Sit Means Sit

Sit Means Sit Utica-Rome offers several dog training programs:

Puppy Training: Designed for puppies under 16 weeks old, this program assists owners with the basics of socializing, crate training, housebreaking, and getting started with obedience work. It serves as a first step and an opportunity to transition into more thorough training.

Basic Marker Training: This program consists of private lessons to teach owners how to manage communication, commands, and consequences with their dogs. It provides a useful background in timing and other principles for desired responses and can be expanded into further training packages.

Foundations Training Program: This is the starting point for learning the Sit Means Sit system. It teaches an extensive toolbox of obedience techniques to control a dog’s attention in increasingly distracting circumstances. It combines private instruction to develop proficiency with group classes for long-term support and practice.

Immersion Training Program: This program involves trainers working with the dog at their facility on a daily or weekly basis for quicker and more thorough results than the Foundations program. It is essential for high-stakes cases involving fear, anxiety, or aggression, but also useful for any owner wanting to accelerate their dog’s training.

Pricing Summary

Each dog training program is custom-tailored, with costs determined after evaluating factors such as the dog’s age, temperament, previous training, and desired goals. A free demonstration and consultation are offered to assess these factors and develop a training plan, from which an accurate cost can be provided. There is no cost or obligation associated with the free demonstration.

Sit Means Sit Utica-Rome provides proven, reliable obedience training to help clients develop an attention-driven relationship with their dogs. They address issues ranging from simple jumping and barking to managing emotional issues like anxiety and aggression. Their programs offer tools, techniques, and support to help owners work with their dogs and provide leadership and structure for them to thrive at home.

They offer a variety of training programs tailored to specific situations, considering the dog’s age, temperament, previous training, and owner goals. Sit Means Sit uses an attention-based dog training system developed by Founder and CEO, Fred Hassen, which utilizes various training tools, including their customized remote electronic dog training collar. They emphasize that the collar provides a safe, adjustable “tap” as a cue for attention, similar to medical devices like TENS units, and is not intended to cause pain or distress.

The business prides itself on maintaining a happy and relaxed attitude in the dogs they train. They offer a free demonstration and consultation to evaluate factors and develop a personalized training plan. They also provide long-term support and practice through group classes in a controlled, productive training environment.

The training process involves three phases: a teaching/control phase (6-12+ weeks) to achieve control and teach behaviors around distractions, a reinforcement phase (6-12+ weeks) to gradually phase out the training aid and introduce variable reinforcement, and an ongoing maintenance phase where the dog is capable of ignoring distractions but the owner remains ready to reinforce rules. They serve the Mohawk Valley region.

Accomplishments

Tom Bryant, the Head Trainer & Owner, is a native of New Hartford. He started training independently in 2013 and later certified with Sit Means Sit Dog Training. He relaunched his business to represent Sit Means Sit in the Mohawk Valley in April 2016.

How to Get Started!

To get started, clients can schedule a free, personalized consultation and demonstration at the facility. During this consultation, the trainers will evaluate the dog’s age, temperament, previous training, and the owner’s goals to develop a custom-tailored training plan and provide an accurate cost estimate. Clients can also call or email with questions.