Positive reinforcement training is using what your dog really loves (treats, love, sniff time, toy play, chasing a stick, etc.) to reward the behaviors that you really love from your dog.

At Summit, we love using positive reinforcement in our training because it promotes a strong bond between human & dog, and focuses on teaching the dog the skills that we need them to know for our lives together.

Not at all! We have a saying among our colleagues: “Positive does not mean permissive.” Setting clear and kind boundaries for our dogs is part of helping them learn how to safely navigate their world and yours. However, we do believe in setting boundaries clearly and kindly for our dogs by providing lots of information about we do want them doing at that moment. Without information about what they should be doing, just hearing the word “No” is not likely to get your dog to do the behaviors you do want to see from them. We like to swap out the short “No” for “No that’s not ok to do right now, but please do this instead.”

Not at all! The goal with motivational training is to use what is reinforcing to your dog (treats, toys, play with you, sniffing a bush, etc.) to build a strong foundation in your relationship together. At first, we reward good behaviors with easy-to-use reinforcers (most often treats, but sometimes other things too!) in order to teach the skills that we want our dogs to know. Once they have learned these skills well in a wide variety of different environments, we can start mixing it up to include fewer treats and more real-life rewards instead.

Two things that are important to remember here when thinking about when to cut back or stop using treats: 1) Our dogs’ unwanted behaviors are almost always getting reinforced somehow – i.e. chasing that squirrel is SO. MUCH. FUN. Our job in training our dogs is to make sure that doing the right behavior (walking past the squirrel) is also pretty fun and rewarding instead! 2) Using treats correctly from the beginning of your training can set you up for the most success with reducing their use later on. We want to make sure we are bringing those treats out as a reward for good behavior (after the behavior has happened) rather than a bribe or prompt for good behavior (before the behavior).

For more insight on some other fun ways to reward our dogs besides treats, check out this video!

A “clicker” is a little box that makes a specific sound - we use it in training to “mark” our dogs’ correct behavior so that they know what to do more of in the future! We’ll teach you several different options for marking your dog’s excellent behavior, including the clicker and a verbal marker (“Yes!” or “Good!”) option as well. It’s 100% your choice which of these you use in class and in your on-going practice at home.

We have a whole resource page dedicated to this question! Click here for help “Choosing Your Training Program” - or you can take this quick quiz! If you still need more support, reach out to us via email (admin@summitdogtraining.com) and we’re happy to help further!

We do offer payment plans for some of our private lesson and Adventure Camp programs! You can reach out to us via email (admin@summitdogtraining.com) for details. We do not offer payment plans for our group class services.

We do run occasional promotions via our social media pages and email newsletter, so if you don’t already follow us, these are good spots to keep an eye out for those promos! We’re on Facebook & Instagram! Otherwise, if you are looking for the best deal in the house, you’ll want to check out our Group Class Starter Kit option for a discount on a fun bundle of classes!

Yes! Each lesson and class sends you home with things to work on before your next appointment. We highly recommend working on these skills between weeks, but ultimately that decision is up to you. Depending on your behavior goals, you will need varying amounts of practice time between classes and lessons to see the results you want to see. We do try to make homework easy to integrate into your normal routine with your dog so that it isn’t too overwhelming! (And we like to think that homework can be fun for you and your dog too and not a chore!)

We do not provide any guarantees of certain results. Because each dog is an individual being, and lives in a human family made up of individual beings, there are too many factors outside of our control to be able to ethically guarantee specific results in each case. However, we have worked with many, many dogs and their families, and we haven’t run into many that we couldn’t train and help.

There is no charge for reschedules or cancellations made more than 7 days in advance, except a 4% processing fee on any credit card refunds issued. There are no refunds (or class credit) given for cancellations made within 7 days of the start of your class UNLESS there is a waiting list for the class and we are able to fill your spot with another student. There are no refunds (or class credit) given for cancellations made after the class has started. If, after the class has started, your class instructor feels that a different service would be more suitable to what you and your dog need, the prorated balance of your tuition may be applied to the tuition of that different service. Tuition transfers are granted at the instructor's discretion only. Personal decisions not to continue to attend a class will not be awarded a credit for another service.

We provide companion online class and handout resources with our in-person classes, and we encourage you to follow along with these resources if you have to miss a week of class!

We also offer drop-in make-up sessions to other classes of the same type if we have space for you and your dog to be a bonus student in these other class sections!

Click here for a graphic with the full details about our make-up options!

Yes, if your dog is in heat she may attend class, provided that she wears a doggie diaper while she is on the premises. Please email your instructor to give them a heads-up so that they can best set the rest of the class up for success.

We encourage children to attend and participate in class with their parents & guardians in all classes except for Reactive Dog. This is a great way to get everyone in the family involved in building a positive relationship with the family pet. When attending with children under the age of 10, please bring a second supervising adult in order to promote a productive class environment for all students, and be prepared to keep your children in the area designated for you & your own dog. Children may not be dropped off at class with the dog. (Children are also welcome at private lessons as well!)

Puppy PlaySchool is a fun drop-IN group class for puppy socialization and early learning! Adventure Camp is a drop-OFF service where your puppy spends time with the Summit team getting a jumpstart on their foundation training skills while you are away. While we cover similar topics in both services, they provide different learning opportunities and levels of support for you and your puppy. We usually recommend utilizing both services simultaneously!

That depends on several factors, including the number of your training goals (are you hoping to work on 1 thing or 10 things?), the type of behavior challenges on your goal list (achieving a polite leash walk will usually take less time than resolving reactivity and aggression issues), and your commitment to practice and consistency on training tasks between our lessons. We recommend that all students start out with our 4-hour Trail Blazer package, and then your Summit trainer will give you recommendations for the next steps to take on your training plan to reach your goals.

If you have multiple training goals, or a few very challenging goals, we will recommend that you plan to continue with additional lessons or a group class or other service recommended by your Summit trainer at the conclusion of your first 4-hour Trail Blazer package.

No, it doesn’t! Your lesson tuition fee pays for our time & the resources that we provide you, and whatever work we can accomplish in that time (either focused on one dog or several). Keep in mind that if we are working on training goals with multiple dogs, you will likely need to add on additional lessons to your training plan after your 4-hour Trail Blazer package in order to have enough time to accomplish all of the training goals for each dog.

We do ask all of our program students to commit to scheduling all of your training program for your first Trail Blazer package in consecutive weeks with no gap weeks. This is for the benefit of you and your dog - meeting every week for the duration of your package means you will be consistently working towards your goals and meeting them faster!

If you know ahead of time that you will be out of town or otherwise unable to make a lesson on a certain week, we can make accommodations for this with advance notice when doing your initial scheduling.

For students that continue in private lessons after their Trail Blazer package, we customize the schedule based on ongoing training goals and needs.

Yes, absolutely! There are several options for you at that point: joining an applicable group class, purchasing an additional program package like our Trail Refresher Package specifically for returning students, or doing an a la carte lesson here or there.

If you must reschedule your Private Lesson appointment, please give us a minimum of 48 hours prior to your dog's appointment time. Appointments cancelled prior to 48 hours before your appointment time will be added back to your package to be rescheduled.

Appointments cancelled within 48 hours of your appointment time will be charged to your package as half-time - i.e. if you have an 60 minute appointment scheduled and you cancel the day before your appointment, you will be charged for a 30 minute appointment, and 30 minutes will be added back to your package for rescheduling.

No-show and last minute (within 2 hours of your appointment time) cancellations will be charged to your package fully as scheduled.

Private Lesson Packages are non-refundable and non-transferable to other services except at your trainer's sole discretion. If, after your dog has attended a few lessons of your Private Lesson Package, we determine that this service is not the best fit for your dog’s needs, we will work with you to apply the remainder of your package credit to a more suitable service. All Private Program package sales are final - no refunds can be given for sessions left unused or expired.

Thank you for your understanding and commitment to this policy. This helps to ensure that our time is used most efficiently and we are able to help as many clients as possible. It is also the best practice to help you reach your training goals with your dog as efficiently as possible. We do our best to extend grace cancellations for extenuating circumstances whenever we can; we also ask that our clients honor the times that we have reserved for them to the best of their ability.

After each day at Camp, you get an online report card going over the things that your dog learned that day! The curriculum follows our online Adventure Puppy Basics course, which is included in your dog’s Adventure Camp enrollment, so you can go watch those videos so that you know what to work on with your pup at home. You also get 2 Private Lessons with your Adventure Camp trainer, scheduled on Week 2 and Week 4 of your puppy’s camp package, to go over what your dog has been learning, answer any of your questions, and make sure you have the tools to keep up with your dog’s practice at home! While Adventure Camp isn’t a replacement for the relationship you build with your dog through working together, it is a nice way to build a solid foundation, take some of the work off of your plate, and let you jumpstart your relationship!

Adventure Camp is a mix of individual training sessions, small group play, learning walks, and crate & pen rest time - specially formulated to meet your puppy’s unique development needs. This structure encourages a healthy mix of rest & recovery breaks with higher-arousal activities. Your puppy WILL come home tired from Adventure Camp - they will be learning all day, even during rest times! Our Adventure Camp is set up so that your pup will be coming home mentally & physically tired rather than being over-taxed from being in a consistent state of high-arousal often associated with play-all-day day care settings. 

Rest time is such an important part of learning & growing into a happy, healthy dog. During rest times at Adventure Camp, your puppy has a chance to take a breather, letting their body & brain recharge for the next activity. An over-tired puppy is often unable to handle themselves with composure, which can lead to practicing some unwanted behaviors like nipping & biting, over-the-top play, and more. Rest times also help our young dogs learn how to regulate their energy, so that instead of an adrenaline-junkie that needs to go non-stop all day, they are practicing enjoying an activity and then defaulting to rest time. This is an essential skill, so that as an adult dog they can naturally fit into your daily routine, such as a great walk in the morning, then a nice long nap while you work until your lunch break. It’s also important to note that during rest periods at Adventure Camp, your puppy is also practicing how to be calm and relaxed around exciting things! While other puppies get to come out and do their training sessions, your puppy gets to watch, and rehearse skills that would help them be a pleasant companion on different life adventures, such as calmly watching a soccer game at the park, or hanging out under the table at a busy cafe.

We have capacity for four puppies at Adventure Camp at a time! This small group of friends makes it possible to give each dog lots of one-on-one attention, as well as small group playtime!

We base our early socialization classes on the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior’s Position Statement on Puppy Socialization and try to minimize risks by utilizing a space like our training room that is cleaned regularly.

The American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior’s Position Statement on Puppy Socialization states, “In general, puppies can start puppy socialization classes as early as 7-8 weeks of age. Puppies should receive a minimum of one set of vaccines at least 7 days prior to the first class and a first deworming. They should be kept up-to-date on vaccines throughout the class. The primary and most important time for puppy socialization is the first three months of life. During this time puppies should be exposed to as many new people, animals, stimuli and environments as can be achieved safely and without causing overstimulation manifested as excessive fear, withdrawal or avoidance behavior. For this reason, the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior believes that it should be the standard of care for puppies to receive such socialization before they are fully vaccinated.”

However, we never want to encourage our students to go against the advice or direction of their primary care veterinarian, so evaluating the situation from all sides is important. Since your veterinarian treats physically sick puppies and we work with behavior challenges in dogs often associated with missing early socialization periods, we are coming at this from two different sides of the issue. It’s a tough compromise, and both are very important positions to consider.

If you decide to wait until your puppy is fully vaccinated at 16 weeks, we'd love to see you in our Level 1 Puppy Basics class or Puppy Playschool Plus.

Click here to review the complete list, including cancellation & reschedule policy, drop-off & pick-up times, use of food at camp, veterinary care consent & liability waivers.

1. Watch the videos for each lesson. This will include some lecture and demonstration videos from your instructor.

2. Read the supplemental text instructions included with most lessons. Whatever your preferred learning medium, we've got you covered!

3. Check out the extra resources we include (podcasts, graphics, bonus videos, handouts, recommended reading lists, etc.) to round out your learning.

4. Get out there and practice with your dog! We're available to answer questions on our Virtual Classroom facebook group or via email.

Yes, they are! Go at your own pace! The course content is available on a drip schedule, meaning that new content will become available for you to work on every 7 days. This is to make sure you aren't overwhelmed with multiple weeks of content at once, and have time to work on each set of skills with your dog before moving on to the next lessons

We bet you will! There are classes of multiple levels included in the Virtual Classroom, so even if you and your dog have the basics down, there will be some fun advanced content just for you!

Not at all! We have Level 1 class content for both puppies and older dogs to start you off at the beginning. This content includes a lot of videos for you to watch and learn from.

We have our Summit Dog Training Virtual Classroom Facebook group just for you! All of the course instructors are admins on this group and can answer questions and give training feedback when you post there. In addition, we are available to help in a limited way via email, and if you get really stuck, online coaching sessions.

Any dog attending a group class which, in the opinion of the training instructor, is unsuitable for the group class environment (either because it does not have the necessary foundation skills for the group class or because it is being uncontrollable, unpredictable, or aggressive) will be transferred from the group class and referred to a more suitable group class or for private instruction.  The balance of the group class tuition (less the prorated cost of lessons already attended) will be applied towards the tuition of the alternate service.

Adventure Camp: If you must reschedule your dog's Adventure Camp enrollment PRIOR to the FIRST DATE of their reservation, please give us a minimum of 14 days notice prior to the FIRST DATE of their first lesson reservation so that we can offer your spot to other students who are waiting to schedule with us. There is no charge for a FIRST reschedule made more than 14 days in advance of the FIRST DATE of your dog's private program enrollment and we will work with you to find a new start date for your dog's Adventure Camp reservation.

There can be no refunds, reschedules, or credit given for cancellations made within 14 days of the FIRST DATE of their Adventure Camp enrollment UNLESS there is a waiting list for our Adventure Camp and we are able to fill your spot with another student. If we are able to fill your spot, we will work with you to find a new start date for your dog's Adventure Camp reservation. Your dog's reservation may be bumped down a number of weeks to accommodate fitting in another student's complete Adventure Camp enrollment into the gap made by your reschedule request.

Once your dog's Adventure Camp package has started, THERE CAN BE NO REFUNDS, CREDITS, or RESCHEDULES GIVEN for no-shows or cancellations of your dog’s Adventure Camp enrollment.

Private Lessons: If you must reschedule your Private Lesson appointment, please give us a minimum of 48 hours prior to your dog's appointment time. Appointments cancelled prior to 48 hours before your appointment time will be added back to your package to be rescheduled.

Appointments cancelled within 48 hours of your appointment time will be charged to your package as half-time - i.e. if you have an 60 minute appointment scheduled and you cancel the day before your appointment, you will be charged for a 30 minute appointment, and 30 minutes will be added back to your package for rescheduling.

No-show and last minute (within 2 hours of your appointment time) cancellations will be charged to your package fully as scheduled.

Private Lesson Packages are non-refundable and non-transferable to other services except at your trainer's sole discretion. If, after your dog has attended a few lessons of your Private Lesson Package, we determine that this service is not the best fit for your dog’s needs, we will work with you to apply the remainder of your package credit to a more suitable service. All Private Program package sales are final - no refunds can be given for sessions left unused or expired.

Group Classes: If you must cancel or reschedule your group class enrollment, please give us a minimum of 7 days notice prior to the start date of your class so that we can offer your spot to other clients who are waiting to schedule with us.   There is no charge for reschedules or cancellations made more than 7 days in advance, except a 4% processing fee on any credit card refunds issued.

There are no refunds (or class credit) given for cancellations made within 7 days of the start of your class UNLESS there is a waiting list for the class and we are able to fill your spot with another student.  

There are no refunds (or class credit) given for cancellations made after the class has started. If, after the class has started, your class instructor feels that a different service would be more suitable to what you and your dog need, the prorated balance of your tuition may be applied to the tuition of that different service. Tuition transfers are granted at the instructor's discretion only. Personal decisions not to continue to attend a class will not be awarded a credit for another service.

Thank you for your understanding and commitment to these policies. This helps to ensure that our time is used most efficiently and we are able to help as many clients as possible. It is also the best practice to help you reach your training goals with your dog as efficiently as possible. Please keep in mind that if you do need to cancel or reschedule your lesson and thus forfeit the lesson time, you may also need to add additional time to your Private Program package in order to reach your training goals.

Refunds are subject to our cancellation policy (see above). There are no refunds for portions of group classes that are missed due to personal scheduling conflicts or not attended for other reasons.  All private lesson package sales are final - no refunds can be given for sessions left unused or expired. All other refunds issued are minus a 4% processing fee.

If you or your dog are ill, please do not come to your class or private lesson! We do our very best to make rescheduling and makeup class accommodations for students facing these challenges. If your dog has any of the following symptoms, please stay home and check in with your veterinarian: vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy, inappetence (if abnormal), fever, sneezing, coughing, wheezing, discharge from eyes/nose/mouth, or any other out-of-the-ordinary symptoms. If your dog has been diagnosed with kennel cough, please wait 7 days from the last symptoms and get a clearance (verbal or written) from your veterinarian prior to returning to class or private lessons at the training room. If your dog has been diagnosed with parvovirus, please discuss with your veterinarian and your training instructor about the best plan to return to class safely once they have returned to health.

If a class is cancelled due to inclement weather, that decision will be made (and students notified via email) no later than 2 hours prior to the scheduled class start time, unless the students have been previously notified to be on "stand-by" for a last minute decision.  In the case of a canceled class, SDT will either 1) Offer a specific makeup class at a time convenient to at least half of the affected students OR 2) Offer affected students a voucher for a free drop-in session in a future class of the same type as the one they are enrolled in.  

Children are welcome to attend group classes and private training sessions under the supervision of an adult.  For children under the age of 10, a second, non-participating adult must be present with the children while on the premises.  Children under the age of 17 may not, under any circumstances, be dropped off with the dog to participate in class in the absence of a parent or guardian.  

In order to attend group classes or private lessons at our facility, your dog must be current on vaccinations according to your veterinarian’s recommendations.  Rabies and DHPP (or titers showing immunity) are required, and we strongly recommend that your dog also be current on Bordetella and Canine Influenza vaccinations.  

Dogs should be leashed when entering and exiting the training facility, and owners are responsible for cleaning up after their own dog while on the premises, including the parking lot and gravel and grass potty areas.