Dog Training & Care Services in Pueblo CO

Each of our training programs is custom-tailored to your 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, and the owner’s desired goals. 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 the cost of accomplishing your goals. There is no cost or obligation associated with the free demonstration.

We use 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 personalities 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 our staff. We pride ourselves on being able to maintain a happy and relaxed attitude in our dogs.

We specialize 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 Collar (remote electronic dog training collar).

We firmly believe in safe dog training. The technology we employ is 100% safe for dogs and humans. Our Collar uses state-of-the-art digital technology to control the output of the collar and 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. In the medical field, they are used as tools to help alleviate pain, promote blood circulation and encourage healing.

Remote dog training collars are used 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 our certified 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.

During the fundamental obedience training, the handlers are taught how to condition their dog to the collar constructively and positively. By adjusting the collar level appropriately for the dog and the situation and 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.

Our use of a collar is just like a smartphone. Cell phones today are mini-computers with built-in cameras, internet access and applications. These tools enhance our communication with others and allow for a diversified means of gathering and sharing information. 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 more efficient training through 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 also allows you to communicate with your dog without yelling.

The uniqueness of our 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 is no different than training your dog with a leash or with treats.

Reinforcement is a required and necessary part of your dog’s life. Even after they are trained, reinforcing your rules and boundaries will still be necessary. This is no different than what 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. 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 is 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 make your dog more reliable even without training equipment or training ‘aids’ as we call them. Training your dog to be reliable without a 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. 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 and teach them the rules, boundaries, and desired behaviors you want. It is 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 you and your dog 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 regularly 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 are. When your dog is capable of performing commands without the need for reinforcement for approximately 6 weeks, it is very likely to be reliable without their training aid present. We ultimately want your dog to learn how to filter our distractions entirely. When this is achieved, your dog is much less likely to act out unwantedly 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 can ignore distraction. The catch, however, is that they are still capable of distraction (they are not robots). An intelligent trainer recognizes this and is ready to maintain their rules, commands, and boundaries at any time. It is not uncommon to have a dog who senses the lack of maintenance and begins to revert to 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.