Mike’s lifelong commitment to working with dogs began in college and continues to this day. He is constantly refining his skills by staying up to date with the latest research and continuing to learn from the dogs he trains. He has performed over 40,000 private consultations and put tens of thousands of puppies through his classes in the last 30 years.

Mike’s training approach heavily emphasizes positive reinforcement training but is not limited by it. His training methods use the dog’s natural drives and instincts and channels them into behaviors appropriate in their human pack. Mike understands that each dog/human partnership is unique and customizes approaches appropriately. For more see here.

Mike’s approach seeks to empower both dog and owner as well as their bond. He teaches the owner how to make the human world intelligible to their dog. This helps the dog to make appropriate behavioral choices and empowers their agency. And it deepens the bond with the owner, who is the gateway to that intelligibility

Mike works hard both to educate himself and his clients about the context for training. This includes the latest understanding of canine learning theory, social behavior, training methods and everything else that impacts the training process.