Respectful Communications Animal Training LLC

Three in-home programs, each offered at three levels of support.

Essential Foundations is for puppies and newly adopted dogs. It covers safe socialization tailored to the family’s neighborhood and routine, puppy nipping, mouthing and destructive chewing, housetraining and crate comfort, foundational leash manners, impulse control, cooperative care, and enrichment.

Everyday Companion is for dogs past the beginning who still struggle with daily life. It covers loose leash walking, calm door manners with guests and delivery drivers, reliable recall and focus around distractions, counter surfing, jumping up and demanding behavior, settling at home and in public, and navigating routines with multiple family members.

Reactive to Relaxed is compassionate behavior support for dogs with big emotions. It covers leash reactivity, lunging and excessive barking, understanding trigger thresholds and emotional overflow, and building confidence and calm focus around other dogs and people, with support for the human end of the leash too.

The three support levels are Guided (3 private in-home lessons plus 3 months of phone and email support), Partnered (7 lessons plus 6 months of support), and Complete (12 lessons plus 12 months of support). Linda adjusts pacing and focus based on the dog’s progress and the family’s goals.

Pricing Summary

Program rates are not published online; Linda quotes after learning about the dog and the family’s goals. Pricing follows the program and support level chosen, from Guided (3 lessons, 3 months of support) up to Complete (12 lessons, 12 months of support). Accepted payment types are cash, check, and credit card, with payment plans available through Klarna.

Policies

Pledge of humane care: No Shock, No Prong, No Choke. Linda uses only humane, gentle, reward-based communication, never intimidation, pain, or fear, in line with the AVSAB Humane Dog Training position statement and AAHA behavior guidelines. She is background checked, bonded, and insured, veterinarian recommended, and an A+ rated BBB Accredited Business. Business hours are Monday through Friday, 10am to 6pm, with Saturday appointments available on request.

Respectful Communications Animal Training LLC is a force-free, in-home dog training and behavior consulting practice based in Jasper, Georgia, led by Linda Ross, B.A. in Psychology, known professionally as The Companion Animal Decoder. Linda works with families across Pickens, Gilmer, and Cherokee Counties, coming to the home where dogs actually live so what they learn transfers to real life.

The practice is built on one idea: every behavior is communication. Rather than suppressing symptoms, Linda helps owners uncover the underlying reasons a dog pulls, barks, lunges, jumps, or shuts down, then teaches the family how to respond. Her pledge of humane care is stated plainly on her site as No Shock, No Prong, No Choke, and she trains without pain, fear, or intimidation of any kind.

Linda brings a background in psychology, more than twenty years working with animals and their families, and a deep bench of continuing education in canine behavior. Her credentials include Fear Free Certified Professional at the Elite level, the DogNostics Dog Trainer Certificate, Certified Family Dog Mediator through Kim Brophey’s L.E.G.S. applied ethology model, Low Stress Handling Certified at the Silver level, and Assessed Trauma Informed Pet Professional. She is also an American Kennel Club CGC Evaluator and an approved AKC judge.

Training is delivered through three in-home programs, each available at three levels of support, and every plan is personalized to the dog in front of her. Linda is background checked, bonded, and insured, veterinarian recommended, and an A+ rated BBB Accredited Business. She is also the creator of the Become a Decoder educational system for owners who want to learn to read their own dogs.

Accomplishments

Linda Ross holds a B.A. in Psychology and is a Fear Free Certified Professional at the Elite level (FFCP-Elite). She earned the DogNostics Dog Trainer Certificate (DN-DTC) in December 2025, became a Certified Family Dog Mediator (FDM) through the L.E.G.S. applied ethology model in September 2024, and completed Low Stress Handling Certification at the Silver level (LSHC-S) through Dr. Sophia Yin’s Low Stress Handling University in July 2020. She was assessed as a Trauma Informed Pet Professional by the Brain and Behavior Academy in December 2025 and is a Happier Healing Certified Professional (DN-HHCP).

Her continuing education includes the DogNostics Dog Training Master, Journeyman, and Apprentice levels, a Master Course in Aggression in Dogs, specialized training in handling aggressive dogs, Karen Pryor Academy Dog Trainer Foundations, LSHU Behavior in Everyday Practice, HeartDog ACE Essentials, and PetTech PetSaver pet first aid and CPR certification.

She is an approved American Kennel Club CGC Evaluator, an approved AKC judge, and approved for AKC Temperament Test and AKC Fetch. Linda is also the creator of the Become a Decoder educational system.

How to Get Started!

Call (678) 809-3647 during business hours, Monday through Friday 10am to 6pm, or use the Request Service form on the website to tell Linda what is going on with your dog. She reviews each request personally and follows up to help you decide which program fits. Consultations and all training happen in your own home across Pickens, Gilmer, and Cherokee Counties.