Philosophy

Frequently Asked Questions

WHAT HAPPENS IF I DON’T GET THE RESULTS I WANT FROM THE TRAINING? IS THERE A GUARANTEE?

Due to the many variables involved to create a well-behaved, balanced dog, including owner commitment, consistency, and follow-through, it would be unethical for us to offer a 100% guarantee. However, we only choose the most dedicated and diligent owners, so as long as you follow our recommendations for your dog after adoption, we are confident you will be satisfied with your purchase. We work with our clients hand in hand as a team in your dog’s transfer training upon adoption. This process of teamwork and collaboration begins at the first meet and greet, moves through the adoption process, and continues long after your dog has gone home. Once you hire us, we consider you part of The Woof Gang, and your success together is our utmost priority.

WHAT IF I AM UNSATISFIED?

Your adoption contract will outline a complete and honest list of any behavioral issues your dog came to us with, whether they have resolved or not, as well as any behavioral issues we forsee arising for any reason. As long as you have diligently followed our recommendations for training, exercise, structure, and boundaries, if there is an issue with your dog’s training post adoption due to any reasons listed on your contract, we will work with you and your dog free of charge in order to resolve them.

HOW DO YOU ENSURE WE ARE GETTING A COMPLETE AND HONEST LIST OF ANY BEHAVIORAL CONCERNS FOR THE DOG WE ARE ADOPTING?

The dogs are all in foster and training with a professional trainer for at least a month, in most cases 4 months to 18 months. We know these dogs inside and out and would never place a dog with a temperament or behavioral issue unsuitable for you and your lifestyle. We have put them through extensive and professional temperament testing, integrated them into our homes, and gone through a training process specifically designed to bring out any underlying behavioral challenges so that we can resolve them before adoption.

WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN YOU COME ACROSS A DOG THAT CANNOT BE SAFELY RE-HOMED AS A PET OR WORKING DOG DUE TO THEIR BEHAVIORAL CHALLENGES?

If ever we encounter a dog that cannot be safely integrated into a pet home, we explore all viable options to include but not limited to homing them with a professional trainer equipped to handle their issues, work as a Police K9, Personal Protection Dog, or other suitable working jobs.

DO YOU EVER EUTHANIZE DOGS?

Sometimes we take in dogs who have extensive bite histories, who have been rehomed time and time again, or otherwise have been deemed unsafe by an owner surrender or a local shelter. Often training with us is their last hope before euthanasia. Although we wish we could say that no dog deserves that kind of punishment, the truth of the matter is that some dogs are genetically or psychologically unsound and their quality of life would suffer too much under the circumstances necessary to keep a handler, owner, other dogs, and the public safe from danger. For these dogs, the most humane outcome is unfortunately euthanasia. To date we have only had to choose humane euthanasia for one Gang Member, and returned one Gang Member to the shelter because they had not disclosed to us that he had been homed 7 times and bit 7 owners and we did not have an open foster that could accomodate his needs at the time. We assume that he was also euthanized.

REST IN PEACE HENDRIX & RINGO

WHY DO YOU USE PRONG COLLARS?

We use prong collars because we find them to be one of the best tools for gently communicating and connecting with the dog. Even though they’re often portrayed as dangerous or harsh tools, they’re far from that. Do not let their appearance or the ignorant and uneducated opinions of others mislead you into making the wrong, and often detrimental, decision for your dog. Prong collars are actually one of the safest and most gentle ways to effortlessly communicate both during training and after.

WHY DO YOU USE E-COLLARS?

Because they are so neutral, mild, and their use involves very little mechanical mastery, making it a necessity for owners without expert canine handling skills. Modern e-collar training allows for the very best communication and transferring of skills from trainer to owner. While many are concerned that the dog is being “shocked” into listening, the truth is, contemporary, high-end e-collars are based on the same technology as TENS machines used for physical therapy in humans. Which means, your dog feels a mild, benign sensation that is not harming to them mentally or physically. Most dogs work at e-collar stim levels that most humans often can’t even feel. In addition, the e-collar enables many challenging issues (reactivity on walks, jumping, barking, stealing food) to be resolved quickly and easily. It’s also the ONLY way to safely have your dog off-leash and maintain reliability. The ability to keep your dog safe with a reliable way to recall your dog back to you, even at great distances, is something that remains unavailable with any other tool.

HOW DO YOU TRAIN WITH AN E-COLLAR AND PRONG?

Our standard process begins with teaching your dog all of their obedience cues using their daily meal as positive reinforcement. Once we are confident the dog knows exactly what is expected to them, we begin to teach the language of the prong collar, and what each directional tap should signal to your dog, all while still using their daily meal as positive reinforcement. Once we are confident that the dog understands and is familiar with the prong collar, we then layer in the use of the e-collar stim. We find the dog’s working level (one that does not cause any pain, resistance, or discomfort, but still grasps a hold of their attention), and we hold the stim constant until the dog responds to the command we give them verbally and with our food lure. Once they complete that command, they will receive a piece of their meal, and the stim from the e-collar subsides. This is in alignment with positively reinforcing as well as negatively reinforcing training techniques, completing the necessary balance that is biologically and psychologically sound canine training.

YOU TAKE IN DOGS THAT ARE FEARFUL AND NERVOUS – WE SHOULDN’T USE AN E-COLLAR WITH THEM, RIGHT…?

Actually, modern e-collar training, combined with our unique approach to it, is the very best solution for seriously and even dangerously fearful dogs. Although counterintuitive, we’ve turned around severely fearful/insecure/nervous dogs when all other approaches had failed.

I CAN’T AFFORD YOUR PROGRAMS, BUT I LOVE YOUR MISSION AND I WANT TO ADOPT – WHAT CAN I DO?

We offer an interest free payment option through Affirm financing and are working on getting access to more programs like this. An additional service fee will be required to pay through affirm.

Beyond that, most clients qualify for PayPal’s Credit program which allows for easy loans with zero interest if paid within 6 months.

I PURCHASED A TRAINING PROGRAM AND WOULD LIKE A REFUND AND TO RETURN THE DOG, AM I ELIGIBLE?

We have a very strict no refund policy. Your payment for services and commmitment to your training plan supports our programs that save the lives of dogs in need and veterans and other individuals with disabilities in need of service dogs. When you pay for services with us, you are reserving a dog and potentially space in our kennels that we no longer advertise as available to new clients. The only clients eligible for a refund are those who we are unable to provide the services that they paid for due to the fault of one of our trainers, or our company. We do not ever offer refunds for those who change their mind about an adoption, services they have not yet received, relocate out of our service area, or are unhappy with their dog’s training level. In special circumstances we do try to accommodate our clients by offering an alternative as a courtesy, but we do not approve refund requests for any reason other than our own inability to provide and complete the service that you paid for whether you decide to keep the dog or not.

IF I DECIDE TO RE-HOME THE DOG I HAVE ADOPTED, AM I ABLE TO DO THAT MYSELF?

Rehoming one of our dogs is a breach in contract and will be subject to an involuntary re-posession of the dog from whomever you give the dog to, whether it is a stranger, family, friends, shelter, another rescue, etc. We do not allow individuals who have not been screened by our trained professionals to take ownership of our dogs under ANY circumstances. This is punishable with a hefty fine according to the contract you will sign at adoption.