Before you book
What is a training consult?
A training consult is the first conversation with a trainer: your goals, your dog’s history and the right program. Here is what we assess and how to prepare.
A consult is a conversation, not a test your dog can fail
The consult is mostly about you and your household. A trainer cannot build a useful plan without knowing who lives with the dog, what a normal day looks like, and which moments go wrong. Your dog may not even need to be present for the first part of it.
Different trainers use different names: consult, intake, assessment, discovery call. What they share is the goal. By the end, both sides should know whether this trainer and this program fit this dog, and what success would look like in your real life.
What we assess in the first conversation
Gabby’s approach starts from the why behind behavior: fear, frustration, reactivity or sensitivity. So the questions go beyond what your dog does and into when, where and how it started.
- Your goals, in plain words: a loose leash on your street, a calm greeting at the door, a dog who settles while you work
- History: age, where the dog came from, previous training and what happened with it
- Triggers: the situations that set problems off, and how quickly your dog recovers
- Health and routine: diet, exercise, sleep, medications and recent vet visits
- Safety: any growling, snapping or bites, described honestly, so the plan is right for everyone
- Home logistics: who will practice after the stay, and how much time they really have
How the consult picks the program
Most dogs land in one of two places. Puppies, young dogs and dogs who missed the basics usually suit the one-week Foundation stay. Adolescents, and dogs who know their cues indoors but fall apart outside, usually suit the two-week Advanced stay.
Some dogs need something else. If the conversation reveals significant fear, reactivity or resource guarding, Gabby will say so honestly and may recommend one of Dogtown’s behavior-modification programs, which run six to ten weeks. A dog with a bite history or severe anxiety may also need input from your vet or a veterinary behaviorist. A good consult is allowed to end with the advice to do something other than what you came in for.
How to prepare so the consult is useful
A little preparation makes the conversation sharper and the plan more accurate. Think in examples rather than labels: “he lunges at bikes on our street” is more useful than “he is reactive”.
Have your vaccination records to hand too. Rabies, DHPP and Bordetella must be on file before the stay, along with a current city or town dog license, so it saves time to know where those papers are.
- A short phone video of the problem behavior, if you can film it safely
- Notes on what you have already tried and how your dog responded
- The two or three changes that would make the biggest difference at home
- Any questions about the stay itself: the daily updates, sleeping, food
What happens after the consult
Once the goals and program are agreed, your stay is quoted, because the price depends on the plan. Then your dog comes in for the free evaluation, a weekday-morning temperament test that also shows whether and when your dog is ready to join a small playgroup. After that, you book dates and the stay begins. Our booking page walks through every step in order.
The two programs
FAQs
Related questions
Is the training consult the same as the evaluation?
Do I have to commit to board and train at the consult?
Should I mention my dog’s worst behavior even if it embarrasses me?
Can both adults in the house join?
More questions? Read the full board & train FAQ
Next step
Tell us about your dog.
Send the enquiry and we reply within one hour on business days to set up a short assessment with Gabby. The evaluation is free.
- 01Send the enquiryReply within the hour on business days
- 02Assessment & evaluationPick Foundation or Advanced
- 03Train & go homeDaily updates, go-home coaching
