Cheryl Levin-Folio, author of “The 24-Hour Rule: Living with Alzheimer” asked Canine Dimensions to train emotional support dogs for Cheryl’s husband Michael.
Five year old pit bull “Capo” was the perfect dog except for his separation anxiety. He became panic stricken and was very destructive when left home alone. For years, Dave and Alicia could not leave the house unless they took Capo with them. They tried crate training, but he broke out of every crate.They tried doggy daycare, but on the very first day he damaged the room, injured himself and was asked not to return. But Dave and Alicia refused to give up, and their story has a happy ending!
The Schipperke breed (nicknamed “Little Devil Dogs”) are big dogs in small bodies. Their intelligence, curiosity and drive have earned them a reputation for getting into trouble at home. In this video, Stephanie explains how the Canine Dimensions Puppy GoodStart in-home training program helped transform her energetic young pup into an obedient companion.
Is it possible to have a peaceful, happy home with 2 busy teenagers, 4 dogs and 6 cats? In this video, Canine Dimensions clients Mike and Eileen explain how they did it.
Laura adopted 9 week old “Cooper” from a local shelter. Because she had been disappointed with group training in the past, Laura decided to try Canine Dimensions in-home puppy training, vowing to make Cooper “the best dog he can be!” In this video, celebrating Cooper’s 1st birthday, Laura looks back on their journey together.
Stefanie and Rob opened their home and hearts to “Gibbs,” a German Shepherd with some health problems. They quickly brought him back to good health – but then they discovered a problem they had not anticipated – his frightening, aggressive lunging and pulling on the leash when he saw other dogs during walks. Not willing to give up on Gibbs, they reached out to Canine Dimensions for help.
Training that really works! Any breed, any age, any size!
“Canine Dimensions, thank you so much for everything!”
We are so happy with the training we received from Maryanne Wood from Canine Dimensions! Our 1 year old black lab, Emma, had some bad habits that we were not able to correct ourselves. Having Maryanne come to our home and see how we interact with Emma and vice versa, was a real game changer producing rewarding results. One of the issues we had with Emma was that she would get very excited with company. She would jump, scratch and sometimes “play bite” our guests (non-aggressively but still enough to harm) and we had no control over her. Maryanne helped us immediately get control and also helped us with a variety of other behavior issues with Emma. Our vet and friends have noticed the change in Emma. We feel more confident taking Emma out in public and having company over. We, as a family, are so much happier and Emma is a much happier dog! I highly recommend Canine Dimensions.
Just wanted to let you know that Oakley is doing so well. Everywhere we go people comment on how well behaved she is and I've told countless people about you and Canine Dimensions. We have moved to Texas which is where I'm from and she continues to make friends wherever she goes.
I just wanted to thank you again for what you did. It's hard to think that she was ever anything other than perfect - but I still have the torn jackets and a few scars to prove otherwise! So thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you! I am afraid to think what our fate would have been without your help. I'm so grateful.
If you visit Lonedell School, you will see over 300 kids of varying ages, 50 plus staff members working hard, and one adorably furry fellow named Bear. Mrs. Brissette, Middle School Math teacher, introduced Bear near the end of first semester. He is a 14 pound Schnoodle, which is a specialty breed that is half toy poodle and half miniature schnauzer. Bear was a surprise gift for Mrs. Brissette from her husband, and is 18 months old. Early on, Brissette saw the potential for Bear to become a therapy dog. "There is so much stress on young people and therapy pets have been proven to help them feel less anxious. Bear showed a great propensity toward doing well at this, so we went for it," said Brissette.
Brissette and Bear started working with professional dog trainer Kevin Staude with Canine Dimensions when Bear was five months old. The training began at home until Bear mastered the basics. After Bear became comfortable, the training began in public places. Key items covered were interacting with strangers, adjusting to unusual spaces, not reacting to strangers or other dogs by jumping or barking. At the end of the training program, Bear passed the test and was certified with the AKC as a Canine Good Citizen.
Once Bear reached one year old in July, he and Brissette tested with Alliance of Therapy Dogs. Bear passed all those tests as well. Once he was certified, Brissette presented to the Board of Education, explaining what a therapy dog in her classroom would look like and the benefits it offered to the middle school students. The Board quickly agreed, and Bear was officially accepted as a new member of the Lonedell family. Bear's first day of school was November 2. Bear comes to school two days a week. He enjoys seeing the students, and they enjoy seeing him. It appears that the biggest impact is seen in students who might struggle in social settings and making friends. "It's so nice to see those students who might not interact with others light up on a Bear day," stated Brissette.
Hi Brendan, We felt it is time to write you and give you an update on Luke. He is becoming “the dog we both want". First of all, Judy has the dog that will sit calmly with her and watch TV. Using the many techniques you showed us to use, the encouragement you gave us that Luke was in fact a terrific dog…he is now becoming that dog. He now retrieves just like a Labrador should and better than some. Now, retrieving is always on his mind when I put on a jacket or go outside. We walk him every day and we can walk past another dog or person with no adverse problems. When and where possible we walk him off-leash and he is unbelievably responsive to our voice commands. I have absolutely no reservations now to take him hunting. His first trip should be next week for chucker. We can take him into the hardware stores and everyone wants to say hello and pet him. He is doing much better at meeting people. So, in summing this letter up, we want to say thank you, for your expertise and guidance regarding "making Luke the dog we wanted."
Stacey taught us techniques to train our dogs and made all 3 of us and our two dogs comfortable (two of us had never been taught anything about training dogs and were very nervous about it) and increasingly functional. We have two terrier mixed dogs who were having trouble walking around deer etc. near our new home. We had never successfully walked them in this area and now we can! Stacey followed up with us when we needed additional help or had questions. She went way beyond our expectations and we are very grateful. Our dogs are manageable! Thank you!
I adopted two terrier mix rescues, both were extremely timid and shy dogs. Every positive thing I read in Carol’s reviews is warranted; if you're looking for a trainer look no further. She really is attentive, patient, and a great teacher to owner and dog alike. The girls are reaching milestones I couldn't have even imagined a couple months ago. Not barking when strangers enter the home, listening to commands with distractions, and even beginning to allow new people to interact with them. Canine Dimensions gives you the tools to be successful with your dogs!
German Shepherd Rescue of New England learned about Katy from one of our volunteers, Maryanne, who is a trainer with Canine Dimensions. Her credentials as a certified dog trainer have been especially beneficial to our rescue organization. We take in German Shepherds from shelters and from owners and place them in foster care for at least a month to find out their personalities and training needs. Some dogs are in foster care for 5-7 months, depending upon their needs, and we adopt out between 22 and 32 dogs each year.
In this instance, Maryanne had been called by the owner when Katy was just 4 ½ months old and was having frequent housebreaking accidents, chewing on everything, and pulling hard on a leash. The owner was elderly and was keeping Katy crated most of the time.
After much discussion, which included Maryanne’s talking with Katy’s veterinarian, the owner decided to place Katy with our rescue. But before Maryanne could work on housetraining, she suggested that we find out whether Katy had a UTI. The foster Mom took Katy to her vet, and the test showed that Katy did, indeed, have a UTI. We also had an ultrasound done and learned that Katy’s bladder was too far back and she had cysts on her kidneys. The poor pup had been living mostly in a crate, because her owner had not realized there were medical reasons behind her inability to hold her urine for more than an hour at a time. Once her medical issues were addressed, the “accidents” stopped happening.
Katy has recently been adopted by a couple who understand her medical needs and who give her lots of love and play time with their family and with their young male German Shepherd.
If it had not been for Maryanne from Canine Dimensions, Katy would not have received the caring intervention that saved her from being blamed for a medical condition that was beyond her control. Thanks to Maryanne, Katy is no longer locked in a crate all day, is completely housetrained, and has a full and happy life in her new forever home!
A big shout out to “Canine Dimensions” and Jerri Obalde! Sable, our 2.5 year old Scottish Terrier wasn’t a problem child, but typical in-store training could only get us so far. We needed tweaking on a few things - barking, a sit/stay for longer than a few minutes, walking with us, and finally her over-eagerness to greet everyone at the door. I loved that Jerri came to our home and helped us in our environment, distractions and all. She was able to build upon previous training, and correct as necessary, always reinforcing her training principles. She seemed to have an endless number of solutions for our concerns. We have gotten so many compliments on her improvement and how well behaved she is.
About 3 months ago, we adopted a beautiful young Catahoula Leopard Dog from a rescue group in Arkansas. He was described as quite timid but, got along well with all other dogs, which was important to us having two other rescues already in our home. When Rusty arrived in New Jersey he was terrified. His tail was so tucked under, it seemed to be glued to his belly. He completely froze up when I put him on the grass in his new yard. Luckily, when he met Amelia, our Cane Corso and Redford, our Lab, things improved – he started to follow the other dogs around and check out his new home. While he was good with the other dogs, he was very uncertain of the two humans, especially my husband. He would not tolerate a leash, would not sit near Tom or even take a treat from him. I could at least pick him up but his body was so tensed up. So we started working on gaining Rusty’s trust and he responded a little but then would retreat back into his shell. After a couple of weeks, we decided to reach out for help and we called Canine Dimensions. When Stacey came to evaluate him, she said we would be able to get this little guy moving in the right direction to being a happy dog. And so, with some hard work and dedication from us and Stacey’s expertise and guidance, we have seen a transformation from a very timid dog to a happy, playful dog whose confidence seems to grow more every day. He now goes to Tom and will lay beside him on the couch. He walks well on a leash and seems to enjoy his walks. In short, he is now becoming a normal happy dog. We cannot thank Stacey and Canine Dimensions enough. The personal reward of watching this little dog’s progress so far is wonderful to say the least.
Let me say up front - Canine Dimensions is the way to go for dog training. Some time after adopting our 3rd dog we knew we need help. We have 3 sweet, happy, intelligent, and HIGHLY active dogs. Each individual bad habit would spread to a group bad habit. The idea of successfully taking 3 dogs to a group training environment didn't seem as likely to succeed as a personal, customized approach in our home. We hired Canine Dimensions and it was great. Jeri was not the least bit put-out on her first visit by our long list of issues: crowding the door at the sound of a door bell, jumping on people, dive-bombing our friends when seated, barking, rocket-launching out an open door, counter-surfing, literally jumping on top of the counter, pulling on the leash, etc. She ticked through each one with specific instructions on how to correct it and ensured both ourselves and the dogs received instruction. I am happy to say we now have 3 dogs that are still happy, active, intelligent and energetic but without the out-of-control behaviors. The brilliance of the program is not just the training given to the dogs but also the empowerment given to the owners to know how to address the behaviors within the context of their living environment. I highly recommend Canine Dimensions!
I adopted Mona from the shelter when she was 5 months old. This was my first time having a dog without my son home to handle most of the training. I knew I had to hire someone to help me with training Mona. After doing some research and based on reviews, I decided to contact Canine Dimensions. That was the best decision! Jerri came to my home and not only did Mona start to learn her new commands, but Jerri also taught me how to work with Mona. She was great about following up to see how Mona was doing with her training. That same evening, my parents who live with me, returned from their trip. My father is not steady on his feet, and my mom had injured her knee leaving her with very little mobility. Having a new puppy in the house was a bit of a challenge, especially keeping her from accidentally tripping them while they tried to walk. In addition, I'm working 2 jobs and not much time left to dedicate to working with Mona. I was at my wits end and wondering why I thought I could take on a new puppy but loved her so much. I reached out to Jerri and scheduled Mona to attend the 10 day training at their home. Again, another great decision! Over the 10 days, Jerri sent me pictures of Mona and text messages about Mona's progress. It felt good each time I received a message and picture, I could see Mona was doing good and enjoying herself. On the tenth day, Jerri brought Mona home and if I didn't know better, I would have thought it was a different dog. Mona had manners, knew her commands, and was now under control. I would still need to work with Mona to continue the training, but having the solid foundation was the starting point I needed. Jerri even addressed one of my big concerns about Mona tripping my parents while going up and down the stairs. To my surprise, Jerri and Mike taught Mona to wait at the bottom of the stairs while someone goes up then calls Mona to "come." The same thing going downstairs - Mona waits at the time until she is called. It was amazing and put me, as well as my parents, at ease. Without the amazing help from Jerri and Mike, I don't know if I would have been able to keep Mona given the situation in my house and my schedule. We are all one big happy "pack" now and Mona will remain in her "forever home." Thank you for all of your support and the outstanding work you have done with Mona and your patience with teaching me!
I don't normally take the time to write online reviews, but when there's this much credit due, one has to give credit. We got our Doberman Mickey at 12-weeks last January, 2013. We let him be a pup for a few weeks, and then realized we needed help training him… lots of help.
PetCo and PetSmart of course always try to sell you on their services, but we weren't about to trust a teenager with our pup. Then we found Canine Dimensions; true professionals. After Carol's first visit with Mickey, we relaxed and breathed a sigh of relief that there might actually be a chance our pup could be trained and therefore we wouldn't need a house made of rubber. His demeanor and obedience is so much the result of Carol, not only in how she trains him, but how she has "trained" us to continue reinforcing good behavior in Mickey, and discouraging unwanted behavior before it becomes habit. Mickey is now a year old, and his baby brother Charlie will be starting with Carol soon.
There wasn't even a discussion to be had when deciding to bring her back for dobie pup number 2. When she walks into the room, they calm down and pay such attention to her that you'd think they were hypnotized, and she also sets us at ease. There aren't enough good things we could say, nor appropriate amount of thanks we could extend to Canine Dimensions.
Since we have been training, Sashi has gotten so many compliments! My friends are talking about the difference they have seen in her, and she now gets so many compliments on how cute she is! It is very rewarding to see her progress.
My little terrier mix, Scout, was a rescue dog I took in back in December. Scout is the first small dog I've ever owned. You know what they say -- dynamite comes in small packages. It became obvious right off the bat that this little guy was a bundle of energy. He was jumping on everyone, jumping on the furniture, and just not listening to me. I was really not in the financial shape to hire a dog trainer. So, I basically looked up the cheapest dog training sessions I could find. Meanwhile, I was asking around the dog park and neighborhood where other people had taken their dogs for training and almost all of them went thru the county or their local dog store. When I asked about the results, almost all of them just said the results were so-so. I decided to check into it a little more and ended up calling a few professional dog trainers. After my initial phone conversation with Jerri, I decided to take the plunge, but I was very skeptical. Well, the results were immediate. I was so thankful I did not go the cheap route with the group dog sessions. Jerri & Mike taught me how to be a pack leader and how important that role is. Scout is easily trainable now, but not without the knowledge and expertise provided by Canine Dimensions. Scout quit jumping on me and my guests and waits to be invited before getting up on the furniture. One of the most impressive aspects of Canine Dimensions was their quick response to any of my questions or concerns. If I emailed them or called and left a message, I had a response usually within the hour. Great customer service! I highly recommend them!
Thanks for your help!
My wife and I rescued our dog Lucy without knowing much about her background. It turns out that she was very dog aggressive and did not listen at all outside. We had gotten to a point where we were considering returning her. So, we decided to try Canine Dimensions as a last resort. I was a little hesitant due to the price, but gave it a shot. We could not be happier with the results! They did such a great job explaining and showing us how to properly handle Lucy. The end result was phenomenal! Lucy listens great outside now and we can control her. We cannot say enough great things about Mike and Jerri! They helped us keep our family together. It was well worth every single penny spent. They are wonderful, helpful, and very knowledgeable people that will do whatever they can to help. We give an A+ rating! We highly recommend Canine Dimensions to anyone who needs help training their dog!! Thank you so much!
A friend drove through my neighborhood while my husband and I were walking our family and snapped a picture which she then put on Facebook with the caption, Lila the dog whisperer. I had to laugh. I am anything but a dog whisperer! Two years ago, my husband and I were having major issues with two of our female dogs. Molly had attacked Marcy, causing a wound that required twenty three stitches and two drainage tubes. When I called Canine Dimensions and talked to Amanda, I was unsure of what I would have to do. My worst fears were that Molly would kill Marcy, that I would have to always separate Molly and Marcy, or find a new home for one of them.
Amanda came out to my (then) six dog house. She was able to identify some areas of our day to day routine that needed some changes and more structure. Much to my surprise and delight, I did not have to stop being the mommy I like to be. Things calmed down within a few days of implementing the plan Amanda gave us. It has been pretty much smooth sailing ever since.
When our oldest dog, Aly, was diagnosed with cancer, Amanda came out and we worked out a plan to make Aly’s last days as enjoyable as we could. It was important for us to have special time with Aly AND to maintain order in the pack.
Aly passed away last September, and we are now fostering two more dogs. Those two sweet dogs, Harry and Winston, would probably be dead now if Amanda had not helped form a plan using behavioral strategies. Now “the boys” are doing great and will surely be a great blessing to their forever family.
Amanda’s dedication to helping animals, whether in their homes, in the pound (yes, she volunteers with rescue, too) or on the street, is unparalleled in my opinion. Not only do I value her professionally, I consider her a friend.
No matter what your issue with your dogs, Amanda from Canine Dimensions can help you fix it!
Carol ross, of canine dimensions has been our saviour! We adopted two shelter dogs back in august of 2012. Why two dog's? Because I have a big heart. These two dogs were inseparable "best friends" both 3 years old of separate and unknown pasts... when we brought them home it was apparerent that each had their own emotional baggage and no training. Obviously they both needed love and the security of a permanent home to call their own. That they got and will continue to get, as they give much more than I can ever return... however their house pet skills were raw and undeveloped. On reference, I called carol ross from canine dimensions. She came out to my home the next day and when she left a couple hours later, I had both dogs responding to basic commands and manageable for a relaxed non-pulling walking experience. Wow !!! Awesome... Carol has been back a few times since to check our success with the basic canine dimensions training primer/program booklet and also to help diagnose and solve newest issues as they occur. I have only the highest regard for carol. Totally a dedicated and fully qualified trainer with all the titles and certificates, plus the bonus of a caring person for everyone (animals and people) !!!!!!!!! The fee charged is better than reasonable (home visits) plus the caring and result factor makes Carol your best investment of a lifetime!
I called Canine Dimensions as a last resort when my previously sweet greyhound, Sookie's, aggressive behavior grew worse and worse as we walked through our neighborhood. For some reason she would snarl and lunge at other dogs for no apparent reason, particularly when we would encounter the two greyhounds who lived down the street - totally embarrassing! Sookie was also showing other strange behaviors like running up the stairs to hide at any little noise and bolting off her bed if I turned over in my sleep. I called Jerri at Canine Dimensions and on her first visit I saw a visible improvement. She suggested that Sookie's aggression and fear of noises were related and showed me how to change her responses through counter-conditioning. It worked! Not only has she calmed down, she has learned to sit, lie down and stay. With the techniques I've learned from Jerri, I am now training her to allow me to brush her teeth. As an added bonus, my other greyhound Cole has enjoyed the training sessions and the bonus treats! Altogether I am very pleased with Canine Dimension's training approach. The experience has not only solved Sookie's behavior problems, but also brought her confidence back!
I liked the private training for Cinnamon, as she doesn't get along well with other dogs. And it was great that she received the constant attention that she wouldn't get in a class setting. Jerri and Mike were able to correct behaviors that I didn't think could be modified. No matter what behavior issue I mentioned to them, they had a strategy that worked to correct it. It is a partnership. They showed me the tools to use, but it takes reinforcement and practice on the part of the owner as well. So now it's my job to keep the work going. I would recommend them to others whose dogs need training.
In November of 2010 and again in December 2011 we experienced a great loss in our family when our beloved friends and four legged family members, Maddick and Biescha, passed on. We were a home with three dogs and a cat. Our children had grown up and had moved on to new adventures and experiences. Each night that we arrived home we felt an emptiness. I swear Mallard and Roger looked at us, saying "where is everybody!" We were over joyed when our youngest son called to tell us that he and his girlfriend had a new member in their household; a beautiful chocolate lab name Trigger. We could not wait for our black lab, Mallard, to meet him. However, to our surprise and disappointment they appeared to hate each other.
We tried everything. We separated them so they could still see each other and we tried exchanging toys so they would get accustomed to each others smell. Nothing seemed to work. On January 2, 2012 I spoke to Maryanne at Canine Dimensions for the first time. We were skeptical at first. We soon learned that our skepticism was misplaced.
Maryanne entered our home and from the moment we met her we felt a positive energy and a sense of ease. She explained to us that it was not Mallard but that it was us and with a consistent training program, Mallard would be a much happier dog. Please remember we already thought Mallard was happy. Maryanne was at our home for 2 hours on her first visit (that in itself is impressive) and she had Mallard responding to her like we had never seen before. Maryanne showed us that with firm and consistent commands and messages Mallard would follow our lead. I was amazed and overjoyed. Mallard, most of all, appeared to really be enjoying himself.
We followed the program to a tee and Maryanne was great about checking in and offering support. We so looked forward to our follow up visits with her so we could show her "our" progress. It really is all about you and how your react, respond and lead.
Mallard is such a happy, happy dog and I am happy to report he has a new best friend and his name is Trigger!! When Mallard hears Trigger's coming over he waits patiently and once Trigger arrives they will play for hours. Their favorite game is tug of war and they are even known to share a bone. We will give them each their own but they prefer to share.
There is more to this story though. In December of 2012 we became aware of a 7 year old yellow lab who was in need of a furever home. She did not have a good life. We so wanted to share our home with her. We were nervous that Mallard would react the same to her as he did Trigger. We however, remembered our training and everything that Maryanne taught us. So we traveled 2 hours with Mallard to meet this precious girl and without any hesitation we introduced them. Mallard was a prince and so well behaved. I was not even nervous! We then looked at this dog who so desperately needed a home and love and said to her, "Amira, you are coming home with us".
It is because of Maryanne and Canine Dimensions and their training program that we are once again a full furever family! Maryanne has become our friend and someone who we have a lot of respect for. She cares about the animals and the family as a whole. It has been a wonderful experience and one that we are so fortunate to have had.
We could not be more pleased with the results we have obtained from the training our puppy has received from Carol and the Canine Dimensions program. With 3 adults in the house we had three different training programs going on at once. It was not working and we were all getting frustrated. Carol very nicely but firmly told us what to do to really train our puppy. She got us all using the same protocol. She explained "why" we were to train using her methods. And they worked! Training has now become more fun and less of a chore. Minnie is learning and behaving so much better. We are no longer frustrated but actually enjoying training her. Carol's methods involve no use of violence which is very important to us. We tried for weeks to get Minnie to walk along side of us on daily walks as compared to dragging us down the street. Once Carol arrived for our lesson, within just a few minutes, Minnie was walking right next to Carol on her walk. Fun games quickly help establish commands such as "Fetch and Come". While your puppy thinks she is playing games, successful training habits are being formed. Carol comes to your house for the lessons, trains not only your dog, but provides you with the tools critical for successful training. Carol also carries with her any training tools needed for your dog, so you don't even have to leave your own home. Minnie is now obeying our commands which leaves a lot more time for fun and removes a lot of stress associated with an uncontrolled puppy. If you are going to add a puppy to your family, we strongly recommend you call Canine Dimensions.
I rescued my beautiful girl Abby seven months ago, and thanks to Jerri at Canine Dimensions my boxer mix puppy is turning into a well-mannered young adult. Jerri's helped me work with her leash aggression, play biting, jumping, and all of the other traits that come with such an intelligent and energetic dog. Most importantly she taught me how to have the confidence to handle Abby in all situations. Thank you!
I contacted Jerri at Canine Dimensions when we got two new lab pups who were difficult to train together. Jerri is wonderful and easy to work with. She helped me begin the training process with our labs. She also helped me get one dog over being afraid of the car and getting car sick. We also worked with controlling an early morning barker who thought it was her job to wake us all up about 4am each day! Working with Canine Dimensions helped me to get the tools I needed to take control back of my home and not have the dogs run me. Jerri is flexible, works easily with your schedule and is always available via email or phone. It was a great experience working with Jerri and I would recommend her to others.
I started working with Canine Dimensions when my puppy was nine weeks old. Oggie, my English Bull Terrier, has thrived and learned under their guidance. I have learned so much about dog behavior from Brandon. He equipped me with the knowledge and tools to train Oggie to become the well trained five month old puppy he is today. I receive compliments almost daily when I am out with Oggie. He know his basic commands and very importantly comes when he is called. We have started leash training, how to heel properly and he is responding beautifully. I highly recommend Brandon for dog training. He is a gifted trainer, intuitive, gentle but definitely the leader of the pack not only with Oggie but my old English Bull Terrier.
We were at our wits end 7 ½ months ago. Our 16 month loving but huge rescued boy, named Barley, was unruly and we had no desire to take him on the walks or hikes that we imagined when we adopted him. We had been in an obedience class with a well-respected trainer that’s been in the area for years, but it wasn’t a good fit and the training didn’t stick. From the first session with Canine Dimensions, it was like night and day. Barley went from a pup showing bad behavior, to a dog trying to figure out what had happened to the status quo, to a willing participant in training. Any good obedience training is much more about changing the human’s behavior and understanding how dogs think, which will dramatically change a dog’s actions. Brendan gave us very concrete steps to take before our next session and a guidebook to start reading while we were incorporating the plan. By the second session, Barley was walking on the lead like we always wanted. They invited us to Puppy Swim Class at K-9 Body Shop (Tammy, the owner, is wonderful) and Barley was on the fast track to obedience recovery. I can’t say enough about Brendan and Audi. They are compassionate, thorough and beyond helpful. It’s much more than a professional relationship and I honored to call them friends. I have and would recommend them to anyone interested in obedience training.
Dear Jerri,
First of all we would like to thank you so very much for making our life much better now that we have a dog who is a joy to be around, thanks to all your hard work in training him.
We are an elderly couple in our lower to mid 70’s. Having lost our last dog a few years ago and thinking we would never get another (wrong).
In Dec of 2011 we got a 8 week old Schnauzer puppy. Never having had a small puppy we thought we would have no problem training him.
We were wrong and tried for about 9 month’s not having much luck, then an acquaintance told us about Jerri and Canine Dimensions Home Dog Training and what a blessing it was to have a dog trained plus we the owner’s being shown the in’s and out’s of continuing with training at home. Our dog was picked up and spent 12 days in Sep with Jerri and came back a totally changed dog, calm obeying and paying attention.
We would highly recommend Jerri to anyone who has a dog that needs some help. Again thanks!
PS: Also thanks Mike
Maggie is our first family dog, so we needed to learn a lot about puppies, training, and dog behavior, and we wanted our whole family in on the training. Jerri taught us with patience, wisdom, and humor. Maggie loves working with her, but more importantly, Jerri trained us to work with Maggie and teach her the basics. From basic commands like "sit," "stay," and "lie down," to the best way to feed the dog and of course "potty"training, Jerri has walked us through what to do to encourage positive behaviors and avoid bad habits. Even before our first appointment she gave me very detailed and firm instructions on what to do to get Maggie on the right track for potty training, and it made all the difference in the world. We have a large family - there are six of us - so in one session we had Jerri spend a few minutes with each of us, working on the things with which we each needed some help. She was very flexible with appointments at our home, and very responsive by email and telephone. From the beginning we felt that Jerri's approach was consistent with our philosophy on dog care - firm but kind, expecting obedience with love, positive reinforcement but gentle correction as needed. Because of Jerri's instruction, we are really able to enjoy our adorable Zuchon, and we are now a total "dog family!
I bought a little Pit Bull puppy from a shopping cart at the flea market. It was so hot and she was so small, I could not resist her. She quickly became a member of the family, however, her initial training was lacking and she quickly overstayed her welcome as a non-house trained dog. Even though I loved her and so did the rest of the family, I could not have a dog using our house as a bathroom.
I'm ashamed to say I took her to the Humane Society. Sugar started shaking and growling at anyone who passed by. I was shocked! I had never heard her growl before. The Humane Society was very kind. They took her, said they would give her a chance and they would call me. They did call me the next day and said, “She is not adoptable, come and get her or she will be put down.”
The first call I made was to Canine Dimensions. I was really scared. I didn't want my dog to die, but now she might be aggressive and she still wasn't house broken. Brendan assured me that he could help me and gave specific instructions on how to reintroduce Sugar safely back into our home. Brendan then came right out and assessed her and gave specific training for her needs.
As it turns out, she is now the best dog ever. She was housebroken within days of being on the training plan. She now loves other dogs and likes to meet new people. We now have an excellent dog and my son has his best friend back home where she belongs, all thanks to Canine Dimensions. Thank you Brendan for saving our dog's life.
Our dogs are more enjoyable and are far more obedient because of Brendan's help. After an embarrassing walk with my two Rottweilers last fall, I placed a distressed call to Audi at Canine Dimensions. I explained my concerns, and she assured me they could help, and indeed they did! Brendan's first visit to our house marked the beginning of what has been a remarkable transformation. We are now able to understand our dogs' needs and interpret their actions in a way that is canine, not human. Our dogs have the leadership and structure they need and we have the dogs that we have always wanted. Thank you Audi and Brendan for providing this outstanding service! Thanks again!
In the seven months since I had rescued Sputnik, he had caused over $1000 of damage. I found it hard to admit that I needed help, having previously trained two German Shepherds without any difficulty. But it became obvious that my little Sputnichka needed something more in his obedience training than I could provide. He had jumped out of a car window, eaten a seatbelt, and destroyed his first crate during crate training and several hundred dollars of clothing. Finding Jerri through Canine Dimensions was quite fortuitous. Scheduling the training sessions was very easy; she worked around my schedule. Sputnik felt very comfortable with her which made training that much easier. While I'm still having a little difficulty getting Sputnik to go to his “place” when visitors come by (he loves visitors), he can now “sit,” “down,” “stay,” “come,” and “heel” without any difficulty. I highly recommend Jerri and Canine Dimensions for all of your doggie training needs.
It would not be an exaggeration to state that Pumpkin and Casey, our beloved mixed breed dogs, were a collective "handful" and getting more and more out of hand in their behaviors. Casey, our rambunctious male rescue puppy, was one and a half years old and growing daily in strength and independence. Pumpkin, our six year old female rescue dog was beginning to imitate the negative behaviors of Casey. With a sense of mounting apprehension and frustration we reached out to Canine Dimensions for assistance in making our two precious dogs return to acceptable behaviors. Stacey Grant from Canine Dimensions came to our home to observe and assess the source of our growing anxiety and distress. After observing our dogs' behaviors in a variety of situations and exercises, Stacey was able to offer immediate suggestions, concrete corrective measures, and much needed encouragement for dogs and owners alike. We want to express our heartfelt appreciation and gratitude to Canine Dimensions and especially to Stacey for much needed help and understanding at a rather critical time in the development and behavior of our two treasured companions.
Amanda Striker (Canine Dimensions, Atlanta) is a terrific trainer. She has such a great understanding of dogs that she was able to immediately figure out why we were having problems with our two standard poodles. Of course, the problem was us. She helped us understand how our behavior was sending the wrong signals to our dogs. From there, she showed us the methods to get our dogs to behave like we wanted. Very humane. Very practical. And very fun. She also made herself available via email and phone between home visits, which was quite helpful. All in all, our dogs are so much better today than they were before we hired Amanda. And we've learned to relate to them in a much better way, which has enhanced the quality of life in our home dramatically. I can't recommend Amanda highly enough. She's great!
Our Maltese, Yulee had a bad habit of biting strangers who came into our home. We didn't know what to do, but Maryanne from Canine Dimensions came to the rescue. She took Yulee to her home for a 10 day Board and Train program. Yulee now obeys our instructions, doesn't bite, and is more lovable than ever. My wife and I thank Maryanne for a job well done.
Tom and I have a beautiful, lively, alpha male, Red Doberman Pinscher by the name of Rocky. Between the ages of 12 weeks and 10 months, Rocky certainly gave us a run for our money. His inappropriate behaviors and teenage rebellions became so much of a problem that we decided obedience school was a must. After enrolling ourselves and Rocky into a basic training class, Tom and I found some minor improvements in Rocky's behavior; however, he still continued to challenge us. We could not continue to live like that, so we took the advice of our vet and called Jason from Canine Dimensions. After our first session with Rocky, we knew Jason would be the best thing to ever happen to us. Jason taught us how to be good leaders for Rocky. He taught us simple and complex commands. After the very first session, unbelievably, Rocky became a different dog. He still maintained his quirky and lively personality, but the difference was that Rocky now showed us respect. He is so happy to obey commands. He is so content and comfortable with the order of our household. Rocky now knows what is expected of him, and it truly brings him pleasure to do what is expected of a good dog. Jason continues to be part of our lives as we call him with questions or concerns that arise. He has been an excellent support system, and we look forward to continuing our work with him as we adopt a second Doberman puppy! Jason has changed our lives for the better and we highly recommend him for any level of obedience training.
I have always held a great fondness for German Shepherds. They seemed to have an innate sense of intelligence, grace, strength, and beauty. When our Aussie died we weren't sure about adding another dog to our family. We already have a Golden Retriever. My husband is a veterinarian and there is constant activity in our office and on our farm. Another consideration, for me, was that David has to travel occasionally and I felt like I wanted the "presence" of a German Shepherd.
I researched various breeders online and found one I liked very much. I visited the breeder and one pup in particular caught my eye. He was playful, interactive, and followed me around and then would go sit on my husbands feet! Obviously I think he chose us before we chose him.
After paying a hefty sum for this little guy we began our long drive home. It was probably not the safest way to drive but as we "conversed" on the way home we tried on many different names. I was doing it by the alphabet. He had very little response until I said “Jake.” Then he stood up in my lap wagged his tail and lapped my face. Hence his name. Jake was 10 weeks old and perfect.
Initially Jake seemed very easy going. He got along very well with Kasey, our Golden, loved romping in the yard. He was a very typical pup. At around 3 1/2 mo Jake seemed to "act" different. Some days he would eat, he became more quiet, he would lay down a lot, and was very lethargic. My husband, who is an Equine vet, examined him and we ran some fluids to him because he seemed dehydrated. He started vomiting and having diarrhea. Over the next two days Jake went downhill quickly. I ended up taking him to our small animal vet. Long story short Jake was suffering from an intursuseption and needed to be rushed to a hospital for surgery ASAP. He remained there for six days. When we picked him up I cried. He looked awful. He was so thin. But he was wagging his tail!! Thus began a month of round the clock nursing care. I had to feed him a tablespoon of wet food every hour, hand walk him, and crate him for rest. Obviously Jake lost not only weight but a huge amount of socialization.
As he became healthier and stronger Jake became more stubborn and willful. He was very bonded to me. Jake would use his body to "hip check" me whenever I tried to walk someplace. He would whack me with his paw, and he became very mouthy. I felt overwhelmed by his behavior. I have had dogs all of my life but this one had me over a barrel and I needed help.
I started looking on line for dog trainers. Most I was not pleased with. They promised great results with shock collars, clicker training, things that I, personally, was not interested in. I wanted Jake to respond to me because he wanted to, not because he was going to get zapped for noncompliance. I came upon Canine Dimensions web site, filled out a contact form and a short while later spoke with Maryanne. We chatted about Jake and what my hopes were for him, and she explained Canine Dimensions’ training philosophy. We set up a schedule where she would come and work with Jake and me.
I have to say when I met Maryanne I liked her right away, but I was a bit surprised when she told me that, basically, Jake was a spoiled brat! I did appreciate her honesty but at the time was so immersed in this dog that I had never even realized it. We went out back and she took charge. It was amazing to watch her handle this dog. By the end of the day I know I was exhausted, I know Jake was exhausted, and I'm pretty sure Maryanne was, as well. I had my "homework" to do until her next visit. It was simply amazing to me that the simple fact of some good training by Maryanne, and me changing my own behavior at home, would give Jake the message that he could not monopolize my time or demand my attention. In a very short time he became under my control instead of it being the other way around.
I am happy to report with Maryanne's help I have been able to work Jake out front in our pasture doing "chores." When he sees me tie his leash around my waist he knows we are working.
It was such a joy this past winter to take him on a long walk and let him roam free with the "break" command and then call him back and watch him race like lighting to me.
I can't sing Maryanne's praises enough. She is a wonderful trainer, a wonderful and fun person to work with, and I have grown quite fond of her. She is very honest in her expectations for Jake, and her read of him was exactly right.
One thing I am certain of, I am never worried when David is gone that anyone will just walk into this house to harm me or our daughter. With Maryanne's help through Canine Dimensions I have a great German Shepherd!
Juan is an amazing trainer. We have quite a few dogs in our rescue organization that we, unfortunately, were unable to find foster homes for and they were in boarding for a long period of time and developed behavior problems. Thanks to Juan, we were able to work with these dogs and get them in foster homes and even adopted! We are so grateful to him and appreciate his generosity to our organization. If you have a dog that needs training, Juan is your man
Maryanne, Just a note to let you know that Rocky and our family are all doing fine. He is much better behaved since we met you. We really cannot thank you enough for everything you've done. We were considering having to rehome Rocky but now that you helped us resolve his behavior issues, we can't imagine life without him. Thank you so much
Maryanne, There is an amazing change in Lucy since you visited us in December. Lucy now comes when she is called - every time. No more running out the door, no more jumping up on our guests. I'm just sorry we didn't call you sooner! Thanks again.
Maddox is doing awesome! Walks on the leash great now. You are very talented. I have had dog trainers before and they either put on a big show with the dog, which I could not follow, or talked a mile a minute which I could not follow. I really appreciate that you got me to implement these new measures. This is so much better.
Juan and Irais, we are really grateful and appreciative of all your work with Maverick. Being as big and playful as he is we were really not sure he could be successfully trained, we would have been satisfied with just having a more manageable dog, but you have far exceeded our expectations. Maverick is not only much more manageable, he is a bona fide obedience trained dog and you made that happen! Thank you very much.
Your work with Willie and Sam has been amazing. I really did not think that an old dog could learn new tricks, but boy have you proved me wrong! I appreciate the patience and determination you have shown not only with my dogs, but with me as well. I am really confident that we will have a really happy and well behaved life together.
We are very grateful that we found you and are so relieved that Daisy is making so much progress so quickly. Our only regret is not calling you sooner. Your personal approach & philosophy in combination with that of Canine Dimensions has been professional, humane, and effective. We used to always wish that the Dog Whisperer lived in our community so that we could call upon him for in home training. We truly feel that we have that in you both. Thank you Juan & Irais!
Julie had a visit to the vet today unlike any before. Usually she's shaking with fear, reserved, nervous and ready to leave at the drop of a hat. Today, however, Julie was amazing. She walked through the front door without hesitation. She was weighed without any trouble. She was alert, interested in her surroundings without fear. One of the techs who's familiar with her couldn't believe her eyes. She remarked several times that Julie was a different dog. It was wonderful!
We got Sawyer at 12 weeks of age. His previous owner was unable to handle his hyperactive behavior and had resorted to hitting him. As a result, he was sensitive about having hands put near his face and would nip and bite at anyone who tried to pet him. Also he would nip and bite at anyone who got on his level including my three year old nephew. After Sawyer nipped at my nephews shirt and refused to listen when he was around other people and other dogs we decided to call Canine Dimensions. After his first training session all of his biting and nipping problems were cured and with the training advice we received he learned to see us as his leaders. He also has learned lots of new commands and is able to co exist with our cats. He is calm and obedient, even around strangers. We recently had our second training session and our trainer Maryanne was so happy with his improvement in behavior she suggested that we consider testing him for Canine Good Citizen.
Hi Jason,
I just wanted to take a moment to write a note of thanks to you. Our dog Lexington (a Rottweiler/Shepherd Mix) was wild in the streets of Miami when he was taken to a Rescue Ranch just before we adopted him. He was so hyper and overbearing at 100 plus pounds that he was hard to control. He would overpower my wife whenever I was not around. It seemed that sadly we would have to give him up. As a last ditch attempt in desperation we called you. For sure you are amazing. In just a few lessons he has learned to obey my wife and is under control. We are a happy family now and I thank you for that. Taking him to "group training sessions" was useless. It was you and your method that did the trick. We are eternally grateful.
I just wanted to update you on our "sweet" dog, Tito, formerly known as "Hellboy". As you know, his main problem was excessive barking. A while after you left, he went crazy barking at a squirrel outside the front window. I tried the "enough" exercise that you showed us - the second time did the trick. He has been a model dog since! He will initially bark at something (which is acceptable), but stops right away when I tell him "enough." I can't believe we suffered so long with this crazed dog. Thanks for all your good advice!
Just a short note to say "thank you" and to let you know Theo is doing great. Since the day you left here on Dec. 7 he has not had a "#1" accident in the house! I would not have believed it could be that easy to correct his behavior based on the bad habits we had adopted! He caught on to the new regime like a champ and the whole family got on board with the training….I have clean floors again and an odor free house - thank you! Attached are a few pics of Theo. Note the one outside - even in 2 feet of snow!!
Cassandra welcomes her 2 new rescue German Shepherds, Casey and Callie, into the family. The family just enrolled Casey and Callie in the Canine Dimensions basic obedience program and they’re off to a great start!
Thank you for all of your help with our boys. We maintain the rules and boundaries you set forth in your training with them and have not had any more fighting between them. As you can see, they are co-existing peacefully. Thanks again!
Words can not describe how happy I am! I could not have done this without the guidance and help from Steve at Canine Dimensions. Thank you again for all your help – we did it!!!!!
Hey Steve, thanks for checking in on us. Bubba's doing great. I can't believe he's so reliable with his commands now. We had my sister over yesterday and were showing him off. Before the training I couldn't even get him to sit with any consistency. Thanks again!
I want to Thank You tremendously for the training you did with Jingles. He is fantastic and your methods and rapport with him was excellent. I could not have asked for a better outcome. I would be happy to recommend you to anyone who needs dog training!!! We have been working with him everyday but I cannot really call it work as he makes it quite enjoyable. The walking is such a pleasure....to have him heel and be focused on me is so much easier and calming for Michael and myself. I’ll keep in touch and for sure, and when we add any dogs to the mix you will be the one I call.
We adopted Marley in February of 2008. She was a Retriever/Hound mix and she was perfect - playful, obedient, and loving. Later, we found out that one of her brothers, Finn, was returned to the shelter in September of the same year. We felt that Marley was getting a little bored and lonely being left at home after spending 6 months coming to work with me everyday. So we decided to adopt Finn. He was a much different dog – he was also very loving - but incredibly mischievous. When the two of them were put together, trouble ensued. We lost control of our house and it took a few months before we finally realized that there was a major problem. Pillows, dog beds, clothes, shoes, you name it - they figured out how to either destroy it inside or get it out through their doggie door, and destroy it out there. I got in touch with Canine Dimensions and within hours of our visit we were already on the road to being in control again. They not only helped me regain control of the house, but helped me walk the 2 of them together by myself (which was quite the task prior to the visit). Two big dogs that used to pull on the leash are now a pleasure to walk. Looking back, we were at a point where we felt we had made a terrible mistake bringing Finn home. But now, we can't imagine why anyone would ever give up on such a great dog.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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!!
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!
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!
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!
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.
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!
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.
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.
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: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!
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!
We can't thank Amanda enough for showing us the way with our pups. We have Shadow, our beautiful black lab, and Woolf, our very handsome black GSD. Both pups have temperaments and personalities that require very different training. Amanda worked with us, helped show us the different styles we would need to use and how to implement it. The results have been amazing. Woolf had a rough start in life and the results of it didn't start showing until we had him on leash and out walking. Amanda has been right there with us, answering questions and more questions, helping to get him on the right track. The support Amanda provided has been far beyond the call of duty. We are always hearing someone say 'I wish my dog was trained like that.' We tell them it couldn't have been done without the trainer we had. We let them know that Canine Dimensions and Amanda is the best way to go for training.
This handsome fellow is Hershey, a recent Canine Dimensions student and one of many superb companions adopted from Garden State German Shepherd Rescue. He is doing great, and he is healthy and happy in his new permanent home. Congratulations Hershey!
If you are interested in finding out more about adopting a German Shepherd, please visit gsgsr.org.
Charlie is doing great. We followed your suggestions to correct the counter surfing and it worked the first day. And he is now a pleasure to walk on the leash. We still have some work to do, but his basic commands are coming along nicely. We are very happy with the results of his training.
We adopted Jozie as a puppy from a PA rescue group in November of 07. She came from a high-kill shelter in VA. She was crate trained and fairly well house-trained (but not perfect there). We are first time dog owners and we definitely needed help training her - even though she is shy she's a high energy dog and was difficult for us to handle. Phil at Canine Dimensions was the perfect answer for us. We learned so much from his first visit and shortly after that we were able to teach her SIT, DOWN, STAY, DROP-IT and COME, which was useful recently when Jozie had her first "jail break!” But more than just the training - I think it was critical the things he taught us about communicating with her. There are many ways that dogs communicate that are not obvious to people that don't have much experience with dogs - but Phil taught us what to look for and how to react to her. That made the biggest difference of all.
I own four German Shepherds and I also foster dogs for a local rescue. I call Canine Dimensions whenever I need help with difficult behavior problems, or advice on the occasional conflicts that can arise among the dogs. Canine Dimensions has always come through for me. I would recommend them to any dog owner, especially to people who have adopted dogs from rescue organizations or shelters.
We just wanted to give you a progress report on Jazz. The aggression on his walks has completely stopped. He is a complete gentleman on the leash now, even when we pass a dog who is barking at us. Last Saturday I took him to my son's soccer game and he sat right at my feet. This would not be a big deal to other people, but it is something that I never dreamed would be possible with Jazz. He paid no attention to the other dogs, which is nothing short of miraculous. Thank you so much for all your help.
Bailey is a different dog since he completed the training. To say that we are thrilled with the results would be an understatement. He obeys all of the commands you taught him. He now looks to us for our approval in everything he does. We are amazed at how much he has improved with his daily behavior around the house. No more running out the door, no more looking for food on our kitchen table, all those things we had on "our long list" when you first came to our house. There truly is a 100% improvement. You guys really know your stuff! Thanks again!
Pogo is such a joy since he graduated from training. There is a new spark that we never saw before. His tail starts to wag when we give him a command. It's so cute! He's such a ham, he just loves the attention. He loves doing all of the commands that he learned. It's almost as if he wants to show us what he knows. It's hard to explain, but it's easy to see. There is a big, big, big difference in him. He is a very obedient dog now, and he seems happier. Everybody wants to know how we did it.
Tucker is doing very well. Our son was born July 11 and since he came home Tucker has been awesome…he is much more behaved, no more nipping or begging for attention. We could not be happier with the results of his training. We did not expect to see such immediate results and we learned so much on what we need to do to make sure Tucker continues to get better. Thanks again!
Just a note of thanks for helping us with our American Bulldog, Junior. Looking back and comparing the dog he was before to the dog he is now, it really is amazing all the changes we see. We feel that we have control now. Thanks again for everything!
I'll never forget the day that you were able to show me how to get Mazie to stop pulling on the leash and walk nicely by my side. You were able to fix something in 10 minutes that I have been dealing with for 3 years. Mazie is a different dog on the leash now.
I used to be able to take her everywhere with me, but as she got older, Smoke became more difficult to control on leash. She was easily startled by people walking by us, and by people walking other dogs. All kinds of things just seemed to set her off. She would bark and lunge at them. She’s a big strong dog and I was having trouble holding her back. So I decided to sign her up for the “Board and Train” program at Canine Dimensions. When I picked her up a few weeks later, the trainer demonstrated what he was able to accomplish with her, and it was really amazing. The leash pulling had completely stopped. He took some time to teach me how to reinforce what she had learned, and then he handed me the leash. She walked nicely by my side – there was no pulling! She sat automatically whenever I stopped, and remained seated politely right next to me until I started walking again. I could never have accomplished this on my own. Our walks are a pleasure now, and I can once again take her with me wherever I go. We walk right by people with other dogs and she stays glued to my side. I couldn’t be happier with the results of her training.
Coco was adopted from a local shelter and is now a well behaved member of a wonderful, loving family. A very bright and attentive student, Coco easily learned all of her basic commands (sit, down, stay, come, drop-it) and is now walking nicely on the leash instead of pulling. She just graduated from CD Basic, and is looking forward to starting Intermediate/Advanced lessons next month. Congratulations Coco!
It was hard for us from the beginning – two busy people with no dog experience taking in a stray – but we felt sure that we didn’t need any help. We can wing it! We’re intellectuals! We can learn how to do this reading books and using the internet! That idealism lasted three whole months. After three months, it stops being cute that he took a man-size dump in the dining room and ripped up my books. Once he put his teeth on the Shakespeare, I knew we needed help. Because if he touched Shakespeare again, I was going to make him into a hat. We tried obedience classes at our local pet store. The people were really nice, I learned some helpful basics, and Frodo had a great time. However, we were still having problems and the trainers there often had no idea why. Needless to say, we were frustrated. Why is he still humping me months after we’ve had him neutered? We does he seem to be housebroken until he’s alone in the dining room for five minutes? Why is he always barking when we’re watching TV?Ed and I constantly argued over whose “internet source” had the correct method. All our friends had advice to give us, and all of it was different. In desperation I started looking for trainers on the internet. I called five before I got to Phil at Canine Dimensions. When he came over, he spent a lot of time answering our huge list of questions and giving us specific instructions. He warned us the first week would be a difficult adjustment in some respects, but if we could get through it we would see results. He wasn’t kidding. Some of the results were immediate. We were amazed at how such simple changes could have such a profound effect. Our neighbors have said that he seems like a totally different dog. He does commands I never thought he’d master (like “Come!”) with ease and enthusiasm. And even Ed - the biggest skeptic in the known universe - talks about how well behaved Frodo is since Phil visited our home. We haven’t had an accident in the house for eight weeks, including the dreaded dining room. Now we can get Frodo to stay politely in one place when guests are entering the house. Before, we couldn’t even open the door without barring Frodo behind several toddler gates like it was Fort Knox!
We really did not know what we were getting into when we brought Jack home. Our first dog Marcie wanted no part of him. They fought constantly. We listened to our friends telling us "just let them fight it out and they'll get along fine after a while". After 2 months of hell, we finally realized that either we had to get some help from a professional, or Jack would have to go. I can now admit that before you came over neither of us was very optimistic. It just did not seem possible Jack and Marcie would ever be able to get along. That first visit was a real eye opener. You explained the reasons for their behavior, and worked out a plan of action to correct it. I began to feel for the first time that there might be a glimmer of hope! People don't believe me when I tell them this, but literally THE FIRST DAY that we started doing the things you suggested, we started to notice a change in their behavior. After a few days, things continued to improve, and in about 2 weeks the change was like night and day. They get along great now, and peace has been restored to our home. We cannot thank you enough!
We cannot thank you enough for the excellent training techniques you taught us. Auggie gets compliments on his behavior everywhere we go and he can handle busy crowds in Times Square as well as the open woods of Deering, NH. His "sit", "stay" "down" "go to your place" "stand" and "come" work without fail. He even knows the command "wait" which means when he is off leash he stops to let us catch up to him. He will come without fail when summoned, even when a long distance away. He sits before every doorway or when crossing streets, allowing us to proceed first and waits to be released. When guests arrive, Auggie is in a "down stay" until we release him to greet them. We live both in the open woods in summer and in a condominium apartment in winter and Auggie makes the transition easily because of the training you taught us. You and Canine Dimensions have helped make Auggie a dream dog!
We want to wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! I have enjoyed our training sessions just as much as my dog. You have taught us both so much and it was so much fun! Hopefully, she will continue to learn and love it! Lilly-Mae has really come out of her shell when it comes to meeting other people, as well as dogs…so, again, thanks for your kindness, patience, and training tips you shared with us! Thanks again!
Yorkshire Terriers Axel and Bandit were having a hard time with basic manners, crating skills and housebreaking. Bob and Carmen enrolled the boys in Canine Dimensions in-home obedience program and just 1 month later they are completely housebroken, crate trained and have learned all of their "Phase 1" obedience commands. Who says little dogs can't be well trained? Nice job guys!
Max was eight weeks old when he came to live with us. He was from a large litter and one of the last puppies to leave his mom. Max was a curious puppy. He had to check out every stone, stick and person in his community. But one day on a walk one day he was chased and bitten by a large Newfoundland. The wounds healed but he became increasingly sensitive to new places, people and was scared of any dog he encountered. After a distressful visit to his vet, we were informed that he had fear aggression and they recommended we contact a professional trainer. We tried working with a couple of trainers but were not successful unless we had a pocketful of treats. Max did not respond well to this type of training so we looked for another program. Luckily we found Canine Dimensions. Maryanne came to our home, explained the program, answered our questions and took Max for a walk. I was absolutely shocked when I saw Max and Maryanne coming up the street looking like the best behaved dog and confident master in the world. We followed Maryanne's directions, read the workbook many times, followed Maryanne's handling techniques and Max became less frightened and more secure. Max now has a friend named Sparky (golden retriever) who walks and plays with him often. He no longer barks as if he is going to attack, he meets people with his tail wagging and finds the world is not so scary after all. I cannot thank Maryanne and Canine Dimensions enough for the direction, information and training they provided for both Max and our family. I have received the best instructions and training that is available. We thank you Maryanne! Max says 'Life is Good!'
I brought home my Bernese Mountain Dog puppy, McKinley, in March and hired a trainer from another company to start training my puppy at 9 weeks old because I knew he was going to be huge, and because of that, I needed a well behaved dog. By week 10 I had my hands full. McKinley was already difficult to handle; he was smart but he was already showing signs of resistance, and this trainer couldn't even get McKinley to come. So that trainer was fired and another was hired. This new trainer believed you could solve all behavioral problems with a big enough "correction." I tried this method with McKinley for a few weeks and knew this was not the right training method for him, or for me.
I discussed my issues with my vet and she recommended Canine Dimensions. On their first visit I was weary and cautious of yet another dog trainer and I told her "show me some results." Jennie explained the Canine Dimensions training process to me and emphasized the importance of my homework, which I vowed to do. In that first visit we made more progress than I had ever hoped for, and for the first time I was hopeful and knew that I had finally found the right trainer. Jennie was an expert at handling McKinley and gave me the tools to train him properly. He really responded to the behavioral approach that Canine Dimensions has mastered.
Within 24 hours I started to see a change in McKinley and a week later, I had a totally different dog. Thanks to Canine Dimensions I now have an awesome dog that I adore. They literally have a workable answer for every canine behavioral question or issue you throw at them. THANK YOU SO MUCH for saving my relationship with my dog!
Words cannot describe how good Canine Dimensions is!!! Last September I took in a White German Shepherd who, very apparently, came from an abusive past. She was so timid, skittish, and just generally scared at anything I tried to do training wise when I first got her. She was so bad that it took me a solid 3 weeks just to get her comfortable enough to let me put my hand over her head. I was lost. Then my sister and mom found Canine Dimensions and signed me up for training.
After the first lesson I was blown away. My dog was very skittish at first and they noticed that right away and told me what I can do to help her overcome that. They changed my way of thinking and taught me how dogs think. That was the true start of my dog's recovery.
When they first showed me the "stay" command, my dog would run away and hide from me because of what she had been through in her past. But after a week, she was perfect and making great strides in becoming a normal dog again. By the second lesson she had no fear of any of the commands that I had been teaching her and I could tell she was excited to learn more.
The next great thing that they did for my dog and I was a board and train over Christmas. I left her with them for a week. She had been around other dogs before but didn't know how to have healthy interaction in a pack. The first night I brought her to them she was skittish and very timid and you could clearly see the signs of abuse in her past. They completely changed her and by the time her week with them was up she was playing, walking perfectly on leash, and eating with other dogs like she had been doing it her whole life.
Audi fell in love with my dog and actually cried when I took her back home; that's how much they care about what they do. Again, words don't even begin to describe how amazing Canine Dimensions is. I recommend them to anyone who has anything that they want to teach their dogs; whether it be the simple everyday commands, learning to "pack" with other or new dogs, or just to get you and your dog to be happier and better together. Thank you so much Brendan and Audi! You are part of my family and I am glad to be part of yours! THANK YOU!!!
I would like to give my whole-hearted 100% referral for Canine Dimensions! We adopted a 6-month old Yorkie, Banjo, that was chewing on our furniture, our shoes, and was completely unruly. After Brendan’s first visit, we were given direction that helped to get him under control immediately. He is now 14 months old, and has filled our hearts and become a special part of our family. From the love that his trainers Audi and Brendan give him, I believe he has also become a part of their hearts too. And, boy, does Banjo absolutely adore them! I appreciate Canine Dimensions’ training philosophy and although I had done a TON of previous research and purchased so many books, nothing else came close to learning how a dog thinks than through their help.
Molly is quite an energetic little 4.5 pound hound! She is doing very well by the way - no accidents in the house in months! Hooray! All-in-all she's a wonderful dog! She adds so much joy to our lives. What we've learned so far has been so incredibly helpful. Things have been hectic around here so we haven't been doing the consistent training that I would like - but we still do try to practice the basics when we can. She has done very well, but I can see now that "training" is going to be on-going. My goal is to be able to take her this spring on our weekend road trip to St. Michaels, MD. They have a wonderful pet friendly hotel we just love!
Thanks to the tips and techniques taught to us by Canine Dimensions, our eight month old German Shepherd Sarge has developed the skills and confidence that are expected of the breed. In the beginning, Sarge was a typical puppy who wanted to chew, nip, and get into everything imaginable. We were very impressed with the "bag" of knowledge that Phil brought to us that helped us correct the biting, chewing, and bad manners overall. Sarge has grown into a great dog and has blended well into our home and family! Each day we are more and more impressed with his overall progress
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!
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!
Kenny and I can't tell you how pleased we are with Duke's two weeks of training. Prior to his training, it was really a chore to walk him. He always pulled and got distracted very easily. The bigger he got, the harder it became. Now, he walks nice and doesn't pull us, even when he sees something he wants to explore or chase. The bonus...We all get more exercise now since it's a pleasure to walk, not to mention all the positive comments from all our neighbors. As Duke got bigger, most of our neighbors started expressing their fear of him (partly due to a neighbor who had a shepherd and let him run amuck), which is one reason why we brought him to you. We knew Duke had a great personality when we got him, and we knew we needed to make sure that he wouldn't scare the neighbors, or more importantly, be too aggressive with the kids. In the past we have trained our other dogs, and have always had a great deal of success with it, but, we also didn't have four kids during those times, or a dog this big. We continue to be very impressed with his level of discipline after his training and more impressed that he has kept his personality and playfulness. He didn't even bark or go after the UPS guy the other day. He even let him pet him.
We are so pleased we brought him to you. We can't thank you, and your family, enough for your treatment and dedication to our Duke. We liked that you took in Duke to your household (even with two big dogs of your own) for this two week training session and treated him like a family member. For us, that was a key factor, and I definitely think it was better for him to learn in a constant loving environment as opposed to a kennel. No doubt it made it easier for him when he got home. It was like he never left. There were times when he tried to fall back into the routines he had before we brought him to you (jumping on the furniture, barking non stop, etc) but, after your educational seminar we had before we left your home, we were able to correct those issues with little effort.
Overall, we could not be happier. There is truly not one thing that we were not happy with. Well worth the money!! We can tell you that we have already recommended you to several people who were very impressed with Duke's progress. We would absolutely do it again for another puppy, and in fact, are considering another puppy in the not too distant future.
Thank you again!! We were happy with him before, but we are even happier now thanks to your training!
I called other trainers, but I really liked the fact that there is no punishment, shock collars or anything like that in your training program. Hendrix enjoys each lesson, and he's doing great so far!
I cannot thank you enough for coming out to work with myself and Dawkins, my year old mix. He was a rescue with the friendliest attitude and a lot of energy- he was very responsive inside the apartment, but once we walked outside the apartment, I lost all control as he bounded everywhere.
He was out of control when I tried jogging with him, yanking and biting on the leash to go the direction he wanted to. I was always scared when we went by another dog as I knew I wouldn't have enough control. I bloodied my knees and scraped up my elbows on a regular basis when he pulled me off balance. I was at the point of having to return him to the shelter if I couldn't get control.
Dawkins had me exhausted with his pulling and lunging toward other dogs- his 50 lbs of determination overwhelmed me. I tried the buckle collar, 2 different kinds of body harnesses, the gentle leader muzzle harness, the gentle leader front harness, and a nylon choke collar - over $200 in equipment that didn't work or he destroyed! All of these just gave him a creative outlet for ways to pull me around, knock me over, and startle innocent bystanders!
I worked with 2 other trainers who just kept telling me I had the wrong treats and that if I found the right food, all of a sudden my dog would do anything for me. The real result was he just stopped eating his regular dog food and made me give him a treat to do the sits and downs he did prior to the trainers' advice.The few hours you spent with us was more productive than the weeks of food based trainings we went to!
You pointed out where my communication was not clear to him. Then, you showed me how to show Dawkins that I was the boss- not him. We went out for our first walk the morning after your lessons and it was easy - no food treats - and I was not frustrated or forced to coax or yell at him. I could not believe how easy it was to finally get him to walk right by by side. Even inside the apartment, I have more control already, as my leadership is no longer dependent on our location. I love my dog and was heartbroken trying to explain to everyone what a good dog he was- but you have provided me with the tools to let my dog prove it himself. Thank you again!
Linus is our newest "special needs" student. A double-dapple dachshund blind from birth, he was saved from euthanasia by a rescue group, lived in foster care for a while and was later adopted by his new permanent family. A great student eager to learn new things, he is learning all of his basic commands with enthusiasm. Welcome Linus!
Beau has unbelievable energy. He's a great dog but was a real handful before we met you. I can definitely see a huge improvement. And now if we have a question or a problem with him, we know where to turn for a solution.
Canine Dimensions was the best thing we did for ourselves and our new puppy. We learned to effectively communicate with our new family member, turning frustration into fun, disaster into discovery, pandemonium into play, and rampage into respect. Thanks to Canine Dimensions, we have a loving puppy well on her way to being a wonderful adult companion. Canine Dimensions showed us all the right stuff from the onset. Their multiple-phase methodology ensures that you and your puppy get the proper training needed at precisely the correct intervals. If there were more services like Canine Dimensions, there would be far less animal shelters in the world, as people would be better educated about communicating with their dogs. allowing the true human-dog relationship to develop.
If Hollywood ever makes a remake of the movie titled "The Miracle Worker", it most assuredly should be starring YOU!
Here's why: We adopted a beautiful black, one year old, pure Labrador retriever from the Humane Society last month. We were told by the counselor that this dog was extremely active and aggressive and would require intensive exercise and handling. The counselor then inquired as to whether my wife and I, both over sixty, felt we could handle this dog. Both my wife and I poo-pooed those admonitions and we had no doubts that we could handle him. HOW WRONG WE WERE! We took him home and…. he immediately became the active, aggressive animal that the counselor had warned us about. In addition to accidentally knocking my wife down on several occasions, he chewed everything in sight, kept jumping on people, and acted like what he really was - a one year old 66 pound puppy.
We were ready to give Max back to the Humane Society, but you suggested that you would take Max to your home for one week to be intensively trained by you. I was personally not convinced that you could really do anything on a long lasting basis in only seven days. In fact, while he was away at training, I called the HS to find out what days they received animals for return. However, you returned Max to us on Saturday, May 5, and it is almost impossible to believe that this is the same animal that left our home ONLY 7 DAYS AGO! The miracle is that we now have a wonderful, obedient, controlled dog that is exactly what we had hoped and envisioned he would be when we adopted him. Thank you, thank you, thank you, Jason!
We welcomed our yellow lab Cooper into our home when I was 18 weeks pregnant. He was full of life, a yellow blur constantly zooming everywhere.
He was a real handful those first few months. Cooper had a really hard time listening to commands, and was nipping at everything that came near his mouth, mainly our hands!
He would dig holes in the grass, run across our in-ground pool cover, jump up on the kitchen table and counters, and come close to barreling guests over when they came in the house. Not only were we concerned with his behavior around us and other adults, but with the baby coming in December, we knew something had to be done.
I was so fortunate to come across Canine Dimensions one day when researching dog trainers in a fit of tears. It was the BEST thing we could have ever given to our dog and our family.
After only one session with Phil, "Crazy Cooper" was already becoming "Cooper the Calm". By the second visit, Cooper had mastered all of his commands..."sit, stay, down, come, and out", and did each with flourish! He loved when "Uncle Phil" came over, and showed such respect for him. Eventually, Cooper would lay down at our feet no matter where we went...it gave my husband and I such peace of mind.
On New Year's Day, our son Tyler was born, and from the moment we brought him home, Cooper hasn't left his side. He is attentive when he cries - even attempts to get our attention to alert us - and lays at the foot of his crib when we all wake up in the middle of the night! We have Canine Dimensions to thank...my husband and I feel we now have the perfect little family!
The first session changed Brutus into a whole new dog... we are now in total control.
We just wanted to send a note of thanks for helping us with our English Bulldog, Brutus. Many people have told us that either bulldogs cannot be trained, or they are too stubborn to be trained. Well, your training techniques proved those theories wrong. The first session changed Brutus into a whole new dog! He walks wonderfully on his leash now, no more pulling or lunging at other dogs. We are now in total control. He learned commands such as come, down, stay in 2 short weeks and it didn't take as many repetitions as we anticipated. The training WORKS and it doesn't matter what type of dog you have! We are so glad that we found Canine Dimensions and will recommend them to our friends & family. Thanks for everything!
I adopted Dexter from the Humane society after visiting him with a friend and her toddler. He was very energetic and seemed to be good with children. This was important for me because I want to be able to take him with me when I visit friends and family who have small children. His paperwork said he was 5 years old, so I thought he would be a good choice for me. He was well behaved the first few days in the home and then he began to have some problems, especially with the leash during walks. He jumped all over anyone who came into my apartment and quickly became over excited; he is very strong and his excitement often led to scratches and bruises from jumping. While on walks he seemed to spontaneously jump at the leash and begin biting it and playing tug. If I had long sleeves on he would bite at my sleeves too. It was very distressing and was becoming more frequent and intense, even if I remained calm. I tried getting his energy out in other ways, but it wasn't helping. He also was extremely fearful of loud noises, common on the city streets where I live.
I tried two different trainers before contacting Canine Dimensions. I was about to give up - thinking maybe I was not the right person to help him, but I felt I owed it to both Dexter and myself to try everything I could to get his behavior under control. Maryanne from Canine Dimensions was able to come the same day. I tried to be open minded, but I couldn't imagine how she could help in just one visit.
I went from tears to a renewed confidence after the 3 hour session. Dexter was a different dog after just one session, and I was a different handler. I couldn't believe the difference.
Dexter can walk nicely by my side now on the city streets or enjoy a more relaxed hike without behaving badly. He is more confident and less fearful of loud noises. I took him on a road trip to NY for the Thanksgiving holidays, something I would never imagined I could do before finishing the program. He did great and we had a wonderful time! He met all my friends and family and did not jump on anyone.
I thank Maryanne and Canine Dimensions for saving us! They are wonderful - but you also need to do the extra work at home to get the best results. The work is worth a lifetime of good behavior. Thank you!
My husband and I are so thankful for Jerri and her help with our dog, Pippin. Although I had owned dogs throughout my life, I was absolutely unprepared for the behavior problems that Pippin displayed practically the moment we brought him home from the rescue organization--biting, jumping, whining, and flipping out around squirrels, among others. Jerri has worked with us to find numerous solutions that work for our dog. When Pippin did not seem to respond to one method of training, Jerri was able to quickly adapt and move on to Plan B. She seemed to have an endless "bag of tricks" to pull from for every problem we had! I also loved the flexibility of Jerri's training as opposed to other programs we looked into. I liked how we could schedule a session when Pippin was ready for the next step as opposed to committing to every week at a certain time, which could never work with my schedule. And Jerri is easily accessible by phone or email if you have a question between training sessions. Out of everything we have gained from Jerri's training methods, the most important to me has been the confidence that my husband and I would be able to continue Pippin's progress between our training sessions. And in a matter of weeks, we practically had a new dog! Thanks to Canine Dimensions, we are better able to direct Pippin's energy and he has become the affectionate and attentive companion we always knew was in him.
Canine Dimensions has been great. Carol, our trainer, is always available for questions and is a true miracle worker with Ronnie, our puppy. She has a true gift for dog training. I would highly recommend Carol from Canine Dimensions Barrington.
I was impressed by Stacey the moment we met. She taught me how to talk to my pup. She's really a dog psychologist! She saw what Frankie was feeling and totally communicated that to me. Frankie went from a leash pulling, unpredictable dog to a well behaved, easy to walk treasure. Stacey taught me to read his body language and my own as well. I would recommend her services to everyone who needs a little or a lot of help.
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