Private Training

What to Expect?

Ashleigh’s approach is to “train the trainer”.  She believes that by giving people the skills to become trainers of their own dogs, she empowers the owners to continue the learning and new behaviors long after the sessions have been completed. Whether you have a puppy who needs basic training, or an adult dog who is exhibiting unwanted behavior, Ashleigh will create a custom plan for you and your dog to reach the specific goals you desire. She works with all ages, breeds and sizes.  Private training sessions are a mixture of dog training and human training as she guides both of you into better communication and understanding.

Ashleigh’s training structure consists of gathering information from you to get a better idea of your goals and/or the issues you are experiencing. She has her clients provide a bucket list of training goals to clarify exactly what they want to cover and is skilled in identifying other needs that her clients may not even know are present. When she meets you and your dog, she observes your interactions with your dog to understand the dynamic between you and your pet. She asks questions to gather history which shape her approach to your very personalized sessions. The type of issues to be addressed and the speed in which you and your dog learn new patterns will determine the number of sessions you need. Her priority is to ensure you feel comfortable with the information and prepared to continue working with your dog on your own. Multiple sessions can be purchased in a discounted package to ensure the training is accessible. 

Ashleigh has a successful history of bringing peace and confidence to owners, enhancing the quality of life of both dog and owner, and preventing numerous rehomings through changed behavior.  Her practical and personal advice and compassionate style builds trust between her and the dogs and their owners and often provides swift results.

How Ashleigh Helps

  • Puppy Training & Adult Dog Training
  • Help for mild to moderate behavioral issues
  • Home manners such as:
    • no jumping
    • reduced barking
    • stoppping food begging
    • stopped food aggresion
    • recall
    • leash training
    • basic commands (sit, down, look, touch, stay, wait, drop it, leave it, etc.)
  • “Out and about” sessions
    • ignoring distractions
    • socialization
    • walk etiquette (avoiding issues with other dogs, people, animals)
  • Dog Owner Coaching: Teaching the owner how to live a full life with a happy dog by providing info and resources about a wide variety of dog behavior, needs, and health.
  • And so much more!

If Ashleigh feels your dog needs a specialist for the issues you’re facing, she will do her best to point you in the right direction to a professional with the necessary skill set to ensure you and your dog are receiving the best care.

  •  
Dog trainer Ashleigh conducting a training session with a great dane in a yard.

If schedule, distance, or other obstacles are preventing you from booking private or group training sessions, you can still work with Ashleigh! She now offers phone and virtual consultations providing more options to care for your dog.

Call or e-mail Ashleigh today to see how she might best help with your dog training needs!  She will advise of her fee schedule based on your individual needs.  Her training services are based in Central Virginia.   Ashleigh’s in person dog training services encompass Fluvanna, Louisa, Albemarle, Charlottesville, Greene, Goochland, Waynesboro, Richmond and she has even traveled to do training sessions in Northern Virginia.  For a nominal travel fee, she is glad to come to you within a reasonable distance.  Virtual training is available all over the world!

Testimonials

"When my mother-in-law moved in with us, so did her dog, a whirling dervish on a leash when she would see or hear other dogs. After only one visit with Ashleigh, I learned strategies to distract the dog's attention from other dogs and keep her focused on her walk. Ashleigh is a miracle worker!"
Patty - Keswick
"I have never hired a trainer before- but I'm so glad I took our neighbor's advice and called Ashleigh Morris for help with our new dog, Howie. Ashleigh was a veritable fount of information! She came to our house and worked with us on the specific items with which we required assistance. I was able to tailor the lessons to fit us and our needs- it was so very helpful! She helped me improve my connection and relationship with my dog- which means a lot to me, considering I plan to have this little guy in my life for a decade and a half (or more!). This was one of the best decisions I've ever made. Thanks, Ashleigh!"
Tiffany - Troy

“Working with Ashleigh was great!!! My family adopted two poodle mixes from a rescue a few years ago. We took them in the same day the rescue received them so there was little known about their behavior. The two dogs were fine with our family of three and we had no reason to believe that there were any issues at all until we had a few visitors to our home. The poor dogs were anxious and scared with anyone other than the three of us. We tried some training methods of our own but were not making much progress when we decided to reach out to Ashleigh in February 2020. Working through the COVID environment was a bit more challenging than normal but Ashleigh made it possible with outdoor options and evening times to accommodate my work schedule. She gave us easy to follow instructions for ways to work with the dogs to continue to help ease their anxiety with outsiders between our sessions. COVID also made it harder to have visitors to use for our homework assignments but we were able to make it work and are still working with the dogs, it is a continuous effort. After four (4) in person sessions and several email/phone consultations the dogs are much less anxious around outsiders and other dogs. We highly recommend Ashleigh, she is extremely patient and knowledgeable about animal behavior. She has great rates and a flexible schedule for working with clients.”

Michelle – Palmyra

Ashleigh was made for this… We adopted our loving Journey in March 2020, a true “foster fail” on our part. Journey, while having some cat-like tendencies, is a true love bug in our home, and mostly a loner at a dog park. There were many environmental factors that triggered Journey; vehicles, bicycles, skateboards, and definitely other dogs. During the pandemic, it was extremely difficult to find any dog trainer that would provide private, at-home lessons. After a horrific experience with another, not-to-be-named training company, we were recommended Ashleigh. At the start, Ashleigh’s calm temperament and demeanor quickly put Journey at ease at our home. Ashleigh’s benevolent training style positively reinforced Journey’s good behaviors, and her training through the lens of the dog’s mindset was (and continues to be) a winning formula in what we believed to be a hopeless situation. Ashleigh is deeply knowledgeable and experienced, and offered many resources to educate us as the pack leaders – these resources we still use today. We highly recommend Ashleigh, even if you have a complex and stubborn dog like we love. We look forward to calling on Ashleigh again for refresher training soon!

Journey, Oni, and Miles – Charlottesville