About Great Companion Dog Training

Great Companion Dog Training is Steve Porter's customized, force-free training practice, working at owners' homes or local spots across Sullivan County, parts of Ulster and Orange counties and northeastern Pennsylvania.

How sessions work

Sessions run 45 to 60 minutes at the owner's home or at a place that suits the training goal, such as a park, a hiking trail or a dog-friendly store. Training at home shows the dog's behavior in its natural setting. Later the same day the owner receives the session notes and a detailed training schedule by email. Day and evening appointments are available seven days a week.

Programs

Private one-on-one and group lessons, puppy training, basic and advanced obedience, and aggression issues. The practice also runs AKC Canine Good Citizen classes and evaluations and Bright & Beautiful Therapy Dog classes and evaluations, helps families choose the right dog, and offers remote training on request.

Service dogs for veterans

Since 2019 Steve has been the trainer for Action Toward Independence's Vet to Vet program, in which veterans with PTSD and other military-related disabilities train their own dogs to become service dogs. By April 2026 more than 40 veteran-and-dog teams had completed the program.

Method and background

All training is science based, force-free and positive reinforcement only, using reward systems, hand signals, clicker training, operant conditioning and voice commands. Steve started the business in 2015 after a teaching career. He is a Certified Professional Dog Trainer (CPDT-KA), a member of the Association of Professional Dog Trainers, and an evaluator for AKC Canine Good Citizen and Bright & Beautiful Therapy Dogs. He sits on the board of Rocky's Refuge, a local animal rescue, and $5 of every session fee goes to a local shelter or rescue.