Dog Training in Warwick, RI

Warwick is a city of neighborhoods that each face a different piece of water: the seawall and the clam-cake line at Oakland Beach, the point and the gulls at Conimicut, the long driveways of Warwick Neck and Cowesett, the small yards and close neighbors of Buttonwoods and Apponaug. Most calls for dog training in Warwick come from owners who have quietly stopped taking the dog to those places, one at a time, until his world is the yard and the back seat of the car.

None of that is the dog's fault and all of it can be changed. A dog who drags you along the seawall or bolts across the fields at Goddard has never been shown that you decide. Best Buddy Dog Training builds trust and respect between you and the dog and lets the obedience follow from it; that is what we mean by dog training in Rhode Island, and Shawn Hines has done it with Best Buddy Dog Training for fifteen years on top of more than thirty with dogs.

Warwick Dogs, Neighborhood by Neighborhood

Goddard, the horses and the dog who runs the fields

Goddard Memorial State Park has open fields, bridle trails, a beach on Greenwich Bay and, most mornings, a dozen dogs on leads of every length. It is where a Warwick dog finds out what he thinks of horses, and what he thinks of coming back. Most dogs return when there is nothing better on offer; that is not a recall, it is a coincidence. The dog who leaves a horse on the trail or geese on the sand the moment you call him does it because he trusts and respects you. Come when called, stay where told, go away from you or anything you choose: a dog who does those three things has most of what you need.

The seawall at Oakland Beach and the point at Conimicut

Oakland Beach on a summer evening is a line for clam cakes, a seawall two people wide and dogs on retractable leads. Conimicut Point is gulls, open sand and the lighthouse out in the water. In both places the same dog shows up: out in front, leash tight, towing an owner who calls him “strong.” He is not strong. He is leading, which is what pulling is: an imbalance in the relationship between handler and dog, with the leash doing restraint when its job is guidance. Put that right and he walks beside you with the leash slack or with no leash, and drops back three to six feet behind you on your word.

City Park, Rocky Point and the dog passing dog

Warwick City Park has a paved loop and Rocky Point has a wide path along the water where the amusement park used to stand. Both produce the dog who has decided a passing dog is his business. Owners shorten up or turn around, and the dog learns that other dogs make his person nervous, which confirms his opinion. Nobody is asking him to make friends, and nobody is asking him to pretend the other dog is not there. He has to leave it alone and keep walking at your side, and a dog who respects you does that without being told twice.

Chain-link in Buttonwoods, wire in Warwick Neck

Buttonwoods, Apponaug and the streets off West Shore Road have small lots and a chain-link fence shared with the neighbor's dog, and the two of them run the line all day under the planes coming into the airport. On Warwick Neck and in Cowesett the lots are bigger and the fence is invisible, and the dog charges it at every walker. Both fences keep the dog on the property and nothing more. The electronic one is impersonal and teaches the dog nothing about what you want; it is simply an invisible way of keeping him in the yard. Who he answers to at the line is a separate question, and the answer should be you.

What You Are Looking At

Look at the photographs on this page and then at the videos. There is not a stock image among them. Every dog is one Shawn trained or is training now, off leash among other dogs, still while strangers walk past, with nothing in anyone's hand and nothing on the neck but a collar. Watch the training videos for the standard; the success stories are Rhode Island owners describing the dog they live with now.

In-Home Training Across Warwick

Shawn works with you and your dog over four private sessions, at the house and in the places the dog has been avoiding: the seawall, the loop at City Park, the fence line, the front door. You get a customized obedience and behavior plan for your dog and your household, lifetime follow-up at no additional charge, one flat price for up to five dogs under one roof, and nothing hidden.

In Rhode Island the in-home program is $2,000. The standard we hold a trained dog to is spelled out under philosophy and benchmarks.

Four to Six Weeks with the Pack

For the dog who has bitten, guards the couch or cannot pass another dog without exploding, board and train is the answer: four to six weeks in Shawn's house, out every day with his pack in stores and parks and on sidewalks, so the obedience is proven in public before the dog comes home. Shawn does the pickup and the delivery personally, then comes to your home three times to hand the leadership over to you, and the follow-up after that is for life. It is built for aggression, resource guarding, severe reactivity, chronic anxiety and the dog other trainers have given up on; $2,500 to $5,000 depending on the dog, settled on the phone.

Warwick Puppies

Between eight weeks and six months a puppy is working out what the rules are, and if nobody tells him, he writes his own. In that window housebreaking, the crate, his name and the front door go in with very little effort. The right time to start is right away, and it starts with a phone call.

What Warwick Owners Want to Know

He is fine at home. It is only on the walk that he is a problem.
At home nothing is asked of him. The walk asks, and his answer is the honest one.

He jumps on everyone who comes to the door. He just loves people.
Jumping on guests, strangers or children is not “friendly.” It is disrespect, and it is dangerous. A trained dog moves away and stays away until told otherwise.

Is he too old? He is seven.
No. Older dogs have more habits, not less ability.

Call Shawn About Your Dog

Call (401) 536-7982 for a free phone consultation. Tell Shawn what your dog does at the door, on the seawall and at the fence, and he will tell you plainly what he would do and what it would cost. He picks up weekdays from 8am to 6pm and Saturdays from 9am to 5pm, and returns messages left outside those hours.

Who you are to your dog is EVERYTHING

Shawn Hines
Dog Trainer, Best Buddy Dog Training