Heartdog Training

Heartdog Training

My name is Sara Chard. I am a professional dog trainer serving Mid-Coast, Maine. I use evidence based training and LIMA (least intrusive minimally aversive strategies). What this looks like is finding a way to train your dog that is science based, your dog will enjoy, you will hopefully have fun doing it - and it will work. My goal is to help people have well mannered dogs that are a pleasure to live with while strengthening the bond between the dog and human family.

I am fully insured, and work with all breeds and ages of dogs and am comfortable helping with many issues that families face raising dogs. Before we schedule a lesson (or set of lessons), we will consult by phone to be sure I am right trainer for you. I look forward to working with you!

Heartdog Training Services:

  • Sara will come to your home to work with you and your dog within a 20 mile radius of Newcastle, Maine.

    Sara will travel up to a 50 mile radius of Newcastle but will charge milage beyond the 20 mile range on top of the regular hourly rate.

  • In six weekly sessions we will begin to work on teaching your puppy cues such as sit, down, come, look, touch and more. At the same time we will talk about issues you may be struggling with such as potty training, crate training, socialization, nutrition, enrichment, exercise and other questions you may have.

  • In this class we are working on polite manners. We will teach the major cues, being sure that your dog understands them and does them reliably. I recommend 4-6 weekly classes.

  • As we work at home and your dog progresses and is ready for more distractions we may go into the community to test skills.

  • Consistency is key when learning anything new, and especially in dog training. Sometimes when our dog gets to be pretty good at something we humans stop practicing with our dog. When this coincides with our dog becoming a teenager, this can present.a problem. It might be time for a tune up. Call me, we’ll make a plan, and get things back on track.

  • Private Lesson $85.00

    Package of Four Private Lessons $320.00

    Package of Six Private Lessons $450.00

  • Canine Good Citizen is a 10-skill test that teaches good manners to dogs and responsible dog ownership to their owners.

“I would give Sara a million stars if I could! Sara is a wonderful trainer and an amazing person. After having trouble seeing our first scheduled trainer we found Sara and it was as if it was meant to be! She helped us train and understand our seven month old puppy. He instantly made her part of our pack and family. She treated him as one of her own from the day we met her. He listened to her intently, especially with her high reward treats and waited for her to excitedly say “Jackpot,” which meant multiple treats for doings his commands successfully. Along with his training she always found something fun for him to learn, whether it was doing some fun agility training or a new trick. Our favorite that she taught us is “down in motion.” She helped us get our Orion CGC Certified (Canine Good Citizen) with flying colors. She is patient, kind, loving and very knowledgeable about dogs and we loved the positive reinforcement training that she does. She has suggested lots of tips when it comes to our kids and Orion, and how he interacts with them. She has never met a dog that she cannot train. If any of our friends gets a puppy we immediately give them Sara’s information to help with training.

Orion doesn’t always like going on car rides, but once he would hear he would be going to see Sara, he would tilt his head and have his happy toes tapping. If you are going to listen to anything in this testimonial, listen to Orion!

Athena