Calming K9s

Ann is literally a life saver!! I came to her because my 3 year old pitbull mix, named Koda, has anxiety issues when seeing other dogs on walks. When he sees another dog on walks he growls, barks, cries, whines, lunges, and pulls the leash. I have tried using a harness, a muzzle, using a short leash, and tried using treats and commands when on walks, but nothing has worked. This is when I decided that I needed more help in order to help give my dog a better life and so that he can actually enjoy his walks.

When I came to Ann, she sat down with my dog and I and asked me some general questions, like what his day looked like, how he acts on walks, when does he eat, etc. Once learning about my dog and I, she recommended some tools and tricks that I can use to help ease his anxiety. She instructed me to walk Koda around her fenced yard in order to teach him to look and focus on me during walks. After walking around her yard a couple times and doing turns, he actually started to look at me, he has never ever done that! I was extremely impressed that he was actually watching and focusing on me and my next movements. After that, I walked around her neighborhood and she brought out her own dog so that I can practice encountering other dogs with Koda. When Koda saw her dog, he only growled and cried a bit, what an immediate improvement! He didn’t lunge or pull so hard on the leash that I was struggling to get control of him, which is what typically happens when he encounters other dogs. She instructed me to keep walking past her dog to show Koda that he can “escape” or “avoid” the dog and that acting aggressive isn’t necessary.

Once the session was over, she sent me some links on Amazon for the tools that she personally recommends. She told me that I needed to crate him for a little while to give him some of his own space. He constantly follows me around the house….. and I am mostly to blame because I like to baby him. She told me that crating him for a few hours at home and practicing her tips during walks will help to lessen his anxiety and teach him that I can survive without him. He feels the need to protect me on walks due to my babying. I have to admit, this training session was mostly a therapy session for me because I like to think of Koda as my own baby. But sadly, he is not. A few hours after I got home, she sent me an email containing notes regarding the session, which I was extremely grateful for because she gives a TON of helpful advice that I wanted to reference for future use.

So far, I have only done one session with Ann…. but I feel like that is all Koda and I really need. I will definitely go back to her if Koda and I continue to struggle, but as for right now, I am practicing the exercises/ tips she showed me and establishing some boundaries at home. I feel so much better on walks now knowing that I have control over him. He still wears a muzzle, but that is mostly to ease my own anxiety. Koda still growls a bit at other dogs, but he is 1000% times better than what he was.

I will be recommending her to anyone that needs dog training. If you’re thinking about going to her, don’t hesitate, she is SO WORTH IT!!! All her reviews are 10000000% accurate! The advice she gives, her detailed notes, her knowledge, and her experience is worth bettering yours and your dog’s life. I can’t recommend her highly enough!

Also, I went to her during COVID. We were six feet apart the entire time and we wore masks during the entire 1hr session.

Bringing my French Bulldog to Ann was the best decision ever! From the first session I noticed a huge difference in my dog and from each session on my dog and I both learned together. Her notes are detailed and she explains why a dog thinks and acts the way they do, making owners better understand their dog and form a better relationship. She is very well rounded and knowledgeable in what she does, giving tips and different tricks, all while explaining why this will help the dog to better understand us and us better understand our dog with simple communicating skills. She simply made it easy and understandable and was flexible with scheduling! I would choose Ann time and time again to train my future dogs!

Ever since a puppy, my dog has acted aggressive towards other dogs. After only ONE session working with Ann, I can finally walk Tucker with NO aggressive behavior. I am amazed and can’t give enough praise to this wonderful trainer.

All of the positive reviews are 100% accurate!! Ann is absolutely amazing and helped our 2 year old rescue acclimate to a calming home environment after being in a shelter for over a year. Ann taught us the skills to be the best Pawrents to our new family member. Her knowledge and love of dogs shined through the moment I spoke with her. She has such an efficient calming method of showing my husband and I how to establish the hierarchy in our new family. Ann always answers my emails right away and calls when I’m on the brink of having a breakdown. Not only has Ann helped our dog but she has also helped me to become a more confident person all around! There are no words to describe how grateful we are to have Ann in our lives! She turned a very stressful situation with our dog that had zero trust in humans into a structured loving home for our little fella! We are forever thankful for everything Ann has done for our new Family!

I thought I knew a lot about dogs and their training until I met Ann. We hired Ann based on the reviews from Yelp to help us with our new puppy and she certainly did not disappoint. We went through the “Puppy Training” with her which was 4 or 5 classes and were so happy with her methods and results that we have kept on going. We find Ann to be extremely knowledgeable as far as canine behavior, but she is also direct and will tell you exactly what needs to be done which is what you want in a dog trainer. The results we have seen are tremendous and have made living with our puppy that much better and pleasurable. There are so many challenges with a new family member, and the proper training makes a huge difference. It’s not easy….you have to do the work, follow the suggestions and remain consistent. Working with Ann certainly helps us accomplish this with reminders, guidance and instruction. The results we have seen were immediate and from the first session we knew we had made the right choice. Ann is always punctual, comes prepared and doesn’t waste time. I cannot say enough how happy we are and would recommend her with no reservation. It’s incredibly fulfilling to have a well-behaved dog that listens and responds to commands which in turn makes having a dog a very rewarding and loving experience. Thank you Ann for all you have done! See you at the next session!