When CLEAR Dog Training started 25 years ago, it offered both group classes and individual home visits. But one approach consistently produced better results — in-home training.
Owners were learning more and dogs were making better progress. So, around 15 years ago, CLEAR stopped running group classes and concentrated entirely on home visits. Here’s why.
Individual attention, tailored to your dog
With CLEAR, the entire lesson revolves around your dog, your priorities and the issues you’d like to address. CLEAR owner and trainer Caroline Strainig demonstrates exercises with your own dog, then coaches you as you practise. Often a small adjustment in timing or technique makes all the difference. You can ask questions, make mistakes and learn at your own pace. And the whole family can join in, so everyone learns the same approach.
The ideal environment for learning
Think about it. Would you rather learn to train your puppy in peace and quiet at home, or try to concentrate in a roomful of excited puppies while hanging on to one who’s barely worn a lead? Or perhaps yours is the timid puppy hiding under a chair because it’s totally overwhelmed.
The same principle applies to teenage and older dogs. If your dog is already barking, lunging or wildly overexcited around other dogs, that’s hardly the ideal time to introduce a new exercise. Management strategies, foundation skills and counter-conditioning exercises are generally best introduced in a calm environment before gradually working around carefully controlled distractions. There’s sound learning theory behind this approach. Both you and your dog need to be in a state where you can concentrate and learn.
Training where problems actually happen
Does your dog go ballistic when visitors arrive, jump all over people or bark at the back fence? A home visit allows Caroline to see what’s happening and help you tackle the problem on the spot.
For example, CLEAR clients are asked to greet Caroline at the front door just as they would any other visitor. It’s an opportunity to see how the dog actually behaves, rather than relying on a description. Caroline can also look at household routines, sleeping arrangements and the dog’s environment. Sometimes a surprisingly simple change makes a big difference.
Experience makes a difference
When you book with CLEAR, you get the boss herself, not one of several different trainers working for the same company. CLEAR Dog Training owner and head trainer Caroline Strainig conducts all sessions herself and brings decades of experience, including many years training and competing with dogs at the highest levels of competitive dog sports. Caroline also regularly attends seminars with leading international trainers to keep up with developments in modern dog training. And that experience is yours for the entire session, not divided between a dozen other owners and their dogs.
Convenience and flexibility
No packing up the family and dog, travelling to weekly classes or committing to the same time every week. CLEAR’s first session is always held at your home, at a mutually convenient time. Depending on your dog’s needs, the second session can also be at home or at a quiet park near you or Caroline, particularly if it’s time to introduce some low-level distractions. Where appropriate, Caroline can bring one of her calm older dogs for your dog to practise working around, if the session is held near her home.
And if life gets in the way, CLEAR’s 48-hour postponement policy means you can reschedule rather than miss a lesson. For busy families and working owners, that flexibility can be a godsend.
Excellent value and ongoing support
Group classes are generally cheaper, but consider what you’re getting. CLEAR’s $250 Foundation Package includes two one-hour individual lessons, a comprehensive 17-page training booklet and a personalised audio recap you can refer to whenever you need a refresher, plus Caroline’s travel time and fuel.
And once you’re part of the CLEAR family, you’re part of the CLEAR family. Caroline is happy to answer questions by email or have a quick phone chat. Foundation Package graduates also enjoy six months’ access to discounted follow-up training, currently $80 an hour at Greene Park, Wynnum.
Puppy socialisation
In-home training and a well-run puppy school can complement each other beautifully. Some CLEAR clients choose to do both and are very happy with the combination. But puppy school isn’t essential for raising a well-socialised dog.
In fact, many puppy schools now limit or eliminate free play because of the potential pitfalls. At CLEAR, the emphasis is on strategic socialisation — carefully chosen playmates, positive experiences with other dogs, people and places, and learning to remain calm around distractions. Don’t have friends with suitable dogs? Try your local Facebook community group to arrange supervised play dates. Just check vaccination status, temperament and suitability. See the article Show your puppy the world – safely for tips on strategic socialisation.
So, it’s not necessarily an either-or decision. But CLEAR believes its intensive, individual training provides an excellent foundation, whether or not you choose to attend puppy school as well.
The CLEAR approach
After 25 years of helping thousands of Brisbane dog owners, CLEAR is more convinced than ever of the benefits of in-home training. That’s why CLEAR has specialised exclusively in this approach for the past 15 years — and intends to continue doing so for the foreseeable future.
To find out more, visit our Fees & Packages page for details of the Foundation Package and other training options, or contact Caroline for a friendly, obligation-free chat about your dog and how CLEAR can help.
