Private Obedience Packages (Obedience only, no behavior problems)

Behaviors addressed:  Sit, Down, Stand, Come, Leave-it, Wait at the Door, Loose-leash walking, Attention, Stay.

• Coaching (we coach you on how to train your dog):  Six half-hour sessions at $90 per hour ($45 per session)- $270. 
• Day Training (we come in and train your dog for you):  Two weeks, with three ½ hour training sessions plus one hour with the client each week.  Total of 5 hours at $90 per hour = $450.

Board & Train

Two weeks boarding Mon-Fri at Pacifica Pet Hospital.  Includes boarding, feeding, walking, and training the same behaviors as above, as well as a two-hour session with the owners at the end of the 2-week period, and a follow-up hour within one month of the training. 

• $600 per week.
• Dogs staying over the weekend will pay regular Pacifica Pet Hospital boarding rates for Saturday and Sunday.

Behavior Consulting: Problem Behaviors

Behaviors addressed:  Dog-dog aggression, Fearful and Anxious behaviors (noise phobias, afraid of strangers, afraid of dogs, etc.), Dog-person aggression (depending on size of dog and bite history), "Rude/Jumpy/Mouthy" dogs, housetraining issues, introducing a new pet to the household, and more.

• Initial Interview (required for all Consultations): $125
• Usual Per session price:  $100 per hour
• 3-session Package:  $270
• 5-session Package: $400

Laura Sweet

Consulting Coordinator, Instructor

Laura is a graduate of the Marin Humane Society’s Canine Behavior and Training Academy.  In addition to her coursework at Marin, Laura worked with People Understanding Pets Dog Training from 2005 until 2007 as a dog training intern.  She has also volunteered for a local dog rescue agency since 1998, fostering over 55 dogs. 

It is her work with rescue dogs that led Laura to pursue dog training and behavior consulting.  Two of her own rescue dogs, Jake and Elvis, came to her with “issues” – Jake didn’t get along with other dogs and Elvis was extremely fearful and undersocialized.  In the course of working with her own dogs, and learning how to introduce foster dogs into this existing household, she discovered a talent and a love for working with dog behavior. 

Laura’s goal when working with our clients is to help people keep their dogs in their current home and to help people improve their relationships with their dogs.  And of course, she has a special fondness for working with rescue dogs!  Laura currently shares her home with Jake, a pit-bull mix, Elvis, a Rhodesian Ridgeback, and Obie, a Ridgeback/Plotthound mix.

Loring Slivinski, BA, CPDT-KA, CTC

Director of Behavior & Training, Instructor

In 2003 Loring graduated from the San Francisco SPCA Dog Training Academy with Honors and is certified through the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers (CCPDT).  She also holds her B.A. in Human Psychology.  With experience in counseling, public relations, and over 11 years managing a veterinary hospital, she feels she was headed for this career her whole life, even if she didn't know it! 

Her initial interest in dog training was due to behavioral problems she saw in her own dog, Xena, who was what we call a "Growly Dog" - she lunged, barked, and snarled at other dogs while on leash.  Loring also has a keen interest in the workings of both the human and animal minds.

Because pets do so much to enhance our lives, Loring's goal is to foster great bonds between owners and pets, to help people improve their relationships with their pets, and to have FUN in the process.  She enjoys training her dogs Astro and Bella, both Golden Retrievers.

After our initial phone or e-mail contact we will send you an in-depth questionnaire, which must be filled out and returned to us before your first visit.  After reviewing the questionnaire, we will schedule an interview to assess your dog.  During that time we will ask you any questions we have from the questionnaire and will often work with the dog some ourselves to see what we observe.  We will also give you some preliminary exercises so that you can begin to modify your dog’s behavior right away.

Then, within 48-72 hours, we will send you a report that details the following items: a summary of the interview; the diagnosis of your dog’s behavior problem; an idea of how readily you can expect to resolve this problem; and a behavior modification plan for your dog.

Some issues are solved with only one visit, where others may require additional visits.  Additional visits are typically done on a weekly basis to check on your dog's progress and to help you fine-tune the behavior modification plan.  You are also welcome to e-mail us with any questions or problems you may be having with your plan.  Throughout the course of treatment we may need to fine-tune parts of the plan for best results, as each dog and each situation is different.