Reality Based Tulsa Dog Training
Our goal is to train you how to train your dog, which means that you will be successful even when we're not around! We strive to be your self-empowering choice for Tulsa dog training.
Private Lessons - Puppies and Adults
An affordable and accessible option that puts the keys to success right in the owner's hands - learn how to train directly from us, and always have expert guidance along the way! The best option for beginners is always a solid foundation through private lessons. Our Tulsa puppy training gets you started on the right paw!
Tulsa Service Dog Training
Learn how to select an appropriate service dog prospect and start them in obedience and task training. We help with problem solving and troubleshooting during your service dog partner's journey so that you are independently capable of working and maintaining your own service dog.Â
Tulsa Board and Train + Private Lessons
Send your dog on an educational retreat - board them with us as they are educated, then experience the skillbuilding of our private lessons during and after their stay. This Tulsa Board and Train program offers exceptional value.
We believe in empowering owners, building dog training as a lifetime skill, and helping dogs become good citizens through the dedicated craft of dog training
Training FAQ
What is the sequence of training at DDITC?
We begin with private lessons or a board and train with private lessons so that people new to training will have one-on-one attention and time to become confident and familiar with the training techniques. After your private lessons (6 to 10 weeks, whichever the student is most comfortable with) are completed, we graduate our students into the Advanced Drop in Classes, where you can develop your skills around other dogs and handlers. Our Advanced Drop in classes cover everything from obedience, to trick training, a working fetch, to Rally and scentwork skills, and are a lot of fun!Â
I am worried about using any training but "force free" or "positive reinforcement only" training.
The internet is full of people who tell you that if a dog experiences a correction, you are categorically abusive - then in the same sentence put a head collar on a dog that functions from the first principle of it being aversive to pull while wearing a head collar.Â
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We have studied behavioral ecology - which is the science of WHY an animal's behavior has developed and what environment shaped it. This directly debunks a lot of the popular selling points bandied about by "force free experts" - that dogs are somehow the only social species that doesn't have a social dominance hierarchy (they do), that dogs do not use pressure or corrections on each other (they do), and that they will be forever irreparably traumatized if they experience any discomfort in life (they aren't).
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We consider ourselves to be reality based trainers. Our goal is to be as kind as humanly possible, as clear, consistent, and understandable to both our students and our student dogs, but to acknowledge the reality that dogs are megafaunal carnivores and develop workable training stratagems based on safe, skilled handling, clear thinking, calm planning, and humility that allow your dog to make measurable and quick progress towards the ultimate goal of being trustworthy, calm, enjoyable companions who have the sort of skillset that allows them to go anywhere and do anything together with their humans.
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Ultimately it is always your choice, however, and we wish you the best if you choose to work with another trainer. We are not here to scare you or guilt you.
It has been demonstrated through MRI studies that affection is actually more powerfully reinforcing than the use of food for pet dogs, so our foundational obedience is based around that instead of food. I have observed that the heavy use of food rewards often makes the foundational skills very "transactional" in that dogs will withhold execution of the skills in the absence of food - which can be really dangerous, for example with off leash recall.Â
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Starting the foundational skills this way also allows us to work with dogs who are not highly food motivated, or dogs with digestive upsets that preclude the extensive use of treats.Â
Why do you only use treats for precision work instead of the foundational skills?
You don't have to! Our program always begins with traditional leash work - if owners are interested, then we will teach them how to properly overlay ecollar work on top of the language the dog already understands, usually for increased precision in offleash communication. Our ecollar work is in the tradition of Pat Nolan, and predicated on low level, fair use paired with traditional leashwork rather than the ecollar being a foundational tool.Â
I don't want to use an ecollar on my dog
We show our work - you can expect your dog to be able to run through the AKC Novice Obedience Test after ten to twelve weeks of consistent hard work on your part!
This is as science-based as it gets! Our methods (the Koehler Method of Dog Training) is a replicable sequence of exercises similar to a kata in martial arts that, practiced many times, become muscle memory for you and your dog. This method marries the science of animal behavior more realistically and closely than any other I have encountered, and the consistent results speak for themselves. Remember, I started in animal behavior science before I ever trained dogs.Â
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If you'd like to dig deeper into this, here are some great resources from other professionals so you can see I'm not coming up with this by myself:
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I am looking for science-based training
Let's define what obedience is - obedience is a language that you practice over and over again until it is mutually understood and responded to without thought. It is the language that allows you to manage your dog safely in space - so, neglecting the foundation of obedience means you're building your training relationship on shaky, unreliable ground. When you have that foundation of obedience, you can do anything with your dog afterwards. It is really worth it.Â