Rocky Junior’s Dog Training Service

All training programs begin with a 90-minute lesson, with the first hour dedicated to educating the human clients. This initial session focuses on arming clients with knowledge for short and long-term success and starting the Focus and Relationship Building Process. Subsequent lessons are one hour, concentrating on instruction, learning, and positive relationship building. Instruction is customized to the needs of each client and dog, potentially combining skills training and Reactive And Fear Therapy (RAFT), and they ensure not to proceed too quickly.

The 9-Lesson Complete Dog Training Program consists of 9 lessons over 11 weeks, teaching behaviors such as Sit, Down, Watch Me, Leave It (3 exercises), Touch, Come, Wait, Stay, and Heel, often including work away from home. The 20-Lesson Ultimate Dog Training Program, spanning 20 lessons over 24 weeks, covers all behaviors from the 9-lesson program plus Advanced Heeling, Spin, and more, with public place training starting after 5 to 9 lessons. This program is recommended for fearful or reactive dogs. The Basic Adult Dog Training Program and Basic Puppy Training Program each include 4 lessons over 5 weeks, teaching basic behaviors like Sit, Down, Watch Me, Leave It, Come, and Stay. RAFT is a specialized therapy for fearful and reactive dogs, typically integrated after 5 to 8 initial confidence and relationship-building lessons, focusing on a scientific, holistic approach to healing fears without force or punishment.

Pricing Summary

Hourly Training and Consultations are $250 per hour. Training Programs are offered at discounted rates based on prepayment before the program starts. The 9-Lesson Complete Dog Training Program costs $895, with an additional $250 per dog. The 20-Lesson Ultimate Dog Training Program costs $1600, with an additional $350 per dog. The Basic Adult Dog Training Program and Basic Puppy Training Program each cost $500, with an additional $150 per dog. Reactive And Fear Therapy (RAFT) costs $1600, with an additional $350 per dog, plus an additional $25 per lesson for Jenny’s expertise. Travel fees may apply depending on location. Payments are accepted via PayPal, cash, money order, or cashier’s check, payable to Rocky Junior’s Dog Training Service. Full payment is due prior to the first lesson.

Policies

Cancellations made with less than 12 hours notice are subject to a $25 cancellation fee. Cancellations occurring with less than 8 hours notice will be charged at the full rate of the lesson. All sales are final, and the business does not issue refunds. In cases of verifiable injury, illness, or bona fide emergency affecting the client, pet, or family member, training can be delayed and resumed when the client is ready. Training is most effective when done weekly, and the allowed time to complete each training course is specified; extensions beyond this period require additional payment. If the business cancels a session, the allowed completion time for the training course will be extended by one week.

Rocky Junior’s Dog Training Service provides private, in-home dog training and behavioral solutions, traveling to clients in Pierce and South King Counties, WA. Their training and behavioral solutions are based on proven, modern, animal behavioral science. They emphasize educating human clients to ensure success throughout the training process.

The business explicitly states they do not practice dominance (“alpha”) training or punish dogs, as these methods can lead to serious behavioral problems. They believe dogs are cognitively similar to 2-3 year old children and respond best to kindness, patience, love, and positivity. Their goal is to help create happy, confident, and talented dogs while strengthening the dog-human relationship.

A unique advantage is their specialization in Reactive And Fear Therapy (RAFT), a program developed by trainer Jeff Salter to help fearful and reactive dogs heal without force or punishment. They also offer general puppy and adult dog training, and AKC Canine Good Citizen Test Prep. They teach clients to “Speak Dog,” enabling effective communication with their pets.

Accomplishments

Jeff Salter is a professional dog trainer with 35 years of successful experience. He was first exposed to professional dog training in 1980, assisting with police dog training in Coos Bay, Oregon, and Tacoma, Washington. He became a full-time training professional in January 2009. Jeff developed the Reactive And Fear Therapy (RAFT) program in early 2007, based on scientific research, to help his first dog, Rocky, recover from intense fears and reactive behavior.

His former training assistant, Rocky Junior, who passed away on May 16, 2024, had over 12 years of successful experience and helped over 300 dogs recover from fear-filled lives. Jenny, his new training assistant, quickly proved herself as a natural RAFT helper, continuing the life-saving work.

How to Get Started!

To begin, clients must complete and submit a registration form. This form should include details about their dog(s) (name, age, altered status, how long they’ve had the dog, problem behaviors, and any other pertinent information), desired dates and times for training, and the best days and times to be reached by phone. After submission, clients should check their spam folder for a reply within 72 hours. The business will reply by email to arrange training or answer questions. Once a start date and time are agreed upon, full payment for the chosen training program is required before the first lesson. They do not recommend consultations and prefer to proceed directly to training. Clients are encouraged to review their Google and Facebook reviews for due diligence.