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Positive Reinforcement vs. Punishment
Research shows that focusing on positive reinforcement when a desired behavior occurs and not worrying about correcting bad behavior in dogs is more effective and has longer-lasting results than training that incorporates punishment for bad behavior.
Positive dog training in Lancaster works because dogs are inherently eager to please. Rewarding your dog for good behavior helps create a deep, loving relationship with your dog built on trust, as opposed to one built on fear of punishment. The difference between a dog who has been trained to obey out of fear of being punished vs. a dog who learns to obey through a positive, loving bond with their owner is huge.
Dog Training Elite Greater Philadelphia trainers use treats as an initial reward for puppies and dogs learning commands. When the trainer is absent, or you’re in between obedience classes, you can continue to use treats as a reward for your dog when they exhibit a desired behavior. Dogs tend to be highly food-motivated, so this is an extremely useful tool. You can also reward your dog with a play session, take them to the dog park or anything else you know your dog enjoys. After all, you know your dog best!
Not all training packages may be available at our Dog Training Elite Greater Philadelphia location, please reference our pricing page for complete information on services offered.
Silver
$1,295
- In-Home Training SessionsOne-on-one & personalized 3 Sessions
- Group Park Training Sessions 3 Months
- Come
- Heel (walk with you, loose leash no pulling)
- Sit(next to you & off leash at a distance)
- Place(go to bed)
- Quiet(stop excessive barking & whining)
- Off(furniture when desired)
Gold
$1,795
- In-Home Training SessionsOne-on-one & personalized 5 Sessions
- Group Park Training Sessions 6 Months
- Come
- Heel (walk with you, loose leash no pulling)
- Sit(next to you & off leash at a distance)
- Place(go to bed)
- Quiet(stop excessive barking & whining)
- Off(furniture when desired)
- Down(lay next to you & off leash at a distance)
- Load Up (go into kennel, car, or dog house)
- Manners, Safety & Boundaries
- Calm Anxiety & Build Confidence
- Housebreaking / Potty Training
- STOP Jumping on People
- STOP Mouthing & Nipping
- STOP Chewing & Digging
- STOP Begging & Stealing Food
- STOP Bolting Through Doors & Running Away
- STOP Chasing Animals, Cars & Bikes
- STOP Reactivity (dog & human)
Platinum
$2,995
Platinum offers advanced obedience/behavioral modification with a goal of off-leash control. Includes additional training options and offers more one-on-one and group sessions than Gold.
- In-Home Training SessionsOne-on-one & personalized 8 Sessions
- Group Park Training Sessions Unlimited
- Come
- Heel (walk with you, loose leash no pulling)
- Sit(next to you & off leash at a distance)
- Place(go to bed)
- Quiet(stop excessive barking & whining)
- Off(furniture when desired)
- Down(lay next to you & off leash at a distance)
- Load Up (go into kennel, car, or dog house)
- Manners, Safety & Boundaries
- Calm Anxiety & Build Confidence
- Housebreaking / Potty Training
- STOP Jumping on People
- STOP Mouthing & Nipping
- STOP Chewing & Digging
- STOP Begging & Stealing Food
- STOP Bolting Through Doors & Running Away
- STOP Chasing Animals, Cars & Bikes
- STOP Reactivity (dog & human)
- *Stay With You on a Jog or Bike Ride (off-leash)
- *Emotional Support Dog Training(ESA)
- *Control Aggression(dog & human)
- *Calm Extreme Anxiety(behavioral modification)
Positive Dog Training in Lancaster
As for not worrying about bad behavior – it may feel strange to act like everything is fine when your dog chews on your shoes, or goes to the bathroom inside your home. But focusing on rewarding good behavior and forgoing punishment for bad behavior is more successful in the long run.
Relying on punishment for errors and “low value” rewards, such as praise or petting are long held “traditional” methods for dog training. Punishments like flicking a dog’s nose, shocking them with a shock collar, or anything else that may cause a dog pain are unfortunately still in use today by many dog trainers.
Not only is it inhumane, but using punishment as a tool can actually backfire. For example: punishing a dog for going to the bathroom inside a house won’t teach them to go outside instead. Often, the dog only understands that the mess makes their owner mad. Instead of going outside, the dog is likely to continue to make messes indoors — where the owner can’t find them.
Punishment training also damages the relationship between dog and owner. Dogs do not understand right and wrong. Instead of associating punishment with a specific behavior they learn to avoid, as with the bathroom example, they instead learn to live in constant fear of punishment. This prevents owners from bonding with their dogs in a meaningful way.
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Our Balanced Theory
We base our training around the "Classical Conditioning" model (a.k.a. "Pavlovian" or "respondent conditioning"). This includes developing conditioned or automatic reflexes to commands. In its simplest form (after proper conditioning), when the owner says "sit," the dog automatically sits without thinking about it. Our unique techniques ensure our program is a success no matter what behavior we encounter.
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Empowering Owners
We empower Owners to train so their dog knows who to obey at all times. -
Personalized
We deal with problem behaviors on a personal basis. -
Environment Specific
We train wherever issues tend to arise (i.e. jogging, park, home).
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Supportive
We support Owners in the off-hours (when training is "not in session"). -
Involved
We work with all members of the household. -
Simplified & Customized
We plan training around the owner's schedule and require only 20 min/day follow-up practice.
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Continued Training
Additional programs / group sessions offered after in-home training. -
Lifetime Investment
We follow up & are invested in the owner's success long-term. -
Satisfaction Ratings
Our high client satisfaction rating sets us apart from competitors.
clas·si·cal con·di·tion·ing PSYCHOLOGY noun
A learning process that occurs when two stimuli are repeatedly paired; a response that is at first elicited by the second stimulus and is eventually elicited by the first stimulus alone.
We help your dog become a valued companion and beloved member of the family. Read what our customers have to say and then give us a call!
We had the best experience with Elite Dog Training! I could not be happier! Our trainer, Toni, was amazing to work with. We have seen great improvement in our dogs behavior. Worth every cent!!— Emma Cooper
Posted November 7th 2023
I can not say enough about Toni and Betsy! I have had dogs all of my life and this is the first time that I am so Proud to have a really well behaved dog. I get compliments about my dog Sadie all the time. She is our first service dog that we trained through dog training elite and we are very pleased with their program! I now have the tools for life! I highly recommend Dog Training Elite Philadelphia/Lancaster! Thank you so much Toni and Betsy! Rachelle and Bryan Storm— Rachelle Storm
Posted October 15th 2023
My GSD is aggressive with other dogs and children. The only dog training company I could find to work with her was Dog Training Elite! Lizzy is flowing the commands that were taught to us in our one on one sessions, has now started group sessions and did so well in her first session and climbed up and sat with the grandson for the first time! The trainers are so knowledgeable with dog training and they care about the dogs and families they help!! The best investment I ever made!! I highly recommend Dog training Elite with Betsy and her trainers!! All I can say is thank you for saving our dog!!!— Ramona Lunger
Posted August 21st 2023
I contacted many different dog trainers in the Lancaster area, but none of them was willing to work with dogs that had aggression issues with the exception of Dog Training Elite! I was afraid I would have to give up Lizzy my GSD because of her aggression toward children and other dogs. Then Betsy and Audra showed up at my door, assessed Lizzy and agreed to take her on!! Lizzy is doing so well with the commands and her confidence level has grown so much that she was playing with our grandson for the first time! These trainers are professional and know what they are doing!! And they love the dogs they train! I am no longer worried about losing Lizzy! All I can say is thank you for saving my dog!— Ramona Lunger
Posted August 21st 2023
This was one of the best investments I’ve ever made. I have a Bernese Mountain Dog who used to pull on walks, wouldn’t come, would only listen to commands when he wants to, he is now public access certified and we get compliments all the time on how well behaved he is for a one year old puppy. Not only is he a well trained dog, I feel like my relationship with him is so much stronger because we worked and still work together on training every day. I tell everyone with dogs about Dog Training Elite. Could not recommend this company enough!— Brittany Ritter
Posted July 23rd 2023
I rescued my hound (we live in Philadelphia) about a year ago and it had been a rollercoaster with behaviors, anxiety and scary runaways. Choosing Dog Training Elite has greatly improved all of these issues. With Rubies patience, knowledge and guidance I can whole heartedly say that my girl is better than I could have ever hoped for. She has so much more confidence, the mental stimulation from training and having a job makes her happy and tired, and I feel like we have developed a stronger bond based on trust and obedience. In just a couple of months my once runaway can be trusted off-leash and is hyper focused on me and my commands. The e-collar has been incredible. When I put it on my dog in the morning before we walk she immediately understands that is it time to “work” aka listen. I could not be happier with our training experience or more grateful for Rubie!— Samantha Ortolano
Posted July 9th 2023
These trainers are absolutely amazing! Toni worked with Teddy our station dog and now he serves his community! Thank you ladies!!— Kristen Kovacs
Posted July 3rd 2023
Betsy and Audra have been incredible. We are working with them to train our young husky as an autism service dog for our daughter. Their professionalism and kindness is beyond compare. They go the extra mile for their clients, even calling us “family.” They incorporate all of us in Layla’s training and makes sure we are comfortable before moving onto the next phase. We are so thankful for them and would recommend them to anyone!— Zak Adams
Posted May 5th 2023
We are training two of our dogs to be service dogs, one of whom is a complex guy. Betsy has done an outstanding job with them. She is highly knowledgeable, sensitive, intuitive, friendly, super responsible, and works with our specific needs. We have seen instant and dramatic improvement, which makes our lives so much easier and enjoyable with the dogs. And they are having fun, too--they just love her, and so do we. We all look forward to training sessions! We're so grateful to Betsy for this huge improvement in our lives.Highest recommendation.— Kristin Witbeck Lee
Posted April 20th 2023
I highly recommend training with Dog Training Elite Lancaster! Betsy has an incredible knowledge base on dog behavior and how to train them with a caring attitude. I had such a hard time getting my dog to listen to be in public, but with Betsy’s methodology, we were able to have my pup listen to me 100% of the time! On top of advanced obedience training we went through the service dog training package. Her empathetic and strategic approach to successfully train my dog to do the tasks I need was incredible. Seriously life changing and I am so grateful for her help!!! 10/10 recommend!!!!— Rubie Nathanson
Posted April 20th 2023
I adore Betsy and Dog Training Elite ! She has trained our pitbull mix. When we started , she was an out of control pup that was driving me crazy !!! After the training, I can keep her under control - fabulous manners and comes every time I call her ! Sounds minor - but this has been a total life changer. I plan to train with Betsy with my next pup and all future ones. Thank you Betsy !!!!— Rachael Morinelli
Posted April 16th 2023
Proud Sponsor of The Malinois Foundation
At Dog Training Elite Greater Philadelphia, we believe that Service Dogs save lives. It is our mission to make these life-saving companions available to our Veterans, First Responders, Women Survivors, and Children with Medical Needs. Whether it be for PTSD, Mobility Support, or Special Needs, Dog Training Elite Greater Philadelphia work's with the Malinois Foundation to heal and empower these individuals with a specialized service animal, a partner in life, and a new best friend.
The Dog Training Elite Greater Philadelphia Difference
Dog Training Elite Greater Philadelphia uses modern training methods focused on positive dog training using reinforcement and bonding you and your dog. Dog Training Elite Greater Philadelphia trainers never resort to punishment to help dogs unlearn behaviors.
Through a combination of commands and an electronic collar, dogs learn to follow commands at once. The electronic collar is not a shock collar and never used to punish bad behavior. Instead, it produces a sensation like the gentle tug of a leash, and is used to help recapture the attention of a dog who gets distracted.
Dog Training Elite Greater Philadelphia’s method of focusing on positive behavior reinforcement nurtures a dog's loving and naturally obedient nature. The method is the same regardless of the situation, whether training a puppy, an older dog or a service dog.
The positive dog training method of Dog Training Elite Greater Philadelphia ensures training is a success no matter what your dog’s behavior. If you have a brand new puppy who is stubborn and smart, or an older dog who has slipped into bad habits – or perhaps never learned – after proper conditioning and working with Dog Training Elite Greater Philadelphia, when you say “sit,” your dog will automatically sit without thinking about it.
Dog Training Elite Greater Philadelphia offers specialized in-home training services so your dog gets the attention and training he or she needs, and you learn alongside them so training continues when the trainer leaves. Dog Training Elite Greater Philadelphia also offers group classes for dogs who are ready to take obedience training to the next level, and service training programs for a variety of needs.
If you’re looking to train a service dog, or just looking for a loyal four-legged companion, Dog Training Elite Greater Philadelphia will help you get there with our positive dog training. You can get started today.
Find a trainer near you and schedule a free in-home assessment!