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Classical Conditioning

Sarasota / Venice Classical Conditioning Dog Trainers

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A dog walking on a leash after finishing a classical conditioning dog training in Sarasota / Venice, FL.

Dog Training Techniques

Classical Conditioning Dog Training in Sarasota / Venice, FL

Classical conditioning is a learning process also known as the Pavlovian method or respondent conditioning. Discovered by Russian physiologist Ivan Pavlov, classical conditioning involves developing automatic reflexes to specific conditions. This leads to creating behaviors.

Pavlov is considered to be the father of “classical conditioning.” As a matter of fact, he originally tested his theory using dogs. In an experiment, Pavlov observed dogs began to salivate not just when they received food, but when the people associated with feeding them arrived. Pavlov began to ring a bell when the dogs were presented with food. Over time, the dogs learned to associate the sound of the bell ringing with food. Their mouths would salivate whenever the bell rang.

Dog Training Elite Southwest Florida dog training techniques are based on classical conditioning dog training in Sarasota / Venice, FL to help your dog achieve deep-rooted obedience. Working with a Dog Training Elite Southwest Florida trainer , your dog will become conditioned and develop those “automatic reflexes” to commands such as sit, down, heel, break, and more.

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Dog Training Elite Southwest Florida

Training With An E-Collar

Dog Training Elite Southwest Florida NEVER uses punishments like shock collars to train dogs out of bad behavior. Dog Training Elite in Sarasota / Venice, FL does make use of an electronic collar. The use of an electronic collar is vastly different in two main ways.

The electric collar does not shock your dog. Instead, it generates a gentle electronic pulse, similar to the tug of a leash.
The electronic collar is never used to punish a dog. It is used to simply gain the attention of a dog and help them focus on the task at hand.
Other dog trainers use harsh static collars or spray collars which have been shown to be less effective.
A dog owner playing with his german shepard, learn more about our Sarasota / Venice classical conditioning dog trainers.

Sarasota / Venice Classical Conditioning Dog Trainers

Positive Reinforcement Vs. Punishment

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Traditional dog training methods rely on punishment for errors and “low value” rewards, such as praise or petting, when a dog performs a desired behavior. Dog Training Elite Southwest Florida never resorts to punishing a dog to make them unlearn bad behavior.

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 - but where the owner can’t find them.

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. The difference between a dog who has been exposed to dog training techniques used to obey out of fear vs. a dog who learns to obey through a positive, loving bond with their owner is huge.

Positive reinforcement works with dogs because they are inherently eager to please. Rewarding your dog for good behavior as you work with a Dog Training Elite in Sarasota / Venice, FL trainer to help your dog be more obedient will help you create a deep, loving relationship with your dog built on trust.

Additional Obedience Training Info

Dog Training Elite Southwest Florida - Positive Reinforcement Dog Training in Sarasota / Venice, FL

Positive Reinforcement Training

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Off Leash Training

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A women playing with her service dog in Sarasota / Venice, FL.

The Dog Training Elite Southwest Florida Difference


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Dog Training Elite in Sarasota / Venice, FL uses modern dog training techniques and methods focused on positive reinforcement and bonding you and your dog. Dog Training Elite Southwest Florida 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. Dog Training Elite Southwest Florida’s method of focusing on positive behavior reinforcement nurtures a dog's loving and naturally obedient nature.

After proper conditioning and working with Dog Training Elite in Sarasota / Venice, FL, when you say “sit,” your dog will automatically sit without thinking about it. The unique techniques of Dog Training Elite Southwest Florida ensure training is a success no matter what your dog’s behavior.

Get started training your dog today. Find a trainer near you and schedule a free in-home consultation!

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You and your canine companion really can have it all. See how easy it can be to become a member of the elite pup society by requesting a free consultation today!

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Hear From Our Customers

Learn Why Dog owners choose Dog Training Elite

  • Jacqueline Liszak
    Oct. 25, 2025
    Kelsie is amazing! We are learning so much from her! Very happy with Maddies progress. Kelsie is patient, focused and has great communication skills.
  • Frank Cioffi
    Oct. 29, 2025
    Kelsie is great! Very patient, caring and down to earth. She makes it all make sense for Rusty and myself.Couldnt ask for a better trainer.
  • Michael Hook
    Mar. 14, 2025
    Working out well😎
  • Gary Byers
    Oct. 23, 2025
    Justin is great! He goes above and beyond with us working with our dog Hoss. He has become more like a good friend since we’ve met him. Five stars for this young man!!
  • Debbie Ellen
    Sep. 17, 2025
    I cannot say enough awesome things about Anthony. He has helped me and my rescue dog Beau tremendously over the last few months. Beau has formed a great bond with Anthony and is very comfortable with him. It was great to have a male trainer because Beau was not comfortable around most men. The picture attached to this post is just a visual of just how comfortable my dog was with Anthony. He would not sit next to me after our session LOL Recently my mother passed away, and as a result I was slacking on my homework assignments. Anthony has been very patient, positive and encouraging with me throughout the process. He is thorough and really has a gift at dog training. I have to say that I have a whole new dog now. He is confident and well-mannered thanks to anthony. I would highly recommend him!
  • Paul Schur
    Sep. 6, 2025
    Anthony is very patient with us humans!
  • Paul Schur
    Aug. 19, 2025
    Anthony is fantastic...if you have any behavior you would like to modify....in my case its "Off" when he gets over rambunctious and place, when I want him to leave the grandkids alone...its well worth it. If you want an obedient and happy dog...the training is great!
  • Albert Doreste
    Aug. 18, 2025
    Jessica was our trainer for Leila, our female Cavapoo. She's truly a dog whisperer. She got Leila to do things we thought were not possible... and in no time!!! We highly recommend her.
  • Ruben Gonzalez
    Jan. 31, 2025
    I've had the pleasure of having Anthony, at the group training several times. Anthony is a professional trainer and I'm very pleased with the training he's given me and my dog sailor. I just had Anthony and the rest of the super trainers at a CGC testing, even though my dog sailor did not pass, it was his first time taking the test at just nine months old. he did get alot of hands-On training. Next CG cgc testing which I'm pretty sure he'll pass. Thank you, Anthony
  • Frank Alessio
    Aug. 13, 2025
    -I absolutely recommended Dog Training Elite.- Short story but here is my situation I had. I adopted my own Belgian Malinois to train. My personal mistake was not doing enough research on the breed beforehand. I then went with a previous trainer who didn't work out so well. Lacked structure and inconsistent results. Life gets pretty busy for me as I have 4 kids and only so much time to train and I couldn't figure out how to move forward. After I hit a point of defeat and self loathing for adopting my dog as I didn't feel I could provide her what she deserved, I contacted DTE once I saw their outstanding reviews. I thought the reviews might not even be real because there were just too many good ones! We'll.... "I'll tell you hwat" There is a reason the reviews are so good. I contacted DTE and told them my story. I'm a disabled veteran struggling to keep up with an amazing dog that's very much intelligent but I lacked proper guidance and structure to really get her to improve on behavior and reliability. Denise and Alisa told me they would work with me and They gave me a foundation of knowledge to build upon. At first I had a dog that couldn't listen to anything except "sit". Now she goes potty on command, does various other tasks, has outstanding behavior in public... she went from not knowing hardly anything to becoming a FULL SERVICE DOG. yes. That is correct. I'm typing this today after her testing successfully and becoming a service dog! I'm very happy with the results and forever grateful for their time and patience. Everyone that worked with me was down to Earth and very polite. Lastly I want to extend my gratitude to Anthony. He was the trainer that continued training with me and my dog to further her talents and obedience. He is an amazing man that has limitless patience and vast knowledge in his field. I would HIGHLY recommend him to anyone who needs their dog to perform tasks and become a service dog. Just remember going into this, as a handler, you must be willing to put in the work. I cannot stress that enough. My dog is so intelligent but nothing would have improved as fast as it did without training her at home with the knowledge and tips given to me after each session. Goodluck to anyone reading this and I wish you the best luck on your journey whether it's improving on your dog's obedience or training your dog to perform tasks and reliability assist you everywhere you go.
  • Kimberly DeYoung
    Aug. 13, 2025
    Anthony is a knowledgeable trainer! He communicates clearly what is needed with me and my dog. He listens to my concerns and gives support and direction. He advocates for a healthy relationship between me and my dog. Very happy to have him as our trainer!
  • Yovary Ortiz
    Jul. 10, 2025
    We are only on our first lesson with our lab puppy, but everything has been great so far. Denise came out first to do the initial assessment and meet our boy. She was informative and her dog, Ella, is a dream! Anthony came out for our first training session. He was thorough and modeled great training while also walking us through each step of the training as well.
  • Kerrie Carrier
    Jul. 2, 2025
    Our phone consult with Denise was great! She was very thorough, informative, professional, and answered all of my questions. We can’t wait to get started with our puppy!
  • Rick Kinsworthy
    Jun. 30, 2025
    Very impressed with Mr Rinehart knowledge, as I see I'm in need of more training than the dog , he walked right in and the dog did everything he asked him to do . Thank you Anthony looking forward to you mentoring me into a good dog handler.
  • Harry Becker
    Jun. 9, 2025
    Anthony is always patient and a good trainer.
  • Sherri Haughton
    Jun. 20, 2025
    Anthony is wonderful with Rebel, he gets so excited to see him
  • Dennis Small
    Jun. 19, 2025
    Anthony was awesome! He took the time to explain the program in a very understandable way. I couldn't be happier about the experience. I'm looking forward to our next session. Hopefully I'll will learn as fast as my dog. She responded well to what she had to do. I need to remember the correct commands, not the ones I've always used with all my other dogs . I'm extremely confident that my dog Mia will excel with her training. Thank you Anthony.
  • Jennifer Peck
    Jun. 19, 2025
    Anthony has been to my house a few times and he has been wonderful to work with! He thoroughly understands my dogs behavior and explains clearly what is going through his head! This has helped so much in my relationship to my boy Ranger. Anthony is very patient in helping us both to understand all the commands, and how to master them!
  • Joann Alexander
    Jun. 18, 2025
    Anthony was amazing , he was patient with my family and the dogs loved him. I would highly recommend him to work with your dog. Thank you Anthony.
  • Heidi Easton
    Jun. 18, 2025
    Anthony is awesome at training my dog Ollie as well as myself. Learning a lot about dog behaviors and how to handle the good and the not so good in my dog. BTW, Ollie is loving his training sessions as well. We are over the top happy with Anthony and of we course highly recommend him.