Dog Training in Greenwich, CT

If your dog runs the wire at the deer all afternoon, lunges on the Avenue, barks at the gate when the landscaper's truck comes through, and comes back from Tod's Point when he is finished rather than when he is called, you have a Greenwich dog. He probably also behaves differently for the nanny, the housekeeper, the dog walker and the two of you.

A Greenwich dog is rarely under-trained. He has usually had a trainer, sometimes two, and he has learned from each of them exactly how much he can get away with. What he has never had is one household speaking with one voice, and a person in it he defers to because of who that person is to him. Shawn Hines has spent more than thirty years training dogs and more than fifteen running Best Buddy Dog Training, and that is what he teaches Greenwich families to become, all of them, including the staff.

Dog Training Problems We See in Greenwich

Everyone who holds the leash

A dog with four handlers follows the one who means it least often, which is to say nobody. When everyone in the house works from the same plan, he has one set of rules, and he keeps them, in town and at the weekend house.

The gate

A buried wire keeps him on the land and tells him nothing about what you want. The dog you want stands at the open gate while the car comes up the drive because you told him to, with or without a collar on his neck.

The Avenue

A dog who pulls down Greenwich Avenue is leading the walk, and crossing the street at every other dog teaches him that other dogs are a worry. Walked by someone he respects, he passes the dog, the stroller, and the café tables at your side.

The deer

Backcountry dogs live among deer, and most of them chase. Shawn does not ask a dog to pretend the deer is not there. He asks him to leave it alone because you said so, and that is built on a long line long before it is tested in the woods.

The Dogs in the Pictures

There are no stock dogs on this site. They are doing what trained dogs do, for a person they respect, with no food on offer and nothing on their collars doing the work. The videos and the success stories are the proof for anyone who wants it first.

In-Home Dog Training in Greenwich, CT

In-home dog training in Greenwich comes as four private in-home sessions at your house, on your road, and wherever your dog goes wrong, and the lessons are aimed at you: by the end, you know how to train your own dog. The plan fits your dog and your home, not a template. You can reach Shawn by phone and video for the rest of the dog's life without paying more; one flat price takes in up to five dogs in the same household, and nothing is added later. If you have followed the plan and need more sessions, they are part of it. In Connecticut, that price is $2,250.

Board-and-Train

Some dogs do better starting over somewhere else. With board-and-train the dog lives in Shawn's house for four to six weeks and works every day. Aggressive dogs, guarders, severely reactive dogs, chronically anxious dogs and dogs who have bitten are who it is for. The dog travels with Shawn both ways, and follows with three optional reintegration sessions at your home and follow-up that does not run out. It costs $2,500 to $5,000, according to the dog, and the figure is settled before any date is held.

Greenwich Owners Ask

Four different people handle him. Who needs to be there?
Everyone who holds the leash. The dog gets one set of rules.

We have a weekend house too.
The rules travel. A well-trained dog is the same dog in both houses.

He has snapped at the housekeeper.
Say exactly what happened on the phone so the first visit is planned around it.

Call Shawn

Pick up the phone and call (401) 536-7982. There is no fee and no sales talk; you get Shawn. Describe what the dog does and you will get a straight answer about the right program and the price. Monday through Friday 8am to 6pm and Saturday 9am to 5pm; if nobody picks up, leave a message.

Who you are to your dog is EVERYTHING

Shawn Hines
Dog Trainer, Best Buddy Dog Training