Janette Marie Rael, CTC

Specializing in Dog Aggression, Leash Reactivity, and Dog-Dog Social Skills

Janette has been working with dogs professionally for over fifteen years, and specializes in dog-dog social skills, leash reactivity, and aggression. Janette received her education in dog training from the San Francisco SPCA Academy for Dog Trainers in 2009. The Academy is one of the most prestigious dog trainer schools in the world, and is often referred to as “The Harvard for Dog Trainers.” The Certified Training Counselor (CTC) Program, lead by the legendary dog trainer Jean Donaldson, is a deep-dive into current scientific discovery in animal learning. As a CTC, Janette will teach you how to address and prevent dog behavior problems with the most reliable and effective training tools available in the industry.

Janette founded R+ Dog Training in 2009, as she began focusing on group dog training classes, counseling private clients, off-leash dog walking, and working with rescues and shelters. Janette managed Metrodog in Richmond, California, a large dog boarding and training center for over six years. There she gained experience working with a wide variety of dogs, from pit bulls to chihuahuas. Observing hundreds of dogs interact in a social environment has given her unique insight into the world of dog body language and communication skills. She has helped countless dogs, who were once reactive or aggressive, integrate into large playgroups and pack walks. In addition to managing the dog behavior program at Metrodog, she supervised the training of new handlers and support staff. She has also been a group class instructor at Milo Foundation, Good Newz Pittie Pups, and California Pitbull Rescue. Janette has been fostering dogs for over five years, and frequently fosters for Louisiana SPCA and Take Paws Rescue.

Positive Dog Training Philosophy

R+ is shorthand for Positive Reinforcement! Positive Reinforcement (R+) involves the Skinnerian method of operant conditioning that involves the addition of a pleasurable stimulus (food, praise, play, or other reward) following a behavior (sit, down, stay, etc.), making it more likely for a dog to perform this behavior again in the future. They get paid in dog treats! Traditional training uses a more punitive method, known as Positive Punishment (P+), which involves the addition of an aversive stimulus (something your dog doesn’t like, as in shouting, hitting, leash pressure, etc.) following a behavior, making it less likely for this behavior to occur again in the future. This method is out-dated and can lead to more aggression. Janette’s passion is teaching people how to train dogs using science-based, positive reinforcement methods because she has seen the negative consequences that traditional training comes with. She believes that pain and force is not necessary to train dogs, and it damages the human-dog relationship. The adverse consequences of using punitive methods have been well research and documented.

Learn More About Least Intrusive, Minimally Aversive (LIMA) Dog Training