About Us
Pit Bull Guru is a division of Urban Dawgs, LLC dba Red Bank Dog Training. We are committed to providing the resources and support necessary to build lifelong relationships between people and their canine companions. Offering a broad range of educational programs and services, our goal is to help dog owners better understand how their dogs learn and communicate, and how to effectively bridge that communication using proven positive reinforcement training methods. Our modern, climate-controlled dog training facility is conveniently located in Red Bank, NJ.
Our Methods
We use modern training methods based on the scientific principles of animal learning theory. Our highly effective techniques are 100% dog-friendly and taught with an emphasis on trust and cooperation, so you can truly be your dog's best friend!
Positive reinforcement really works and you avoid the negative side effects that can come with using corrections and other aversive techniques. We use the presentation and removal of rewards as motivation to get our dogs to work - just like employers use salary, benefits and bonuses to motivate employees or as parents use privileges to motivate their children. Rewards can be many things, depending on the individual dog. The most obvious is food treats but there are many more possibilities (access to play, walks, door opening services, etc). Almost anything our dogs need and/or want on a daily basis can be used as rewards. Training is incorpated into your everyday life and is enjoyable on both ends of the leash! Read more about training your pit bull.
Why Pit Bull Guru?
Training dogs is not a second job or a hobby for us. It is our life and our love. Pit bulls are the breed we own and care for. We know first hand all of the challenges that having a pit bull can present. We also know the joy and never ending kindness this breed is famous for.
Proper positive training, socialization and care are the foundations of responsible dog ownership. Pit bull owners know that often their dogs are not looked upon merely as dogs. Many times pit bulls are judged upon sight, so we need our dogs to be well behaved and well cared for at all times. It is the job of humans who own and care for pit bulls to make sure the breed is represented in a positive light. Our goal is to train owners of pit bulls and other large breed dogs to be the very best for their canine kids. Read more about the name, Pit Bull Guru.
Meet Our Trainers
Drayton Michaels, CTC
 Drayton Michaels has been working with dogs professionally for over 12 years, getting his start as a dog walker in New York City and later in Seattle. In May of 2007, Drayton earned his Certification in Dog Training and Behavior Counseling from the San Francisco SPCA Academy for Dog Trainers (known as "the Harvard for dog trainers"). Directed by renowned authors and dog experts Jean Donaldson and Janis Bradley, the SFSPCA Academy for Dog Trainers was a full-time, hands-on, comprehensive program where a class of only ten students trained with the industry’s most esteemed canine behavior experts. Now offered as a distance-learning program, Drayton is among an elite group to have graduated from the original intensive course.
 Upon graduating from the Academy in 2007, Drayton started a specialty subsidiary of Urban Dawgs called Pit Bull Guru to offer modern, reward-based training and behavior consulting for Pit Bulls and large breed dogs of all ages. Drayton teaches public group training classes, seminars/workshops and offers basic through advanced behavior consulting services. He also invented a game for dogs and people called “Belly Ball” in which humans attempt to score a point by getting the ball under the dog’s belly between the front and hind legs and out the other side while the dog blocks, traps and grabs the ball for points. You can watch Belly Ball in action on YouTube.
Drayton’s post-graduation work included the production of a short film titled, The Pit Bull Hoax, that set out to debunk common myths about pit bulls, educate the public on why humans are the cause for dog issues and why breed specific legislation (BSL) is not effective. The film features interviews with Jean Donaldson, Dr. Ian Dunbar, Jane Berkey (Animal Farm Foundation) and Dr. Nicholas Dodman. You can watch The Pit Bull Hoax on YouTube for free or order a DVD copy.
In 2014, Drayton Michaels studied with Dr. Susan G. Friedman, Ph.D. and completed the 8-week course, Living & Learning with Animals: The Science & Technology of Behavior Change.
Drayton has logged countless volunteer hours with numerous shelters and rescue organizations, helping to foster, rehabilitate and train pit bulls. Drayton has appeared on Pix11 News, MY9 NJ (FOX TV), and ESPN Radio speaking about Pit Bulls. Drayton was also featured on Amrita TV, a television network in India featuring rescued dogs and Drayton’s work with the Monmouth County SPCA. In 2011, Drayton produced the highly acclaimed Dedicated Organized Gentle™ Dog Training DVD, a 74-minute foundation in the basics. He is a regular contributor to Dog Fancy Magazine (recently in Training Secrets for Pit Bulls), blogger for Dog Star Daily and a featured speaker at Pinups For Pitbulls Awareness Events. Drayton is also interviewed in the documentary, Beyond The Myth: A Film About Breed Discrimination, about the effects of BSL on humans and dogs.
Drayton continues to study canine training and behavior independently and regularly attends continuing education seminars to keep current with the latest dog training methods and techniques. When Drayton is not working with dogs, creating media, writing blogs or attempting to change the law and culture, he can be found creating music or in the kitchen making food for humans and dogs alike.
Drayton lives in Red Bank, NJ with his dog Silas.
Click HERE to read testimonials from colleagues and satisfied clients! |
PIT BULL GURU IS A DIVISION OF URBAN DAWGS
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