"Hi Angela and Lowell, I just wanted to get in touch to thank you. Guacamole and I took the Reactive Rover class in 2014, and the training techniques we learned made a huge difference in both his life and mine. It's taken us a couple years of steady practice, but we have made great progress. Before Reactive Rover, he could not be anywhere near another dog without having a full-on meltdown. In addition to being dog reactive, he was terrified of strangers. A year and a half later, he had regularly scheduled hikes and play dates with new dog buddies, and I could finally have friends over to my apartment without worrying how Guac would react. Last summer, I moved out west to Utah, where everyone has dogs and no one seems to believe in leashes. The games we learned in Reactive Rover were so, so helpful in coping with this transition, and we are doing very well. Guac now has two dog siblings to hike with and two acres of yard to romp around in, none of which would have been possible without your training help. He also gets along well with the neighbor's dogs and ADORES the neighbor's kids. We're still working on reactivity to new triggers (horses! moose! children on dirt bikes!), and I'm sure there will always be something new to tackle, but we have made amazing progress. Thanks so much!"
- Emily, Reactive Rover Student
"It’s been about a year since you visited our house for Maggie’s training. We had company on Saturday and Maggie was so well behaved it was unbelievable. Our company couldn’t believe the difference either. They said she is like another dog. We have seen a gradual change with Maggie for the better in the past year but yesterday was the best! She goes to her mat when told and I think this is what has helped! We are having another visitor this coming Saturday and feels so good not to feel stressed out because of how she is going to react. I know she will always be a work in progress but I can’t thank you enough for how much your advice has helped! Just wanted to let you know. Again, thank you!"
- Teresa and Brian, Home Training Clients "I knew very little about taking care of a dog at the time I adopted a three-year-old Shih Tzu mix who was extremely reactive on leash and very impulsive in general. Angela and Lowell worked with us over the course of several months, to knit my dog and I into a confident team able to manage his reactivity independently. They were able to assess each of our strengths and abilities, meet us where we were, and move us on to the next stage with patience, persistence, kindness and clear teaching goals. They modeled the techniques I needed to learn until I understood, and then coached me to apply the techniques myself with my dog.
In addition, I had many questions along the way about taking care of my dog, and they always listened and responded with helpful information and clear explanations. I had felt a lot of fear and anxiety about dealing with such an emotional little dog; knowing Angela and Lowell were available to me gave me much needed support and confidence throughout our training. And I am equally grateful that they are still there to call on in the future! Thanks Angela and Lowell!"
-Janet, a Home Training Client
"Both my mother and I were very pleased with what we and Molly learned in the [Reactive Rover] class. We can already see positive changes in her behavior. On Sunday, Molly and I went to the local PetSmart, and hung around outside the door, then went in and walked the aisles. Molly came in fairly close proximity (about 2 feet) with 4 different dogs, and all we saw in her behavior was curiosity, which was a great change!"
-Sandra, Reactive Rover Student
"Hi Angela & Lowell, Just wanted to say thanks so much for a great class and let you know what AMAZING progress we've made using positive reinforcement. Before your class, we had to keep Bravo completely separated from my boyfriend's cats. Since implementing your techniques these past six weeks, we've been able to integrate all the animals - if Bravo's excitement starts to overwhelm the cats we can call him away with confidence that he'll come to us. Ya'll are great!"