Dog Training in Beverly, MA

Beverly is a beach town with a commuter schedule. The dog might spend the day alone while the house empties for the 7:40 out of Beverly Depot, get walked down Cabot Street at dusk, and let off the leash at Dane Street Beach or Lynch Park on a Saturday in November, and he is expected to be composed through all three. Dog training in Beverly, for us, means a dog who can be left without wrecking the house, walked downtown without towing anyone, and trusted on the sand to come back the first time he is called.

That dog is made by changing what he thinks of the people he lives with. Shawn Hines, who has more than thirty years' experience and more than fifteen running Best Buddy Dog Training, has built that relationship for families on the North Shore from Beverly and Marblehead to Andover, and for owners anywhere who are looking for dog training in Massachusetts.

Beverly, as the Dog Sees It

Dane Street Beach, Lynch Park and the recall that fails at low tide

In the off-season the beaches at Lynch Park and Dane Street are Beverly's dog parks, and a dog loose on them is tested by every gull, every other dog and every low tide that opens up a quarter mile of sand. The dog who returns when he has run out of gulls is not coming when called. The dog who turns off a running gull because you said his name once is, and that is the only dog who should be off leash on the sand.

Cabot Street at dusk and the leash that is always tight

Downtown Beverly in the evening is restaurant doors opening, the crowd outside the Cabot letting out and cyclists coming off the Rail Trail. A dog who pulls down Cabot Street is not excited by it. He is leading. Pulling is an imbalance in the relationship between the handler and the dog, and the leash has become a restraint instead of a guide. Set that right and the same dog walks Cabot Street beside you on a slack leash, or none, and falls back three to six feet behind you on a word.

The commuter rail and the dog who is left

The house empties at seven and the dog is alone until six, and what he does in between gets called “separation anxiety” by everyone with an opinion. Mostly it is a dog who was never taught to be still and has no leader to be still for. A dog who holds a down-stay outside the kitchen while you cook can hold one while you leave, because teaching your dog to maintain space and movement on your command builds calmness and confidence.

Independence Park and the dog who greets the whole seawall

The lawn and seawall at Independence Park are where Beverly walks on a summer evening, with strollers, toddlers and people sitting on the grass at the dog's eye level. The dog who runs up and plants his feet on all of them is called friendly. It is a dog who has never been told that people are not his to climb on, and on a toddler it is dangerous. A trained dog leaves strangers alone until you say otherwise, and when you tell him to lie down on the grass, he stays while the park goes on around him.

No Stock Dogs, Only Shawn's

Every dog pictured on this site was trained by Shawn or is in training with him today. The pictures and videos show them as they are: off leash among other dogs, lying still while strangers and animals pass, walking through public places with no treat in sight. The videos show the standard we train to, and the success stories are the owners of those dogs explaining what living with them is like now.

In-Home Training on the North Shore

Shawn comes to your home in Beverly for four private sessions and works where the dog has to get it right: the kitchen, the front door, Cabot Street and the beach. He creates a customized obedience and behavior plan for the dog and for your household, with lifetime follow-up at no additional charge. In Massachusetts the program is $2,250, one price for up to five dogs in the home, with nothing hidden in it. The in-home program page has the rest, and the philosophy and benchmarks page is what we hold ourselves and the dog to.

Board and Train from Beverly

The dog who has gone after another dog on the beach, who guards the house or the car without being told to, or who destroys the place when he is left may need to go away for a while. The board and train program is four to six weeks living with Shawn and training daily with his pack in public places, after which Shawn drives the dog home to Beverly himself and comes back for three reintegration sessions at your house with lifetime follow-up beyond that. It costs $2,500 to $5,000 depending on the dog, agreed on the phone before any date is set.

A Beverly Puppy

A puppy who arrives in Beverly at eight weeks can be trained by six months to relax in the crate, the housebreaking schedule, his name, the front door and, in a commuter's house, how to be left alone without falling apart. All of that goes in easily now and with difficulty later. The right time to start is right away, and it begins with a phone call.

Beverly Owners Ask

We both commute to Boston. Can he learn to be left all day?
Yes. A dog can learn to accept your departure with trust and calmness, and your return with calm, respectful happiness.

He is good off leash until another dog shows up on the beach.
Then his recall is conditional, and a conditional recall is not one. He has to come away from the other dog because you called, and that is what we build.

We rescued him and he has a history we do not know.
That is common, and it does not change the approach. He does not need his past explained; he needs a leader now.

Call Shawn

The free phone consultation is the starting point: (401) 536-7982. Tell Shawn about the dog, the commute and what happens on the beach, and he will give you a straight answer about what he would do and what it costs. Weekday hours are 8–6, Saturday 9–5, and a message left at any hour is returned.

Who you are to your dog is EVERYTHING

Shawn Hines
Dog Trainer, Best Buddy Dog Training