Our Philosophy

TRAINING.....Our Passion:
Training is what we love and excel at and the dogs know it. Training is a way to communicate clearly with your dog in a way so that he/she understands your expectations and desires to please you. Finding newer and better ways to increase this level of clear communication and the responsiveness of the animal is our PASSION. Training, when done right, is stimulating to the canine's brain and broadens his or her life endlessly. Trained dogs are engaged, they are stimulated and can participate in activities and social situations with ease and WITHOUT FRUSTRATION. It is so much more fun, so much more modern for both we the caretakers of these animals and the dogs themselves when we understand one another and can fulfill expectations. Your trained dog will be your lifelong friend and companion whom you can have adventures with.

Dog Club LA trainers address the full spectrum of behavior and obedience problems including pulling on the lead, obnoxious behavior in public places, barking disorders, pulling on the lead, destructive chewing, biting, soiling in the home, separation anxiety, loose recall, and aggressive behavior.

All of our initial sessions with the dog take place in the home during the Behavioral Evaluation. We ask that the primary caretaker(s) be present for this appointment. Most training and behavior problems are born of in-home factors and furthermore it's been our experience that 75% of the behavior problems occurring stem from the 'dog in question's' human caretaker/owner. We feel that it is very important for us to observe how the dog relates to the environment in which he/she lives as dog's tend to behave differently outside of their natural environment and with strangers.

During the evaluation we conduct behavior and temperament testing with each dog and discuss the history of the animal with the primary caretaker. From this we determine preliminary behavior diagnosis and then design a training program suitable for your dog with your goals in mind along with a realistic timeline to achieve this.

Training for your dog will begin as soon as is feasible. At this time Dog Club LA trainers will be working to bring your dog into a POSITIVE relationship to the training so that he/she looks forward to and enjoys the training attention and thereby enjoys offering you the good behavior that the attention brings out of him/her. Once this is underway and the dog's responsiveness is on mark, we begin working with the dog's human. Working with the humans can be even more important than working with the dog. In order to dramatically improve a dogs behavior, their respective humans must understand why the dog acts the way he does and be willing to modify their own behavior as well. From here, the human is instructed and practices having a positive working relationship with the dog. Dog Club LA trainers hang in there with the dog and human until they get it right.

We find this to be the most winning combination for long-term livelihood and behavior success. Given that Kirstin McMillan's background is in training animals for the film industry, only modern animal training techniques are employed. Studio animal trainers are largely and widely known to be the forefathers of the most creative, positively reinforced, and FUN methods of training the most incredible behaviors on animals. Dog Club LA clients benefit Kirstin's experience and background as a studio animal trainer. Positively reinforced bridges are used and the very best creative and collaborative efforts are employed. Punishment is avoided as it may lead to a mistrust in the relationship and instead, even MORE EFFECTIVE solutions are offered.

Where does all of this lead? We give results not excuses, and this is what matters.

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Training Programs

Obedience Training:
Obedience Training will teach your dog to effectively sit, stay, lie down, heel, come when called, go, and also curbs jumping and barking issues. Obedience work teaches your dog where he or she lies in the pecking order. Obedience training offers the foundation work for a confident, lively, and relaxed dog. You will find that after Obedience Training, unpredictable and nervous dogs become more reliable and calm, obnoxious dogs or out of control dogs become orderly and a pleasure to be around. Overall the personality of the dog blooms and becomes even more reliable with obedience work. (Appropriate for dogs 5 1/2 months or older.)

Puppy 101:
Puppy 101 is for you if you desire to teach your puppy proper manners in the home. Puppies are delightful little monsters who will happily give you their whole heart as they gleefully destroy your living room. This can be prevented without taking one bit of joy and glee away from your dog's puppyhood.

Puppy 101 addresses proper toilet training, redirects destructive chewing, name recognition, beginning recall, separation anxiety, barking, biting, and begins the groundwork for a long-term working relationship with the caretaker/owner and the children of the household. (Puppy 101 teaches manners to dogs as young as 9 weeks old up to 5 months old.)

Trick Training:
Is your dog super smart with an appetite for learning new stuff?? Does he love to ham it up and show off when you have guests around? Ever thought it would be fun to have your dog learn to speak, hit a mark, take a bow, sneeze, yawn, or dance with a mere hand signal?? As a working studio animal trainer, Kirstin can teach your best friend these interactive studio tricks based on your animals natural inclinations and his own learning drive. We'll have your dog "set ready" in no time so that he's prepared for his biggest role ever....your best friend. Furthermore, if you and your dog do really well with training of this nature, we will even submit him or her for commercial jobs we get called on if he or she is the appropriate candidate. In the last year Dog Club LA dogs landed a half dozen national commercials for companies including Ford, Chevy, DHL and Reebok. It's a GOOD day to be a dog.

Problem Solving & Behavior Modification
These programs are designed for dogs with a few issues that seem unsolvable such as jumping, excessive barking or anxiety disorders. We have quickly built a notoriety for taking on the most seemingly hopeless of cases and turning them around. Take heart because there is hope and help available if you would like to resolve lingering problems. The majority of these cases require ONE APPOINTMENT.

NEW! Dog & Kids
A safety & training workshop designed to increase communication and confidence between children and the family dog and PREVENT disasters. (Children aged 7 and up are welcome.) Children have a natural love affair with animals. Many kids ask their parents for a dog and promise to look after it forever and ever. Children can become good, responsible caretakers but they must be taught the correct way to take care of and communicate with their dog so that avoidable disasters between dogs and kids NEVER occur.

This workshop offers children the fundamentals of a dogs needs and how to responsibly train, understand and offer affection to their best friend. They will learn how to walk a dog without being dragged, run their dog through obedience tricks, safely approach a dog (including strangers dogs), what NOT to do around any dog, how to tell if their dog is sick and the fundamentals of grooming their dog gently. Both dog and child will gain more confidence in themselves and on another during this fun workshop and furthermore this breeds a lifelong interest and bond between the two.

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Behavior Rehabilitation Programs

Anti-Aggression Training
Few things are as startling, sad or scary as seeing our best friends become out of control and aggress upon other dogs, or worse, humans. This is truly serious work as it is often the dog's life or lifestyle that is on the line when doing work of this nature.

Animal trainer Kirstin McMillan has a proven background in dealing with aggressive animals of various species including canines. Aggressive behavior in dogs can be paraphrased into three categories: Dominance based aggression, Fear Based Aggression & Resource guarding or possession aggression. After an initial Behavior Evaluation, if it is determined that your dog has a true aggression issue, then Kirstin will design a Behavior Rehabilitation Program that aggressively and effectively addresses the needs of your animal. Kirstin's Behavior Rehablitation Programs have served as A LAST RESORT to more than one family whose dog is on the brink of homelessness, or worse, being destroyed. Although there are no guarantees when dealing with circumstances of this nature, we are proud to say that we have not lost one dog yet and we have not failed one caretaker yet. When dealing with an aggressive or unpredictable dog, these problems are generally best resolved sooner rather than later as they tend to have a progressive nature.

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FITNESS PROGRAMS & PET CARE:

Daily Fitness Sesssions:
Is your dog driving you nuts? Following you from room to room and out of control when in public or when you see other dogs on your walks? If you are tired but your dog isn't....tell your dog to TAKE A HIKE!

The goal of our daily canine fitness sessions is to bring good physical and behavioral health to your dog while at the same time socializing him/her and then from there maintaining the progress made. With this in mind, our Doggy Fitness Experts are Pet CPR certified by the American Red Cross and are carefully trained to observe any signs of fatigue, dehydration, over heating and uncharacteristic mood shifts in our doggy clients. Our Doggy Fitness Sessions will offer your dog a great way to get socialized exercise and add to the livelihood of your dog's long and lean life! Want to get started tomorrow? Call us to set up your free evaluation and your dog will be happily exhausted in no time.

Daily Fitness candidates must be reasonably socialized and have good off-leash recall.

Beach Romps
Every Saturday Dog Club LA offers door to door Beach Romps. This full day excursion begins with an 8 am pick up after which your dog is whisked away to sunny Malibu Beach so he or she can romp and frolic for hours with 4 other well-behaved Dog Club LA members. After a long, sunny and salty day on the sand with the beautiful pooches and their people, your dog is returned to your home between 4 and 7pm. The best part is that your dog will STILL be tired on Sunday!

Beach Romp dogs must have good off-leash Recall and be friendly with other dogs. Mid-day feedings for Fido are not recommended when on Beach Romps.

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PET CARE:

Home boarding
Your dog stays with one of Dog Club LA's handlers in their home. Depending on their current fitness level, Home Boarded dogs are walked, hiked or taken on excursions daily and a once daily progress email is sent to the clients so that you are aware of everything and anything that is going on. All dogs must be socialized and toilet trained for Home Boarding.

Pet-Sitting
30 minute visits in your home while you are away during which a Dog Club LA handler comes and feeds, walks and loves your dog(s), cat(s), bird(s) and fish while you are away. We will also take in the mail, water plants and rotate the lights in you like.

House-Sitting
Some clients may feel most comfortable having someone stay in their home. This is a very personal and individual matter, so if you are interested in this, we recommend that you call us so we can both evaluate whether or not Dog Club LA has the person you are looking for. In situations such as this, it is best to trust your instincts so that while you are away, you enjoy your trip and feel comfortably at ease about your home instead of anxious about it. All Dog Club LA staff are insured and bonded and certificates are provided to the client.

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