ABOUT DAVE DELEISSEGUES
I'm Dave Deleissegues. I run a boutique family-run dog training service, and and I truly love the work I do.
I train, coach, and compete with dogs in sport tracking, obedience, and protection at the international world championship level in the sport of Schutzhund / IGP. This elite experience has given me a unique perspective on the bond between dogs and humans, and how to tap into that mutual respect to modify behavior.
But my best skill is training people, who then train their dogs.
This is very different from the one-sided approach focusing only on the dog that is often seen in training programs today. The truth is, your dog takes behavioral cues directly from you.
I design personalized training programs to achieve the specific goals we discuss. The key to any successful training program is the education of the owner on how to train their dog on a daily basis. After working with hundreds of dogs and their owners over nearly 40 years, I've learned that you must feel empowered to continue daily training with your dog, long after you're not under my supervision. Each dog has its own set of training issues that need to be addressed, and I help my clients balance motivation/positive training, along with fair and clear corrective training. This leads to a balance that is necessary so dogs can be controlled in the complex environments we include them in each and every day.
If you've spoken with other trainers, you may have heard that positive training will work in every situation. While positive training is a cornerstone of my work, my experience is that dogs only work through positive training when they’re motivated. When the dog wants your verbal praise, physical petting praise, food, or the reward of their favorite toy, they will work through motivation / positive training at a high percentage. I agree with this 100% and train dogs with as much motivation and positive reinforcement as possible. In addition, we must prepare for the inevitable times that your dog is distracted, or stimulated by a cat, a deer, another dog etc. During these times, they lose interest in praise and reward, and the human loses control of the dog. It's easy to imagine just how bad the results of this loss of control can be for your dog, for you, and for the others around you.
This is why the balance of motivation with fair correction over learned behavior is key.
Although I love working with new puppies who have never received training before, I also specialize in training dogs that have been through multiple motivational classes and trainers, and who are still not achieving the goals you've set.
The first step is for you to get in touch, so we can chat about what you would like to accomplish.