We help people teach their dogs and puppies to be part of the family.

Do you love your dog so much and just wish they could be a part of the family?

Are annoying behaviors like going potty in the house, barking, nipping, jumping, or fear or aggression getting in the way?

ComeHereBoy! Puppy Training provides positive reinforcement, humane and ethical dog and puppy training to help your best friend live with you like part of the family.

I offer in-person or tele-training!

Dog and Puppy Training in Salt Lake County, Utah

This is an ethical and humane training structure that doesn’t use pain or fear to control the dog, but instead works with them to teach them the skills they are lacking. This is why I started ComeHereBoy! I want to help you teach your dog to live in your family so everyone is happy, including the dog!

I personally know what it’s like to live with difficult, aggressive, and fearful dogs. It’s hard to feel a close bond to a pet that you’re always cleaning up after, chasing, telling them “No!” or causing pain to with a shock/prong collar. I love helping people develop a happy relationship with their pet as we work together to solve problems in collaborative and fun ways.

Hi, I’m Christina!

In the 22 years since I started dog training, I’ve trained many different dogs using positive reinforcement dog training. I have trained service dogs, show dogs, puppies, family dogs, and “problem” dogs of many breeds and temperaments. Even teaching *gasp* sighthounds to recall from chasing something WITHOUT A SHOCK COLLAR! (“Impossible!” You say. And I say, “You just gotta know what you’re doing!” *Cue a bunch of nerdy dog training/learning theory explanations*)

Let me teach you how to work with your dog or a puppy with the understanding that they are a canine, not a human.

Dogs don’t innately understand that a house is not ok to poop in, what human speech or gestures mean, that biting isn’t an appropriate way to tell someone to stop bothering them, and that all food is not free game. Dogs ALSO don’t understand why you’re giving them treats, saying “Good dog!”, yelling at them, chasing them or hurting/scaring them.

However, they respond to many of the same learning principles that humans do and can be taught what you want from them through positive reinforcement and fun, just like a human two-year-old. AND I LOVE TEACHING PEOPLE (AND DOGS) THIS SO MUCH!

Other relevant information about me:

A short biography of how I got into positive reinforcement dog training:

When I was a teenager, my dad bought me my very own German Shepherd puppy bred for Schutzhund. I was super excited by the prospect but had little idea of how to train my dog, Thor.

Unfortunately, not knowing what I was doing ended up badly for Thor. He had a problem with biting strangers, and despite going through trainer after trainer (all traditional trainers who used shock and prong collars and outdated things like “dominance rolls”), he didn’t get better. He ended up unfortunately needing to be put to sleep as he got more and more aggressive with trainers and children. It was a horrible experience. 

One of the only good things that came from this was that one of the trainers I was working with told me I had a natural talent for dog training and took me on as an apprentice. This began me on my journey to become a dog trainer – originally in the old-school way of training.

My second German Shepherd, Sheba, was an adult when I got her. She had never been out of the backyard she was born in. This resulted in a dog that was terrified of everything she saw. (Including orange traffic cones!)

I found the nearest dog training place and took her there for help. They did things differently there than I was used to: they used something called “positive reinforcement dog training”.

After some training with Sheba and reading books informed by studies of dog cognition and training, they took me on as an apprentice. With some time, I was able to rehabilitate Sheba from many of her fears. She was an amazing dog for the rest of her life.

With positive dog training, I found my real love for dog training. Not only did it help my sweet Sheba with her extreme fears, but it included humane treatment of animals and study of behavioral science. This was a big relief for me, because I had never felt comfortable using tools like prong collars. I dearly wish I had known about positive training with Thor. I often wonder if I could have helped him live a longer life.

So this is the gift I want to share with you – happiness, not sadness, for all the animals (including humans).