Dog Training in Hartford, CT

If your dog barks at every footstep on the shared stairs, throws himself at the fence when the bus pulls in, drags you down Farmington Avenue past every other dog, or has made the walk something you put off, you have a Hartford dog, in the city or in West Hartford. Traffic, close neighbors, and narrow sidewalks give a dog a great deal to react to.

A dog in a three-family hears the whole building and sees the whole street, and a dog nobody is leading treats all of it as his to manage. The answer is not a quieter street. It is a dog who, when the buzzer goes, or the bus pulls in, looks to you instead of taking charge, and that is a matter of who you are to him. Shawn Hines has spent more than thirty years training dogs and more than fifteen running Best Buddy Dog Training, and he teaches Hartford owners how to be that person on the landing and on the sidewalk.

Dog Training Problems We See in Hartford

The landing

The buzzer, the stairs, the neighbor's door. A dog who announces all of it has taken a job nobody gave him. When the job is yours, he waits on the landing while the buzzer goes.

LaSalle Road and Farmington Avenue

Other dogs pass within a few feet and there is nowhere to step aside. A dog who lunges there is overwhelmed and unled rather than aggressive. Walked by someone he respects, he lets the other dog go by and keeps walking.

Elizabeth Park and the river

A dog who comes back when the game is over has a habit, and a dog without a recall has no business loose in a city. The recall is built on a leash under distraction first.

The bus stop

A dog who throws himself at the fence when the bus pulls in is on a shift of his own making. Once the yard is yours, he lies down and the bus comes and goes.

The Dogs in the Pictures

None of the dogs on this site are models or stock. Each is a dog Shawn trained, doing what he was asked because he was asked, with no treat waiting and no collar about to buzz. Before you call, the videos and the success stories will show you what the training produces.

In-Home Dog Training in Hartford, CT

In-home training in Hartford runs four private in-home sessions at your apartment or house, on your stairs and on your block, and they turn you into your dog's trainer, which is the only way the results survive. Follow-up never expires: phone and video support for the life of the dog, at no further charge; one fee covers the whole household, up to five dogs, with no hidden fees and no surprises; if you have done the work and need more sessions, they are included. There is a plan, and it is for your dog and your household alone. In Connecticut, it costs $2,250.

Board-and-Train

Weekly sessions are not the right fit for every dog. With board-and-train, the dog spends four to six weeks as a member of Shawn's pack and is worked daily in public. It is built for aggression, guarding, hard reactivity, chronic anxiety, and dogs with a bite in their history. Shawn makes the pickup and the delivery himself, then teaches you to carry it on over three reintegration sessions at your home, with support for life. Tuition is between $2,500 and $5,000, depending on what the dog needs, and is fixed on the phone.

Hartford Owners Ask

We have no yard at all.
Neither do most of the dogs in the videos. Structure matters more than space.

Do you do group classes?
No. Every program is private and built around your dog.

Do you come to West Hartford too?
Yes.

Call Shawn

Your first step is a call to (401) 536-7982. There is no fee and no sales talk; you get Shawn. Lay out the problem, and he will give you a plain answer on approach and cost. Phone hours are weekdays 8 to 6 and Saturday 9 to 5, and messages are returned.

Who you are to your dog is EVERYTHING

Shawn Hines
Dog Trainer, Best Buddy Dog Training