Private Dog and Puppy Training

Training your dog is a must to understand what they need, why they need it and how to communicate with them. I’m here to help you with their needs and to teach you how to speak their language. Everyone wants a well behaved, balanced and healthy dog and training is the way to achieve them all.

Consistency

When modifying a behavior or teaching something new, you MUST be consistent. At the beginning, the number of times you must repeat the action or command can be overwhelming or frustrating but consistency is one of the most important aspects of any training program. Graduating puppy obedience is wonderful, but if you do not consistently use the commands they’ve learned daily, throughout their life, you cannot expect a dog to retain the information.

Patience

The ability to remain calm and not become annoyed when your dog or puppy acts in a way not acceptable to humans. Dogs do not know right or wrong. They know happiness/encouragement and fear. You must teach your dog the behavior you want so it can then make a decision between acceptable and not acceptable. Through persistent training, your dog will more times choose the behavior you want but when your dog, which is a living organism, chooses the unwanted behavior, patience is key to kindly remind them of the behavior that is acceptable.

Structure

A structured environment is one that is organized and predictable. Structure creates a sense of security building confidence which only benefits dogs. Structure in a dogs life can lower or eliminate anxiety and insecurity. Structure also helps a dog understand they can go to their humans for guidance which can stop unwanted behaviors from being created.

Prior to our first meeting, I will schedule a quick call where we can discuss your training goals and answer any questions we may have for one another.

Testimonials

"Erica is an amazing, thorough, caring, and compassionate trainer. Erica listens to her client's concerns and immediately sets up a foolproof sustainable plan. Rest assured, at the end of her sessions, Erica manages to give her clients the knowledge and tools required to help both the owner and the dog(s). Erica loves animals and will do anything she can to help them and their owners, she continues to follow up because she cares deeply about the outcome. She is genuinely here to help the animals and her communication and commitment are unparalleled."

Denise D.

"When we first adopted our rescue dog, Mr. Boo, we were in need of a trainer to set us up for success and help him learn his basic commands. Erica was incredibly thorough with us, even staying far later than our scheduled training time to work with us in our home. She had endless tips and tricks when it came to methods for getting our pup to grasp harder concepts, and I would definitely recommend her to anyone looking for quality, compassionate training for their dog."

Elysee Inzunza

"Erica was a lifesaver. We were new dog owners who felt in over our heads,and through a VC and two in-person meetings, she helped get us on the right track on training our 1 yo rescue pup. Erica has a gentle authority that our dog responded to immediately. With her help and guidance, we've made a ton of progress on our dog's walking and in-home skills, and we're looking for to working with Erica even more."

Matt C.

"Even though my dog is 95% perfect, I needed Erica to help me work on the remaining 5%. Erica taught me how to teach my dog, which ultimately is the most important tool. Erica is kind but firm, patient and consistent. She used positive reinforcement with my dog and made it fun for him! He is a happier dog now with structure and guidance in his life. We will continue to practice and refine our new skills and tools on our own and with Erica. "

Charlène v.S.

"Erica has been an invaluable resource to us and our pup, Jamie. After living a few months in the suburbs, Jamie’s behavior has deteriorated: She is very difficult to handle while on walks and will consistently lunge and bark at approaching people or dogs. We had just one session with Erica and we already see improvement! Erica encouraged us to go back to the basics with Jamie, create more structure and build back trust. Erica recommended that we use the clicker while on walks to help divert her attention away from approaching people or dogs and so that she’s focused on us instead. Jamie was ready to work and was much less likely to focus on the “scary” environment around her. We are so grateful for Erica’s guidance and we now have hope that Jamie can live comfortably again in the city!"

Bobby and Julie

"I started lessons with Erica because our 6 month old German Shepherd Athena was fearful of other dogs and people. She would also lunge and jump at runners, bicycles and cars going by. Erica broke down Athena’s issues and patiently resolved them. Not only did she teach Athena to be confident and look to us to respond but she taught us how to be more confident in handling Athena’s issues. We are truly grateful for all her training and wisdom. "

Christine H.

"We want to thank Erica of Salinas K9 Training for sharing her time and expertise for the rescue dogs in our care. Erica provides detailed, individualized in person visits to help our dogs and teach better communicate with our rescue animals. Erica sends an extensive follow up plan with what was discussed, areas to target for training, as well as tools to assist and promote our dogs success which is incredibly helpful. We highly recommend her services to anyone interested in professional dog training!"

Meagan Kobielski, Founder & Executive Director at strongpawsrescue.org

Although growing up around dogs my whole life, enrolling them in a training program was something we never considered. Fry came to us from a rescue organization and presented with high anxiety towards humans and dogs, as he would often bark and lunge at them. After assessing Fry, Erica explained the triggers and signs our dog was communicating, unbeknownst to us. She prescribed a plan to work out Fry’s issues through confidence-building as well as helping us to effectively communicate with him. He has since flourished when taking him on walks as well as when guests come over. It was truly an eye-opener to learn from Erica and to see the tremendous growth in our dog. Thank you so much Erica for your love and dedication, as well as your expertise, to help our family!

Andrew C.

It has been so incredible working with Erica. My 4 year old, 70lb, American Staffy mix was new to the city and afraid of just about everything. His anxiety meant hypervigilant walks and randomly jumping up on people or lunging at other dogs. As someone who has a lot of experience working with difficult dogs (dog sitting and fostering), I really appreciated how thorough Erica was on explaining behaviors and how to best support my dog. She is so patient and warm in her approach and offers guidance that can be applied to various behaviors/challenges. But it's not just changing behaviors, it's building trust and confidence in my relationship with my dog. We've made so much progress and our walks are so much easier and calmer (for both of us!). It really is about providing the best life for my dog and less about just making his behaviors go away. I absolutely recommend Erica to anyone hoping to build an even stronger bond with their dog and creating a happy, less stressful life for both of you!

Michelle Chen

Erica has been fundamental in building my confidence as a first time dog owner, as well as setting me up for success to help my dog build HER confidence as a fearful, anxious dog. Millie was rescued from the south, so getting her used to the city has been a big adjustment for her. Erica has taught me how to build Millie's confidence through obedience, enrichment, structure, and exposure to the city in a positive way. Millie is a completely different dog now that she has these things in her daily routine. She is calmer, more fulfilled, feels safer, and is most importantly happier. Erica has happily and thoroughly answered my quite literally hundreds of questions and taught me so much about dog behavior. She has been so encouraging in my journey of being a first time dog owner and Millie and I would not be where we are today if it weren't for her!

Madison F.