About Better Way Dogs

About Better Way Dogs

Better Way Dogs "provides in-home positive reinforcement dog training to dog-loving families in the Kansas City metro area". The site repeats a three-part promise on several pages: "No shock or prong collars", "Customized lesson plans" and "Credentialed trainers". The banner across the about page reads "ALL ARE WELCOME HERE."

The trainer

The about page names and credentials her: "Chloe Carson is a Certified Professional Dog Trainer (CPDT-KA) and Fear Free Animal Trainer located in Kansas City, Missouri." Her route into the work is dated: "Chloe’s journey in dog training began in 2017 when her dog, Blue, began displaying aggressive tendencies after being rescued from outdoor living in rural Mississippi", and after a behavior modification program "Blue received her Canine Good Citizen title from the AKC in 2018". The page describes further years working as a daycare attendant, at-home sitter, grooming assistant and trainer, and online IAP College coursework in pet-sitting and daycare business ownership.

What the training covers

The home page organizes itself by problem: reactivity – "Barking and lunging on leash can be embarrassing, exhausting, and dangerous" – puppy training with basic cues, socialization and leash skills, leash manners, hyperactivity, aggression support using what the page calls "humane, fear-free methods", body-language coaching, and general behavior problems including chewing, marking, chasing and digging.

Programs and published prices

Sessions are one hour, in home or virtual, and the site says the number needed "will depend on the severity of your issue(s)". An in-home evaluation is $95, with a travel fee possible. Private training packages are $449.99 for four weeks, $849.99 for eight and $1099.99 for twelve, with a single private lesson at $120. Puppy Homeschool is the more intensive option: the puppy works one-to-one with a trainer in 30-minute sessions three times a week, with a one-hour private lesson each week transferring the skills to the owner, priced at $299.99 for one week, $999.99 for four and $1899.99 for eight. In-home pet sitting is offered separately at $120-150 a night for one dog.

What the packages include

The services page states that each package includes "either 4, 8, or 12 private lessons with a Certified Professional Dog Trainer, scheduled at your convenience".