Sophie's Story
The reason why

That's my Sophie. She is my heart-dog and where my training journey began.

I struggled to handle her - just to walk her - let alone get her to listen to me, crate train, house train, come back when she slipped her collar, etc. I did not know what I was doing, but I did know I loved her more than anything. I tried to figure out on my own how to "train" her and what tools to use. Honestly, I felt like seeking professional training was admitting failure, or she was a "bad" dog. It took being drug off my feet... because she was so eager to say hello to a neighbor, simply while taking her out for a bathroom break...to realize I needed help or I might not be able to have the relationship I wanted with her. 

I contacted a trainer through a referral from a friend and nervously arrived for our first lesson several weeks later, with no idea what to expect. But when I saw the trainers playing with their dogs off leash at the park between lessons, I knew I wanted to do anything I could to make that kind of relationship and life a reality for me and Sophie. I knew that's what Sophie deserved. 

No joke - the first lesson changed our lives. Really. I have old Facebook memories to prove my sentiment. I couldn't believe how quickly the trainer got Sophie doing things right before my eyes. And after the challenge of coaching the nervous and embarrassed pet parent (that's me!) I had Sophie listening to me too. And dang did she look relieved - "Wow, mom finally has her act together!" - or at least that's what I humanized she must have been thinking. 

The reality is, she probably was thinking her own dog version of that. Dogs need someone to teach them. To guide them. To show they can be their guardian and protector. To offer clarity about the world around them. And when I became clear with Sophie, she became clear to me. Our relationship became clear. 

Now - we had work to do. And admittedly I did not put in the homework I was supposed to during the program. I tried and I enjoyed it. But I was working full-time and had friends and hobbies to keep up with, so her training homework was sometimes skipped or very brief. She was a brilliant student and soared through her training. However, I sometimes wonder how much more we could have accomplished if I had done the homework or if I would have made the professional leap sooner to pursue a career change from CPA to Dog Trainer. And to this day I regret not seeking help sooner, so that we could have been enjoying our time together so much more, and avoided 2 years of many frustrating moments.

All of those dog parent experiences, stories of fosters and foster fails, a surprise birth of puppies, 100s of clients, 1000s of hours of studying - reading - listening - observing, and 8 years of professional experience have ultimately brought me to this point of connecting with you - a dog parent who is either struggling with their puppy or dog. Or a dog parent who wants to avoid those classic mistakes and ensure a successful start.