Cooperation Canine

Cooperation Canine offers a diverse range of training and behavior modification programs tailored for pet owners, shelters/rescues, and veterinary professionals. For pet dogs, services include “The Complete Consult” for addressing high levels of fear, anxiety, stress, aggression (dog or human-directed), leash reactivity, resource guarding, and complex behaviors. This typically involves an initial evaluative consultation followed by private work sessions.

Specialized programs include “The Bite Bundle” for dogs with damaging bite histories, offering a comprehensive consult and one-on-one coaching sessions. “Cooperative Care” helps dogs overcome fears related to veterinary visits and medical procedures. “Life Skills & Manners” focuses on basic obedience, polite behaviors, and their unique Choice/Response Communication Training™ methods.

They also provide “Day Training” where trainers work directly with dogs, “Adoption Transition Support” for new rescues, and “OMG Puppies” for early socialization and training. Additionally, they offer “Behavior Euthanasia Support” for difficult decisions. For shelters/rescues, they provide adoptability assessments and foster dog behavior modification. For veterinarians and dog professionals, they offer behavior support services, pop-up clinics, and professional coaching.

Pricing Summary

Pricing varies by service and format (in-home, in-clinic, or virtual).
Adoption Transition Support: Evaluations range from $250 (virtual) to $395 (in-home). Packages with 2-4 follow-up visits range from $550 (virtual) to $895 (in-home).
Certified Consultations: Initial 90-minute consults are $295 (virtual), $395 (in-clinic), or $495 (in-home). Follow-up work sessions are $165/hour (in-clinic/virtual) or $195/hour (in-home). Packages of 3 follow-up sessions are $475 (in-clinic/virtual) or $565 (in-home).
Day Training: Weekly packages are $395 for 2 sessions, $595 for 3 sessions, and $995 for 5 sessions. Transfer sessions are $95 for 30 minutes.
OMG Puppies: The “Kit and Kaboodle” package (Primer + 3 sessions) is $695 (in-clinic/virtual) or $895 (in-home). A single “Puppy Primer” session is $295 (in-clinic/virtual) or $395 (in-home). A “Puppy Pack” (3 sessions) is $425 (in-clinic/virtual) or $525 (in-home).
Cooperative Care: “Prepared Puppies” (3 sessions) is $475. For adolescent & adult dogs, an assessment plus single work session is $395, plus three work sessions is $695, and plus six work sessions is $1195.
Life Skills & Manners: Single sessions are $150 (in-clinic) or $195 (in-home). “The Triple Play” (3 sessions) is $425 (in-clinic) or $525 (in-home). “Everything But the Kitchen Sink” (6 sessions) is $825 (in-clinic) or $1025 (in-home).
The Bite Bundle: A comprehensive package including a consult, 6 work sessions, and 3 check-ins costs $1425. Additional work sessions are $175/hour.
Travel Fees: In-home visits within a 30-minute travel window are included. If beyond 30 minutes, a $20 “Reverse Travel Fee” is provided to the client for clinic visits. Virtual sessions have no travel fees. Payment is due in full prior to the first visit unless other arrangements are made.

Policies

Packages must be booked within 6 months of purchase and are valid only for the chosen format (in-clinic/virtual or in-home) unless otherwise discussed. If a client chooses a package with work sessions but opts not to keep the dog, they will only be charged for the initial evaluation. For Life Skills & Manners, 3-session packages should be used within a 3-month period, and 6-session packages within a 6-month period. Payment for services is due in full prior to the first visit, unless alternative arrangements have been made. There is no activity on Sundays, except for existing clients with emergency needs.

Cooperation Canine’s main mission is to educate humans about dogs, aiming to create a more compassionate world for them by highlighting the human-animal bond and its impact on canine behavior. They believe understanding a dog’s capacity for emotion fosters empathy, empowering humans in their relationships with their pets.

The business focuses on changing dogs’ emotional responses through science-based methods, applied behavior principles, and positive reinforcement. They adopt a holistic approach, considering environmental changes, enrichment, exercise, and cognitive outlets to reduce problem behaviors.

The team is dedicated to continuous education and credentialing, with all members having completed structured training and behavior programs, holding at least a CPDT-KA, and undergoing mentoring. They provide fear-free dog behavior services, coaching, and collaboration for pet owners, shelters, rescues, and veterinary professionals.

Accomplishments

The team at Cooperation Canine is highly committed to continuing education and credentialing, with all members having completed structured training and behavior programs, possessing at least a CPDT-KA, and undergoing mentoring.

Erika Lessa, the Team Lead and Behavior Change Technologist, holds a diploma in Canine Behavior Science & Technology from the Companion Animal Science Institute (approximately 500 course hours). She is an IAABC Certified Dog Behavior Consultant (CDBC), CCPDT Certified Professional Dog Trainer (CPDT-KA), and Fear-Free Certified. Erika is also a member of the Pet Professional Guild and the Association of Pet Dog Trainers, and has authored articles for PetMD and the IAABC Journal.

Sam Larrimer and Jocelyn Cobb are both Certified Behavior Consultants & Training Coaches, holding a Certificate in Training and Counseling (CTC) from The Academy for Dog Trainers and are CCPDT Certified Professional Dog Trainers (CPDT-KA).

How to Get Started!

To begin services, clients are advised to complete the NEW CLIENT PROFILE form. This allows Cooperation Canine to review the client’s situation and typically respond within 24-48 hours. For general questions that are not urgent, clients can send an email and expect a response within 72 hours. While leaving a voicemail is an option, it is noted as not their preferred method of communication.