Pawsitive Reinforcement Pet Training

(This review from Mary Kay Hansen.) Heather is an excellent dog trainer! She worked very collaboratively with me and was always prepared to address my concerns either during training lessons or in between lessons when I texted her questions. Heather is extremely well informed about dog behavior and the most effective ways to teach dogs commands. She provided me with the concrete, step by step instruction that is needed to implement effective commands. She observed me implementing commands for my puppy and was able to give me effective corrective feedback. Heather is very positive and was always very supportive. She provided me with very helpful information about issues such as activities to stimulate a dogs cognitive development, ways to implement the necessary structure puppies need for potty training and ways to help your puppy manage teething. Heather helped me feel confident in my ability to train and be my puppy's "pack leader." After five lessons, my puppy had learned to sit, stay, drop it, leave it and lay down!!! Like any great teacher, Heather's professionalism, competency, excellent communication skills and positive engagement made me want to learn, practice and master the skills she taught me. I would not hesitate to strongly recommend Heather!

Strongly recommended! Heather has helped us a great deal with our 1 year old Pomeranian who struggled with barking at dogs and leash-pulling. We started seeing results after the first session and he has been constantly improving in the 2 months since then. Her first suggestion was to train and reinforce a 'look at me' command. It was a simple suggestion but, building on this foundation, we worked towards teaching our dog to check in with us when he is uncertain/anxious about something. In each training session, Heather pointed out what we were doing right/wrong, things the puppy might be reacting to, and the next steps to take. Walking the dog used to be a nightmare but now it is something I look forward to as a bonding experience. (I know that sounds like an infomercial but it's true!) We also feel that the behaviour training has translated well with other issues: he is still curious about unusual sounds, sights, or events but now he will automatically 'look' and check in with us to see how we react. Our pom loves Heather. His ears fly back and he hops in place when he recognises her. She clearly loves animals and is invested in long-term results. We will continue to book sessions as new training issues arise.