Diamond K9 Dog Training is conveniently located in Biddeford right off exit 32, at 432 Elm St., Suite E. Diamond K9 is less than 30 minutes from towns such as Saco, Portland, Scarborough, Kennebunk, Arundel, Limerick, Lyman, Hollis, Dayton, Buxton, Gorham, Waterboro, Alfred, and the surrounding area. You can see a map on the contact page.

A free phone consultation will help determine which program is best for you and your dog. In most cases, a board and train program is superior to private sessions. Some factors to consider are the age of the dog (under 5/6 months of age would be a puppy program), whether there are serious behavioral issues and what they are, how much time you can invest at home, and your budget. If you are looking for a budget friendly option, consider buying our online ecollar course available in the shop! It is a fantastic way to get started with ecollar training. The videos are detailed and thorough. More complete courses will be available soon!

The package prices listed are per dog. We do not generally offer a price break for multiple dogs, as I recommend they each do their own program. With a board and train program, the time and resources required are the same (if not more), so the price is the same. In a private session program, you really can’t effectively train two dogs at the same time in the same program. Even if you do have time, each dog is highly individual, and they will likely respond differently to things, requiring you to adapt accordingly. Training your dogs one at a time is the only way to do this effectively.

Absolutely! All programs come with some private session time included in the price. We are always happy to support our clients, regardless of which format of training they purchase, by answering their questions and helping them problem-solve any issues after their dog completes the program. And some programs include free admission to group class forever!

No. Dogs are living organisms with minds of their own! Also, there’s always a genetic element to your dog’s behavior. While most dogs can be trained to a high level of reliability, even the best trained dogs can sometimes make a bad decision. Furthermore, a big part of your dog’s success is dependent upon your willingness and ability to consistently adhere to the same protocols we use and teach you during our time together. For that reason, we don’t offer a money-back guarantee. We do, however, guarantee that we will support you after completion of the program, and we will do everything possible to help you achieve the results you want with your dog if it is realistically within your dog’s abilities. We offer text and email support, follow-up private sessions, and for some programs, free group classes.

No. Providing dogs with both positive and negative feedback is integral to ALL of our programs. What we use depends on what we are training and what level of understanding the dog has at the time. We initially train obedience commands using positive reinforcement methods.If your dog exhibits any unwanted, problematic, or dangerous behaviors,  we use appropriate corrections to reduce and eliminate the behavior. Then we can provide them with guidance and reward them for making better decisions! This creates an inhibition of the old behavior, while reinforcing and solidifying the new, more desirable behavior.Using a combination of positive and negative consequences is the most effective way to influence desirable and undesirable behaviors. Using only one approach would significantly hamper results. A big part of what we do is educating owners on how to provide this clear and consistent feedback at home in a fair and effective manner.

We could write a book here. But we’ll try to spare you. The short answer is these are the tools that have helped our clients and their dogs the most! These are the best, most effective tools in our experience. They give you incredible flexibility and functionality. They put all the control in the handler’s hands! You can be very subtle and gentle, or you can be very firm.

Want to know more? Let me fill you in! Modern remote collars are incredibly versatile! We only use one brand of e-collar, E-collar Technologies. Their units offer 100 levels of stimulation and have a range of 1/3 mile to 1 full mile, depending on the particular model! This makes them perfect for dogs of any sensitivity level. Low-level stimulation is a tool most people are unfamiliar with. Even puppies can start training with this as young as 16 weeks. It is not painful (in fact it is imperceptible to most humans), and it allows us one more very valuable way to communicate with and motivate our dogs, even nervous and fearful dogs!

Imagine your dog is  hundreds of feet away—but now you can tap him on the shoulder! These low levels are what we use when we initially lay our e-collar foundation. More motivating levels are used as we move through more advanced levels of training to break through distractions, get your dog’s attention, hold them accountable, and influence their decisions. A big part of our training is teaching people how to get comfortable with using the tool and showing them how the level will need to fluctuate. With a well laid foundation, your dog is essentially controlling the e-collar at all times because they are taught to understand what turns it on and off and how to respond to it.

While prong collars may look rather barbaric to a person who is not accustomed to using them, the truth is that prong collars are an extremely safe, versatile, and effective tool. Just like e-collars, they put all the control in the handler’s hands. They are used for teaching leash walking, foundational obedience, stopping unwanted behaviors, and utilize pressure and release to help teach your dog to settle without having to yell endless commands at them. It’s another way to communicate physically with your dog, which is a very valuable mode of communication that most dog owners are not utilizing.

99% of the dogs (including puppies!) in our programs will work on a prong collar. Remember, it’s just a tool—YOU control it.  Tools don’t do anything by themselves. I teach my clients solid leash handling skills so that they can effectively communicate with their dog through the leash and collar. This can be very difficult to do on other styles of collar. The prong collar is superior because the dog can feel everything you are saying through the leash. Once you try it, you will LOVE it!

We are an E-Collar Technologies dealer, and you can purchase E-Collars from us directly online.

No. If your dog isn’t aggressive now, it won’t be aggressive on a remote collar.

That being said, there is always a possibility of a dog reacting aggressively to being corrected or restrained against their will, particularly if they are “in drive” or have never been exposed to rules and boundaries before. That isn’t “creating aggression”—it is revealing preexisting aggression. We had consistently tolerated the undesirable behavior, often out of apprehension of being bitten. In other words, we were aware of its presence, but preferred to avoid it by kissing the dog’s bum.

I’ve seen dogs on nothing but a regular flat collar spin around and bite their handler because they couldn’t get to another dog. Was it the regular nylon collar that made the dog aggressive? Of course not. Nobody ever blames the flat collar. It’s equally ridiculous to blame an e-collar. This is not a typical reaction from a dog in a stable or respectful headspace. Rather, it is indicative of a dog that is in a bad headspace and lacks a lot of respect for the human, which is usually what we are there to fix in the first place—so, no surprises there. As with all tools, we provide lots of training. The tool itself won’t do the training! You should not put an e-collar on your dog and just randomly push buttons. In our program, your dog will have a full understanding of what the stimulation is and how to respond to it.

The results speak for themselves. The idea that an e-collar will create a negative association with things we didn’t intend is generally promulgated to scare people. Sadly, this information is false. It also indicates a very limited understanding of how dogs learn new things, and it mostly serves to keep people and their dogs stuck. My clients have been very successful using the remote collar, and you can be, too!

If you can’t afford to purchase a program right now, that is no problem! All enrollees must submit a $200 (non-refundable) deposit to book the program on the calendar and hold their spot. We can book out as far as six months if that will help give you time to save up the funds to pay in full. All programs must be paid in full by the first appointment/drop off, unless we have a written agreement stating otherwise. PayPal credit is another great option for many people if training just isn’t in the budget right now.

We love this question. Can you feel my sarcasm? Seriously though, this is a reasonable question, and very very common. Most dogs can be trained to a level of reliability without having to wear their e-collar. The key is to have it on every day and be consistent and use it effectively (the way we show you to). It’s also important not to take it off too soon or go back and forth with it too early in the training. This will absolutely result in a dependence on the tools forever because your dog will quickly learn that there is no accountability when the tools are off. Let’s face it…your dog is smart!  It takes a long time for new behaviors to become easy and natural for your dog to do. The last thing you should be thinking about when you start training is when you can be rid of the tools. That makes no sense! If they help you, use them!! But at some point, you will likely be able to take them off without issue if you want to. It partly depends on your dog’s personality as well. However, ultimately the bottom line is there needs to be accountability forever. If police stop issuing tickets, people speed.  Even if you do eventually choose to take the e-collar off,   we do recommend an e-collar forever when your dog is off-leash in an unfenced area—it’s your safety belt!