Better walks.Clearer choices.Stronger teams.

E.D.G.E. stands for Engage, channel Drive, Guide, Execute. It is the four-stage framework behind the reactivity program, and the name is deliberately easy to remember because you will be using it under pressure. Engage means your dog learns to value and focus on you instead of the world around them. Channel Drive means the energy that currently goes into reacting gets aimed somewhere productive instead. Guide means you learn the handling, the leash mechanics, and the timing that make the next choice clear. Execute means you practice all of it in real environments until it holds. The four stages do not run in a straight line. They overlap and reinforce each other, which is why the program is built around them rather than around a list of commands.

The evaluation is where I look at two things together: the relationship between you and your dog, and what the dog actually knows. I assess standard obedience, how severe the problem is, and the likelihood of reaching the results you are after in a reasonable timeframe. Your dog is not being tested for a pass or fail, and you are not being sold to. You leave with honest feedback either way, so you can decide whether this is the right program for your dog. It is non-refundable because the evaluation is the service you receive, and it is credited toward your program if you enroll.

Yes, and it should start with a call. I take on dogs who have shown aggression, and every case is assessed on its own. There is one limit I want you to know before you call, because it saves you a wasted trip. My insurance does not cover dogs with a documented bite history. Documented, as I understand it, means there is a record of the incident somewhere, from animal control, a police report, or a veterinary report. If that is your dog, I cannot take the case, and I will tell you that on the call and point you toward someone who does take those cases. Aggression is a more serious scope than leash reactivity and it is priced separately: programs for aggressive dogs start at $3,600, with the exact plan set after the evaluation. Call 916-232-9185 and we will talk through what has been happening, the conditions around it, and whether this is something I can help with.

E.D.G.E. is $2,375 for eight sessions across 6 to 8 weeks, or $2,975 for the same eight sessions compressed into four weeks with two lessons each week. Basics is $975 for five weekly lessons of 60 minutes each, with equipment and support materials included. The evaluation is $100, charged up front, and it is credited toward your program if you enroll. There are no other fees. No travel charge inside Placer County, and no upcharge for equipment. If we have not hit your goals after the eight sessions of your program, the Make-Right Guarantee covers up to four additional lessons at no cost, and at least one of those is mine alone with no leash in your hand.

The evaluation fee is not refundable, because the evaluation itself is the service you receive. It does apply to the cost of the program if you enroll, so it is not an extra cost on top of your program price. If we decide your dog is not a fit for E.D.G.E. or Basics, you keep the evaluation feedback and are under no obligation to enroll.

Payment details are part of the discovery call. If you need to spread the cost rather than pay it all at once, say so when you book the evaluation and we can go over the options that fit your program and schedule. I would rather you focus on the work than on the invoice.

No. It is a structured coaching process, completed over six to eight weeks or in an accelerated four-week format. Your progress depends on the dog in front of you, the environments you practice in, and your ability to maintain the work between lessons.

No. You are involved in every session. Your dog has to listen to you, not just me. I follow an 80/20 approach, so you do most of the handling while I direct timing and mechanics.

This is the part most owners do not ask about until later, and it is the part I care most about. What a reactive dog learns does not decay on its own as long as the handling and the environment stay consistent. Behavior lives inside the life you and your dog actually have, and a change to that life is usually what undoes the work, not time. Move house, have a baby, get a new dog, start working different hours, and the picture changes. So the last lessons of your program are spent making you the handler, not making your dog dependent on me. I also keep the door open after the program. You can text or call when something comes up, and if a new situation shows you a gap you did not know you had, we can address it then rather than letting it turn into a new problem. You do not have to disappear from my phone the day the program ends.

Nothing beyond a collar, a leash, and food your dog actually agrees is food. Equipment is included in the program, and there is no upcharge for it, which means what gets used is my decision based on the dog in front of me rather than a kit you are required to buy. Most of the time that is a properly fitted collar, a six-foot leash, and a handful of treats worth working for. If your dog needs a specific piece of gear for safety, I will tell you exactly what and why. I will also tell you when a tool is not the answer. Tools do not make the training. They can help hold a standard that you can already communicate, and I would rather teach you to communicate than sell you a piece of equipment.

Yes, and it is a different scope from leash reactivity, so it starts with a call rather than a booking. Reactivity and aggression are not the same thing. A reactive dog is overwhelmed and loud about it, which is unpleasant but often easier to change. A dog who is aggressive toward other dogs may have a genuine intention behind the behavior, and that needs a different plan, a different pace, and a different level of caution from everyone involved. Programs for aggressive dogs start at $3,600, with the exact plan set after the evaluation. It is also worth saying that not every dog who looks aggressive is aggressive. Plenty of dogs who lunge and bark are scared rather than dangerous, and a lot of people have been told the wrong thing about their dog. The evaluation is how we find out which one you have.

I can tell you how I approach that question, which is not the same as handing you a success rate. No honest trainer can promise a number, because every dog arrives with a different history, a different nervous system, and different owners with different amounts of time to put in. People quote percentages because percentages sell, and I would rather be accurate. What I can do is assess honestly at the evaluation, tell you the likelihood of reaching the results you are after in a reasonable timeframe, and tell you if I think the goal itself needs adjusting. I have seen dogs make more progress in a few weeks than owners expected, and I have seen dogs who take every session and still need more. If I do not think I can help your dog, I will tell you that instead of taking your money. The reason I can hold that line is the Make-Right Guarantee: if we have not hit your goals after the eight sessions of your program, you get up to four more lessons at no cost, with at least one of them mine alone.

Any breed is welcome to train. Herding and working breeds such as Border Collies, Australian Shepherds, German Shepherds, and Belgian Malinois often progress fastest because of their built-in motivation to learn and adapt, and the program stays adaptable to a wide range of breeds and personality types.

Confident Canine Coaching serves clients in and around Placer County, California, including Rocklin, Roseville, Loomis, and Lincoln. Sessions are built around practical environments and the situations that matter in daily life.

You will talk through your dog, the current challenge, and your goals. The evaluation is intended to give you honest feedback that helps you decide whether this is the right program for you. It is a straightforward conversation, not a pressure-heavy sales call.