About My Canine Companion Training

My Canine Companion Training, LLC has been run by Deborah Jay DeSilva, CPDT-KA, MA, since 2008, serving New York's North Country with small group classes, private training and live virtual training.

Credentials

Deb is a Certified Professional Dog Trainer, Knowledge Assessed, an AKC judge for the AKC Fetch program, a certified trainer and evaluator for AKC Canine Good Citizen and AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy, and a therapy dog trainer and evaluator for Love on a Leash. She is a professional member of the Association of Professional Dog Trainers and the Pet Professional Guild and an associate member of the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants. She is also Professor Emeritus of Communication Studies at SUNY Plattsburgh, where she taught from 1990 to 2022.

Method

Training is positive reinforcement only. The published philosophy rules out shock, pain, choking, fear and physical compulsion, and choke, prong and electric collars are not allowed at sessions.

Programs and pricing

Group classes meet once a week for six weeks at $130 plus tax, at Canine Adventure, LLC, 6140 Route 22, Plattsburgh: AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy, Canine Companion Basic, AKC Canine Good Citizen/Therapy Dog, AKC Trick Dog, Canine Freestyle, Dogs Can Dance, Treibball, Canine Scent Work and Virtual Home Manners. Private facility sessions cost $130 an hour including tax and facility rental. In-home sessions are $105 an hour for puppies under six months and $120 for adolescents and adults, plus tax and possible mileage, and include written or video instructions, readings and online support. Live virtual packages ($180 for three weeks, $325 for six, plus tax) suit reactive, shy or travel-averse dogs and busy households.