top of page
Frequently asked questions
Everything you need to know before getting started with Redstone Dog Training.
GETTING STARTED
Redstone Dog Training is based in Glenview, IL and serves the North Shore. Most sessions happen in your home and in real-world places like your neighborhood, parks, and public spaces, so your dog learns to listen where it counts.
Book a free assessment. We'll talk about your dog, what you're struggling with, and what you want life with your dog to look like. Then I'll tell you honestly which program fits, with no pressure. You can book online or reach me by phone or email.
Puppies up to 5 months old start with the Doodle Puppy Blueprint. Dogs 5 months and older start with the Doodle Obedience Program or the Doodle Reactivity Reset. If you're not sure, we'll sort it out on the assessment.
DOODLES
No. Redstone is the North Shore's doodle specialist, and our programs are built for doodles, but they work for any breed. If you have a lab, a shepherd, or a rescue mix, you're welcome here.
Doodles are everywhere on the North Shore, and in my experience they come with a pattern of problems that generic training doesn't address well. They're smart, social, and full of energy. That combination makes them quick to learn, but also quick to learn the wrong things. The jumping that gets laughed at in a ten-week-old puppy becomes a problem at sixty pounds. The bounce-off-the-walls greeting turns into pulling on every walk. The mouthy puppy stage can last longer than owners expect. Many doodles also struggle with being left alone, because they're bred to want people.
Yes. Rescues often come with unknown histories, so I take a careful, patient approach to building trust. Tell me your dog's background on the consultation and I'll give you an honest picture of what to expect.
THE TRAINING
Redstone uses a balanced approach: rewards for what your dog does right, and clear, fair consequences when it doesn't. Depending on your dog, I may use e-collars, slip collars, and prong collars. One rule never changes: your dog learns what a tool means before it's ever used to communicate. Nothing gets used on a dog that doesn't understand it, and I won't use any tool on your dog until I've explained it to you and you've agreed.
These are tools, and the question is how they're used. A tool on a dog that doesn't understand it is unfair. A tool on a dog that's been taught what it means is clear communication. If you're uncomfortable with any tool, tell me and we'll talk through other options. Nothing happens in your home that you haven't approved.
Both, but the emphasis is on coaching you. Your dog lives with you, not me. I'll teach you step by step to read your dog, handle real-life situations, and keep progressing after our sessions end.
Programs are 10 private sessions. How fast you see results depends on how consistently you practice between sessions, so every program includes homework and check-ins.
No. Everything at Redstone involves you, because results only last when the owner knows how to maintain them.
Every program includes structured homework and progress check-ins, plus text support between sessions. I reply within 1-2 hours.
THE PROGRAM
Doodle Puppy Blueprint: puppies up to 5 months, 10 private in-home sessions. Doodle Obedience Program: dogs 5 months and older, 10 private in-home sessions. Doodle Reactivity Reset: reactivity, leash pulling, and jumping, 10 private sessions. Redstone Day Train: I train your dog in your home while you're at work. The assessment helps you pick the right fit.
The Puppy Blueprint is for puppies up to 5 months and builds habits from scratch: potty and crate training, socialization, bite inhibition, and early obedience. The Obedience Program is for dogs 5 months and older and builds listening, leash skills, and real-world manners. Puppy Blueprint graduates typically move into the Obedience Program.
Obedience builds good everyday habits, including normal leash walking and manners. The Reactivity Reset is for dogs whose pulling, jumping, or reactions to people and dogs are intense or hard to control. If your dog lunges, barks, or panics around triggers, start with the Reset.
I work with your dog in your home while you're at work, and you get a recap of each visit with video updates. It's a format, so it isn't just for doodles. Visits are sold in packs of 5, 10, 15, and 20. Contact me for pricing and how to sign up for dates.
ABOUT REDSTONE
Ryan is the owner and sole trainer at Redstone. He's a firefighter, husband, and dad with 15 years of hands-on dog experience, starting as a search and rescue K9 handler, where reliability wasn't optional. He started Redstone after seeing the same pattern over and over: families who loved their dog but had no system for raising one.
Every Redstone program ends with a graduation test, and I stand behind it. If you attend every session, complete your homework, and your dog doesn't pass the test, I'll keep training with you at no charge for up to [3] more sessions. If your dog still doesn't pass, I'll refund what you paid for the program. I can't promise to solve every problem, and nobody honest can, but I can promise you won't pay for a program that didn't deliver. The Promise covers the Doodle Obedience Program and Doodle Reactivity Reset. To qualify, you'll need to attend sessions no more than [7] days apart, log your homework, tell me about any bite history before we start, and make your claim within [14] days of your final assessment. Full details are in your service agreement.
bottom of page