Foundations Plus+ is the ultimate foundations program with a detailed intake meeting and customized approach to accommodate all special questions and needs.
How Does Foundations Plus+ Work?
__________Thorough Hour Intake Meeting
Week 1
Our first meeting is 1-1.5 hours via Zoom where we will discuss your foundations plan in detail, and all of your questions will be answered. Move forward feeling refreshed, in control, and ready!
A Month of Foundations Coaching
Weeks 2-5
Next we will continue to meet weekly for 45 minute meetings on a regular day/time via Zoom. Every week your one-on-one meeting with Emma will include Q&A, progress check-in, live training with your dog, and end with reassuring Q&A.
What Will We Accomplish in Foundations Plus+?
In Foundations Plus+ you will learn fantastic routines that work for your specific lifestyle, troubleshooting, how to communicate with and respond to your dog effectively, how to better your dog’s individual well-being in profound ways, and we will address critical terrier-specific foundations.
No Prior Tech Experienced Needed
All you need is WiFi and a computer, tablet, or smartphone.
Fun Fun Fun!
Gone are the days of stressful group classes where your terrier is wildly distracted, or where you seek private help and are met with judgement. In this program you will feel supported and you will see your terrier transform into a more confident, relaxed, and focused dog who relishes working with you.
24/7 Support During Your Program
During this 5-week program you will be able to text message and email me any questions that you have about any and all aspects of your dog’s life. You will be encouraged to send videos for review. I am on your team and known for my supportive detailed approach. I will also work with your veterinarian if helpful.
Will I Need More Coaching?
After this program, those that are all set proceed onward and keep me updated, and those who are really excited about their progress and want to fast track to a higher level can request more coaching. Every case has different challenges and you will feel empowered to make this choice for yourself. Subsequent coaching is $547 per month.
Concerning Challenges?
Common puppyhood challenges include house training issues, puppy nipping, poor recall, stealing “contraband” and parading around the house with it, trouble settling at quiet times, and difficulty getting your terrier’s attention and keeping their focus. If your challenges involve a bite history, resource guarding, safety concerns with children and/or other pets, or any other concerning challenges, please apply here:
What Alumni Think of Foundations PLUS+
Our dog, Meghan, was impossible to walk. She was wild. I could not go half a block. She is a pleasure to be with now. She has responded to Emma’s techniques very well. She would not respond to traditional methods.
To anyone thinking about working with Emma I say JUST DO IT
Training sessions with Emma are enjoyable. She addresses our specific concerns and issues rather than just a standard list of topics. Emma let’s us set the pace with our questions and needs. Emma has helped with training, feeding, housebreaking, and keeping both Stella and our furniture safe.
I had some doubts about online training, but it has been very easy. We can watch Emma demonstrate with Miles and then Emma can watch us work with Stella.
I think we have more respect for how hard Puck is working and trying to learn and please us. It feels more natural for us to focus on good behavior than focusing on “no” and negative reinforcement. He is so smart, and Emma’s training has helped us see that!
We think this is a great investment in helping us all live together happily!
Frequently Asked Questions
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Why should I invest in coached foundations for my terrier?
Why does Foundations Plus+ cost more than Puppy Foundations?
Is your puppy already home?
Once your puppy comes home, they are learning in every single second. My puppy programs work through very targeted “training” sessions that you will do with your puppy for around 5-10 minutes a day… But, the bulk of the work and thought actually relate to your daily routines, and getting you set up for success and relief! If your puppy is already home and you are feeling a little overwhelmed, Foundations Plus+ is the right fit for you. It begins with a much longer meeting where we can back track a bit, come up with temporary solutions while you wait for your new recommended supplies, and we can make sure that you are on the right path forward.
Is your puppy over 4 months old?
Puppyhood is a precious time for terriers. Once your puppy is more than 4-5 months old, they will be past the socialization period. The socialization period is critical for terriers, not just because it is such a wonderful time for accelerated learning, but also because it is the age where clever little terrier puppies will very rapidly establish routines and associations. Rapid development of set behavior patterns can be a blessing, or a curse! Terrier puppies raised with routines that might work for a more classic “companion” type of dog can develop behavior challenges very rapidly. Maladaptive behaviors can escalate quickly in terriers and become quite challenging long before a dog is even a year old. It is not uncommon to be feeling overwhelmed very early on. If you are feeling overwhelmed, it is because strong and complex patterns have already been established, and it will take some careful organization and troubleshooting to unravel established behaviors.
A more intensive program
The Foundations Plus+ program is more intensive because we are no longer working from a preventive perspective. We will be regrouping in a major way. In Foundations Plus+, I will spend some valuable early time with you in the Assessment to really figure out what is currently going on, so that I can develop a plan to troubleshoot and address immediate concerns as efficiently as possible. I get it, you need relief and you need it yesterday. In the following month of coached sessions, your program will also include extra Q&A, and additional weekly notes and documentation.
My puppy/dog will be older than 4 months, but I don't have him/her yet. Is this program the right fit for us?
The first meeting is a 1.5 – 2 hour scheduled meeting via Zoom where we will look at your soon-to-be puppy or dog’s history, age, and we will talk about your lifestyle. We will look at the type of environment in which the dog was raised and develop a plan that will included all aspects of their new life with you: appropriate and important socialization plans, carefully set-up home environment and early routines, and more. Within 48 hours of our meeting you will receive a detailed 5-10 page plan that you can begin working on immediately.
My dog and/or I have had negative experiences with training before. Why should we work with you?
My approach is data and science-based, and is based overwhelmingly on positive reinforcement for dogs AND people. If you or the dog are stressed when you are trying to take in new information, you won’t be learning optimally. I want the best possible experience and outcome for everyone involved. Methods and routines should feel approachable and comfortable – and most of all, flexible! If something isn’t working, it isn’t because someone is “bad” or “wrong,” it is because we need to adjust things and fine-tune. Given that I work with very “creative” terriers, adjusting and fine-tuning routines to the individual at hand is my passion and speciality! I always start every meeting with, “How are things going? Do you have any questions?” This allows me to prioritize what YOUR foundation needs truly are.
To get more of a sense of my coaching method, I recommend that you check out the client story videos that are peppered around this website. They probably can speak best to what I am like!
Do you work with other breed types of dogs, or mixed-breed dogs?
Any dog with a spirited terrier-style personality is welcome! I love working with rescue dogs with unknown genetic lineage who are clearly part of the terrier family. I foster tough cases now and then and am a big fan of giving misunderstood dogs a second chance.
I am just one person, so I dedicate my time to terrier types. If I feel your concerns are more general, I will provide you with an expert referral.
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Non-terrier-types are 100% welcome to apply for Terrier Academy Courses or On-Demand programs. Training that is effective for terriers has to be pretty dang rock-solid… For your viewing pleasure, please enjoy the following video of my sister who is a very busy professional with her cats. She only had time for two sessions with me and these are the results for her rescue cats:
Do I need to be technologically savvy?
How do I book live online coaching?
For the Coached Sessions, can we meet at different days/times or with gaps in the schedule?
Foundations Plus+ is all about setting up a strong foundation for a successful present and long-term future for both you and your puppy. For the Coached Sessions portion of the program, is important that you are able to meet once a week with Emma on a set day/time. The good news is, even if your location shifts during the program, meeting virtually is very accomodating for travel or location changes.
Foundations programs are not scheduled where there will be planned gaps outside of the weekly format for the Coached Sessions. The first 4 weeks are absolutely critical. If you foresee that that this sort of scheduling may be challenging, you will still want to apply in advance, but you will want to share what month(s) in your application that would be ideal start times for you.
* Terrier Academy books on holidays, but never on weekends.
What do the online "Coached Session" look like?
About a week or so after we meet for the 1-1.5 hour Assessment and Immediate Plan, we will dive into foundations coaching. Foundations Plus+ includes a month of weekly meetings for the Coached Sessions portion. Each session is 45 minutes long and typically looks like this:
- We check in about how everything is going, and make sure all of the Immediate Plan setup, care, and health stuff is going smoothly. If there are any areas for improvement, we will discuss ways to streamline your routines to suit your pup and your lifestyle.
- I will explain the week’s topics, and run through the homework that is in your Terrier Academy account.
- Usually I will then demonstrate the exercise(s) with my dog Miles so you can see what you will be doing this week.
- Then you get to try! If you aren’t tech-savvy, don’t worry at all. I am a master at online coaching as I have been doing this for over a decade. You will feel supported and relaxed as you try the exercise(s) with your pup.
- I get to watch your dog and observe how they learn and what motivates them, and I can offer really exciting and unique tips and insight as we work together.
- At the end of the session, we check in again to ensure all of your questions are answered.
- After the session, you will have access directly from your Terrier Academy account to course materials, and the ability to text message or email me any and all questions you might have, and to send me video for review if you like.
What happens after I complete Foundations Plus+?
After you complete Foundations Plus+, your terrier will understand how to work with you, you will both learn how to communiucate with each other, and you will both have great socialization and home routines under your belts. At this stage, alumni are amazed at how different their relationship with their terrier is and surprised at learning who their terrier really is! At this stage, you may be inspired based on your success to go to the next level.
Advanced Foundations delves deeper into more advanced skills that you will both retain for life.
After completing Advanced Foundations, the sky really is the limit for what you can achieve with your terrier! Check out Terrier Academy Courses!
My wife and I absolutely love working with Emma! She has given us skills, and an understanding of the Terrier mind that will benefit our family (Including our little Oliver) for ever. We couldn’t be happier!
Our experience with Emma could not have been better. My girlfriend Mia and I adopted our 9 week old welshie back in December of 2022 and luckily knew about Emma from a referral already, so we knew we wanted to work with her from the start. I really can’t stress enough how amazing it was to get to work with our puppy chef and take him through puppy foundations with Emma. The simple milestone lessons that she shares with you have been skills and lessons that we use with chef on an hourly basis. He has truly been the most receptive and caring dog that I’ve had and he’ still only 6 months old. If you know welsh terrier’s you know that they can be very hyper and need a ton of stimulation; and what is so great about Emma’s puppy foundation is the practices that she teaches you really fill that void for MENTAL stimulation the these dogs CRAVE. Chef LOVES going through his puppy foundation practices and gets better at them every time, and it really helps solidify that bond that you have with your puppy at the same time. I really can’t recommend working with Emma enough, especially with your welsh terrier puppies. The list of equipment she provides you with is so helpful, and her knowledge of diet and raw food is truly so amazing. We have chef on a raw diet now and it’s been great, he loves his food and has been so neutral without the crazy kibble carbohydrate zoomies.
This experience with Emma was so helpful, and if you’re on the fence about working with her and your new puppy take my advice and go for it!
It was worth it one hundred times over. Thank you so much Emma and Miles!!
Emma is amazing. She is a wonderful trainer with an innate love of terriers. She is also simply a wonderful human. She guided us through the early days of working with our Welsh Terrier puppy. Her holistic system works and prepares you for all of the adventure a terrier pup brings. We learned so much about our pup and ourselves. We had some serious issues to work through and Emma not only assisted us, but also took incredible time and care to listen and hear our concerns. Her care for her clients, human and canine, is extraordinary. Honestly, Terrier Academy & Puppy Foundations, was the best investment!
We adopted a four month old, scruffy terrier-type puppy and immediately knew that he was very smart but also, that he would need solid training. We did a lot of research and mainly found trainers who were either wildly expensive, used inhumane methods, or only offered training basics that our puppy largely already seemed to know, like recognizing his name and sitting on command. I found Emma online and was skeptical of dog training over Zoom, but really appreciated that she focused on terrier specific behaviors and being a team with your dog.
We loved our experience with Emma. It ended up being more expensive than we had anticipated once we got all the supplies, but her methods were a perfect match for our special rescue puppy; virtual training was absolutely right call to build trust and communication with him. We appreciated Emma’s patience, deep knowledge, responsiveness, and engagement when we had tough questions. Now that our puppy has graduated, we have the tools we need to continue to train him ourselves. We would absolutely consider returning for another class with Emma.
For anyone skeptical about taking a rescue puppy to train with Emma when you’re not 100% sure of its breed mix, I would say our experience was overwhelmingly positive even if our puppy didn’t ultimately exhibit every single trait that a terrier might. We recently learned our puppy is half yorkie, half pitbull-lab mix. And he did great training with Emma.
Where to begin! Emma was recommended to us via our amazing Welsh Terrier breeder as an imperative, and puppy foundations is a MUST! My husband and I are busy working people (me a terrier fanatic since birth) and Emma’s support and guidance has allowed us to carve out time to do the crucial training that does wonders for stimulating the mind (both ours and our pup’s!), and creating a balanced relationship with our Welshie. All the supplies Emma recommends are fantastic. We transitioned to the diet pretty quickly after seeing the joy it brought to our furry guy. We’d also like to commend Emma on the conciseness and ease of the homework. Thanks to her, building a connection with our new companion has been a joy. YES to Emma and Miles! 🐾💙✨