The Private Virtual Dog Training Program

Goodbye self-doubt and information overload, hello peace of mind

Do you want…

  • A customized dog training plan?
  • To be able to text a dog trainer any time you have a question?
  • To be able to send us video of you working with your dog, so we can give you some friendly feedback and help you improve your skills?

The private coaching program might be right for you!

As your coach, I (Jake) will be there to guide you every step of the way and show you exactly what to do with YOUR unique dog, and make things work for your life and family.

Imagine:

  • Knowing exactly what to do and when.
  • Being able to send us clips of your dog’s behavior, and getting an answer on whether it’s normal or not.
  • Not having the nagging voice in the back of your head asking “am I ACTUALLY doing this right, or am I going to ruin my new dog forever?”
  • Having the encouragement and support of someone who’s been there, who gets it, and who will never judge you for having moments of wishing your demon puppy would just disappear.

With us on your training team, you can stress less and just focus on enjoying life with your dog.

We specialize in:

The puppy blues

Survive the hyper crazy bitey phase and actually have fun with your puppy.

Newly-adopted rescue dogs

Help them settle in, learn good habits, and overcome common rescue dog issues like fearfulness and over-excitement.

Taming teenage dogs

Get your wild child to chill out, focus, and do what you say.

Stubborn, independent dogs

Your dog prefers to chart their own course and only listens when they feel like it? No problem.

Food aggression and resource guarding

Get your dog to trust you and stop growling, snapping, or biting when you approach their stuff.

Don't see your specific issue listed?

We can help with a variety of training and behavior challenges. Fill out this form and we’ll let you know if we think we’re the right fit.

River Jake at cafe

The full coaching package: now open for enrollment!

What's included?

How does it work?

At the initial consult, us humans will chat (your dog doesn’t need to be present). We’ll ask you lots of questions and take a thorough history so we can give you the most accurate advice possible. We’ll answer your questions, discuss your goals, and work with you to create a plan of attack.

In many cases, we’ll ask you to show us around your house and yard, so we can adjust our behavior modification plan to best fit the layout of your home, and take into consideration any distractions and “danger zones” that may be present. (You can send us photos, if you’d prefer)

At the first session, we’ll also set up your access to the “Text a Trainer” service. (More on this below)

After that, you have three more coaching sessions that you can schedule at a time that works for you. Most students find it helpful to schedule one session per week, but you have up to six weeks (from the date of the initial consult) to use them.

After each session, I’ll send you homework to work on, and we’ll usually ask you to send us footage of your training sessions so we can give you pointers and adjust things as needed.

 

Text a Trainer: Like having your own personal dog training team in your pocket

Gone are the days where you have to wait a whole week between training classes to get help from your trainer. 

Say goodbye to just hoping and praying you’re doing it right, or getting stuck when things don’t go according to plan.

With text support, you get quick feedback so you know exactly what to do every day.

How does text support work?

The full coaching package includes text support until all four of your Zoom sessions are complete.

You can ask questions, give us training updates, and send us clips of any weird dog body language you’re not sure of. Jake or Erin will respond within 24 hours, during business hours.

And even if you don’t have questions, we’ll check in with you a couple times a week to help you stay on track!

We use Whatsapp for this. Whatsapp is a free, secure messaging app available for both iOS and Android devices.

What does the coaching package cost?

Price: $497 (USD)

What our clients say:

Susan writes: Jake, you and Erin are fabulous - thank you for all these great resources. I plan to use all of them and am so happy I found 3 Lost Dogs. Also, congratulations to you and Erin - what a wonderful team/couple you make! Best, Susan and Molly
Danielle writes: Hi Jake! Thank you so much for your time video chatting with me last week. I wanted to follow up and let you know that adding the mental stimulation has worked wonders for Ollie! He is doing so well with the Baby Obedience training, it's amazing how quickly he learns. Thank you again for your help - I would recommend 3LostDogs to anyone with a new puppy! You guys are amazing and have saved our sanity...Ollie is definitely growing into a well behaved and under control puppy! Of course he had his wild moments, but it's so much more enjoyable to play with him during these times when they last for a little while, and not all day long. Thanks again and I will be in touch if we get stuck again!!
Heather writes: Jake & Erin You guys are the best! Went to REI earlier today and picked up the Ruffwear front range harness. With the technique in the training video, roasted chicken and the lick mat, I was able to successfully put Odin's harness on with out any biting or fussing. He was calm and not panting! Thank you so much. We are looking forward to getting started on the rest of our homework 😀 Have a great weekend!

Ready to get started?

You can sign up right away via the form below. If you have questions first, check out the FAQ or send us a message.

Price: $497 (USD)

(Prices are in USD)

This includes:

 

Before you register:

Please read the Virtual Coaching Agreement.

Important: After you register, watch your email inbox for an email about scheduling your first consult.

FAQ

That’s something we’ll determine at your initial 90-minute consult. It largely depends on the type of behavior issue we’re working on, and your unique learning style.

Some people do best training their dog on camera, and getting live demonstrations and immediate feedback from us (just like what would happen at an in-person coaching session).

Others prefer to spend the Zoom sessions just talking through their current challenges, troubleshooting, taking notes, and discussing the next step. They can then work through their training homework on their own and send us the footage later.

Nope, take your time!

The six week coaching period does not begin until you’ve completed your first session (the initial consult). So there’s no rush. Sign up now, and schedule your first session at a time that works for you.

Most of our clients, especially our new-puppy parent or rescue adopter clients, find four sessions is enough to get them on track. 

After your private coaching sessions and Text a Trainer support ends, you’ll continue to have access to our self-study courses, group coaching sessions, and forums for the remainder of your year-long membership.

If you’re dealing with complex issues like food aggression or reactivity, you’ll probably need additional private training support.

Additional coaching sessions can be purchased later on.

Yep! Your coaching registration fee will be prorated to reflect what you’ve already paid.

Just make sure you’re logged into your existing account, and the registration form (above) should automatically adjust the price for you. If it doesn’t, email me at contact@3lostdogs.com.

Thanks for asking! Broadly speaking, our methods fall into the force-free category. We’ve found this to be the most effective way to build a strong bond with your dog and get them to want to listen to you, while minimizing the chances they’ll develop aggression-related behavior problems.

We teach you how to properly use positive reinforcement (like food, play, and real-life rewards), to teach your dog exactly what you want them to do, while avoiding common mistakes dog owners make that cause positive reinforcement to fail.

In many cases, especially when training important skills like recall (aka come when called), we also employ classical conditioning to create a strong, positive response in your dog. You know how there are certain words or phrases, like “want a treat?” “dinner time,” “let’s go for a walk,” that make dogs snap to attention and say “HELL YES I WANT A TREAT/DINNER/WALK?” 

You’ll learn how to condition that same response when your dog hears their recall cue.

We also teach you how and when to use enrichment, exercise, redirection, and management to further improve your dog’s behavior and create good habits.

Where appropriate, we use desensitization, habituation, and counter-conditioning to deal with behavior issues that are based in fear, aggression, overexcitement, or poor early socialization. We go at the dog’s pace and do not force them into situations they aren’t ready for. (In technical terms, we don’t use “flooding”)

If any of that sounds daunting or makes your eyes glaze over, don’t worry: we have a bunch of frameworks, exercises, and games in our program to show you exactly how to do all this. Our methods aren’t just dog-friendly, they’re human-friendly, too.

We do not use: Aversives like spray bottles, scary noises, collar corrections or physical punishment. Because while those methods sometimes work to stop unwanted behavior in the short term, they often create worse behavior or even aggression in the long term, and make it harder to build a strong bond.

But if you’re already using aversive methods? No worries! When you join our program, we meet you where you’re at and we can help you gradually remove the need for those corrections.

Of course. In fact, we encourage it! Everyone can attend the coaching sessions and work through the online courses we recommend as part of your training homework.

For the Text a Trainer service, we’ll set up a Whatsapp group chat and any family/household members age 18+ can be added, so they can ask us questions directly and submit training homework as well.

 

Sure! Fill out the form below OR send an email to contact@3lostdogs.com and I will personally get back to you. – Jake

Contact us

Questions about whether the program is right for you? Send us a message and tell us a bit about your dog and what you’d like to work on, and we’ll get back to you within 24 hours.

(You can also DM us on Instagram @threelostdogs)