About Dog Training With Monica

Overview

Dog Training With Monica operates from 357 Tanger Blvd, Suite 204 in Seymour, Indiana, on an appointment-only basis. The business is run by Monica, who the site describes as a Certified Dog Trainer through Animal Behavior College and an AKC Evaluator. Her About page says her professional career began in 2008 and that she has been based in Seymour since 2010; the homepage banner states "22 years-Certified Dog Trainer & AKC Evaluator."

The service area listed on the site covers a wide stretch of southern Indiana: Seymour, Brownstown, Columbus, Hayden, Cortland, Bedford, Medora, Crothersville, Vallonia, Freetown, Scipio, Paris Crossing, Austin, Scottsburg and Lexington. That reach, combined with an in-home option, makes this one of the more geographically flexible training operations in the Columbus–Seymour corridor.

Training Approach

Monica's stated philosophy centres on training the handler as much as the dog. On her About page she writes, "I teach owners how to be effective dog handlers without being physically harmful," and she describes building plans around the household rather than a fixed syllabus — explicitly naming "life at home, breed, family's relationship with the dog, other household pets, family work schedule" as inputs into the plan. Her stated core belief is that "training can help a dog stay in their home and be more enjoyable as a family member."

The group-class copy reinforces the same idea: the classes are described as skipping "rigid, cookie-cutter methods" to focus on "the practical real-life skills you actually need," and the site's tagline promises to "Strengthen the bond between your family and your dog with training techniques that everyone can do!"

Notably, every board-and-train tier includes a dedicated "Train the Owner" session and written or documented training instructions — the transfer back to the household is built into the product rather than treated as an optional add-on. The longest program also includes an in-home follow-up.

Programs & Services

**Group classes.** Six-week courses meeting once a week for sixty minutes, run monthly. Current published offerings include Good Dog Foundations (for dogs six months and up, covering jumping and door bolting, loose-leash walking, reliable recall, focus, "Leave It," and settling on a place), Puppy Kindergarten (under six months, covering leash walking, social manners, socialisation and exposure, basic cues, housetraining, and chewing/jumping/nipping), and Beyond the Basics Level 2 (for dogs over seven months with prior training, focused on the handler's timing, accuracy and technique). Trick classes and a Canine Good Citizen class are also listed. Enrolment runs through an online booking system.

**Board and train.** This is the deepest part of the menu, with five distinct tiers. The Transformation Program runs 35 days and is aimed at dogs with significant obedience hurdles or no foundation at all, including lifetime trainer support, two free group classes, written instructions, a one-hour owner session, an in-home follow-up and a graduation certificate. The Lifestyle Essentials Program runs 25 days covering seven to eight core manners and commands. The Polished Manners Program runs 15 days targeting the common "headache" behaviours such as leash pulling and jumping on guests. A Weekend Tune-Up option runs Thursday evening to Sunday evening for graduates or busy owners needing a refresher. Puppy Jumpstart is a 20-day program for puppies from nine weeks to six months covering chewing, nipping, crate training, basic commands, beginner leash skills, recall and socialisation.

Board-and-train entry requirements are published: dogs seven months and older must be spayed or neutered, and all dogs must be current on Distemper Combo, Bordetella and Rabies vaccines with a negative Giardia fecal test every six months and active flea and tick treatment.

**Private lessons.** The Proper Pooch package covers six private lessons of 45 to 60 minutes at the training facility, aimed at dogs with no prior training and issues such as housetraining accidents, jumping, door manners and leash pulling, and includes up to five commands plus a training certificate and lifetime trainer support.

**In-home training.** Offered as four-week or six-week programs, with lessons of 45 to 60 minutes meeting weekly. The site notes that pricing assumes a fifteen-mile radius, with additional fees beyond that.

**Day school / day training.** A dedicated Day Training Program has its own page on the site — the dog attends for training during the day and goes home at night.

**Other.** Boarding is offered, along with AKC Trick testing, Canine Good Citizen testing, workshops, and a Kids and Dog Summer Camp.

Location & Setting

The training facility is a suite at 357 Tanger Blvd in Seymour, and all group classes are held there. Hours are listed as "By Appointment ONLY," so this is not a drop-in operation. The in-home option extends the practical service radius well beyond Seymour into Columbus, Bedford, Scottsburg and the surrounding towns.

What Sets Them Apart

Three things stand out. First, the range of intensity levels: an owner can enter at a $175-tier six-week group class or at a five-week residential program, with day training, private lessons and in-home coaching filling every step between. Few trainers in a market this size cover that full span.

Second, the handler-education emphasis is structural rather than rhetorical. Owner sessions, written instructions, lifetime trainer support and follow-ups are itemised inclusions in the residential programs, which addresses the standard weakness of board-and-train — the dog returns trained to a household that has not changed.

Third, and important for prospective clients to know up front: the contact page states plainly, "We no longer train behavioral cases of aggression or reactivity." This is an obedience, manners and puppy-development practice. Households dealing with genuine aggression or reactivity need to look elsewhere, and Monica says so herself rather than taking the case.