The Cooperative Dog

Vera has been absolutely the best resource and guide for me and my 1.5 year old, active monkey head mini aussie, Pluto. She is not a regular dog trainer, above all she will train and teach you how to grow and live with a happy confident dog. No matter how old or reactive your dog is, she has a solution for YOU to handle every situation. If necessary, she will come to your house to assess the living environment and guide you along the way. I witnessed my neighbor's highly reactive dog turned into a more sociable dog handling stressful situations with her guidance, hence, I tried to get into her schedule the moment I brought Pluto home as a puppy, and we are in training since then. Sometimes you might need to contact her a few times but once you are in, never let go. She has a class for every level and situation. She is a true animal lover and expert in dog psychology. She will teach you how to predict triggers for your dog beforehand, so you can manage the situation, dog parks, children etc. what is a healthy play, what is not a healthy play, how to and not to introduce/greet other people, how to and not to walk your dog, how to handle vet visits, grooming and all.. I highly recommend her for every dog owner!

We’ve been working with Vera since our mini goldendoodle, Brinley, was just a tiny pup—and we truly couldn’t have found a better trainer. From day one, Vera has been incredibly supportive, knowledgeable, and patient. Brinley absolutely adores her, and so do we! What we love most about Vera is how clearly she explains the reasoning behind her methods. She doesn’t just tell you what to do—she helps you understand why it works, which makes all the difference. Every at-home lesson and group class leaves us with clear, practical tools that we can actually use day to day. It’s amazing to see how far Brinley has come with her training thanks to Vera’s guidance. We always feel encouraged and empowered after our sessions, and knowing Vera is just a quick text away for support means the world. She’s truly helped shape Brinley into the well-mannered, happy pup we were hoping for—and we’re so grateful. We can’t recommend Vera enough!

My girlfriend and I brought home our mini goldendoodle puppy about 10 months ago, and we reached out to Vera for an at-home visit just a week later—and we’ve been working with her ever since! From the start, she’s been incredibly supportive and accessible, always just a call or text away for any questions we have. We’ve done a mix of at-home lessons and group puppy classes, and every session leaves us with practical advice and training tools that make a real difference. The puppy classes have been such a great experience—not only are they a fun and safe way for our pup to get socialized, but they also offer the perfect environment to train with real-life distractions. Our dog genuinely looks forward to going each week! What sets Vera apart is that she doesn’t just train your dog—she trains you as the owner, too. She has a gift for making everything easy to understand, explaining both the why and how behind every technique. Even in group classes, she somehow manages to give everyone individual attention while still covering the class curriculum. Thanks to Vera’s guidance, our pup is at a level of training we never would’ve reached on our own. She’s been with us every step of the way, and we truly look forward to continuing to work with her. We can’t recommend her highly enough!