Unleashed Abilities: Coaching People, Training Dogs

We started working with Keri for our 5.5-year-old golden retriever, and it has made such a huge difference for our family - I highly recommend her for anyone in search of an excellent dog trainer in Northern VA. Our golden has always had a big exuberant personality, but once we had kids, he went from getting all of our attention to sharing it - which understandably wasn’t easy on him! We were trying to manage constant barking for attention, counter surfing, and stealing food out of our kids' hands. He got so worked up and reactive that it was hard to take him anywhere, and since he's such a big part of our family, we knew we needed help. We started off with an in-home consultation with Keri. She met our dog so she could get a real feel for him, and we talked through what we wanted to work on and where our problem areas were. She listened well and gave a lot of useful feedback, then put together a training plan based on what she saw. We ended up going with her Day Camp package (16 sessions total - a mix of one-on-one sessions with her and our dog, plus owner sessions with us). It was worth every penny! Keri was incredibly responsive and flexible with scheduling, working around school pickups, naps, and our general chaos. She came to our house for every session and picked our dog up herself, then walked me through what they'd worked on afterward so I knew how to reinforce it at home. I could also text her photos or questions any time in between, and she always got back to me quickly with practical advice. I'd initially looked into Board and Train options, but I loved the pace of Keri’s Day Camp instead, since it meant we were reinforcing good habits in a real-life setting at home between sessions rather than sending him away. Keri also paid close attention to what we actually wanted out of the sessions. She'd check in and ask what we wanted to focus on (whether that was recall, walking next to a stroller, sitting calmly at a cafe, or greeting people at the door) and adjust accordingly. Along the way she introduced us to different tools and gear, let us try out leashes and collars before we bought anything, and sent along good recommendations when we asked. You can tell Keri truly cares about the dogs she works with! We've seen an enormous change in our dog's behavior since we started. He's still the same goofy, silly boy, but now he actually listens(!), and we feel a lot more confident bringing him places. Keri gave us the tools to help him make better choices, and it's made a real difference for our whole family. I highly recommend working with her!

Keri and Stephanie have been absolutely AMAZING to work with. I’m a first time dog owner, with a high energy Lab puppy, Luna. I started puppy training and socialization with Stephanie last year when she was 3-4 months. It was so worth it. Stephanie was great and the training paid off immensely with socializing Luna and teaching her basic obedience at an early age. Fast forward, and now I am back working with Keri on more advanced e-collar and off leash training since Luna turned 1 year old. Keri is an amazing trainer and I absolutely love her style. I’ve noticed a difference in Luna’s recall, leash skills, and impulse control almost immediately. She is so knowledgeable and really takes the time to explain the training and reasoning behind each of the different training exercises. Highly recommend!!!

Don’t hesitate to call Keri (or as I like to call her, Mary Puppins)! She has turned my frustrating and intense dog training into a joyful and pleasant experience! She helped me major on majors and focus on what I really wanted my dog to be able to do. I love being out with my dog and knowing that when I call him, not only will he come but he will HAPPILY come! She has helped build my bond with my dog so that I can playfully engage him and he in turn WANTS to please me. Even outside of the commands we have taught him, he is a better behaved and content dog. I’m not sure who he loves more, me or Keri! 😂 Highly recommend without reservation.