Training Sessions
We offer a training session for 1.5 hrs to assist you with your MADRA dog.
At MADRA we only use and promote positive reinforcement dog training. We use cues instead of commands and rely on peer reviewed science-based training methods to make learning as rewarding, ethical, successful and easy as possible – for the humans as well as the dogs!
Our team, led by our IMDT* qualified trainer, Carrie Hoade, always use positive training; working on rewards and motivating dogs for behaviour we want. It also allows us to foster a relationship with our dogs based on mutual trust and respect, instead of fear and intimidation. We want training to be fun for our dogs. Our team are always motivated to keep up-skilling and stay up-to-date with the latest research in dog behaviour and training. This helps us to teach our rescue dogs new life skills that they can take with them to their new homes when they’re adopted.
When dogs come to us, we take time to assess them. This helps us to understand what type of home will suit them best. For a while now, we have seen a trend where more and more of the dogs coming to us need some form of rehabilitation before and after rehoming. We now group our dogs into three categories and this helps us and their adopters understand what kind of training and support they may need.
*Institute of Modern Dog Trainers
MADRA Training Donation
Your country is United States so currency auto changed to US Dollars
Level 1
Puppies or fairly well-adjusted adult dogs who we think will fit the role of ‘pet’ dog relatively easily. Adopters can also share pictures and connect with other puppy adopters.
We also recommend attending local well-run puppy training classes with qualified reward-based trainers. Puppy classes are great for teaching your puppy (and you!) new life skills and helping with their socialisation. You can email carrie.hoade@madra.ie for more information.
Level 2
Dogs that may have some medical and / or behavioural issues but ones we feel can be managed with a moderate amount of intervention, i.e. training and the right environment. Although predominantly focused on helping the dogs in our shelter, part of Carrie’s role is providing post-adoption support for our Level 2 dogs. Included in your adoption donation is one consult call with Carrie and a follow-up call one week later.
Level 3
Dogs that have more complex behavioural or medical needs which could mean increased bite risk and will mean more specific post-adoption support. A bespoke support plan will be agreed at the time of adoption, depending on your dog’s individual needs, but this will generally include up to three free consults with Carrie (up to three months post adoption).
For Level 2 and 3 dogs, training in addition to the above can be booked with Carrie and a donation can be made to MADRA on the form above. The recommended donation is €50 per consult, which will include a follow-up individual training plan. This is available for three months post-adoption. Outside of this, you can opt for a private consult with Carrie or request recommendations of a trainer or behaviourist closer to you to continue with a behaviour modification plan.
Private 121
We will provide as much support as we can but our resources are very limited. We recommend doing some 121 training sessions with a qualified dog trainer to help with any training issues and to help strengthen your bond with your new family member. Carrie also does private training and 121 sessions outside of her work for MADRA but gets booked up quickly. To book, please email carrie.hoade@madra.ie. MADRA adopters receive a 20% discount.
You can also search https://www.imdt.uk.com/ or http://apdt.ie/index.php/find-a-trainer/ to find a local qualified dog trainer.
Unfortunately, the dog training industry isn’t regulated, so before hiring any trainer, please ensure they only use reward based training methods.
