Success Stories

"My wife and I called Julia as our Jack Russell terrier – Buddy- had a few issues we wanted to correct. The first was snapping at me and drawing blood.  He also “marked” in our home -- neither of these issues are acceptable to me and my wife Judy. Taking Buddy for walks was always challenging as he pulled us all the time.  Buddy is much better behaved.  We began to put him in his crate more frequently and he goes into it now on his own. Walks have improved and we haven’t had a single snap in weeks! We have a ways to go but if we stick to our work and stay consistent --Buddy will be a great companion."

Jim Stocke
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Upon first meeting Julia we were thrilled by the calm assertive presence she brought upon walking into our home. Our puppy "Beans" was immediately attentive and even sat down in front of her! Julia engages her clients with active listening, calm reassurance and positive feedback... making you feel as though you can actually accomplish the desired training results.

Where we had a puppy that despised his kennel (horrible reaction)... leaving puddles of drool from chewing on the grate (chipped some puppy teeth) to weeping eyes because of his anxiety over being left for short periods of time. We now have a puppy who will walk into the kennel, with a bit of direction, then sit down and wait for us to close the door.

I exuberantly recommend her to anyone regardless of the type of training you need from basic to extreme... She is wonderful to work with!!!

Merlis Nolan
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Julia took us from a new puppy to a well adjusted dog in a very short time.

By teaching us how to set boundaries and establish "who is in charge," we've been able to make a great connection with our new dog. She looks to us for guidance on how to behave in each situation and obeys the commands we give her. What a great feeling!

Julia really knows how to connect with dogs and more importantly, THEIR OWNERS!

I find myself shouting her name from the sidewalks as my friends with dogs struggle with problem behaviors!

Thank you, thank you.

Rebecca
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            Julia, Karma and Jamie                         Steve demonstrating calm, assertive leadership

Karma wants to make a new friend

Dogs and owners reviewing lessons learned

The initial problems we identified when we began working with Julia were barking at the windows, pulling on walks, craziness when passing another dog, jumping on people at the door, and not playing well with other dogs.

We had unbelievable improvements within the first session.  Julia showed us how to use our bodies to intervene when our dog was barking at the windows or someone came in the front door.  Suddenly I had something concrete to do and miraculously the dog understood -- I was "speaking" her language.  Things became much less frustrating for all of us.

A couple weeks after beginning to work with Julia, we invited 11 people to dinner!  Before that, I had stopped having people over and even dreaded someone coming to the door or ringing the bell.  The out of control behavior has largely stopped, and I'm more relaxed about having guests.

I enjoy walking with our dog now!  No more pulling or constant stopping.  I go for a walk and she gets to accompany me.

One of the key things I learned from Julia was that it was ok to be in charge.  What I found was that our dog became calmer and more pleasant when I clearly took that stance.  And it has carried over--she is calmer in general now.

One of the small pleasures has been training our dog to sit either inside or outside the door and wait for permission to be invited to walk through.  No more crazy dash through the door.  I feel more confident now training our dog.

Working with Julia, I learned something about rising to the occasion, taking a stand, being firm, which applies to the rest of my life.  I saw so clearly with our dog the power of being direct and unambiguous in what I'm asking for.

Julia was very available by phone and email between sessions for follow up, coaching, and encouragement.  She was great.  I would highly recommend her as a dog trainer.  

Steve Merritt

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Julia was wonderful to work with. She was kind, but firm, and full of positive reinforcement, which was extremely effective in encouraging both me and my dog Karma to practice new and improved behaviors. She really went above and beyond to be supportive and help through the confusions and frustrations that inevitably arise during the training process. I now have a much better understanding of how to interpret the non-verbal cues my dog gives me, and how to communicate with my dog (with or without treats) in a way she will clearly understand and respond to.

Before enlisting Julia’s services, I had taken Karma to a basic obedience class, which was helpful, but not enough. Karma still overwhelmed anyone who came to the door, and would bark persistently at any passerby, even when told to stop. On our walks, although she mostly walked at my side, she continually tried to get ahead, still wanted to sniff every which way, and fixated on other dogs we passed. It was also a nightmare to get her nails cut.

After working with Julia, Karma is learning to be more respectful of visitors when they enter our house. She barks less often at things outside, and stops looking and barking when she is told to. She protests very little now about heeling nicely, keeping a pace, or passing other dogs – and now I use a nylon choker on her instead of the pinch collar I had been using! She is also getting much better about tolerating the nail clippers.
Jamie Merritt