Dog Training in Middletown, RI

Middletown is the quiet middle of Aquidneck Island, and it has the two things that make a dog's life good and an owner's life hard: open shoreline and busy roads. Second Beach and Third Beach in the off-season, Sachuest Point and the Norman Bird Sanctuary trails on one side; East Main and West Main Road, Aquidneck Avenue and the Navy traffic on the other. Dog training in Middletown is usually about a dog who is wonderful on the sand and a handful everywhere in between.

Off-leash reliability is the real test of any training. A dog who only comes when called because he smells a treat or is wearing a remote collar has not learned to come; he has learned to respond to the tool. A dog who comes because he trusts you is a different animal, and that is the only kind Shawn Hines is interested in producing, in Middletown or anywhere else in Rhode Island.

Middletown, Beach to Road

Second Beach in November and a recall that has never been tested

When the beaches open to dogs for the winter, many Middletown dogs get their first real off-leash run on Sachuest, with gulls, surf, open sand and other dogs doing the same. The recall that has only ever been asked for in a kitchen is not a recall; it is a hope. The dog who turns away from the water and the other dogs because you called, and comes back calm rather than flying past, is the dog worth having, and the beach is where you find out whether you have him.

East Main Road and the dog who lunges at everything on wheels

The island's main roads carry trucks, buses, cyclists and Navy commuters, and the sidewalks run right beside them. The dog who lunges at a passing bike is not vicious. Nobody he takes seriously has ever told him that the bike is none of his business. The dog who has been told walks beside you with the leash slack while the traffic goes by, or a few feet behind you if you ask, because the leash is for guidance and he no longer needs restraining.

The Navy move and the dog who has had three houses in two years

Many Middletown families are here for a tour and then gone. The dog has had three sets of neighbors, three yards and three different ideas of where he is allowed, and he has concluded that the rules are whatever he decides today. He is not confused; nobody has stayed in charge long enough to convince him. The plan we build is the same plan at the next duty station, and so is the lifetime follow-up.

The trails, the bird sanctuary and the dog who hunts

Norman Bird Sanctuary and the Sachuest Point refuge are leash-only for a reason, and a dog who drags you down the trail after every rustle has turned the walk into a hunt. He cannot be asked to stop noticing the rustle; that is against his nature. He can be asked to let it go because the person on the leash has decided it is not his business, and a dog who respects that person lets it go.

The Standard, on Camera

Every dog pictured on this site is a dog Shawn has trained or is training, and the videos show them as they are: calm around strangers, steady beside other dogs and other animals, working off leash with no remote on the collar and no food in anyone's hand. None of it is staged. The videos are the fastest way to see what the training produces; the success stories are how Rhode Island families describe living with it.

In-Home Training in Middletown

You get Shawn four times, privately, at the house, on the road and on the sand; a written plan; lifetime follow-up wherever the next orders send you; the same price for one dog or five, and no surprises on the bill. $2,000 in Rhode Island. The in-home page explains the program and philosophy and benchmarks explains the standard.

Board and Train

The dog who needs a reset can spend between four and six weeks living and training with Shawn in board and train, collected and returned by Shawn, with three visits at home to hand him back and lifetime support; a deployment or a move can be built into the dates. For aggression, guarding, serious reactivity and the dog nothing else has reached. Expect $2,500 to $5,000 according to the dog, agreed before booking.

Middletown Puppies

A Middletown puppy who learns the beach before his name is a problem that takes years, not weeks. Eight weeks to six months is when housebreaking, the crate, his name and the front door come easily, and it is when a puppy who is never told no learns to please himself. Call before he decides for you.

Middletown Owners Ask

We are only here for a couple of years. Is it worth it?
The plan goes with you, and so does the lifetime follow-up. A dog who respects you respects you in the next house too.

She is great on the beach and terrible on the road.
Same dog. The beach asks nothing of her. The road asks, and her answer tells you who she thinks is in charge.

We took a class on base and nothing stuck.
A class run on food teaches a dog where the food is. It does not teach him to answer to you on East Main Road, and that is the only lesson that mattered.

Start with a Call

A free phone consultation is the first step: call (401) 536-7982 and tell Shawn about the dog. You will get a straight opinion on what would work and the price. Phone hours: Monday to Friday 8–6, Saturday 9–5. No answer means he is with a dog; leave a message and he will call you back.

Who you are to your dog is EVERYTHING

Shawn Hines
Dog Trainer, Best Buddy Dog Training