“My grandfather actually used to train black labs competing for retrieving. At one point he held the North American title, and I grew up with him training dogs and have always liked dog training. So when we had an opportunity to purchase this building, we jumped on it,” Coleman Payne said.
The details
As a full-service pet care facility, Wet Nose Lodge & Spa offers grooming, day care, lodging and training services for dogs and large cats.
With a professional staff made up of individuals trained to care for pets in areas such as dog body language, group social play, dog behavior, nutrition and proper handling, Wet Nose Lodge & Spa specializes in dog training.
Coleman Payne said the dog-training facility modified its program in 2019 to train dogs to behave in public and private settings alike.
“Any trainer can make your dog amazing in an environment, but that doesn't translate back to the house,” Coleman Payne said. “So we wanted to create a training program based on our needs and everyone else's thinking. So we created a program based on real-life training.”
About the program
Coleman Payne said Wet Nose Lodge & Spa decided to modify its training after seeing the effects of dogs' behavior due to COVID-19.
“After COVID[-19], there were a lot of people working from home, and then when everyone had to go back to work, we had a lot of separation anxiety with dogs,” he said.
To incorporate social training, Wet Nose Lodge & Spa provides training in real-life scenarios with noises and dog interactions in public spaces. Through a method internally known as zen yoga, the pet facility teaches proper greeting and social behavior skills.
“We refer to it internally as zen yoga because you'll get dogs just spinning around and panting and whining the whole time; and we teach them this command, and they just kind of learn to just zen out,” Coleman Payne said.
With training packages running from $2,199-$8,999, Wet Nose Lodge & Spa offers several options, including three-, four- and eight-week programs.
Beginning with simple training, such as leash walking and impulse control, the training programs offered incorporate positive-reinforcement training as well as behavior modification.
“We don't train out of submission. That's a horrible way to do training. There has to be a lot of positive-reinforcement training. But if the dog does something wrong, there has to be a consequence. Consequences are not severe, but it has to be much more strategic because, again, that's how they learn in the wild,” Coleman Payne said.
From basic obedience to advanced urban canine training, which allows dogs to test for American Kennel Club Therapy Certification, Wet Nose Lodge & Spa offers training services from AKC-certified testing instructors.
- 19540 Ramblewood Drive, Humble
- www.wetnoselodge.com
