KW Happy Dogs

Kirsten is the best! She helped us to understand our dog’s developmental stage and needs, and showed us how to deal with his wild behaviors that were driving us crazy. Body slams in the house, painful play biting, barking, chewing things up, etc. Kirsten is very chill and keeps things so upbeat and positive. It was fun to watch her interact so intuitively with our dog. She has a nice manner that is effective without being harsh, punitive, or controlling. Instead, it’s more about understanding the animal, communicating sensitively with them, and controlling the environment. Kirsten gave us confidence as first time dog owners, and some much-needed perspective on how this was a hard but temporary phase (she was right). We only needed a few sessions over time. We now truly enjoy our dog’s vibe at home, and using her techniques we know how to calm him when he does get over-stimulated at times.

We came to Kirsten looking for help with our fearful rescue dog (age 6). After having Maisy for 10 months she was still too scared to let us put a harness on her and had never been on a walk. We were desperate to change that. Our family is so appreciative of what we were able to accomplish with Kirsten's guidance. She gave us the confidence and techniques to push Maisy (and us) a little bit, step-by-step so she could get to a much fuller life. Beginning with successfully getting Maisy into a harness during Kirsten's first visit, she gave us specific achievable exercises to work on to build her trust, and within a few weeks Maisy was starting to move down the sidewalk. She now LOVES exploring the outside world, including hikes. Thank you Kirsten for giving Maisy and us the tools and support to make this very positive change!