We wanted to make sure that our new pup, Zoe, was trained from an early age since we knew she was going to be a large dog and it’s no fun when 55 lbs of energetic fur doesn’t behave. We tried the group courses at a local chain pet store and, while great for socialization & basic commands, weren’t satisfied with the results. After getting a referral from a former customer of Julie’s at a dog park we decided to give her a try.
Julie’s approach to training was very effective & we easily related to it. We liked that it was reward/praise based (no punishment) and we got to meet at different locations of our choosing which proved to be both fun & effective. Consistency is critical to training a pup and we appreciated how Julie spent more time “fixing” us and not really our dog.
Julie pointed out our inconsistencies, explained why Zoe was confused and not following commands, and then showed us what we should be doing. We also appreciated how Julie was able to have a phone conference with us before the first session to discuss Zoe and we were immediately able to make progress from day 1. This meant a lot to us because it showed the Julie valued our time & wanted to maximize the value of a private trainer. Julie also divided each lesson into focused areas so that we weren’t overwhelmed with “homework” and we were able to see incremental progress.
The results are amazing – we have a 6 month old pup that now behaves very well for her age. It was particularly beneficial that Julie focused on Zoe’s issues and didn’t rely on a standardized program for every dog. We would highly recommend that anyone make the investment and start training with Julie. We still have to keep training Zoe (it’s never done) but Julie definitely gave us a toolkit for continued success!
Andy & Jeana
