About Us

About Us

Our Training Philosophy

Arfordable Dog Training’s mission is to provide transparent and affordable dog training for families in Central Texas. We believe every family deserves access to positive reinforcement based dog training to have a flourishing relationship with their pets no matter their circumstances.

Jessica Davis, BS, CBCC-KA, CPDT-KA

My name is Jessica Davis, BS, CBCC-KA, CPDT-KA, Fear Free Professional and I started Arfordable Dog Training in 2017 as with nothing more than a hobby. All my life I have been an animal lover but was never a math/science person. After the realization that being a veterinarian would be an unlikely future for me, I turned to customer service. Throughout my career, I knew something was missing. I wanted to give back and help others. I started volunteering at a local shelter and fell in love. The people, the pups, and the passion. The shelter started a dog training team and the rest is history.

After 3 years of working with reactive, fearful, and socialized pups, I knew it was time to get certified. Along with becoming a certified dog trainer (CPDT-KA) and receiving my CBCC-KA through the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers (CCPDT), helping people make their lives easier with their beloved pups has been my greatest accomplishment. To see the impact of a few simple behaviors on families has motivated me to learn more and work harder than ever before.

My training philosophy is to focus on positive reinforcement to train you and your dog. Through positive training it will allow your relationship to flourish and ensure well-behaved dogs remain as part of the family. Through affordable dog training, behavioral modification and education, families can keep their pets in the home and hopefully, impact the overpopulation of dogs in San Antonio and surrounding cities.

My heart will always be with the shelter pups. They are the reason I work today.

This is a picture of the first reactive dog I ever worked with. (Adopted 4/10/2016) He was my first foster dog.  My first heartworm positive dog. My first pitbull mix – but he was my Willie. Through work and dedication, he found his forever home. He now lives a fappy (fat and happy) life in Idaho with his loving sister and plenty of people to dote on him.

Jenny Ochoa, CBCC-KA, CPDT-KA

Jenny Ochoa, CBCC-KA, CPDT-KA, Certified Fear Free Professional has always loved dogs.  Growing up in the Texas hill country, from a young age she used to love bossing the dogs on the ranch around.  Jenny started training dogs at a young age and never lost the bug.  She started at PetSmart in 1999 and never looked back.  For the next 22 years, Jenny was an Area Trainer, then a Regional Area Training Mentor for PetSmart, training not only thousands of dogs and clients in and around San Antonio, but training hundreds of dog trainers for the company.  She also helped update and improve PetSmart’s training program by literally writing multiple class curriculums and accreditation materials for the company.

In 2022, Jenny decided to leave PetSmart, partnered with Jessica, and hasn’t looked back.  As a co-owner of Arfordable Dog Training, Jenny has helped the business grow into where we are today, and she’s not done yet.  

Jenny has experience in Behavior Modification as well as training all levels of obedience and many dog sports. If she doesn’t know how to do it, it’s probably on the list to learn as Jenny is truly a dog nerd and enjoys learning new things.

Jenny has 2 big bad Newfoundlands at home, 6 year old certified Therapy Dog Eeko, and 2 year old 160lb goofball Grizzley. She is also consistently bossed around by 3 fantastic kitties.

Johnnie Sikes, BA

Johnnie Sikes is a United States Navy Combat Veteran and retired as a Chief Petty Officer after serving 24 years flying in H-60 Series helicopters performing Search and Rescue. As a former Search and Rescue Swimmer, Johnnie’s passion lives on through the motto “So Others May Live”. His training philosophy focuses on positive reinforcement and ultimately to help both canine and human counterparts thrive in health and wellness. Johnnie holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice from University of Maryland Global Campus and is working towards a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology at the University of Texas at San Antonio.

Johnnie has a history of rescuing dogs and discovered his passion to train dogs while working with his own rescue, a pit mix (Ginger). He is canine CPR trained and currently working towards becoming a Certified Professional Dog Trainer. Johnnie has been with Arfordable Dog Training for over a year and has had great success in training behavioral cases, therapy dogs and service dogs. Johnnie’s ultimate goal is to focus his training on Service and Therapy Dogs for Veterans and Trauma Survivors and we’re so happy to have him with us!

Dori Reid

Hi, my name is Dorian however, everyone calls me Dori. I’m a born and raised Texan although I did tour Madison, Wisconsin to finish high school. As quickly as I could, I made my way back to New Braunfels, Texas.

I have two crazy kiddos that I hold dear to my heart, Victoria and Vanessa. Trust me, you’ll hear stories about them so bare with me. If I’m not talking about them, then I’ll be talking about my fur babies, Leya and Julia.

During my career, I managed a kids indoor inflatable bouncy house business then moved into a flooring business as an expeditor for a little over 4 years. I loved my job but never felt complete until I found Arfordable Dog Training. At ADT, I feel right at home. You will see alot of me helping out trainers, at the front desk or even taking the doggos out for walks.

My main goal is to one day become a trainer myself. In my spare time, I love to be outdoors whether its going for a hike, kayaking, bike riding or just walking around flea market, you can always catch me outside.

Alejandro ``Dro`` Jaramillo, BGS

Dro grew up in a military family in Anchorage, Alaska. During his youth, he enjoyed attending training classes with working breed such as Rottweilers and Shepherds. In 2004, he joined the Air Force as an Ammo Troop and served for over 6 years. Once he transitioned out of the military, he did a complete 180 and became a professional dog trainer in 2011.

In recent years, Dro graduated from Texas State in 2020 with a BGS degree: emphasis on Communication and Psychology. With his academic background, he has been able to apply those concepts to clients and dogs from all walks of life. Teaching others how to see and react to behavioral changes in their dogs’ attitude brings a feeling of accomplishment. Being around dogs and working with clients reignited his passion for training after a traumatic brain injury.

When he’s not training, Dro enjoys riding his motorcycle through the hill country and spending as much time as he can with his 4 year old pup, Denali.

Mara Eck, MPA, ABCDT

Mara Eck is an Active Duty Army Officer in the Military Police Corps and a part-time Certified Professional Dog Trainer. Mara holds a Masters Degree in Public Administration from Troy State University and a Bachelors Degree in Criminal Justice from University of Pittsburgh.

Mara has been passionate about animals and especially dogs her whole life and has volunteered at the Hawaii Humane Society where she became a foster failure and adopted her “love bug” Leila (Pit/Airedale mix), who is an AKC Canine Good Citizen. Mara has has trained three of her own dogs (Allie, Leila, & Makana) dating back to 1999 and she loved it so much that she went to Animal Behavior College in California in 2015 and became a Certified Dog Trainer. Mara trains dogs in Puppy101, Basic Obedience, Intermediate Obedience, Advance Obedience, Agility, Trick, and she is an AKC Canine Good Citizen certifier. Mara is also Canine CPR Trained.

Mara’s next goal and passion is to train Service Dogs for Veterans and First Responders and to learn and train dogs that have behavior issues. Mara will be retiring from the Army in October 2022 after 31 years and will be able to pursue her passion of dog training full time.

Sierra Vera

Sierra has always had an interest in working with dogs from the time that she was little. In high school, Sierra took many classes that revolved around animal science and veterinary medicine as well as competing on teams that focused on veterinary science.

Sierra found her love for dog training in 2016 with an organization called Guide Dogs for the Blind. In total she has fostered and trained seven dogs for this organization with one becoming a seeing eye dog, one becoming a therapy dog, and two currently training. As of 2021 Sierra joined the leadership team for guide dogs and manages over twenty student raisers and their puppies. In 2020 Sierra took a position at Petsmart and was the head trainer of her store for two years until May of 2022 when she took a position at Arfordable Dog Training.

Along with her guide dog puppies, Sierra has a black lab named Amiri who enjoys swimming, hiking, and tubing (yes tubing) during their free time. Sierra is currently pursuing an Associates Degree in Business and has plans to get her Bachelors in Psychology.

Isabelle Guevara, CPDT-KA, Fear Free Professional

Isabelle originally started her career with dogs in the veterinary field. She has always had a passion to help pets in need and strived to get as much hands on knowledge as possible. Between hours interning at a local vet clinic and volunteering mucking stalls at a small horse barn, she helped raise and train a variety of species. From mice and rabbits, to goats, sheep, and horses, she enjoyed training them all! As much as she loved tending to wounds and assisting with vaccinations, nothing could beat the joy of training her previously fearful livestock to heel happily by her side. When time allowed, she even enjoyed trick training her goats and sheep to place on platforms and paw at the ground.

Isabelle continued on to Texas A&M to pursue an animal science degree. She was volunteering for a service dog organization when she herself got diagnosed with type 1 diabetes and began searching for her own diabetic alert dog. Shortly after adopting Haribo, a German shepherd mix from Animal Care Services, she decided to move back to San Antonio to pursue her new passion in animal behavior.

Isabelle never stopped learning, gaining even more certifications and completing online courses while quarantining in 2020 including becoming a Certified Fear Free Trainer, CGC evaluator, and Certified Professional Dog Trainer. Isabelle believes that training shouldn’t just be a necessity when owning pets, but an fun activity for everyone.

Shortly after getting Haribo’s Canine Good Citizen Certification, the duo continued having fun earning trick dog titles and experimenting with dog sports. Although Haribo was unable to become Isabelle’s service dog for medical reasons, together they have competed in Fast Cat, scent work, agility, and dock diving! Isabelle added her papillon to the pack in early 2021. Aptly named, “WiFi” is a natural in the agility ring and can’t wait to show everyone his full potential alongside his sister.

Lisa Anderson, ABCDT

Lisa Anderson is a graduate from The Behrend College at Penn State University with a degree in Psychology. Recently, she graduated from Animal Behavior College and is currently working towards her CPDT-KA through the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers, Inc. Her training philosophy focuses on positive reinforcement and understanding the dog as an individual with individual needs. Throughout her training, she has worked with many dogs of different temperaments and has a passion for rescues and misunderstood dogs.

We couldn’t be more excited to have her. Please help me welcome her to the team!

Testimonials:
“Thanks to Jessica and her team, a dog once deemed aggressive and un-adoptable got a second lease on life. With lots of patience and training from the team, Akita found her forever home and now lives with two other fur siblings.” -Mari C.

Jessica Davis was very informative, professional, caring, and very helpful in teaching us the wonderful techniques to help to train our new little fur member. I highly recommend her.” – Lupe D.

We adopted a dog a little over 9 months ago. He is a Husky and Yellow Lab mix. He was so very unruly. We had Jessica come to our home for a series of lessons, and she was phenomenal! It’s still a work in progress, but I highly recommend her” – Kimberly P.

Having Jessica come to our home to help with our German Shepherd has been phenomenal. She gave us the knowledge and skills we needed to train our pup! He loved every minute of training and so did we. We learned so much and all of our concerns were addressed and fixed.” – Wendy R.

We Promise:

  • We will explain fully what we propose to do with your dog and why.
  • We will invite and encourage you to ask questions.
  • We will always do our best to be friendly and approachable so that you feel comfortable and unafraid of judgement.
  • We will review and consult with multiple positive training resources when developing a behavior modification protocol or training program to ensure it follows our force free guidelines.
  • Your dog’s physical and emotional well-being will be our top priority when working out any behavior modification protocol or training program for you.
  • We will never coerce your dog into participating in any form of behavior modification.
  • We will encourage your dog to make the choice we want using non-threatening and rewarding motivators.
  • We will work hard to keep your dog under threshold and keep him/her as stress-free as possible.
  • We will work hard to keep the process as comfortable and stress-free as possible for you as the owner, handler, and trainer of your own dog.
  • We will treat your dog as an individual and your situation as unique – one size does not fill all.
  • We will never do anything with your dog that we wouldn’t do with our own dogs.
  • We will consider your dog to be as much a vital part of your family as our dogs are to our own.
  • We will never bully your dog using threatening or violent behavior.
  • We will never put a choke, prong, or e-collar around your dog’s neck or recommend you do so.
  • We will continue to follow up our education by attending workshops, seminars, conferences, and courses so as to add to our ‘training toolbox’ and bring you the very best service we can.
  • No dog will ever be ‘just a dog’ to us.

Adapted from lottiesdogs.co.uk

These are answers to general questions about policies. Should you have any additional questions, feel free to visit our Contact page to reach out to the trainer.

How do I register for a class or one-on-one sessions?
By enrolling you are reserving a spot. To ensure that the spot is reserved, the Waiver, Enrollment Form, Proof of Vaccinations, and payment are required 1 week prior to the start of class or one-on-one sessions.

Do you cancel classes due to low enrollment?
Basic Obedience Classes are best with multiple dogs, however, you’ve dedicated the time to train, as will we. Classes may be rescheduled or combined due to low enrollment.

What if my pup is unable to attend a class due to injury or illness?
At Arfordable Dog Training we know life happens. If a pup is unable to attend due to injury or illness, the Dog-Human team will be able to make it up prior to the next week’s class. If that is not an option, they will be offered a 25% discount on a one-on-one session to cover the missed material.

Do you offer a guarantee?
Unfortunately, there is no guarantee when working with cognitive, living animals.  Although the trainer will support you and offer plenty of guidance, success in training your pup is achieved through dedication and consistency of the handler.

What forms of payment are accepted?
Cash or Credit Card.

Do you offer discounts?
We love our rescuers. So to show our support, there is a rescue rate. The discount is 10% off one-on-one sessions for pups that have been rescued in the last 3 months or is currently owned by a rescue organization or shelter.

We also offer 10% off one-on-one sessions for active duty or first responders such as firefighters, EMTs, and police officers.

For one-on-one sessions, will I be contacted to confirm each session?
Once a session is scheduled, the trainer will be at the agreed upon location at the scheduled time. A confirmation may be sent if the session is outside of regularly scheduled timeslot.

What is your one-on-one cancellation policy?
We understand emergencies happen however, there is a 24 hour cancellation period. Any rescheduling with less than 24 hours notice prior to your session will result in one session being deducted from your total remaining sessions.

What is the reschedule policy?
Rescheduling sessions for any reason are on a case-by-case basis and will be rescheduled based on availability in the trainer’s schedule.

Is there an expiration limit on rescheduled one-on-one sessions?
Rescheduled sessions are to be used within 2 months of the original date of cancellation.

Do you offer refunds?
No refunds will be given once fees have been collected.

Are there travel fees?
There is a $25 surcharge for any session:
– Outside of Loop 337*
– North of US-281 and Evans Rd**

– West of W Loop 1604 and Hausman Rd **
– South of 37 and Cesar Chavez Blvd **
– East of IH 10 and E Loop 1604**

New Braunfels*
San Antonio**

Arfordable Dog Training doesn’t have any personal connection with these organizations or individuals and receives no compensation for our endorsement.

Websites
Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers

http://www.ccpdt.org/

The Association for Professional Dog Trainers
https://www.apdt.com/

AKC’s Canine Good Citizen (CGC) Program
http://www.akc.org/products-services/training-programs/canine-good-citizen/what-is-canine-good-citizen/

iSpeakdog
http://www.ispeakdog.org/

ASPCA Pro
https://www.aspcapro.org/training

Periodicals
The Whole Dog Journal
https://www.whole-dog-journal.com/

The Bark
https://thebark.com/

Books
The Power of Positive Dog Training by Pat Miller

How Dogs Learn by Mary R. Burch, Ph.D. and Jon S. Bailey, Ph. D.
How to Speak Dog by Stanley Coren
Training for Both Ends of the Leash by Kate Perry and Yvonne Conza
The Culture Clash by Jean Donaldson
Inside of a Dog by Alexandra Horowitz
Don’t Shoot the Dog! The New Art of Teaching and Training by Karen Pryor
How to Behave So Your Dog Behaves, 2nd Edition by Sophia Yin

Videos
Resource Guarding

https://www.facebook.com/DogCharming/videos/1817954671583669/UzpfSTc3NDAzNTIwMjc0NzQ2MToxMTM0MTcyNDcwMDY3MDY0/

Gentle Leader Using Positive Reinforcement
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fwwza5ifEt8

Muzzle Training Using Positive Reinforcement
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1F-x0yYPC5Y

Apps
Dog Decoder – Available through Google Play and the App Store.

Facebook Groups
Canine Enrichment

https://www.facebook.com/groups/canineenrichment/

Scientific Studies and References
Removing the Prong Collar:
https://www.sfspca.org/prong/studies

Reward-Based Training vs. Aversive Methods:
https://www.companionanimalpsychology.com/2017/04/new-literature-review-recommends-reward.html

Socialization in new environments is very important. If you plan on taking your dog with you to places during their life such as the river, beach, park, restaurants, be sure to socialize them to those types of locations. Here is a list of some of the pet-friendly stores in our area.

When in doubt, call and ask. As always, ensure your dog is leashed and well-behaved.

  1. Abercrombie and Fitch
  2. Academy
  3. Ann Taylor/Ann Taylor Loft
  4. Anthropologie
  5. Autozone
  6. Barnes and Noble
  7. Bass Pro Shop
  8. Bath and Body Works
  9. Bebe
  10. Bed, Bath, Beyond
  11. Bloomingdale’s
  12. Crate and Barrel
  13. Eddie Bauer
  14. Foot Locker
  15. Free People
  16. Gap
  17. Half Priced Books
  18. Hallmark
  19. Hobby Lobby
  20. Home Depot*
  21. Home Goods
  22. Jo-Anne Fabrics
  23. Kaiser’s Natural Pet
  24. Lowe’s*
  25. LUSH Cosmetics
  26. Macy’s
  27. Marshalls
  28. Michaels
  29. Neiman Marcus
  30. Nordstrom
  31. Old Navy
  32. Paw Basics
  33. Pet Adventure
  34. Pet Supplies Plus
  35. Petco
  36. PetsBarn
  37. PetSmart
  38. Pottery Barn
  39. Ross
  40. Saks Fifth Avenue
  41. Sephora
  42. The Apple Store
  43. The Container Store
  44. Tiffany & Co.
  45. TJ Maxx
  46. Tractor Supply
  47. Urban Outfitters
  48. Woofgang Bakery

*Select locations.

A Note About Puppies:
Caution must be used when taking a puppy under 16 weeks that hasn’t had all of their vaccines in public places. You may take the puppy to pet-friendly locations but ensure hand sanitizer is available for individuals wishing to pet your puppy. You may clean a cart and place a blanket down for protection. You may use portable play pens for safety.

We offer an exclusive boarding experience, dedicated to your pup, focused on socialization and relaxation. We offer individual play and enrichment. In our boarding office, we have classical music, Adaptil diffusing, and mental stimulation opportunities!

We’re bonded, insured, and focused on individual attention for your pup during their stay.

This private residence belongs to our owner, Jessica. For the address, call us at 210-418-1440

 

Arfin’ Academy is our 2,500 sq ft climate controlled facility located at 9010 FM 1976, Suite 210, Converse, TX 78109. We are located at the Converse Business Park just seconds inside 1604 on the corner of Old Cimmaron Road and FM 1976.

 

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