Success Stories

Puppy GoodStart Graduate

Hershey

"We bought our puppy, Hershey, in October 2007 and she was really cute but a bundle of trouble. No one was in charge and the more we learned about dog behavior the more we realized we needed someone to teach my husband and I as well as my three children how to train Hershey. After interviewing several dog trainers we chose Canine Dimensions because of their expertise, confidence and firm but gentle philosophy on dog training. Thanks for a great job in "training the trainers" and for helping us make Hershey a beloved member of our family!"

Joe and Dorothy F.

Board and Train

Moose

The pleasure was all ours. You have made a tremendous difference in our home. We had a loving, but unruly, dog before we met you. Moose is now truly a fantastic member of our family (pack) and Tracy has taken to him like I never thought imaginable. She was sick of his poor behavior and now she spends a ton of time with him.
 
We are working hard at using the right commands and WE are coming along good. Moose is behaving very well and has taken us as leaders without any argument at all.
 
Thanks to your teachings, we are better owners and appreciate our Moose more than we could have ever thought possible.
 
Thank you! And we look forward to seeing you whenever you may be in the area with other clients. And we'll be in touch along the way to keep you apprised of Moose's progress.
 
With our warmest appreciation, THANK YOU!

Neil & Tracy

Barking and Marking

Molly, Bailey and Lucy

I just wanted to write today to tell you how impressed we are with the results we've seen from the dogs.
 
We're getting the barking under our control and Bailey's marking has stopped completely. It's honestly a joy to be around our dogs now. Your teachings were very informative and helpful and, just to let you know, we both thought you were very fun to work with. You're sense of humor added a level of enjoyment to the sessions that we weren't expecting.
 
I told you this before but I'm still surprised at how much information you were able to pass along to us and how knowledgeable you are about the dogs' behavior. There were so many things that you were right on about.
 
As you know, when we tried that other service and they had us getting down and barking at our dog, I didn't have a lot of confidence and I was really just embarrassed. Your methods taught us so much about leadership and pack structure - things that they never even discussed with us.
 
You've helped us into a position where we can actually brag about our dogs and how good they are. I've already told many of my friends about you and your service. Feel free to publish this note and use us as a reference in the future. We'll be happy to pass along our feelings about you.
 
Anyway, thank you again. You've changed our home into a place of peace and harmony.

Thank you!
Pam and Bob

Leash Manners and Doggy Manners

Dudley

Thanks for the timely follow up. I was going to write last night to tell you that Dudley and I had two of the best walks yesterday. They were in fact the best walks I have ever had with a dog companion. Dudley was well mannered and focused the entire time. He responded well to "heel" and we worked on his "sit " when I stopped. We need more work on that! Kate had a fall last night and broke her left wrist so she will be on the sidelines for a bit, so we assigned her to work with Dudley in the house on his home work: Sit, Down, Wait and Stay. He takes very well to sit and wait at the door and waits for the break command before leaving the house.
 
Thanks again and we will see you soon.
Tim and Kate, and of course Dudley.

Update:

Dudley and I just got back from a great walk. We met three women, mother, daughter, grandmother.

We were heeling along, we stopped, Dudley sat, waited while they passed and went on. The
mother commented on how well mannered Dudley was and the grandmother thanked us for
stopping to let them pass. IT WAS FREAKIN GREAT!!!!!!!!

Thanks
Kate & Dudley

Excessive Barking and Doggy Manners

Sidney

We rescued Sidney from the Humane Society…just what we wanted a nice little 13-month old YorkiPoo. She was cute and cuddly and so we brought her home. The first couple of months went fine, our MaltiPoo, Peanut, who is 12 years old, was "tolerating" Sidney and she was pretty quiet and a real cutie. Well, after she started feeling completely at home, she decided to show us her dominant side…she is one hard-headed little doggie. She barked when things didn’t go her way…she barked when things DID go her way…she barked when the doorbell rang…she barked when the kitchen timer went off…she barked when I raised or lowered the footrest on my recliner…you get the idea – she was a barker. When we settled in for an evening of quiet TV, she started acting up. She demanded our attention at all times…she was the boss and she let us know it…LOUD and CLEAR!
 
After researching on the Internet, I found Steve's web site. Perfect! Our little Sidney needed to learn how to behave and she needed to learn it in her own…uh, I mean OUR own house! Steve was full of information on the first visit and he got a pretty good idea that Sidney was a dog who had her mind made up that life was going to go HER way. He also completely understood the "nighttime crazies"!
 
By the end of the first session, Sidney would work for a treat and we got really good tips on how to make her understand who was boss. Well, the first night after that session was horrible. Sidney acted up worse than ever and I was at my wit’s end. I emailed Steve and he could read the desperation in my words…that may be due to the fact I wrote I’M DESPERATE!! The next night Steve came over with a couple of tricks and more great ideas. There were a few more rough patches, but things started getting better each day. We worked with Sidney and she responded well to the training. Today she is a much calmer, better behaved dog than she was when we called Steve. She still has her moments when she barks, but she quiets down very quickly and clearly understands the "enough" command. She’s the dog we wanted when we adopted her. Steve was so helpful; always there via email or telephone to offer support, encouragement, and ideas to resolve the issue of the day. When he came to the house, he demonstrated first hand how to teach Sidney to be a well behaved dog. I am so glad I found the web site and made that call!

Thanks, Steve!

Kathy

Puppy GoodStart Program

Bogey

As a new dog owner (who had never owned a dog before) I was a bit concerned about making the right decisions with my new puppy, Bogey. I got advice from a lot of places including friends, books and the internet. There were so many differing opinions that it just made me more worried.
 
I started calling dog trainers and after talking to four or five of them I ran across Steve at Canine Dimensions. He was very personable. I felt right away that he knew what he was talking about and that he had an honest concern for helping me out. We spent an hour talking on the first call.
 
They weren't the cheapest but they weren't even close to being the most expensive. Cost was a concern for me but I felt like it was really worth it since I was investing in the next ten years or so with Bogey.
 
After working with Steve in the first session, I knew I had made the right decision. I was amazed at the amount of information he was able to pass along to prepare me for raising my puppy.
 
My head was actually swirling. There was so much to learn. But Steve made it easy. He provided a workbook to help answer my questions and he followed up the training session with an email that covered everything that we had talked about.
 
Anyway, my real reason for writing isn't just to give you a testimonial. It's because I want to tell you what a good trainer you have in Steve. He's so patient and understanding that it makes it very easy to work with him. He's also very funny and he's just a good guy. That makes the sessions a lot more enjoyable. And you should see Bogey whenever he comes over. He just loves Steve.
 
So, thank you for being there for me and thank you for employing Steve. Don't ever let him get away.

Kathy

Dog Aggression and Leash Manners

Cujo

Thanks so much for your email. You're right, it is a lot of information. Things are already changing though. We've put the household rules in place and we're already seeing a change out of Cujo.
 
Before you showed up, Kevin was very skeptical about you and the idea of dog training. He was just waiting to challenge you. Thank you for bringing him around. If he didn't see results in that first session, I think he would have given up immediately.
 
He is still talking about how it only took five minutes of walking Cujo to get him under control. He called his brother right after you left to tell him about it. They're getting the dogs together tomorrow to test our new skills. I'll let you know how it goes.
 
After watching Cujo interact with the dogs that we ran into on the walk, I think we know what to do now to handle him. Thank you again and we'll see you soon.

Cheryl

Leash Manners

Shasta

Just a quickie to let you know that I took Shasta on a 50 min. walk today and she was nearly perfect from the get go! I can't believe it! Maybe it was beginners luck but I am just thrilled to enjoy a walk with her and I really think she enjoyed it too!

Thank you so much,
Jill

Puppy GoodStart Program

Cooper

At 3 months old when I brought this boundless ball of energy home I knew he was going to be a handful. After interviewing four local dog trainers, I chose Steve with Canine Dimensions. Their practice and philosophy of taking the time to get to know each individual dog and owner demonstrates their commitment to providing an effective and tailored program that is suitable to the specific needs of clients.
 
In addition to the basic training sessions, Steve's availability to answer questions and concerns as they have surfaced has been a great resource to guide Cooper and I through some challenging situations. Although Cooper and I still have a long road ahead of us, I am very happy and satisfied with the work we have done over the last five months and I am looking forward to all the great training adventures to come.
 
Sincerely,
Danielle

General Aggression and Doggy Manners

Wrigley

I know it's been a long and tiresome road, but I wanted to let you know that the efforts are definitely paying off. I can't thank you enough for the help you've given me with Wrigley.
 
I was walking him today and we were joined about halfway through by Julie and her dog. Wrigley never even flinched. I was so proud of him. I came home right after and felt like I needed to let you know. The change I've seen in him over the past few months has been nothing short of miraculous.
 
I know there's a lot of work still ahead of us, but I want to thank you for never giving up, for always giving encouragement and for always being there, even when my questions were small ones.
 
Thank you so much for your teachings and your support. Your program is awesome!

David

Housebreaking and Doggy Manners

Indi

After living with my roommate's dog for almost three years I could not imagine life without one when he considered moving out. About a month before he was scheduled to move I got the call. A young female pit bull was found by an acquaintance of mine in the backyard of a foreclosed home. I was cautious at first, knowing that pit bulls can be aggressive and not knowing the trauma she had gone through. After meeting her and seeing first hand her loving and tender personality I knew she was too amazing to let go.
 
The first few weeks with Indi were equally fun and hard. She was so great to be around but her constant elimination in the house, disobeying of commands and chewing of furniture, carpets and cabinets soon became too much to deal with. Every second she was not in eyesight lead to another mess to clean up or more destruction. Internet research, advice from friends and the four books I had bought all seemed to have great insight and advice but different strategies altogether. After a few weeks and very little improvement I was at a breaking point. It was so stressed I even considered giving Indi up, that is when someone suggested I call Canine Dimensions.
 
I felt better after my first conversation with Steve. Even though I know he heard them before, he listened while I told him of all the problems I was having with Indi. He reassured me that he could help and three days later he came to my house. What a relief! It was not easy but after every day, week and month things got better. Steve offered a complete system and not just strategies or advice to band-aid her behavior. I am so thankful for him making me a proud owner of such a well-behaved and disciplined canine. I get compliments on her all the time! After the turn around Indi made on their system I would recommend Canine Dimensions to anyone, and I do!

No Dog is Too Old to be Trained!

Milo

Milo is an 11 year old Lhasa Apso with a great personality. But housebreaking skills seem to have eluded him all his life. Recently, Milo’s owner Sandi contacted us for help in housebreaking Milo, and to help address a few other issues. Here is an email from Sandi:

"It’s now been 2 full weeks since you visited us, and no accidents!  Milo totally understands the uses of the backyard now.

The other issue, crying out in his crate, has been resolved as well - finally last night, no whining in his crate, not once! He happily munched on a treat and then settled right down.

He has also learned his "come" command and here’s a picture of Milo happily running to me at the command, "come."

Thanks, again. This dog was definitely amenable to rehabilitation, and what a relief that is!"

Warmly,
Sandi

Territorial Marking & Basic Obedience

Leopold and Lexus

Once again thank you very much for the expert training and knowledge you have given to my husband and myself.  I truly did not know what to do anymore with Leopold when, for no reason, he started marking in the house.  Now that we understand the pack structure and have established ourselves as pack leaders Leopold has not had an accident in the house in five months.  Please tell current and future clients that for the program to work everyone in the household must get involved.  In the beginning my husband really didn't think the training would work, but when he saw results after just a month he too got involved with the training.  Thank you again!!

Sincerely,
Cindy

Board and Train

Hope

"My business requires me to travel quite a bit so the Board and Train program was perfect for us. I was very happy with the results of Hope’s training. She was confident and happy the day I came to pick her up, and was obviously very well cared for.

She had learned all of her basic commands, plus how to walk on a leash – everything was "as promised". I am quite pleased and would not hesitate to recommend Canine Dimensions."  

David A.

No More Biting!

Dewey

"Other trainers had given up on Dewey, but we decided to keep trying. Phil came to our house, met Dewey and spent some time working with all of us. He was the first trainer who was able to explain to us why Dewey had bitten. He said that in Dewey’s case the biting was based in fear. He gave us specific things we could do to help manage the situation, but more importantly, he gave us things we could do to help change Dewey’s frame of mind. Dewey is much happier and much more relaxed now – and so are we! His whole attitude has changed. He acts differently when people pass by outside. We have taught him to sit politely in his "place" when people come to the door. We definitely see a positive change in Dewey."

Diane R.

Puppy Goodstart

Brodie

"Our loveable but out of control puppy has become our loveable well trained puppy! We are amazed at how quickly Brodie learned all of his new commands. Before training he could not sit still for 5 seconds. Now when we say "stay" he is glued to the floor! On walks, he used to jump around and bite the leash. He now walks perfectly by my side. This is all in a matter of a just few days. We could not be happier."

Sally and Jim H.

Mocha

"Mocha is doing well. We had a barbeque at our house on July 5th and she was great. She barked some, but I was able to get her attention and have her stop, and she did better than I ever thought possible. She was around all the guests and she even let them pet her and feed her, with only minimal barking. Pretty much a miracle!

She no longer barks at noises from outside in the night. We love this. And when she does bark at something that scares her, we can use her new obedience commands and she stops in seconds.

Taking her on walks calmly is going to take a bit longer, but now that I know what to do I'm sure we will eventually get there.

She is a success story!"

Thanks,
Rose

Before and after Leash Training

Rosie

Rosie is a sweet and gentle dog but was easily distracted on the leash. After only one lesson she was able to learn much better leash manners.

Before and After on the Leash

Abbey

Abbey’s leash manners were dramatically improved after only 2 lessons.

Joey

Your training methods really made a difference for Joey. He is obedient and is much less reactive than he was when we got him. He no longer growls at sounds in the home and is not showing fear of people when he is on walks. Joey has become more affectionate and even seems to be more playful, too. We are still working on his behavior when people come into the house, but that is improving as well.

John M.