Our Methods
At Paws and Effect we believe in force-free, positive reinforcement training.
What does that mean?
It means we use treats, praise and play to get the behavior you want from your dog. It means we set up your environment and your daily routine to get the best results possible from your dog. It also means that sometimes you have to accept certain things about your dog before you can work on changing them. Understanding whether your dog’s behavior is coming from a place of fear or over-excitement can change how we approach training and provide patience for the humans involved.
Training isn’t just about your dog knowing that “sit means sit”. At Paws and Effect, it’s a wholistic view of how we interact with our dogs on a day to day basis, where they get their exercise and enrichment, what your long-term goals are with your dog and that those needs will be different for each individual dog and family.
What it doesn’t mean:
It doesn’t mean your dog “gets away with” whatever they want to do. It doesn’t mean you have to accept unruly, destructive or uncontrollable behavior. It doesn’t mean that your dog’s problem behavior will never get better.
We don’t use things like prong collars, e-collars or choke chains when we train. We don’t push, kick, yell or yank on leashes to get the behavior we’re looking for. If these are things you’ve used in the past or currently and you’re ready to learn a new approach, we’re here to help. We’ve worked with many pet owners who want to train more effectively and are unsure of where to get started.
We promise that with consistency and patience not only will you have a well mannered dog, you’ll understand their needs and how to meet them.
The Trainer
Courtney Case, CPDT-KA, CBCC-KA has been working with dogs for over 20 years. From her early days in rescue and bathing at a grooming salon, to sitting and walking as a side hustle for a few years in New York. Finally, in 2015, she decided to pursue training as a career. Dog training and behavior consulting has been a fitting marriage of Courtney’s love of animals and her natural inclination to teach.
Like many trainers, there was a dog who changed everything. Approximately 4 years into her career as a dog trainer, just when she thought she might “know it all”, she met Basil, the sweet black and white cattle dog mix pictured all over the website. He had been born into a beautifully run shelter who did all kinds of puppy handling and socialization. An yet, at 16 weeks old, he started showing signs of being extremely fearful of other dogs and people. By 9 months of age, he was barking at anyone who made eye contact with him or Courtney. To make a very long story short, he has been and continues to be a valuable teacher.
Her certification through the Certification for Professional Dog Trainers ensures that she continues education in dog training and behavior every year. And fortunately, as a former straight A student, she enjoys spending time reading, listening to and watching about dogs and dog behavior.