About Ideal DOG LLC Training Facility

Ideal DOG LLC runs a training facility at 372 S. Koeller St in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, and describes a wide menu: "Ideal DOG offers a wide variety of dog training services to meet your needs. We offer training in your home or at our Training Facility." The site says all services "have been mindfully designed by Professional Dog Trainer Lynsie Bernier to help you and your dog learn together in a supportive and positive environment". The stated method is force-free and science-based – "Our science-based methods maximize results without compromising your dog's well-being" and "Our goal is to effectively teach you and your dog important canine life skills without the use of fear or force."

Group classes

The group class list is long and laddered: Puppy Preschool, AKC STAR Puppy, Puppy Play Dates, Basic and Advanced Manners, K9 Life Skills levels 1 and 2, Polite in Public, three levels of Agility Fun, an AKC Canine Good Citizen class with testing, a six-step nose work series from Intro to Nose Work through Advanced Skill Building, Tricks Classes, Therapy Dog Skills, a Dog Sports Sampler and an Intro to Treibball. The format is stated: "Our group classes have 4-8 dog handler teams per class. Classes are 1 hour long and are held on set day and time each week for a series of weeks", with registration and payment online. The page also draws a clear line – "If your dog has behavior concerns group classes are not appropriate and private training/behavior counseling is needed."

Private work and behavior consultations

The services page lists behavior consultations, private classes, custom training plans, full service training, and group classes with play dates. Behavior consultations are offered "at our training facility, in your home or over the phone" and include "An evaluation of your dog's behavior to determine the root cause", a history and personality profile, and "Professional recommendations for behavior modification". The published behavior issues run from house training, jumping and mouthing through "Leash reactivity (lunging/barking)", destructive chewing, excessive barking, anxiety, "Separation anxiety", possession guarding, fearfulness, "Dog/Dog aggression" and "Aggression towards strangers". The site is candid about its limits: it "may refer serious aggression cases to a Vet Behaviorist", assessed on "bite history", bite threshold and bite inhibition, and it urges owners to raise behavior concerns with their veterinarian to rule out medical causes.

Locations, travel and rates

Two locations are published – a studio in downtown Oshkosh shared with a pet supply and grooming store, and a 4,000 square foot Training Center on S Koeller St – with "Behavior consultations, private training, and group classes" available at both. In-home service is offered "for clients in the Fox Valley within 15 miles of Oshkosh", with a stated travel cost; clients outside that area are referred on to "a wide network of certified professionals". The site publishes a 90 minute behavior evaluation consultation at $175.00 and hour sessions after the first consult at $95/hr, with "Discounted packages … to clients who commit to 4 or more training sessions, up to 15% off", and notes prices are subject to change.

The team

The about page names the owner as "Lynsie Bernier CPDT-KA, CNWI" and says she "brings 30+ years in the animal care field to the business", has "been training and showing dogs since age 11", and has worked in professional animal care "since 1993 including boarding, grooming, daycare, sheltering, and Veterinary care". Her listed credentials include "Certified Professional Dog Trainer (CPDT-KA) since 2009", "NACSW Certified Nose Work Instructor, CNWI", AKC Canine Good Citizen Evaluator, and approved membership of The Pet Professional Guild and Force Free Trainers of Wisconsin. The page also introduces lead trainer Kelly Butkiewicz, CPDT-KA, CVT, trainer James Affeldt, CPDT-KA, and trainer Gloria Simon, CPDT-KA, each with their own background and sports history.