Few pleasures in life rival that of owning a new puppy. However, with that joy comes responsibility. Puppies have no idea as to what we expect of them. It is your responsibility to your dog, your family, and to your neighborhood that you raise and guide your puppy to be a good canine citizen.

Puppy Preschool will help you get started on the right foot with your new best friend. The class is specially designed for puppies under the age of 20 weeks who are not mature enough for formal obedience training and who thus have very unique training needs. During these first five months of your puppy's life it is critical that your puppy establish healthy emotional and social bonds with you and his or her environment. After these first 20 weeks, your dog's critical socialization stages are over and any socialization that you do after this point will not be as effective.

Result based programs. Every dog and owner are individuals and learn in different ways and at different rates. We match the training to the individual dog and owner to insure the highest level of training. There is no charge if extra lessons are needed past the scheduled six weeks.This program has three phases to success. Phase I, the “teaching phase”, is done at the office where the controlled environment is for you and your dog’s learning; Phase II, the “reinforcement phase”, is done on the Cape Henry Trail, walking past traffic, joggers, bicycles, dogs, and walkers; and Phase III, the “proofing phase”, is done at Bayville Farms Park around the playground, ballgames, and other dogs. Because what your dog does inside my four walls doesn’t necessarily do you the greatest good, we’ve got to put it to use in the real world.

The cost for On-leash private program is $450.00, which includes six private lessons at the office and park, on leash training equipment & literature, instructional DVD, and unlimited Distraction Proofing Classes held once a month. This is for clients who would like a little extra follow up in distractions or just want to stay in practice. 

During the In-Board Residency Program the dog lives in the trainer's home for 12 to 14 days. Upon completion of the boarding stay, there are 2-4 private transfer lessons to the owner. The first lesson is at the trainer's house and lasts about an hour, and the following lessons are at the owner's home and last about a half hour. 

There is a fenced-in yard and the grounds are treated often to prevent flea and tick infestations.

Daily playtime - group play with other dogs if they are social or individual playtime for the less social.

Personal time with the trainer outside of the usual training sessions. This increases the bond between the trainer and the dog, which helps tremendously in training. This time can be playing soccer or fetch, cuddle time while watching TV, or a relaxing massage. 5 year old Declan and 2 year old Connor are a large part of the training experience of each dog in both distractions and rewarding the obedience with treats.

The cost for the In-Board Program is $1250.00, which includes the boarding & training, 2 -4 private transfer lessons in the client's home or at the park, on-leash equipment & literature, instructional go home DVD, and unlimited Distraction Proofing Classes held once a month. This is for clients who would like a little extra follow up in distractions or just want to stay in practice. 

Please note, we only accept a few dogs at a time in training.  The reason for this is that we want the dogs to feel at home with us, and not like they are in a kennel.  Also, because of the trainer's two young boys, Nicely Trained Canines no longer accepts people or dog aggressive dogs into this program.

For the safety of your dog, all off-leash obedience is taught with a Dogtra 200NCP remote trainer. It will only be used to reinforce known commands.  It will not be used to teach new commands, as it often proves less effective than lots of treats and toys during this portion of training. The last lesson of the program is done in an area where you'll be using the commands, normally at the park or beach.

Linnea Nicely-Dix is an expert witness in court cases concerning "Dangerous Dog" charges in the cities of Virginia Beach and Portsmouth.