A friend who worked with Mel to train her Labrador referred Mel to me. I reached out to Mel prior to getting my first puppy, Brewer, since I knew I wanted a well-trained dog. In my first conversation with Mel, it was apparent that he was educated and truly passionate about dogs. Most dog training programs will not enroll puppies until they have received their shots. Mel comes to your home, and will train a dog the day you get them. He is very well versed on the psychology of dogs. There are so many theories out there and you can find answers to any questions you have on the Internet, but there are also lots of inconsistencies out there. Mel has a very consistent, methodological way of training a dog and truly does it from the dog’s point of view…and then teaches you how to think like the dog. Dogs love positive reinforcement, just as we humans do. Although punishment and dominance theories are still used by many trainers out there, Mel accomplishes results through positive interactions with your dog. Which makes for a much better relationship with your dog! My puppy not only loved the training sessions with Mel…but he quickly became fluent with verbal and hand commands. I worked with Mel and Brewer from ~10 weeks old until ~15 weeks old. It was a huge progression in the time. It was also fun to not only grow with Brewer as an owner, but to receive elevated training, advice, and tips that furthered a great relationship with my puppy. Hiring Mel is a win win…he comes to your home and makes it convenient, he trains your dog in their environment, and you are the one that trains the dog (he just guides you very well).