Behavior work starts with the dog in front of me — not with choosing a package from a menu.
Two dogs can both be called reactive and need very different plans.
Two dogs can both guard resources and carry very different levels of risk.
One family may need me physically in their home watching what happens in the places where they actually live with the dog.
Another may be perfectly capable of doing the hands-on work with my guidance and video review.
And another dog may need a much more concentrated or customized approach.
We figure that out after I evaluate the dog — not before.
I need to understand the behavior, history, dog, household, handler and level of risk before I decide what kind of continued work makes sense.
After that evaluation, I may recommend local in-home behavior work, the three-month Behavior Coaching Program, concentrated immersion work, a customized behavior plan — or simply give you a roadmap you can continue implementing yourself.
Safety Is the First Priority
Convenience does not determine the format. Safety does.
I will not put a dog into remote coaching simply because Zoom and video are easier.
Before I agree to remote work, I need to believe that the dog, the person handling the dog and the household situation can safely work without me physically present.
If I believe you need in-person help, more intensive support or a different professional physically involved in the case, I will tell you.
That applies whether the concern is aggression, reactivity, anxiety, resource guarding, trauma or something that simply doesn't look safe from where I'm sitting.
Start With the Behavior Evaluation
The evaluation is where we step outside the day-to-day frustration and look at what is actually happening.
For local clients, that may mean an in-home working evaluation where I can see the dog in the environment where you actually live together.
For families outside my local service area — and for selected cases where video and history may actually show me more than staging the problem in person — the initial consultation may be completed online.
Depending on the case, we may look at:
- what happens before, during and after the behavior,
- body language and early warning signs,
- known triggers and patterns,
- how quickly the dog recovers,
- training history and what the dog already understands,
- your handling and communication,
- household routines and management,
- other animals, adults or children in the home,
- previous bites, fights, snaps or near misses,
- and relevant physical or wellness factors when the history points in that direction.
Learn About the Initial Behavior Evaluation →
Learn About Online Behavior Consultations →
Local In-Home Behavior Support
This is still a major part of my work.
I am based in North Myrtle Beach and work locally with dogs and their people throughout the Grand Strand and surrounding coastal communities.
When continuing in person makes sense, I can work with you where the problem is actually happening:
- inside your home,
- at the front door,
- in the yard,
- around household dogs,
- on the street where your dog normally walks,
- around visitors,
- or in another appropriate real-life environment.
There are things I can see in person that are difficult to fully appreciate from a description.
I can watch your leash handling while the dog is moving. I can see the space between household dogs. I can notice what happens when you approach a door, when the dog hears something outside, or when the dog's body starts changing before the obvious behavior begins.
And sometimes you need me standing beside you while we work through it.
Local In-Home Work May Be Appropriate For:
- leash reactivity,
- household behavior concerns,
- dog-to-dog conflict,
- resource guarding,
- fear and anxiety,
- handling and relationship issues,
- visitor or doorway behavior,
- aggression and bite-risk cases where hands-on support is appropriate,
- and situations where I simply need to see the dog and handler together in real life.
Local Service Area
My primary local area includes North Myrtle Beach, Myrtle Beach, Longs, Conway, the Grand Strand and nearby Brunswick County communities.
Southport, Shallotte, Wilmington-area and other travel-based work may also be available selectively depending on the case, distance and what type of in-person support is actually needed.
Ongoing local behavior work is structured after the initial evaluation rather than forcing every dog into the same number of sessions.
K9 Coach Behavior Coaching Program
$299/month • 3-month initial commitment
This is not the default because someone prefers remote training.
It is the guided at-home option I may recommend after evaluating the dog and deciding that the case can be worked safely and effectively without me physically present for every step.
You do the hands-on work at home.
I review focused video, look at the dog, your handling, timing, environment and progression, and tell you what I want adjusted next.
Then you practice again.
Practice → Video → Review → Adjust → Practice Again.
Cases That May Be Appropriate
- Leash reactivity
- Separation anxiety and separation-related behavior
- Dog-to-dog resource guarding when there is no human-directed aggression
- Selected anxiety and confidence cases
- Other behavior concerns I determine can be worked safely at home with coaching
The Program Includes
- A personalized starting plan based on the initial evaluation
- Relevant K9 Coach guides and protocols
- Up to two focused behavior/training video submissions each month
- My feedback on body language, handling, timing, distance, setup and progression
- Clear assignments between reviews
- A monthly behavior coaching / Q&A Zoom
- Brief clarification questions related to the assigned work
- Adjustments as the dog progresses
The three-month format gives remote work enough time for those practice-and-feedback cycles without pretending it should move at the same pace as having me beside you in real time.
Some Cases Need a Custom Plan
Aggression toward people is customized after the initial evaluation.
That includes cases involving human-directed aggression, human-directed resource guarding, significant bite history or other safety concerns where I need to understand much more before recommending how we proceed.
Trauma rehabilitation is also custom.
A dog who is cautious because of a difficult history and a dog who is profoundly shut down, hypervigilant or defensive may both be described as “traumatized,” but they do not automatically need the same plan.
The evaluation tells us what level and format of help is appropriate.
Behavior Immersion
Concentrated owner-involved work in North Myrtle Beach.
Some cases need more time together than a standard appointment can give us.
Behavior Immersion lets us spend concentrated time observing the dog, watching the relationship between dog and handler, working in real environments, troubleshooting and making changes while I am physically there.
This is not traditional board-and-train.
You come with your dog and participate in the work.
Immersion may be useful when:
- the behavior is too layered for short appointments,
- you have already invested heavily in training and still have a significant problem,
- the dog is obedient but still fearful, reactive, hypervigilant or emotionally unsettled,
- I need to see you and the dog across multiple situations,
- you live outside the area and concentrated in-person time makes more sense than repeated travel,
- or we need a strong hands-on beginning before transitioning into remote follow-up.
What Happens After the Evaluation?
There is no automatic package.
I may recommend:
A Plan You Can Implement Yourself
Sometimes you need clarity more than you need months of coaching.
Local In-Home Behavior Work
When having me physically present gives you or your dog the support the case needs.
The 3-Month Behavior Coaching Program
When I believe the case can be worked safely at home through structured practice, video review and coaching.
Immersion or a Custom Behavior Program
When the behavior, risk, trauma history or complexity calls for something more individualized.
What If I Just Need Basic Training?
You may not need private behavior services at all.
Puppy biting, house training, crate basics, Sit, Place, loose-leash walking, Heel, Recall, Down, Leave It, OUT and other everyday skills have extensive free how-to education available on the site.
My five foundational obedience skills are:
Sit / Stay → Place → Loose-Leash Walking / Heel → Recall → Down / Down-Stay
Start With Basic Dog Obedience →
Training, Behavior and Wellness Can Overlap
I am a dog trainer and canine behavior specialist, but I am also a canine nutritionist and holistic pet health coach.
I do not assume every behavior problem is caused by health.
But I also don't ignore pain, digestion, chronic inflammation, poor sleep, medications, aging, physical limitations or nutrition when the history suggests those pieces may be influencing how the dog feels and responds.
If deeper nutrition or wellness work is appropriate, that side of my practice lives at The Well Oiled K9.
You Only Need to Choose the Starting Point
You do not need to decide whether you want in-home work, remote coaching, immersion or a custom behavior program before contacting me.
You start with the evaluation. I help determine what should come next.
Tell me what is happening, what you've already tried, what worries you and what daily life with your dog looks like right now.
Start With the Behavior Questionnaire →
Based in North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Local in-home behavior support is available throughout the Grand Strand and nearby Brunswick County communities. Travel-based services may be available for selected cases. Online consultations and coaching are available nationwide when I determine that remote work is appropriate and safe.