House Calls
PLEASE NOTE: If you or any member of your family has the flu, please
cancel your appointment as soon as possible and reschedule.
House Calls: Your Place or Mine?
Family Dog Obedience offers two basic types of services: House Calls at your home, or training classes in either Fox Chapel, or Butler areas.
House Calls are individualized appointments, set up at your convenience, that will address problem areas specific to your family dog. It’s often asked of Val, “Can’t you just take the dog home with you for a few weeks?” Unfortunately, that solution usually doesn’t’ solve the issues. The best, most successful dog training, is primarily addressed at training YOU, the dog owner! You are the one who has to live with the dog, not anyone else. Sometimes it can take just one appointment to see changes in your dog, but keep in mind that many behavioral problems you may be experiencing have taken months to develop. It is often recommended that the family considers several lessons, spaced a few weeks apart. These follow-up lessons can fine tune any new developments in your “pack” and leave all family members happy with the new arrangement. There is no required number of lessons or packages for sale - when you are happy, Family Dog is happy.
Another benefit of House Calls is that it puts you on a full-time “canine consultant” basis with Val. Referrals and advice about where to board your family dog, or finding a dog sitter/walker, or “hey, my dog just did this????” are just a phone call away once you are in the Family Dog circle.
What’s Involved in a House Call:
In-home training lessons are generally one-hour sessions, but longer sessions can be arranged if needed. This first session will involve a thorough question-and-answer period. Once several causes and factors have been determined and the initial assessment of your family dog is performed, Val will begin to make recommendations and will demonstrate various techniques to show you immediate results. Many clients remark at the end of just one lesson “Wow, I can’t believe it’s the same dog!” If children in the family wish to be involved, they can sit in on the first session, or become more actively involved in future sessions.
Scheduling:
Lessons are scheduled 1 week in advance. House calls can be performed any day of the week, including Saturdays and Sundays, and hours usually range from 11 am to 7 pm depending on the day. Some of the areas Val travels to include (but are not limited to) Butler, Kittanning, Glenshaw, Fox Chapel, Shadyside, Oakland, Edgewood, Monroeville, Sewickley, Beaver Falls, Cranberry, Ross Township, and Ellwood City. Arrangements can be made to travel to areas like Greensburg, Ligonier, and even Johnstown if needed!
Lessons that are cancelled with less than 24 hours notice (and not rescheduled within 2 weeks) will be charged a fee, as will appointments that are deemed as "no show."
Rates:
Rates are based on mileage traveled. They generally range from $50 for local (Butler) areas to $100, with the average price in most areas being around $70. Val is interested in keeping her rates at the most affordable range for the average family, so in the event that several lessons are needed, it’s financially possible to do so.