Dog Training in Litchfield, CT

If your dog has more room than reasons to listen, gone across the field after a deer with your voice somewhere behind him, running the wire at the horses, or jumping on everyone who comes up the drive, you have a Litchfield County dog. Open land makes an independent dog, and independent is not the same as trained.

Country dogs live among more temptation than any suburban dog will ever see: horses, chickens, sheep, the neighbor's cattle, deer at every hedgerow. Shawn does not ask a dog to ignore any of it; that is against his nature. He asks him to leave it alone because the person he answers to has decided it is not his business. Some of the dogs in the videos are holding a down while sheep and pigs walk past, and that is the standard. Shawn Hines has spent more than thirty years training dogs and more than fifteen running Best Buddy Dog Training, and he teaches Litchfield owners how to be the person whose word outranks the deer.

Dog Training Problems We See in Litchfield

The animals

A dog who chases the chickens or runs the fence at the horses has decided they are his business. Once they are yours, he lies on the terrace while the hay wagon goes by.

The hedgerow

In an open field the distance builds quietly: twenty yards, forty, then a hedgerow between you. A dog who has never been asked to stay near you will not start when the hedgerow is in the way. That is built on a long line first.

Two or three dogs

A lot of Litchfield houses run two or three dogs who reinforce each other's habits all day. One price covers up to five, and the fix is the same for all of them: a person they answer to.

The dog who has never seen a sidewalk

A rural dog who panics on a town sidewalk, or has bitten, sometimes needs a month somewhere busier than Litchfield. That is what board-and-train is for.

The Dogs in the Pictures

Every photograph and video on this site shows a dog Shawn trained. Each one was trained by Shawn or lives with him now, and you will not find a treat or a remote anywhere in the frame. You can judge the results for yourself in the videos and the success stories.

In-Home Dog Training in Litchfield, CT

In Litchfield, in-home training means four private sessions with Shawn on your property and on the roads and trails you use, and the point of them is that you learn to train your own dog, so the results do not depend on Shawn being there. You keep phone and video access to Shawn for the dog's whole life at no added cost; a household with up to five dogs pays the one price, and nothing is tacked on later. More sessions are included if you have followed the plan and need them. The plan is built around your dog and the way your house runs. The Connecticut in-home program is $2,250.

Board-and-Train

When four visits will not be enough, there is another way. In board-and-train, the dog lives with Shawn and his pack for four to six weeks and goes to work every day in stores, parks, and on sidewalks. Shawn picks up at your door and delivers back to it, then three reintegration visits at your home make the result yours, and follow-up continues for life. This is the route for aggression, guarding, severe reactivity, deep anxiety, and a bite history. Tuition runs $2,500 to $5,000 by the dog and is agreed on the call before booking.

Litchfield Owners Ask

What does lifetime follow-up mean?
You can reach Shawn by phone and video for as long as the dog lives, at no additional charge.

We have three dogs, and they egg each other on.
One price covers all three, and the plan treats them as the pack they are.

Can he learn to leave the chickens alone?
Yes. Not to ignore them, but to leave them alone because you said so.

Call Shawn

Start with a free call to (401) 536-7982. Shawn picks up himself, and the consultation is free. Say what is going on with your dog, and he will say what he would do and what it would cost. The phone is covered weekdays 8am to 6pm and Saturdays 9am to 5pm; leave a message any other time.

Who you are to your dog is EVERYTHING

Shawn Hines
Dog Trainer, Best Buddy Dog Training