About Focused Choice Dog Training, LLC

What they do

Focused Choice publishes five programs – Private Puppy Preschool, Board and Train, Basic Manners lessons, Behavior Modification training, and Day Training – and, unusually for this trade, posts a pricing guide.

**Private Puppy Pre-School** is for puppies aged eight weeks to six months. Lessons run 50 minutes and take place "at your home or mine"; in-studio pricing in the Boonsboro area is a three-lesson package at $190 or $75 for a single lesson, and home visits are priced by location. The content is customized and may cover potty training, crate training, nipping, socialization, leash walking, sit/stay, down/stay, leave it, drop it and no jumping. Every lesson includes a written follow-up, email support between lessons, and a clicker, treats and handouts.

**Board and Train** is run in the trainer's own home rather than a kennel – the site is explicit that "There are no kennels or pens at my house" – and describes a fenced yard, a bed in the kitchen or den, daily training sessions rotating between an indoor training room, the backyard, a field, a busy pedestrian street and a park, and daily walks across the road through a large field and trails through the woods along a creek. One week focused on specific behaviors is $850; two weeks is $1,600; three-, four- and five-week programs are available at rates derived from the base. Daily videos are sent while the dog is away, and the site states plainly that "Results will vary and are not guaranteed as there are many variables with dogs and training."

Method

The business is explicitly force-free. Its home page names the tools it rejects – "Tools like bark collars, chain or prong collars, slip leads, e-collars and citronella sprays are all designed to punish not reward" – and the board and train page goes further: "We NEVER use harsh correction or shock collars." It also states outright: "I do not accept clients who uses a shock or prong collar." The About page describes a commitment to the "Least Invasive, Minimally Aversive" philosophy.

Who runs it

Heather Royer, owner and head trainer, has run the program in Lynchburg for seven-plus years. She describes a childhood spent with horses, a sister who moved into dog agility, and her own turn toward how dogs think: "My goal is not only to teach your dog but also to teach you about how dogs think and learn." From 2018 she spent two years under contract to a breeder, taking three eight-week-old goldendoodles at a time and boarding and training them for three months before sale. She says she especially likes working with puppies. Her stated process: an information form before the first appointment, a first meeting in the dog's own setting because the dog is less distracted there, and an emailed recap after each lesson so owners can practice before the next.

Credentials the company publishes

CPDT-KA; PMCT3, Pat Miller Certified Trainer Level 3 through Peaceable Paws; certification through Canine Club Academy; and a Canine Behavioral Professional Diploma from Canine Principles. The site also lists coursework at the Canine Behavior and Training Academy, Canine Behavior Modification Program Academy, Advanced Canine Training and Behavior Study Academy, Canine Cognition Academy and Canine Aggression Academy, and attendance at the 2021 Victoria Stilwell Academy Dog Behavior Conference. She states she is working toward CBCC-KA, the advanced behavior-modification certification, which is therefore not yet held.

Practical detail

Lynchburg, serving the Central Virginia area. Virtual training is offered. Booking is through an online calendar or a questionnaire. Puppy preschool payment is taken by cash, check or Zelle.