If you are looking for dog training in New Hampshire, your dog probably has more freedom than almost any dog in the country and very little reason to listen. He comes when called in the kitchen and turns to stone when a deer crosses the trail. He drifts down a road with no sidewalk and no fence. He was fine all summer and fell apart in February when the running stopped. You may have tried a class or an invisible fence already.
New Hampshire dogs are not under-exercised, and they are not under-loved. What most of them are missing is a person they answer to at fifty yards, because nothing in a life of woods and open road ever required one. That person cannot be installed by a wire or hired by a treat. Shawn Hines has spent more than thirty years training dogs and more than fifteen running Best Buddy Dog Training, and he teaches New Hampshire owners how to be the one their dog comes off a deer for.
Where the Trouble Starts
Town by town
Manchester, Nashua, Concord, Bedford, Merrimack, Hooksett, Goffstown and Bow; Salem, Derry, Londonderry, Windham, Hudson, Pelham, Amherst and Milford; Portsmouth, Dover, Durham, Exeter, Hampton, Rochester, Somersworth and Newmarket; Laconia, Gilford, Meredith, Wolfeboro, Moultonborough and Alton; Keene, Peterborough, Jaffrey and Rindge; Lebanon, Hanover, Plymouth, Littleton and Conway. If your town is not in that list, call and ask.
February
By late January the walks are shorter, the yard is ice, and the hour of running that burned off his edge is gone. Chewing, window barking, mouthing the kids, pacing at dusk. It is not cabin fever. Exercise was covering for a lack of structure, and winter took the exercise away. Fix the structure and next winter is no different from July.
The deer track
A dog who turns to stone on a deer track has learned that the deer is more interesting than you. That changes on the trail with the deer present, because a recall that only works without distractions is not one you can trust, and it is built on a long line first.
The road with no fence
Most of the state has no sidewalk and no fence line, and the dog drifts toward the highway. A wire teaches him where the pain is, not where you are. A dog who stays on the lawn while the propane truck backs down the drive is answering to a person.
The puppy raised on space
A puppy in a Bow or Hollis backyard gets acres to run and almost nothing to obey. By ten months he is big, fast, friendly and deaf to his name. Room is not the same as rules, and between eight weeks and six months is when the rules go in easiest.
The Dogs in the Pictures
There are no stock dogs on this site. All of them are Shawn's work, photographed and filmed as it happened, with no treat and no e-collar in sight. Before you call, the videos and the success stories will show you what the training produces.
In-Home Dog Training Anywhere in New Hampshire
Four private sessions with Shawn at your house, on your road, and at your trailhead make up the in-home program, and the whole idea is that you come out of them able to train your own dog. Everything is planned around your dog and the people in your home. You can reach Shawn by phone and video for the rest of the dog's life without paying more; up to five dogs living in the same home are covered by the one price, with no hidden fees. Should the dog need more sessions after you have followed the plan, they are included. In New Hampshire, that price is $2,250.
Video Coaching for the North Country
If you are too far north for weekly visits, video coaching fills the gap. It suits the things most owners find hardest at first: how the leash is held, the timing of a correction, who goes through the door first, what happens at dinner. Shawn watches you and your dog on camera in your own kitchen and fixes it while it is happening. Video is not the tool for a dog with a bite history; that dog needs Shawn in the room. Paired with one in-home visit, it carries most northern families a long way.
Board and Train
There is a longer program for the harder dog. Board and train takes the dog into Shawn's home and pack for four to six weeks of daily training in public. It exists for aggression, guarding, hard reactivity, chronic anxiety, and the dogs other trainers sent home. Shawn brings the dog to his home and back himself, then runs three reintegration sessions at your house so the obedience transfers to you, with lifetime follow-up. The program is priced for the dog, from $2,500 to $5,000, and confirmed on the phone.
Questions We Get from New Hampshire Owners
Can my dog really be reliable off leash around wildlife?
Most New Hampshire dogs can. A hound bred to run a scent is a longer project than a Lab, and Shawn will give you an honest read on the phone.
Does video coaching actually work?
For handling, timing, and household rules, yes. For a dog who has bitten, no; Shawn needs to see that dog in person.
Why did my well-behaved summer dog fall apart in February?
Because the running was doing the work that leadership should have been doing. It is fixable, and once fixed, next winter is no different from July.
My dog has bitten someone. Will you still take him?
Usually, yes. Tell Shawn on the phone so the first session is planned around it.
Call Shawn
Call (401) 536-7982. It is a free conversation with Shawn, not a pitch. Explain the dog's behavior, and he will answer plainly: what he would do, and what it costs. Weekdays 8am to 6pm, Saturdays 9am to 5pm; a message left at any other hour is returned.
Who you are to your dog is EVERYTHING
Shawn Hines
Dog Trainer, Best Buddy Dog Training
No charge, no obligation. We talk before anything else happens.
Best Buddy Dog Training serves these cities and surrounding communities in New Hampshire
Bedford • Concord • Derry • Dover • Durham • Exeter • Hampton • Hanover • Keene • Laconia • Lebanon • Londonderry • Manchester • Nashua • Portsmouth • Rochester • Salem • Wolfeboro