
CANINE MAGIC DOG TRAINING CO
About us
Established in 2003, Canine Magic is a privately-owned company focusing on the development of practical, and dependable obedience in the family pet. Dogs and puppies of all breeds, ages, and temperaments are always welcome.
Business highlights
Services we offer
ANIMAL / DOG TRAINING, BASIC OBEDIENCE TRAINING, BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION, HOUSEBREAKING. PROGRAMS ARE HIGHLY INDIVIDUALIZED EITHER PRIVATE OR COMBINATION PRIVATE/GROUP SESSIONS., OFF-LEASH TRAINING, PUPPY MANAGEMENT, REMOTE-COLLAR
Accepted Payment Methods
- CreditCard
| Number of Stars | Image of Distribution | Number of Ratings |
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"Our consultation with a prospective client is intended to do the following: 1/ assess the dog's behavior based on history and personal observation; 2/ offer advice of immediate benefit whenever possible; 3/ describe our training method and programs; and, 4/ provide the basis for an informed decision about working together successfully. We have no interest in engaging in services that a client does not need or to which they are not committed; and, on more than a few occasions, we have offered advice during the consultation that eliminated the need for further training. Our intent is to provide information of value. At the consult, after first meeting the dog to form a general opinion of temperament, we sometimes suggest that it be returned to the owner's vehicle if possible (and weather permitting) to allow for more effective conversation. While [Member Name Removed] chose to bring her dog into the consult, her husband later returned it to their vehicle due to its disruptive behavior. [Member Name Removed] also indicated that her dog was reactive toward other canines, which is a behavior that we have resolved successfully for many clients, but not one for which any "quick fix" advice can be offered during the consultation. Defusing such reactivity involves a process best accomplished in our Ultimate program, which involves three educational sessions in a small group and 16 weeks of large-group training sessions. It is more expensive than the Manners program, which is done in 2-3 private sessions and is designed to correct unwanted behaviors in the home. In both programs, we routinely separate dog and client during the first working session, since the initial focus is on client education with regard to 1/ becoming an effective pack leader and 2/ understanding the mechanics of our training method. Most clients understand that we are training them, so that they can train their dogs. The success and reputation of Canine Magic is absolutely based on the 15-year effort of Terry Christie; that said, Mike has worked with Terry throughout that period of time to train some very tough dogs and has conducted the educational sessions in recent years without diminishing our clients' success or satisfaction. He has done hundreds of consultations and eCollar demonstrations with prospective clients. What [Member Name Removed] experienced was a "tremendous surprise" due to a stimulation she was not expecting, not a "tremendous shock": for perspective, the energy levels used in eCollar training are similar to those from a static discharge on nylon carpeting, 100-times less than those from an invisible fence, and 1000-times less than those from an abdominal exerciser or TENS unit for human muscle stimulation. With regard to costs, fees for the Manners (behavior modification) and Ultimate (off-leash obedience) programs are $375 and $775 for ~5 and ~25 training hours, respectively; ongoing consultation for life (of the dog) is included at no additional cost. The inclusion of a high-quality eCollar increases each program cost by $200. The $75 consultation fee is applied to the cost of training for prospective clients who move forward; an additional deposit is required to guarantee a training slot and order equipment. These are long-standing practices that have met with no objection over the past 15 years."
Words cannot describe how pleased we are with the success of this training program. It is worth every penny. When we reached out to Terry we had a one and half year old extremely high energy dog whom we could not control. We feared for the safety of our two cats who she was obsessively nipping, chasing, barking and pawing at. In addition, she constantly pulled at her leash and jumped on everyone and did not get along with other dogs. We had tried other methods of training prior to meeting Terry but nothing worked.
With Terry's training program the results were almost immediate! Within the first week of starting the program our dog stopped chasing the cats. Within 2 weeks, she no longer jumped and soon we could control our uncontrollable "crazy" dog. Others noticed a difference in her right away. When we had only been in the program for a couple of weeks we took her to a family gathering and everyone was amazed at her transformation. Rather than running around and jumping on everything and everyone she just calmly sat by my side. We continued the program and over time she was even able to play with other dogs.
We enjoyed the training so much that after our 4 months were completed we decided to continue with the group classes. Now at 2 years old we have a controlled well mannered dog who listens to all of her commands and plays well with other dogs. We have learned that with her high energy she has become very enthusiastic with her training and loves nothing more than to please us. She looks forward to our classes each Saturday morning and can't get to the car fast enough when I tell her that it's time for "school".
This was seriously the best thing we could have ever done for our dog. Thank you Terry for everything that you have done for us.
He loves people but gets way too excited and could easily knock someone over trying to get belly rubs and attention. He does a lot better when we have guests, his personality has not changed he just gives people more space and hangs out next to you for kisses and attention not all over you.
The group classes are also great. There are usually a about a dozen different dogs every week all different breeds and sizes. The classes are outside in the nice weather surrounded by a ton of distractions from cars to other people and geese and such. All the distractions are great and makes it so Duke knows his commands in all sorts of situations. He enjoys going to class every Saturday and is continually improving.
Terry knows dogs. She understands how they view the world and helps us humans understand the messages we are sending dogs that are very confusing - in most cases - without ever realizing our mistakes. If you are a fan of Caesar Milan (The Dog Whisperer), you'll love Terry's approach to dog training.
The first thing you have to accept is that the training includes using a dog collar that provides simulation to a dog that's tied to each command given. A baseline level of stimulation is established for each dog and each time you say a commend, you give the dog a "sim". You also have a training leash in which you give gentle pressure to help guide the dog with what you want to have happen when the command is given. If the dog obeys - it's time to give the dogs lots of praise and affection. If the dog does not, you slowly raise the level of simulation and repeat the command with the guiding pressure until the dog complies. Consistency is key.
This approach to dog training may not be for everyone but before you dismiss this approach entirely. Please note the following: Terry make sure that everyone feels the impact of pressing the "sim" button so you know what your dog will be feeling and it really doesn't hurt. I would say it definitely gets your attention. Its a tool. Just like a training leash, choke collar, your voice, etc. We find its a really effective one. For us - it replace all the pulling and tugging and physical things you do to try to get your dog to stay, sit, heel, stop pulling on the lead.
For example, we ran into trouble when Lucy began barking and lunging at other dogs during her walks. We tried using a clicker and food to stop this behavior, but were unsuccessful. Boomer would also sometimes bark at people outside. This meant that we would avoid other people (especially people with dogs) while walking Boomer and Lucy. One day, while walking the dogs and pushing our infant daughter in her stroller, a woman walked by and began talking to us. The dogs began barking and I was shocked when Lucy nipped at my knee. I thought it was an accident until she nipped me again a few days later. I knew we couldn?t allow our dog to bite, especially with a child in the house, so I immediately began to look for trainers. When I came across Canine Magic Dog Training, I began to feel optimistic. The success stories on their site made me feel like we weren?t alone and that there was hope.
We initially met with Terry to discuss our needs and were able to begin training shortly after. Although we were apprehensive that using a remote collar with our dogs would causing them pain, that fear was unfounded. Terry does a fabulous job of teaching the correct way to use the collar so that it helps our dogs to focus in otherwise stressful situations.
The group lessons are a great environment. The variation in group size and participants each week provides different environments and scenarios which are applicable to real world situations. In the beginning Lucy was so terrified by the group session that she refused to walk anywhere and curled up by our feet, trembling and lunging at the other dogs. Now she looks at us as dogs walk by, and we are even able to weave in and out of other dogs while walking her. If other dogs lunge at her, instead of reacting, she looks to us for direction. It's an invaluable change, and we have Terry to thank for it!
Although we are still in training and our dogs are a work in progress, their lives and ours are already greatly improved. We are able to give them a lot more exercise, have guests over, take them to the park off leash, and talk to strangers on walks all while Boomer and Lucy remain calm. Lucy, who used to lunge at other dogs while on leash, is now able to remain relatively calm on leash and look at us even while being barked at by other dogs. She has not nipped at us since we started training with Terry. While we still have work to do in order to increase Boomer and Lucy?s confidence, they have made huge strides. We are so happy that we found Terry and Canine Magic Dog Training!
We left feeling confident in the training we received.
Beyond this, from class to class you could see the other dogs in the class make improvements in leaps and bounds, whether it be overcoming fearfulness or aggression to other dogs or to people. Terry not only has a way with dogs, but a depth of knowledge that allowed practically every dog I saw go her classes improve. In addition, she never shies away from answering questions from her clientele, and answers questions in a way that is easy to understand.
However, right from the start we felt more confident with Terry's help. He responded quickly to the remote collar and the subsequent praise. That's the most important aspect and he just loves to be praised. When he pays focused attention on another dog we've learned to tell him 'off' with the remote collar. Now, after less than 2 months, usually he will ignore the other dog after one 'off'. Some dogs he just ignores anyway. He's learning to ignore distractions when I call him. He can heel around other dogs and sit near them and ignore them. He's walking in a line with other dogs and staying focused. He's staying in a down position for longer periods without returning to me.
We have many more months of work with him but we're now confident that we'll have a fine dog who can be around other dogs and play off leash with them in the future. Terry's support and suggestions make all the difference. The Saturday group of about 10 dogs is a good size for meeting other dogs; not too large or too small. She notices things we can do better and shares it with the group. We learn from each other and our dogs are learning from each other as well.
I look forward to adding to this review in the spring with further stories of our wonderful dog.
One word of warning. This training takes a commitment from the dog owner. It's not like turning a key and magically owning the perfect dog. You will be wasting your money if you are not willing to work daily with your dog to reinforce the lessons. However, in our case it was well worth the effort.
"Email sent from Canine Magic: Members, Thank you so much for taking the time to post a review. I noticed that you scored a “B” for responsiveness and I was wondering if you would share anything that could help me improve that. As you know, I take my role very seriously and I am always looking to improve my service. Hi Terry, I probably should have clarified, that's based on my personal preference for communicating through email mostly; I like doing all my communication through email and it was more difficult to start up I believe since I'm online almost 24/7 and expect responses frequently. I think for anyone preferring phone there's no issue but email in the beginning of the training (or even before) if over email would be nice to be more frequent. Again, this may just be me."
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