Gentle Canine Fitness and Training

Gentle Canine Fitness and Training offers a variety of programs designed to build a healthy and happy relationship between you and your dog, integrating their physical and emotional well-being with your lifestyle. Programs include Manners training covering basics like sit, recall, down, stay/wait, leave it/give, place, and leash manners.

Mind and Body Enrichment programs feature Agility, Rally Obedience, exercise plans, enrichment plans, and seasonal home agility. Puppy Life Skills focus on early manners, socialization, body awareness, positive introductions to sounds, and exploring the environment.

The business also addresses Challenging Behaviors such as leash work, jumping, non-aggressive reactivity, mild separation anxiety, potty training, resource guarding, impulse control, confidence building, fear, and barking. Private or group lessons are available for puppies less than 4 months old, with options for in-home visits or meeting at puppy-friendly locations.

Manners classes are offered in-person and virtually, teaching basic behaviors and how to help dogs be comfortable around others. Agility classes are available for both beginners and those seeking next-level training, focusing on connection, handling techniques, obstacle performance, and advanced sequences. Rally Obedience, coming soon, is a fun game using obedience skills in challenging ways, suitable for dogs who can share an environment with others in small class settings.

Pricing Summary

Initial evaluations are $80 per hour. Private lessons are $80 for the first appointment and $60 for follow-up sessions. Packages of six or twelve lessons are available at a reduced rate. A $25 travel fee applies for house calls more than 25 miles from Bangor.

Policies

Aggression cases are referred to a specialist.

Gentle Canine Fitness and Training focuses on building a healthy and happy relationship between you and your canine companion. The business integrates the dog’s physical and emotional wellbeing with the needs of your individual lifestyle.

Founder Nicole Ireland is a VSA-Certified Dog Trainer (Online) who practices positive reinforcement and adheres to least intrusive minimally aversive (LIMA) methods. She uses skills from her Fear Free certification (elite) and Low Stress Handling University course, and stays current on the science of dog training through extensive reading, webinars, and online courses.

Nicole is also a Certified Canine Fitness Trainer through the University of Tennessee, a Certified Walk This Way Instructor through Dognostics, a Karen Pryor Puppy Start Right Instructor, and a Trick Dog Instructor through Do More With Your Dog. Her personal philosophy is to care for the whole dog, balancing their physical, emotional, and mental well-being with their human’s household needs.

Accomplishments

Nicole Ireland, the founder, has been a licensed veterinary technician with a special interest in behavior for twenty-three years. She is a VSA-Certified Dog Trainer (Online), holds an elite Fear Free certification, and has completed a Low Stress Handling University course.

Nicole is also a Certified Canine Fitness Trainer through the University of Tennessee, a Certified Walk This Way Instructor through Dognostics, a Karen Pryor Puppy Start Right Instructor, and a Trick Dog Instructor through Do More With Your Dog. She continuously updates her knowledge by reading extensively about behavior and training, and by attending webinars and short courses online.

How to Get Started!

To get started, clients can contact Gentle Canine Fitness and Training for a consultation to develop a training plan. Scheduling is available online via the ‘Scheduling’ link or by contacting them directly for private lessons.