Your Dog Trainer

My name is Dale and I am the CEO and Founder of Top Gun Dog Training. In 2008, while living in Florence AL, I rescued this amazing 3 month old Lab Husky Mix named Spaulding, shown in this photo with me..  After working with many top dog trainers in AL and FL, and using the tools learned to train Spaulding, I took several professional Dog Trainer Courses and created Top Gun Dog Training. I specialize in training puppies starting at 10 weeks old. 

I specialize in helping new puppy owners with Dog Obedience Training and all dogs (an owners) with Behavior Modification. 

MY STATS:

• 71 Five Star Google Reviews 
• 36 Five Star Facebook Reviews
• 51 Podcast Episodes on Puppy Talk
• 65 Articles on my Blog
• Over 1000 videos on Social Media
• Dozens of contributions to other articles
• 14 Years Experience
• Trained over 1000 puppies/dogs

Over the past several years, I have completed numerous knowledge based dog training and behavior courses through numerous professional organizations.  

I am a regular contributor for many national publications, providing my expertise for articles, news stories, and blog posts. You can see all of my contributions on my Press page.

I am also the host and producer of the Puppy Talk Podcast. 

My training methods consist of a combination between classical and operant conditioning, using mostly positive reinforcement.  I follow the Least Intrusive, Minimally Aversive (LIMA) Effective Behavior Intervention Policy , as explained on this page here.  

Methods I Use For Obedience Training:

• Positive Reinforcement - Good behavior, followed by a reward
• Clicker Training - Marking a behavior with sound, followed by a reward
• Relationship Based Training - Using dog communication (not words) to strengthen the bond

Methods I use for Behavior Modification:

• Desensitization 
• Counterconditioning
• Differential Reinforcement

• International Dog Trainers Winter Summit - December 2020
• Aggression in Dogs Conference - October 2020
• Aggression in Dogs Master Course - Certificate of Completion from Michael Shikashio of AggressiveDog.com
• Dog Trainers Coaching People Virtual Summit - Certificate of Completion from PetWorking Pro
• Working with Fearful Dogs - webinar taught by Teoti Anderson
• Noise Phobia - webinar taught by Lore Haug

If you have any questions about our services, please use our Contact Page.