Patrick and Lorna O'Connor bring unusual depth to Incredible Canine Training Center. Patrick's background includes over five decades in dog training, starting as an apprentice under a retired police chief and eventually becoming a California P.O.S.T. certified Police K9 Evaluator, according to their site, he's the only civilian who has taught at international police K9 conferences. Lorna's experience spans competition obedience, schutzhund, and assistance dog work; she previously managed a regional puppy program for Canine Companions for Independence, where she oversaw training and socialization for more than 3,000 puppies.
The Santa Rosa facility sits on 10 acres and is designed around minimizing stress. Trainers live on-site with 24/7 monitoring, and dogs stay in individual kennel runs rather than crates, with access to secure exercise yards five to six times daily. They describe their method as relationship-based, relying on verbal praise, physical affection, and play rather than food rewards or force, drawing, they say, from observing how mother dogs naturally communicate with their puppies.
Their programs include board-and-train stays of two or three weeks, private lessons, puppy packages, and behavioral consulting for issues like reactivity and aggression. They state that transfer sessions for owners are always private and included in board-and-train pricing, with unlimited follow-up lessons for their longer program. The site claims a lifetime guarantee on training results.
