Voted Best Dog Trainers In Hawaii

As Seen Training On

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Hawaii Dog Training Experts

Sit Means Sit Dog Training Hawaii provides professional dog training in Honolulu, Oahu, Maui, and the surrounding Hawaii areas.

Sit Means Sit Dog Training Hawaii has the best professional dog training in Maui, Oahu, Honolulu, and all the outer Islands. Our Transformation Academy options are for all breeds of dogs and puppies. Programs range from Puppy classes to Off Leash obedience, all the way to Deemed Dangerous dogs.

Let’s talk. Give us a call today at (808) 283-3647 for a free training evaluation!

Free Evaluation

About Sit Means Sit Dog Training

Dog Training Programs

Any Dog Any Age Any Problem

Board and Train at Sit Means Sit Hawaii

Transformation Academy (Board & Train)

The Board and Train Transformation Academy is ideal for the active family and individual with busy schedules filled with responsibility, for those who want to be involved with their pet’s polishing process while securing our professionals to instill a solid foundation. Your enjoyment begins after the transformation is in place with our “Transfer of Leadership” private lessons that are supported with our “Trainer for the life of your dog” guarantee. Let our Hawaii Dog Trainers address your dog’s challenges, bad behaviors and develop them to be an obedient canine companion, all while in one of our secure and safe facilities.

Are you interested in transforming your dog’s behavior and skills? Give us a call or fill out our free evaluation form today to learn more!

Free Evaluation 
Puppy Management at Sit Means Sit Hawaii

Puppy Management

The first 16 weeks of life are a critical time in your puppy’s development. The Sit Means Sit Dog Training Hawaii Puppy Management Program is for Puppies 8-16 weeks. We will teach you the principles of raising a well-mannered, confident and socially outgoing puppy.

This is done through a combination of private lessons and controlled small group puppy socialization classes. Topics include house/potty training, how to stop play biting, controlling chewing before it gets destructive, and laying the foundation for good manners and obedience with commands like “come” “sit,” “down,” “place” and shaping of the “heel”.

If you’re ready to get your puppy for socialized and comfortable in their environment, give us a call today for a free evaluation.

Free Evaluation 
Advanced Classes at Sit Means Sit Hawaii

Advanced & Specialty Classes

Take your dog’s training to the next level with our advanced and specialty classes! These are available exclusively to clients who have gone through our private lesson or immersion programs. These classes are incredibly popular with our clients and include:

  • Advanced Off-Leash Obedience Class: Take things to the next level by fine tuning your dog’s loose and off leash skills while at the park or beach, downtown, and while visiting cafes and coffee shops.
  • Dog Tricks 101 & 201: Learn unique, fun and impressive tricks like high five, shake, reverse walking up the stairs, or even our Fire hydrant pose
  • Beach Etiquette Class: Teach your dog the value freedom by having polite beach manners
  • The Trained Retrieve: Your dog will learn to bring you things like a news paper or toy. Whether you’re doing service work, or just wanting your slippers it all starts with a trained retrieve.
  • Directional skills at a Distance: Send your dog to a place with remotes sits and downs at amazing distances

Do you want to get your dog’s skills and training to a whole new level? Contact us for a Free Evaluation today to see what our advanced classes can do for you.

Free Evaluation 
Board and Review at Sit Means Sit Hawaii

Board & Review

Our Board & Review program is for Sit Means Sit Hawaii Program Graduates. All dogs will enjoy the full spectrum of reinforcing and polishing skill sets as needed on a daily basis with the training protocols and progressions that originally helped to guide them to the behaviors they now enjoy on a lifetime basis. This time spent with us acts as a refresher period to tighten things up. Sleep well knowing that SMS team members are on location 24/7 while your dog is also under the watchful eye of our 26 camera security system. Effective 1/17/24 $75 per night. Holiday $85 per night.

If you’re heading out on a vacation and want the best place for your dog to enjoy their stay, give us a call today!

Free Evaluation 
Seminars at Sit Means Sit Hawaii

Seminars

Sharing the knowledge of our attention-reward based communication system of dog training is something we love to do! Have our staff of certified professional trainers talk to your group, dog training club or pet-related store. Topics we cover include: the power of reward based training using markers, proper use of the remote training collar for motivation, teaching a trained retrieve, basic to advanced Off Leash obedience, directionals and dog tricks.

Wanting to bring a group in to learn more about working with your dog? Contact us today!

Free Evaluation 
Lunch and Learn Program

Lunch & Learn Program

If you and your staff interact at work with dogs, if you are a veterinarian, pet taxi, boarding kennel or groomer, let us buy you and your staff lunch. We will share and teach your team strategies and ways to increase safety while handling your clients dogs. We will discuss dog behavior problems, breaking up dog fights and bite prevention. Our staff of certified professional dog trainers look forward to the opportunity to share our lessons learned that have earned us Voted “Best in Hawaii” through our scientifically proven methods of the attention-reward based communication system of dog training. We will even provide some fun entertainment with our trained dogs.

If you want to advance your doggie knowledge and learn about important topics, let’s plan your Lunch and Learn today.

Free Evaluation 

FAQs

Get answers to some of our most commonly asked questions:

Each of our training programs is custom tailored to the specific situation. There are a number of factors that we evaluate prior to building a training package for you such as your dog’s age, temperament, previous training, as well as the desired goals of the owner. What will work for one dog and owner, won’t necessarily fit well with another. Because of these factors, we offer a free demonstration & consultation as an opportunity to meet with your family as well as your dog to gain insight into the unique circumstances that affect your dog’s training. During the demonstration we will evaluate the factors and develop a training plan for your dog and family. From the training plan we will be able to give you an accurate idea of cost to accomplish your goals. There is no cost or obligation associated with the free demonstration.

Sit Means Sit uses a variety of training methods and tools to achieve the goals of the customer and their dog.

The Sit Means Sit mission:

Revolutionizing the quality of life with happy, obedient, and confident dogs.

With this mission in-mind, we customize our training approach to meet with our customer's personality as well as what will result in the best possible training experience for both dog and owner. As you view our portfolio of dog training videos, we hope that you will pay close attention to the attitude of all the dogs trained by Sit Means Sit. We pride ourselves on being able to maintain a happy and relaxed attitude in our dogs.

Sit Means Sit specializes in a diversified approach to dog training. We use an attention-based dog training system developed by Founder and CEO, Fred Hassen. This approach utilizes a variety of training tools to enable our trainers to gain the dog’s attention even in distracting situations. One of the tools that we use often in our training program is our customized Sit Means Sit Collar (remote electronic dog training collar). The reason we choose to utilize technology in our training is obvious when you understand the advantages that technology allows us.

Firstly, Sit Means Sit firmly believes in safe dog training. The technology we employ is 100% safe for dogs and humans. The Sit Means Sit Collar uses state of the art digital technology to control the output from the collar to prevent it from harming your dog. The technology that is utilized in the construction of our collar is similar technology to “electronic muscle stimulators” and “TENS” units. You may be familiar with the use of these devices in the medical field (they are very common in the Chiropractic and Physical Therapy fields) or perhaps you’ve seen devices advertised on TV as “electronic muscle massagers”. These devices essentially use low-level, adjustable electronic stimulation to creating muscle contractions. In the medical field, they are used as tools to help alleviate pain, promote blood circulation and encourage healing.

In the dog training field, specifically Sit Means Sit, remote dog training collars are used as a tool to provide a remote controlled cue. The cue is designed to neither cause pain nor to disrupt the dog’s emotional state, but rather to function as an adjustable “tap”. The approach used by Sit Means Sit trainers is to treat the “tap” from the collar as a cue for the dog to pay attention. This is no different than tapping a person on the shoulder to gain their attention. The goal of tapping them on the shoulder is not to hurt them or cause emotional distress, but rather to let them know that you want to communicate something to them.

The “tap” delivered from the Sit Means Sit Collar is a highly adjustable sensation that can be set to levels that are often imperceptible to people. Obviously this adjustability is necessary because some dogs are sensitive, while others are quite tough. There is no way to determine what levels your dog will respond to until you begin to train them with a collar. Another reason why the collars are so adjustable is because distractions from the environment are never consistent. Relate this to training with a treat. How many times will that treat work perfectly indoors, but fails to maintain your dog’s attention when a cat is running by. Sit Means Sit has found that dogs can be taught to pay attention around extreme distractions very effectively.

During the fundamental Sit Means Sit training, the dogs and handlers are taught how to condition their dog to the collar in a constructive and positive manner. By adjusting the level of the collar appropriately for the dog and the situation, as well as linking the tap from the collar with an item of high value, we can effectively teach the dog that the “tap” from the collar is related to something of value. This approach to fundamentals allows for a smooth transition into distraction training and off leash control through attention to command.

You can relate the advantages that a Sit Means Sit Collar can provide you in dog training with the advantages that a state-of-the-art smartphone provides you. Cell phones these days are no longer just phones, but mini-computers with built-in cameras, internet access and applications. These tools enhance our communication with others, allow for a diversified means of gathering and sharing information as well it’s just flat out cool what can be done with them, provided you have the knowledge. You can still choose to use you old-fashioned wall-mount telephone in your kitchen if you like, but now you’re restricted to the the length of the cord, and it’s not exactly easy to send photos to your in-laws using that wall-mount phone. Effectively limiting what you can do while you’re talking on the phone. There’s nothing wrong with doing things that way, it’s just limiting. This same relationship can also be said of using a leash to train your dog. It’s just limiting. With a smartphone you can do it all from the convenience of wherever you want.

Building on the premise of safety, the use of a remote controlled cue allows for greater freedom of communication, and in turn more efficient training through the enhancement of near-instantaneous timing. Being able to re-direct your dog’s energy or attention while he is at a distance from you greatly enhances the reliability you can achieve in a short period of time. It's also allows for you to communicate with your dog without confrontation from yelling. Also, the uniqueness of the Sit Means Sit approach stands head and shoulders above other technology-based dog training systems because of our ability to establish a neutral communication system allowing for unprecedented problem solving abilities, and through our enhanced communication skills a truly politically correct training approach. We invite you to view our training first-hand by contacting us for a free demonstration with a local trainer.

Training with a remote dog training collar like the Sit Means Sit dog training collar is really no different than training your dog with a leash or with treats. Reinforcement in any form is a required and necessary part of your dog’s life. Even after they are trained, it will still be necessary to maintain your rules and boundaries. This is really no different than we encounter with people learning to drive a car. Obtaining your driver’s license only shows that you understand the rules of the road, and have demonstrated your ability to operate a car safely. It does not guarantee that you will stop at every stop sign, and drive the speed limit all the time. Obviously there are a lot of factors that change as you drive, and some drivers are more honest than others. The bottom line however is that there are police officers responsible for maintaining the law and enforcing the rules that we have agreed to.

When looking at dog training from this standpoint, it easy to see how reinforcement of rules will be inevitable at some point. Every dog is different though, and some dogs require more or less reinforcement than others.

The good news is that proper and thorough training will result in your dog being more reliable even without training equipment or training ‘aids’ as we call them. Training your dog to be reliable without a Sit Means Sit dog training collar on is a matter of transferring attention through conditioning. There are three broad phases of training that you will encounter as you train your dog. Sticking with the your training and reinforcing your rules consistently over a long enough period of time will get your dog as reliable as they can be. The phases of training are as follows:

Phase 1: The Teaching/Control Phase ~ 6-12+ weeks

During phase one, the goal is to achieve control over your dog, teach them the rules, boundaries and desired behaviors you want. It also the time to teach the dog to pay attention and perform these commands around distractions. This phase lasts between 6-12 weeks on average, however in certain situations it may take longer to gain the reliability needed before moving on to phase two. Once your dog is capable of performing commands quickly and reliably around a variety of distractions with minimal problem solving required, then your dog and you are ready to move on to phase two.

Phase 2: The Reinforcement Phase ~ 6-12+ weeks

During phase two, the goal is to begin phasing out your training aid (remote dog training collar). In phase one, we use the dog training collar on a regular basis to regain attention and maintain our rules. Now in phase two we begin to reduce our dependence on the dog training collar and introduce consistency via variable reinforcement. You may or may not need your dog training collar, but we want to teach the dog that you are still in control even if the perception of the dog is that you are not. This phase will last between 6 – 12 weeks on average, and will require you to stick with phase two for longer than average. It’s also not uncommon as dogs mature and age to have to revert back into phase one training again for several weeks depending on how your dog’s performance and behavior is. When your dog is capable of performing commands without the need for reinforcement for approximately 6 weeks, then your dog is very likely to be reliable without their training aid present. We are ultimately looking to have your dog learn how to filter our distractions entirely. When this is achieved, your dog is much less likely to act out in an unwanted manner because of distractions.

Phase 3: The Maintenance Phase ~ Ongoing

The third and final phase of training a dog is the maintenance phase. During this phase, you will likely be using your dog training collar or other dog training aid very little as your dog is capable of ignoring distraction. The catch however is that they are still capable of distraction (they are not robots). A smart trainer recognizes this and is ready to maintain their rules, commands and boundaries at anytime. It is not uncommon to have a dog who sense the lack of maintenance and begins to revert back in their behavior. The benefit of having done your dog training properly to begin with is that regression is easily minimized and dealt with by simply jumping back into training for a short time to remind the dog of the expectations.

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Trainers & Staff

Professional trainers. Attentive friendly staff.

Scott Sanchez

Scott SanchezOwner

Scott Sanchez is the Owner and Director of Training at Sit Means Sit Dog Training Hawaii. He is also the Vice President of Research and Development for Sit Means Sit Corporate. He handles all domestic and international locations, and has spearheaded the 300-page Franchise Owner and Dog Training Manual. Scott is also an Olympic athlete and many times Olympic coach, with 35 years of medal winning athletes.

Rhonda Smith Sanchez

Rhonda Smith SanchezCo-Owner / Trainer

Rhonda Smith-Sanchez thrives with all breeds of dogs from the lovable pit bulls, to all the small and medium dogs in between. Rhonda is also a professional athlete, 5 times Overall World Windsurfing Champion and Personal Trainer. Scott and Rhonda are goal and results oriented in both their personal lives as well as their work with dogs. This is exactly why you can count on Sit Means Sit Hawaii dog training to help your dreams come true with you and your dog. We boldly show the results of Sit Means Sit Hawaii dog training daily online with our client’s videos. As former professional athletes, Scott and Rhonda are driven by the challenge of creating positive results. Sit Means Sit Dog Training Hawaii sets a fresh standard of results for dog obedience and fun that is attainable for families and their dogs.

Michele Cabatingan

Michele CabatinganKennel Master / Handler

Michelle began her relationship with Sit Means Sit Hawaii as a client. She is now a highly valued member of the team, responsible for the safety and well being off all the dogs in our care at the Maui facility. Michele oversees and ensures that every dog receives individual love and attention daily. You’ll be hard-pressed to find an individual who is as attentive and loves dogs like Michele.

Kimo Malabon

Kimo MalabonAssistant Trainer

Kimo, born and raised on Maui, has always had dogs in his life and has been an avid competitor on the Hawaiian Dog Show circuit for many years. He shares his dog handling skills with a contagious smile and enthusiasm with every dog with whom he engages. His dedication to detail when teaching the dog is exactly what we strive for with all our SMS Hawaii Team Members. His dogs Strawberry, Maui and Moana are great teaching assistants and help out daily with other dogs.

Tracey Harrap

Tracey HarrapHead Trainer

Tracey is a Certified Sit Means Sit trainer and life long dog owner. She is empathetic to all our families as she has rescued and looked after dogs all her life. You will find this New Zealand native to be both pleasant and direct in helping you achieve the lifestyle you are looking for with your dog. she found her current dog Koi starving on the side of the road and brought him back to health and trained him with Sit Means Sit, you will find his smile in a number our Pit Bull videos.

Service Areas

We proudly serve the following areas in Hawaii.

Cities

  • Haiku
  • Wailea
  • Kahului
  • Kihei
  • Kula
  • Lahaina
  • Makawao
  • Paia
  • Pukalani
  • Puunene
  • Wailuku
  • Makawao
  • Kaanapali
  • Napili-Honokowai
  • Aiea
  • Ewa Beach
  • Kapolei
  • Kailua
  • Kaneohe
  • Kunia
  • Pearl City
  • Wahiawa
  • Mililani
  • Waialua
  • Waipahu
  • Honolulu
  • Makiki
  • Hickam AFB
  • Wheeler Army Airfield
  • Schofield Barracks
  • Fort Shafter
  • Pearl Harbor
  • Camp H M Smith
  • Wake Island
  • Waianae
  • Waikiki
  • M C B H Kaneohe Bay
  • Tripler Army Medical Center

Don't See Your Location?

Sit Means Sit has 157 locations across the US and Canada.

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Dog Training Videos

Check out a few videos to see our dog trainers at work!

SMS Dog Training Overview

What Are You Waiting For?

Australian Shepherd Learning Off Leash

Golden Retriever Husky Starting Transformation Camp

5 Star Reviews

We love customers and their dogs. They love us.

Mark S.

Training that works!!!!

Ray M.

I’m a believer! We have a 7 month old golden retriever puppy. At three months of age he went through the Sit Means Sit puppy training. That was a big help. We had been in a very negative cycle with the pup. Our training just consisted of “No”! Scott Sanchez taught us how to train…

Susan C.

We highly recommend Sit Means Sit. Our 7 month old Labrador just finished the 10 day training with Scott and his staff and we are delighted with the results. Our high energy, strong willed Lab was jumping up on people, tackling the grand kids, running out the gate and “come” was a game of you…

Rona P.

So thankful for this transformation Scott! What an amazing difference in our Miss Moji. Hooray! You guys are PAWSOME!!