Humaner Trainer

Service area: Humaner Trainer is currently relocating to Maine and anticipates resuming services, both remote and in-person, later this year. They previously operated in Austin for 25 years.

Humaner Trainer offers several programs. Behavior Consultations address emotionally rooted behavior problems like aggression, separation anxiety, phobias, and house training, working with the entire family.

Puppy Preschool is a socialization and problem prevention program for puppies up to 16 weeks of age, starting with a Virtual Puppy Home Visit ($145) followed by a four-lesson group class, Puppy Preschool Classes – Homebound Edition! ($25 per class), which helps customize a detailed socialization program.

The Canine Academy is a six-month, levels-style group obedience and manners program. Level 1 consists of nine consecutive weekly classes. After Level 1, the program becomes self-paced, similar to a gym membership, allowing students to attend as often as needed to master skills. Level 2 incorporates Rally obedience exercises, and Level 3 includes Rally courses, games, and AKC Canine Good Citizen exercises. Classes are currently held via Zoom.

Rally Obedience is a sport that builds teamwork and a working relationship between dog and handler, involving navigating a course of signs. Novice Rally classes double as Canine Academy Level 2, and Rally Course classes are incorporated into Level 3 Academy classes. Private Lessons offer customized basic good manners training in a less distracting environment, available “a la carte” or as a five-session series, held at their Dog Ranch or entirely at the client’s home.

Pricing Summary

The Canine Academy six-month program costs $600.00, with discounted “continuing education” pricing available. Private Lesson Series costs $740.00 for five sessions (six hours of training), or $890.00 if held entirely at the client’s home. Virtual Puppy Home Visits are $145 for a 1.5-hour session. Puppy Preschool Classes – Homebound Edition! will be $25 for each one-hour class, available after a Virtual Puppy Home Visit. The 6-week beginner (AKC Novice) Rally Obedience class is $215.00. Payments accepted include cash, checks, credit/debit cards, and PayPal.

Policies

For Virtual Puppy Home Visits, cancellations must be received in writing at least 48 hours in advance to receive a refund, minus a 20% non-refundable administrative fee. For Puppy Preschool Classes, cancellations must be received 24 hours in advance for a refund, minus a 20% non-refundable administrative fee. There are no refunds for cancellations after the stated cut-off times.

Humaner Trainer is a dog training business currently on hiatus while relocating to Maine, anticipating resuming both remote and in-person services later this year. They previously operated in Austin for 25 years. Their vision is to create a community where people and their pets share happy, healthy, and harmonious lives.

Their mission is to respectfully and compassionately enrich the lives of people and their pets by providing quality, scientifically proven educational programs, products, and services in an environment that supports fun, fellowship, and learning. They emphasize pet dog training the humane way.

The team includes Margaret Johnson, who began dog training as a serious hobby in 1993 and apprenticed with a professional trainer in 1996, and Kathleen Hamilton, who developed an intense interest in dog behavior and strengthening the human/animal bond through her work with her therapy dog. They adhere to the Least Intrusive, Minimally Aversive (LIMA) approach to training and behavior modification, explicitly stating they do not use choke collars, prong collars, or electronic collars. They support the use of harnesses and head halters.

They offer a variety of services including Behavior Consultations, Puppy Preschool, Canine Academy (group obedience and manners classes), Rally Obedience, and Private Lessons. They focus on customizing approaches for each dog and family.

Accomplishments

Humaner Trainer has been operating for 25 years. Margaret Johnson, a key trainer, began her serious hobby in 1993 and apprenticed with a professional trainer in 1996. She developed programs for Austin Animal Center and the Austin Humane Society and has mentored numerous dog trainers.

Margaret is a professional member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers since 1997, earned Certified Pet Dog Trainer (CPDT) in 2002, and a Counseling Certificate with Honors from the San Francisco SPCA’s Dog Trainer Academy in 2003. She was one of the first trainers in Austin to earn the Certified Dog Behavior Consultant (CDBC) designation through the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants. Margaret also completed all four segments of Bob Bailey’s advanced training program, “Chicken Camp.” Her training tips have been published in Chronicle of the Dog, Dog Fancy, Whole Dog Journal, and Top Tips from Top Trainers. Kathleen Hamilton, another trainer, has experience with therapy dog work.

How to Get Started!

The business is currently closed to new clients through the end of the year due to relocation. To be notified when they re-open for virtual or in-person sessions in Maine, clients are directed to visit the Contact Us page. For Canine Academy, registration involves completing and returning a form with payment. For Puppy Preschool, clients submit a request, receive paperwork and an invoice, and then schedule their Virtual Puppy Home Visit upon return of paperwork and payment. For Private Lessons, clients submit a request to receive registration paperwork once registrations resume.