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Where are you located? 

Venus and Mars K9’s home base is in the Humboldt Park neighborhood of Chicago. We travel all over the city and (depending on availability) sometimes the suburbs. 

 

What can you guarantee about training with Venus and Mars K9?

You are guaranteed an assessment of your dog and your goals based on the trainer’s 10+ years of professional training experience, as well as a training plan (including short-term and long-term checkpoints), customized homework exercises, and other specific behavior-related training and lifestyle recommendations. 

 

Can you guarantee my dog's behavior will be “fixed”?

Behavior change can never be 100% guaranteed in any sentient being. 

 

How long will it take to reach my goals?

This depends on many factors: The type of training goals, the severity of existing learned behavior/habits, the temperament of the dog, the environment in which you live and train, the learning of the owner, the handling of the dog by the owner, and the time dedicated to homework exercises. 

Some problem behaviors can be “solved” the first time we meet one another. Other projects are more long-term. And sometimes goals are adjusted to better suit the dog, owner, and their lifestyle. 

A more specific timeline can usually be parsed out by Cori in 1-3 sessions. 

 

How much time will I have to dedicate to training?

This also depends on the above factors, but (aside from sport/trick training) the goal is always to integrate homework into “real life” as soon as possible, so it does not feel like you have to set aside a lot of special time just for training. 

 

Do you work with all breeds?

Yes!

 

Do you work with dogs who have anxiety, trauma, fear, etc.?

Yes!

 

Do you work with leash reactivity?

Yes–in fact, this is the most popular goal of private lessons. And most of my group class regular attendees are “recovered” or “recovering” reactivity cases. 

 

Do you work with dogs who are aggressive?

Yes. For dogs who are potentially aggressive towards humans, we will discuss safety measures on the phone before meeting in person. 

 

Are you a purely positive/force free or balanced trainer? Or are you a rewards-based or mixed method trainer?

Despite their popularity, these terms mean different things to different people. You will meet many trainers who use any of these labels and operate completely, wildly differently from one another, thus causing the labels to be suggestive of ideology but ultimately meaningless and useless. To avoid confusion, I do not use any of these labels.

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Can you summarize your training philosophy?

My primary focus is on enhancing relationship and quality of life through clear communication and a variety of other training techniques. Minimizing stress and maximizing practicality for the human and the animal is imperative to me.

In sport and trick training, I prioritize high-level, clean mechanics, as well as creativity and keeping training fun.

 

Do you require all dogs to use a certain tool in training–for example, every dog wears a harness, or every dog wears a prong collar?

No, every training plan is customized to the individual dog and owner. You can read my article about the woes of “cookie cutter dog training” here.

 

Do you use positive reinforcement, food, play, and praise as rewards in training?

Yes! For every dog, we will assess what motivators can be utilized by the handler to most effectively encourage desired behavior. 

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Do you teach owners how to stop using food in training for real life skills/basic manners?

Yes, techniques to "fade off of food" are immediately incorporated into training, to maximize practicality.

 

Do you use corrections and punishment in your training?

I teach owners to physically/mechanically interrupt and deter dangerous or unwanted behaviors when a punishment-based technique is going to be the safest, most effective, and least-dramatic way to encourage healthy, cooperative behavior.

 

For any training technique–be it reinforcement-based, punishment-based, or something else–I am always constantly assessing if the dogs (and owners!) are emotionally well, healthy, and being supported by the training. 

 

Where can I see pictures and videos of your clients' success?

I have videos and pictures scattered all around the internet, but I currently most frequently update instagram. You can also read testimonials here. 

 

Do you have any sliding scale options?

I accept sliding scale (pay what you can) for virtual private lessons as well as my outdoor group class Teamwork on the Town. 

Gotham City Dawg Sports is an affiliated Chicago community training club that also accepts sliding scale payment. 

 

Do you have any free training resources?

Yes, click here.