The dictionary definition of  "third way" is, "...any option regarded as an alternative to two extremes...".  Dog training seems to be polarised between the so-called "Purely Positive", "Positive Only", and "Force Free" camps, and the "Balanced Training" camp, often with the most fundamental and least skilled of each respectively representing them. The dog industry as a whole has been going through a monumental upheaval as people have lost access to the knowledge and skills of the real "Dogmen", and proper hands-on training.  Gone are the days young and up-and-coming trainers sought out true, working mentors, or travelled thousands of miles to learn to work dogs from the ground up; picking poop, scrubbing kennels, and, on occasion, getting bitten!  Nowadays, we are told we can learn everything we need to online, from social media videos and webinars.  Nuance, feel, and total immersion in the true Art of Dogsmanship is being forgotten.  Humans are also rapidly losing the ability to properly communicate and connect not only with other species but, more alarmingly, with one another. Clear and concise communication is the foundation of everything - and dogs (and other animals) are expert at it. So why wouldn't we want to learn to communicate in a better way?

​

Here at Third Way Canine, we don't teach things like, "Sit for food", or "Give paw!", because the first is bribery, and the second is a trick. We focus on behaviour, because the obedience will come - and can be rewarded and reinforced - once behaviour is modified. We teach you how to communicate with your dog in the way they understand, so that the unwanted behaviours you hire us to fix are properly addressed and, where possible, eliminated. The House Rules we ask you to read and agree to when you sign up with us, are in place for a reason: setting aside genetic or medical issues (which we rule out at the start during the evaluation process), almost all the behaviours we deal with result from confusion on the dog's part - and it is we humans who cause the confusion. The House Rules may look restrictive and intimidating, but they enable us to effectively take the dog "back to zero", and establish a baseline from which we help you to build - no matter the dog's age.

​

Rest assured that, when you hire Third Way Canine to teach you how to train your dog, you are investing in hundreds of years of tried and applied knowledge, skill, and experience accrued by dozens of generations of Dogmen who are the true custodians of a rapidly vanishing craft and way of life.  And if you are also a seeker of knowledge and truth, we are honoured to have you join us on this journey!