Greenwich splits in two for a dog. North of the Merritt, in the backcountry off Round Hill Road and North Street, the properties are large, usually wired for an invisible fence, and full of deer and coyotes moving through at dusk. Down on the shoreline in Riverside, Old Greenwich, Cos Cob and Belle Haven the lots shrink, the sidewalks start, and a dog who ruled four acres meets a leashed stranger every fifty feet. Both versions produce the same phone call.
The trainer here is Shawn Hines, working on his own, fifteen-plus years in. He works in your house and on your road, never in a rented hall and never with food in his hand. No treats, no clickers, no e-collars, no prong collars. What changes the dog is who you are to him, and that is not something you can bribe into place.
"We were so impressed with the results. She came back to us listening, respectful and happy." — Anjali S., Cos Cob, CT
The Villages We Work In
Cos Cob, Riverside, Old Greenwich, Byram, Chickahominy, Glenville, Pemberwick, Belle Haven, Mead Point, and the backcountry north of the parkway. We cover the neighboring towns along the same Metro-North line as well. If you are just over the line in Port Chester or Stamford, call anyway and we will sort it out.
Where Greenwich Dogs Come Undone
- A buried wire is a boundary, not an education. Your dog learns the edge of the lawn and nothing else, and because he never has to consult you inside it, he arrives at ten months old with a very good understanding of grass and no working relationship with a person. Then a doe crosses the line and you learn what you actually have.
- The Avenue is the hardest hundred yards in town for a reactive dog. Sidewalk tables, doors opening into your path, strollers, other dogs tied outside shops. Owners cross the street, shorten the leash, and get through it. A dog who only manages the Avenue when you steer him around everything has not been trained to handle it - the handling has been outsourced to you.
- Greenwich Point is a resident park with seasonal restrictions, and Binney Park, Bruce Park and Babcock Preserve fill in around it. The dog's exercise changes shape three or four times a year while his behavior stays exactly as loose as it was. Obedience that depends on the season was never obedience.
- Between the early train out of Cos Cob or Riverside and the ride home, plenty of Greenwich dogs are on their own for ten hours with a walker somewhere in the middle. The barking at the door, the stealing, the shadowing you from room to room - that is not separation anxiety in every case. Often it is a dog with no structure and a great deal of unspent attention.
P.R.I.M.E.
Our five pillars are Proximity, Resources, Interactions, Movement and Elevation. They cover the small, constant things that tell your dog where he sits in the household: who moves for whom, who controls the good things, who starts and ends an interaction. Change those and the lunging on the Avenue starts to come apart on its own. The thinking behind it is on the philosophy and benchmarks page and in prime your dog .
In-Home Dog Training in Greenwich
Four sessions with the head trainer, in your apartment, condo or house, on the streets you use daily.
- Four personalized in-home sessions with Shawn
- A customized obedience and behavior modification plan for your dog
- Lifetime follow-up support by phone and video, no additional charge
- One flat price covering up to five dogs in the same household
- No hidden fees. Follow the plan, and any extra sessions you need are included
The Connecticut in-home price is $2,250. Details on the in-home dog training page.
When Board and Train Is the Right Call
Four to six weeks, full time, the dog living with Shawn and training daily in ordinary public places rather than a kennel run. Shawn collects him from your door and brings him home himself, so he sees the household on both ends, and three reintegration sessions follow at your house - a dog who behaves for the trainer has only done half the job. It suits aggression, resource guarding, serious leash reactivity, chronic fearfulness, bite history, and dogs other approaches have already failed. Pricing comes up on the call. See board and train.
Common Questions from Greenwich Owners
- Yes, and you can keep it. We just stop treating it as training. The fence manages the yard; the recall has to be built separately and has to work off the property.
- Then you know the difference between a dog who does what he is asked and one who does it only when nothing better is happening across the street. We use no food at all, so what you build does not evaporate when the food does.
- That is a resource and territory problem before it is a temperament problem, and it usually shows up in the doorway. It is very workable, but it needs to be worked in your doorway, not a classroom.
- Only after the recall is reliable under pressure with deer moving. Read [how to train off leash](/blogposts/how-to-train-off-leash) and then call.
Book the Consultation
Call (401) 536-7982 and talk to Shawn directly about dog training in Greenwich, CT. The consultation is free, there is no script, and nobody will push you toward a program that does not suit your dog. Office hours are Monday to Friday 8am to 6pm, Saturday 9am to 5m. Outside of those hours, call and leave a message, or reach out via the contact page. There's no training facility - every session happens at your home and in your part of town.
