Hear what other families have to say!
Penny
Sarah began working with our five-month-old puppy, named Penny. We knew that when we rescued Penny that we wanted to give her a solid training foundation, but as first time dog owners, we didn’t know where to begin! We participated in the Rational Dog’s “Canine Unlimited! Program” because we knew that we would need continued support raising a well-trained puppy.
We were nervous about sending Penny to the residency program (that’s such a long time to be away from our puppy), but we were so happy with the results! Penny came home with the solid foundation that we hoped for: Penny understood basic commands, but more than that, she went from an inattentive and undisciplined dog to a dog that was still energetic and lively but attentive and willing to learn. This critical foundation gave us the confidence and success to continue training.
Sarah has continued to support us through Penny’s training with both email responses and follow-up visits to our home. It is amazing to watch Sarah work with her quick problem solving and calm, procedural approach. Sarah has taught Penny commands and skills, but she has also taught us how to be confident dog owners. Sarah is both an excellent teacher for dogs and humans! We look forward to continuing to work with Sarah and can only highly recommend her training, support, and expertise!
-Meghan and Drew, Dallas, Texas
Buddy
Sarah came to work with our 21-month-old rescue Doberman Buddy on the second day he was with us. Buddy had severe possession aggression and trust issues that quickly became apparent after he came to live with us. Sarah taught us many things to help Buddy understand that we were the ones in control – not him, and that he had to earn everything through his positive, rather than negative, behavior. She helped us understand that Buddy could not relax, and that was part of his issues. Sarah taught us techniques to help Buddy relax. Woven into all of this was basic obedience. He came to us with no training and no commands to which he responded. Buddy was the most challenging dog we have ever owned, and we’ve had many dogs. With Sarah’s help, Buddy was able to earn his AKC Canine Good Citizen title and he went on to work in agility. Underneath all of his stress and fear was a sweet dog, and Sarah helped us uncover the layers to find that.
-Michelle, Cortland, New York