Sensitive Dog

Our two rescue dogs had become unmanageable on our daily walks, reacting so strongly to other dogs that we struggled to control them. In addition to barking and lunging, they had begun attacking each other as we strained to separate them and move past the other dog. We came to Julie after working with other trainers whose purely positive techniques hadn’t helped Dory and Erie at all, thinking we might just have to give up walking them. After working with Julie for several sessions—and practicing at home—we’ve seen real progress. Julie’s understanding of canine behavior and communication has helped us understand how our dogs think and feel, and what they need us to do in order for them to respond appropriately. In addition to walking skills, we’ve learned new commands, activities and games that provide the dogs with mental stimulation, improve in-home behavior, and help tire them out, especially useful when long walks aren’t an option. We’re not only doing much better on walks, we’re also happier in general. We couldn’t have achieved this without Sensitive Dog.

After working with 12 trainers, consulting 2 animal communicators, and trying 3 behavioral meds over the last 8.5 years, I was very emotionally and financially drained, but wanted to try one more time to help our rescue dog, Wilbur, overcome his severe leash reactivity. We had resigned ourselves to “management” mode: no walks, only renting homes with a fenced yard, booking early morning vet appts to avoid interactions, etc. His reactivity strained our relationship, put us in dangerous situations, and made it hard to secure housing. Enter: Sensitive Dog. I appreciated Julie’s detailed intake and tranquil training studio. From our first session, I felt cautiously optimistic that we could improve our leash walking, but I wasn’t prepared for how much Julie’s approach would improve our whole relationship. For the first time, I feel like I have a common language with Wilbur and am empowered to continue to improve his leash walking and other skills. In just a few sessions, we’ve made more progress than ever before, and I’m actually excited to walk Wilbur! I left our final session in tears, because I was so happy about his progress and sad that we spent 8.5 years stressed and struggling, but I’m so glad we never gave up and finally found what works for us. I’m so thankful to Julie and would highly recommend Sensitive Dog if you feel hopeless and stuck with your dog.

Then: At age 2, our small Australian labradoodle developed a big "reactivity" challenge when walking outdoors on a leash. When we came across bigger dogs, Wally would bark, gurgle-growl, strain and sometimes even lunge, teeth bared, without provocation. In those moments, our gentle, cuddly and generally well-behaved pupster became almost unrecognizable. We turned to Sensitive Dog after dealing with the problem for about a year. In all, we spent about 6 hours over a month in private training with Julie at her property in Beacon Hill. Now: We can walk Wally without fear of an over-reaction to bigger dogs. We learned how to keep him at our side, praising him when he stays "right here" and giving a quick correction when he doesn't. Yesterday during a walk, we passed his main neighborhood nemesis, a pair of huge black and white Great Danes. Wally saw them but did not react. We didn't even need to correct him, but you can bet we praised him. Success! Sensitive Dog training does not rely entirely on positive rewards, nor does it involve harsh treatment. Rather, it offered a customized approach that allowed us to effectively set boundaries and provide appropriate consequences when necessary. And it was fun! We learned games to play with Wally, and we also learned how to deal with some issues other than leash reactivity. In short, we highly recommend Sensitive Dog.

I was at my wits end with my Pit-mix, Pirate!!! I had spent $1000’s on training ; a five week doggy boot camp, online classes, trainers to the house. Military based, reward based. You name it I tried it. I knew in my heart Pirate was trainable. My husband said “no more, we will just keep him away from people”, :0 I decided maybe we needed a dog Psychologist or behaviorist. So I started looking online. Most of the reviews were about putting dogs on drugs. Well I had done that before and Pirate bit our neighbor. As it turns out he was more aggressive on them. Then I saw an ad for “Sensitive Dog”. One particular review was so heartfelt and it sounded like all my issues with Pirate, plus all the reviews were great. My husband was willing to do one last try. Julie at Sensitive dog was everything Pirate and I needed.!!!! The first appointment was so positive. It was 2 1/2 hours observing Pirate, talking to me at length about all our issues with him. She was a nice mix of reward based training as well as consequential training. It’s such a great mix and you can tell that she really cares about you and your dog. It may seem like a lot of money, but it’s really not, because you will get so many valuable lessons and solutions. The one that stands out most in my mind, is that dogs need mental stimulation. Julie gave me lots of ways to help him get his mind working. When I got home, for a week, I tried some of her suggestions for mental games. It was amazing, he got calmer and less reactive. That’s just one example of our success. The most important one was that he became much better with our grand kids! We have lots of ways now to get him to be safe with them. If you’re reading this and can relate, go ahead and make the appointment you’ll be so glad you did! Julie is a natural and Pirate adores her!

I have known Julie and Darcie for over 20 years. Julie’s thoughtful, mindful understanding of dogs and their people has helped us to be better dog owners with a deeper connection to our pets. Whether it was a headstrong Jack Russell Terrier, a protective reactive Border Collie mix, or a gentle Miniature Poodle Julie’s insight and wisdom has been greatly valued. Darcie is a jewel of a person. Her canine death doula work is remarkable. She helped me and my Miniature Poodle Beaux through his end of life. As scared and heartbroken as we were to say farewell Darcie facilitated a deeply meaningful passing. I have a new dog now, a 5 lb Toy Poodle. His body is tiny but his intelligence is huge. He is doing well w obedience, but I needed more to keep his mind challenged. Julie taught us scent games and other fun challenges to keep him mentally enriched and happy. Whether you need help with your dog’s behavior or you want to deepen your connection and companionship, the Sensitive Dog will enrich both your and your canine’s life.