Testimonial 62 - Daisy and Sven

Mary has been a lifesaver to me and my two dogs! When I adopted Daisy as my first ever dog, I had no idea what I was in for. She was extremely fear-aggressive with everyone and everything, which led to bite incidents with my roommates. She was terrified of other dogs, and reacted in fear by barking, lunging, and even trying to attack dogs triple her size. In our consultation, Mary explained why my dog was reacting the way she was, and how I had been responding to her was actually making things worse. She introduced me to a more positive, science-based approach to training. After our consultation and involvement in several of the classes Mary offers, Daisy is truly a different dog. She's learned to focus only on me when she's unsure of a situation, and I've learned how to communicate effectively to tell her how I'd like her to react. Our bond has deepened significantly as a result, which is definitely the best part of the whole experience.

Fast forward a few months later, and I ended up adopting one of my foster dogs, Sven. Sven was (and is) a nervous dog, but he has never been aggressive like Daisy was, which is probably why I took a much more relaxed approach to his training. Nearly a year after adopting him, Sven had developed some bad habits; namely, leash reactivity. He is the friendliest dog in the dog park and loves humans big or small, but on a leash he turned into a different dog, which in turn would work up Daisy. I reached out to Mary again for her help with Sven. After our private lesson in which she reminded me why Sven was reacting the way he was and how I needed to communicate with him, I enrolled in her handling class with both Sven and Daisy. By the end of the four week class, I was able to do something I hadn't been able to do in a long time - walk down the street with both dogs without fear that I would lose control!

Mary gave me the skills and knowledge I needed to be the confident owner of two rescue dogs, both with their own separate issues, and I am eternally grateful! We can't wait to sign up for our next class.

Mackenzie G. from Washington, DC