questions about your dog's training, behavior, or well-being.
Let's Talk! Thank you for learning more about living in harmony with your dog! Whether you are considering training for your dog, have questions about a behavior your dog does (that maybe you wish they wouldn't), or are curious about how you and your dog can live together with less stress, fewer limitations, and more peace and calm, we are honored for the opportunity to hear about your life together and offer compassionate, practical recommendations.
We'll ask you a few questions to ensure we understand your situation and the goals or challenges you may be experiencing. We will answer any questions you have about our teaching philosophy and methods. At the end of our conversation, we will offer our honest assessment of how we can help and suggest an action plan of integrated solutions to begin moving toward your goals. If we are not the best fit for your training needs with your dog, we will refer you to another trainer who can better guide you along your journey together.
You will leave our conversation more optimistic, with a different view of your dog and actionable next steps toward more happiness and fun together!
Book your free consultation appointment today!
Shoden Puppies Primer, Degree 1
Early Puppy Learning Package, Private Lessons
Customized lessons for Puppy and You!
For Ages 7 weeks to 6 months
Hooray! You've welcomed a new puppy into your life. Now what?
KABT advocates for a "whole" -istic approach to learning, emphasizing the importance of all facets of the puppy-being in front of you.
Our classes help you understand how your puppy experiences the world through their growing physical, mental, and emotional developmental stages. We also emphasize ways to build a strong bond with your puppy, fostering a lifelong relationship based on trust, confidence, cooperation, and well-being.
Before a puppy can focus on learning basic skills or commands, they need to feel that the world is a safe, predictable place where fun is just around every corner! We focus on helping your puppy perceive the world as a non-threatening environment, where new sounds, sights, smells, people, and other animals are seen as fun—not frightening or overwhelming.
Our puppy primer classes support your puppy's ability to understand personal agency and consent when interacting with others. And while they are not the prime area of focus, your puppy will also learn fundamental skills for appropriate behaviors tailored to the environmental and social contexts they will encounter in your life together.
Pricing: Six private lessons lasting 50 minutes each at your home, $375.00
Learning Packages are recommended to meet once per week for six weeks. All lessons will be pre-scheduled upon package purchase. Please be prepared to work with your dog on the homework for each lesson every day.
Learning packages must be completed within 12 weeks; no refunds for expired packages.
Okuden Juniors Studies, Degree 2
Juniors Learning Package, Private Lessons
Personalized lessons designed specifically for your adolescent dog's needs and your preferences!
6 months to 2 years of age
Do you remember your adolescence? *cringe* Repeat to yourself, “All dogs are Good Dogs, even mine!”
Whether your young dog is missing a few life skills, is socially awkward, or lacks confidence to handle life when you’re not around, our classes for junior dogs offer supportive schooling for you both.
Dogs experience a long period of adolescence, and the time period varies with each individual dog and their primary breed characteristics. During adolescence, dogs may take more behavioral risks and experiment more frequently. Their emotions can swing more dramatically, resembling the changeable emotions of human teenagers. You might even find yourself looking at your dog and wondering, “Who are you, and what did you do with my sweet puppy?”
Life with junior dogs is sometimes more about our behaviors than our dogs' behaviors. Hold on, now, and keep reading. Our dogs' over-the-top or out-of-context behaviors are often a symptom of missing or incomplete communication about how we want them to behave. Alternatively, we may have shared this information with them in ways that they can not understand. Communicating with our dogs requires that we observe - a lot - and discover “who” this dog before us, who is no longer a puppy yet not-yet grown up, truly is, and how we can best communicate for mutual understanding.
In Okuden Junior Studies, the focus is on sharpening your observational skills and becoming more curious about the effectiveness of your behavior and communication. It also explores how these affect our dogs' lives, as well as their communication and behavior from their point of view. We will fine-tune your style, catch up on missing or seldom-used skill sets, and tailor everything to the life you and your dog share.
Pricing: Six private lessons lasting 50 minutes each at your home, $375.00
Learning Packages are recommended to meet once per week for six weeks. All lessons will be pre-scheduled upon package purchase. Please be prepared to work with your dog on the homework for each lesson every day.
Learning packages must be completed within 12 weeks; no refunds for expired packages.
Okuden Adult Studies, Degree 3
Adult Learning Package, Private Lessons
Customized lessons for the needs of your adult dog and you!
2 - 7 years old
Whew! You and your dog successfully made it through adolescence. Bravo!
In the KABT Okuden Adult Studies lessons, we work with you and your dog to identify any missed learning opportunities or behaviors they may have adopted that are out of context with your lifestyle together. Even when adulthood has arrived, misaligned behaviors can still be a splendid opportunity to better understand one another and build an even stronger mutual bond.
Together, we will review what’s working, what’s not working, and any additional skills you may want to develop with your canine companion. Dogs frequently communicate their interests and needs to us, but we are often too distracted to hear them. Additionally, the messages we believe we convey to them are not delivered in a way they understand, or they may be delivered in ways that unknowingly cause distress for your companion. Aside from behavior relating to everyone’s safety, there is no hard and fast set of rules or skills your dog should learn. Instead, we will focus our time and effort on behaviors that align with the activities you enjoy and the places you visit together, making it easier, more enjoyable, and less restrictive to experience life together.
Pricing: Six private lessons lasting 50 minutes each at your home, $375.00
Learning Packages are recommended to meet once per week for six weeks. All lessons will be pre-scheduled upon package purchase. Please be prepared to work with your dog on the homework for each lesson every day.
Learning packages must be completed within 12 weeks; no refunds for expired packages.
Shinpiden Seniors Wisdom and Well-Being, Degree 4
Seniors Learning Package, Private Lessons
Customized lessons for the unique needs of your senior dog and you!
7+ years of age
What lessons has your dog taught you? Did you know they are great teachers, offering wisdom for daily living?
In the Shinpiden Seniors lessons, you will take a deep dive into your relationship with your canine companion, shining a light on the unique needs of senior dogs. Together, we will explore how those needs may impact daily life and devise strategies to meet them, enabling you to continue your best life together with ease, fun, and adventure.
Contrary to the popular saying, old dogs can absolutely learn new tricks, too! Cognition in older dogs may have slowed down, and that means learning may take a bit longer. Allow your companion to help you hone your patience skills and grow your endurance; you will be amazed by the many ways their wisdom ripples out into your life, enriching your experiences together and in all areas of life. Working senior dogs’ brains and bodies at appropriate levels is crucial for golden years that shine with brilliance.
Pricing: Six private lessons lasting 50 minutes each at your home, $375.00
Learning Packages are recommended to meet once per week for six weeks. All lessons will be pre-scheduled upon package purchase. Please be prepared to work with your dog on the homework for each lesson every day.
Learning packages must be completed within 12 weeks; no refunds for expired packages.
Behavior Mediation: Co-habiting Habits and Behavior Conflicts
Behavior Mediation: Co-habiting Habits and Behavior Conflicts
Customized lessons addressing specific habits and behaviors that make cohabiting or living life to the fullest with your dog restrictive, stressful, or unsafe.
Any age
Has your dog developed a coping behavior or habit that makes living life to the fullest restrictive, stressful, or even unsafe?
Dogs develop habits or behaviors that are misaligned with your life together from various influences. The behavior may seem non-sensical or counter-intuitive, but the fact is that it is working - even if imperfectly - for your dog’s need to destress, fight boredom, relieve fear or confusion, or alleviate an underlying medical issue. And this is only a short list of contributing factors!
KABT steps in as a mediator for you and your dog, eliminating the blame or frustration and helping to identify the need that your dog’s behavior satisfies. Together, strategies are developed to ensure safety while meeting your dog’s needs. A visit with your veterinarian may be recommended, changes to routines may be suggested, or guidance for using new tools may be what’s needed. The first step is to let go of expectations for your dog, step out of the blame game, or embrace solutions that may be new to you both.
Step by step, along the path of mutual understanding, compassion, and unconditional love for your canine companion, you will build a stronger connection and find ways that work for both of you to navigate life with confidence and joy.
Pricing: Six private lessons lasting 50 minutes each at your home, $420.00
Learning Packages are recommended to meet once per week for six weeks. All lessons will be pre-scheduled upon package purchase. Please be prepared to work with your dog on the homework for each lesson every day.
Learning packages must be completed within 12 weeks; no refunds for expired packages.