About Phillips Command Dogs/The Dog Guy, NY LLC

Phillips Command Dogs, which also trades as The Dog Guy, NY LLC, is the widest-ranging dog training business in the Olean area and the only one in this metro that publishes working-dog services alongside pet training. Its own summary line is that it "can help you with most anything dog related," and the published service list bears that out: obedience, behavior modification, custom problem solving, Canine Good Citizen, therapy dog training and certification, service dogs, tracking and trailing, personal protection, and five kinds of scent detection.

What it offers pet owners

For an ordinary family dog the relevant part of the list is short and clear. The business offers private Basic and Advanced Obedience Training for all breeds, plus Custom Problem Solving and Behavior Modification training for the dogs that need something other than a class. Canine Good Citizen is on the list as well, and the site displays a CGC evaluator badge, so the preparation and the test can be arranged in the same place – which matters in a county where the nearest evaluator is otherwise a drive away. Therapy dog training and certification is offered for owners who want to visit hospitals or schools with their dog, and service dog training is listed too.

The working-dog side

The rest of the list is unusual for a town this size. The business trains and works detection dogs for narcotics, explosives, firearms, accelerants and human remains, and it says it specializes in private detection interdiction, training civilian as well as police detection teams. It offers to arrange private sweeps for drugs or explosives for homeowners, private businesses and schools, framing periodic inspection as a deterrent program rather than an investigation. Personal protection training and tracking and trailing work round it out.

Credentials it claims

The site states that the business has previously been licensed by the New York State Bureau of Controlled Substances and previously issued a certificate by the DEA, and that it is licensed by New York State and the BATF to store and possess high explosives – the kind of authority a detection-training operation needs to hold real training aids. It also says certification is available for both law enforcement and civilian dogs and handlers, and describes itself as insured, bonded and accredited by the Better Business Bureau. These are the business's own claims; the registries this directory can check for New York (CCPDT and APDT) do not cover them.

How to approach it

There is no published class calendar and no price list. The site is built around a phone number, which fits a business whose work is mostly private instruction and contract work rather than weekly classes. If you are calling about a family dog, say so plainly – the pet obedience and behavior work sits on the same list as the detection contracts, and it is worth being explicit about which end of the business you need.