Dog Training in Bristol, RI

Bristol is a walking town with the best dog park in the state that is not a dog park. Colt State Park gives a dog miles of shoreline and open field; the East Bay Bike Path runs through the middle of town; Hope Street is sidewalks, porches and neighbors who all know the dog's name. It is a wonderful place to own a dog, and it is a place where a dog who pulls, lunges or ignores a recall gets found out quickly.

The Bristol dog who is a pleasure to own, the one who comes off the field at Colt the first time, settles on the porch while the neighbors stop to talk and walks the parade route on the Fourth without a scene, is not a lucky dog. He is one whose owner he takes seriously. Shawn Hines builds that in Bristol the way he has across Rhode Island for more than fifteen years: privately, at your house, with no treats and no gadgets.

Bristol Dogs, and Where They Slip

Colt State Park and the recall that only works in the yard

Colt is the first place most Bristol dogs are let off a leash, and it is a hard first exam: other dogs, geese, picnics, the water, a long open stretch to run. The dog who wanders back when nothing better is going on has not learned to come when called. The dog who breaks off from a game with two other dogs because you said his name, and comes back calm, has. Colt on a Saturday could be where you find out which you have.

The bike path through the middle of town

From Independence Park up past the high school the path is cyclists, strollers, runners and other dogs on the same twelve feet of asphalt. One bad meeting, a tighter leash at the next one, a dog who reads the tension and concludes that other dogs are a threat, and a friendly dog becomes a “reactive” one in a month. He does not need to befriend the dog coming toward him, and he does not need to act as if it is not there. He needs to let it pass and stay beside you, which a well-trained dog who trusts you will do.

Hope Street, the porch and the Fourth of July

A town that lives on its porches produces dogs who greet everyone, and a dog who jumps on a neighbor's child is not being affectionate; he is being disrespectful, and it is dangerous. Then the parade comes and the whole state is on the sidewalk. The dog who backs off the door and stays off it, or goes to the spot you choose and holds it while the crowd goes past, gets to enjoy the Fourth. The one who has to be held back by the collar spends it shut in a bedroom.

Poppasquash, the big lot and the dog who patrols it

Out on the neck and along the water the lots get large and the fencing gets invisible, and the dog at the line has learned that charging makes walkers go away. The wire cannot correct that idea. It is impersonal and tells him nothing about what you expect; it only keeps him on the property.

Proof on the Page

Every dog pictured here, and on every page of the site, is one Shawn has trained or is training: nobody is holding them, nobody is bribing them, and the videos show them loose in fields, still beside other dogs and other animals, and at ease with strangers, with no e-collar and no treat in the frame. The videos show the standard; the success stories are families telling it their way.

In-Home Training in Bristol

The in-home program is four private sessions, at your house, on the block, on the path and at Colt; a written plan for your dog and household; lifetime follow-up; one fee covers as many as five dogs; there are no extras. $2,000 in Rhode Island. Details on the in-home page; what we expect of a trained dog on philosophy and benchmarks.

Board and Train

For the dog who needs more than visits, board and train is four to six weeks as a member of Shawn's pack, tested in public before he comes home, delivered by Shawn with three reintegration visits and lifetime support. Aggression, guarding, serious reactivity, the dog other trainers could not reach. The cost depends on the dog, from $2,500 up to $5,000, and is fixed on the phone first.

Bristol Puppies

A Bristol puppy who learns the porch before he learns his name is a long road back. Eight weeks to six months is when the crate, the housebreaking schedule, his name and the door go in with little effort, and when a puppy who is never refused anything makes himself head of the house. Call while it is still easy.

Bristol Owners Ask

He is great at Colt until another dog shows up.
Then he has not learned to come. He has learned that nothing better was on offer, and at Colt something better always is.

Everyone on our street feeds him and pets him. Is that the problem?
No. The problem is that nobody has told him what the rule is. Neighbors can keep being neighbors once he knows it.

We took a group class and nothing stuck.
What he learned was the hall, the hour and the pocket. None of them come to Colt with you. The relationship does, and that is what we train.

Call for a Free Consultation

Call (401) 536-7982 and tell Shawn what your dog does at Colt, on the path or at the door. No script, no pressure, and an honest answer about whether we can help. Call during the week between 8am and 6pm, Saturday between 9 and 5, or leave a message whenever and expect a call back.

Who you are to your dog is EVERYTHING

Shawn Hines
Dog Trainer, Best Buddy Dog Training