My business is called The Gentle Canine.

I serve the Durango area including Pagosa Springs and Silverton.

I like to use the tools of technology to help me as a dog trainer.

Video is a wonderful way to sit back and see what's really happening in a dog situation so we can make good choices about what might need changing instead of bullying through it.

What do you see as these dogs play? (I'll tell you what I see after the video.)

In this video I want you to notice a few things.

The game of chase switches roles between the chasee and the chaser.

The little dog (Macho the Chihuahua) stays on the outside of the game - he's not into the heavy chase, but he's happy to referee.

The dogs all have soft open mouths and no signs of stress on their faces. There aren't any stiff body postures.

Right near the end both dogs do a full body shake.

Larry (the big white dog in the end) is squinting as much as he can to tell Macho the Chihuahua that this play is over.

Macho ignores this signal, but Larry is steadfast and finally Macho gets it.

This is healthy dog play. No one lingers too long in one position on the field and the game breaks up after 1 minute.

In the middle of the video you see that Joey hurts his paw. He was fine afterward, we checked him all out.

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My Training style is not really a style (and it's not even mine), but it falls into the category of being hands off. That simply means I'm not going to force your dog into anything he or she doesn't want to do. Don't confuse force free with lack of effectiveness or compliance - and don't confuse that with lack of boundaries and goals. My job is to train your dog and teach you how to follow through so you get results AND you end up with a partnership.

Do you even need a dog trainer?

Here's the deal. There are many places to look for information on training your dog - Television, YouTube, Websites, Facebook Pages - but if you don't know what you are looking for it's overwhelming.

You've got people saying you can't do it this way or you have to do it that way. How do you know which is right? You've probably even tried some things and they might have worked in the beginning but now they don't work at all. Maybe they never worked.

A Professional Dog Trainer can help you weed through all the crap (yes - I said crap) and get on a program to success. I study this stuff - all day - everyday. I know what other trainers have tried and what doesn't work. I even know why.

If you have questions about your dog - get those question answered. It's peace of mind more than anything. I'll answer your questions honestly. I am pretty level headed. I won't criticize you for trying something or not asking for help sooner. I just want what is best for you and your dog.

Read through the website and if you have more questions or want to get started, please fill out the contact form and I will personally respond as soon as possible.