Cannot recommend Apex Canine enough. I had my two 80 lbs dogs trained 3.5 years ago by Shannon and…read moreher team. Recall, walking, seeing other dogs- both dogs were on best behavior after Apex. Dogs started to slack in last year because I forgot the training. Shannon met me and doggies in a central location and helped me retrain them over the course of a couple hours. Was able to get them back to being obedient just in those short 2 hours. Walked them through a busy farmers market and we passed 8 dogs successfully without any reaction from my pups. Shannon is a miracle worker and really stands behind her service. Apex works!!

Shannon and company were amazing with my anxious toy poodle. She's now a confident well behaved…read morepup who is so bonded to us because we now give her clear instructions on what we both need to do I love Shannon's gentle approach that also has accountability and discipline.

I have been doing Nosework with Pritamo for several years. She specializes in teaching folks with…read morefamily pets the relatively new dog sport of Nosework. My dogs love it! Pritamo creates cohorts of teams progressing through more and more difficult challenges over the years. I love learning to see the world through the dog's nose. I love watching each of the dogs work, their individual personalities leading to very different search styles. It is as stimulating for me as it is for my dogs and makes for wonderful teamwork and bonding. A couple of great advantages of Nosework is that dogs with fitness or behavioral challenges can participate--there is only one dog working at a time and the others are crated in the cars between their turns. My couch potato who doesn't know where his hind paws are didn't like agility but excels at Nosework.

Pritamo is an amazing trainer! I have taken agility classes from her for a year and it is amazing…read moreto see the difference in my shy, unconfident dog. She is now a confident, happy and mentally-exhausted (a good thing!) dog who can't wait to get to agility class. I started Noseworks training with her recently and she brings the same passion, enthusiasm and "every dog can do it" attitude. She is patient with us owners, has a great ability to read dogs and comes up with some amazing solutions to any problem or area us owners get stuck on. I highly recommend her and recommend Noseworks as a great way to build confidence in any dog - big, small, scared of everything, outgoing, crazy. The classed make for a very happy dog.

There aren't enough words to express my appreciation to the trainers and the staff at Four Paws. We…read morestarted our agility journey just when the world shut down for the pandemic and Four Paws pivoted to zoom. Just like everyone else, it was unknown waters to navigate for all. First, the dogs' safety is first and foremost and that is a mission of their positive training. Next, Robin worked on the upstairs and created a space where dogs can begin to work on their improving their skills. Mostly, the trainers are TOP NOTCH. They are all R+, and when there needed to have substitute trainers, Robin brought in some of the BEST. We have moved to more advance trialing, but without the work and training at Four Paws, we would have never embarked on this journey. Thank you to all of the trainers, past and present and to Robin for providing a safe, R+ environment for our pups to catch the agility bug. It is at a convenient location, check in is seamless, dog safety is paramount and it is indoors. It is a busy and overwhelming time for dog trainers, let's give some grace and most importantly have fun/play with your dog. I recommend this facility for people who are developing as teams. I will continue to support this local business and am grateful that the training team was our introduction to trialing. Thanks to the Four Paws team, Team Rio is trialing and doing our best. Side note: everyone wants to get on the flashy equipment, but without the foundation work, the flashy stuff with be for naught. Be patient with the process, and trust the trainers, they are the professional. It is well worth the investment. Rio says "woof"

Always positive reinforcement training. My girl loves the trainers there. Learning agility and…read morethe trainers are very patient and work with you.

We worked with Beth at Cold Noses Dog Training for our 9-month-old rescue chihuahua Ellie and both…read morethought she did a great job. Ellie already knew sit, and Beth taught her look, touch, stay, wait, come, leave it, drop it, off, and how to handle alert barking in our condo. Ellie picked it up quickly and the instructions for keeping the training going between sessions were clear,so that we could actually follow them and keep making progress for the next session. Positive, patient, and she made sure both of us were comfortable with the techniques. Would recommend.

We absolutley adored our sessions with Beth! Our 5 month old Yorkie, Mabel, was enchanted with Beth…read morefrom the minute she walked through the door as were my husband and I. Over the course of just a few sessions, she gave us a whole tool kit of techniques and provided us with extensive written explanantions each time for us to refer back to. She is so generous with her time, her positivity, and her expertise. To say we learned a ton is an understatement! Beth was warm, gentle yet firm, encouraging, kind, fun, and truly a joy to learn from. My husband, Mabel, and I could not have asked for a better more positive training experience! Beth is definitley a 'dog whisperer!'

Nicole is so amazing and wonderful to work with. She definitely knows her stuff. She helped my wife…read moreand I work on some obedience training with our 6 mo. old puppy as well as our other 5 y/o dog. Nicole was always very prompt and communicative. She sends you a summary of the things you cover after every appointment which is super helpful. I was really amazed to see how well she worked with the dogs, and how quickly they learned from her. My wife and I are certainly on a good path to getting our boys trained up now. I can't recommend Nicole enough. You will be glad you went with her.

Nicole has been instrumental in helping us with our reactive dog (Portie). From puppy and now to…read moreadolescence, Nicole has guided how we should train our dog and sometimes have to hit the reset button to get the results we desire - a dog enjoying his life to the fullest! She is responsive/punctual, insightful (thinking of new strategies), and effective (positive reinforcement leading to less impulse behaviors). She is also helpful with post-session notes so that we can remember all that we learned and use it in our training efforts! Nicole also dog sat for us at a hectic point in our lives and was flexible and accommodating to our schedule. We continue to use Nicole's services and entrust our dog in her care! Thank you, Nicole!

We recently moved to the Seattle area from San Diego, and the transition was tough on our dog,…read moreOllie. We started noticing increased anxiety, aggression, and reactivity, especially on walks around our apartment and around strangers. Luckily, we found Matt online, and he has been a total game-changer. What truly impressed us was Matt's depth of knowledge, you could tell he really understood the unique personality and needs of the dogs he worked with, and this translated into tailored training recommendations. Matt has helped build Ollie's confidence so much! Ollie is now much calmer and significantly less reactive to strangers and other triggers. Ollie has also learned to look to us more in anxiety-inducing situations, which is invaluable. He is able to dismiss stuff that previously would have set him off! Matt helped improve his leash walking so much, and Ollie is now able to heel like a rockstar--so much less pulling and way more focus! His reactivity around the neighborhood to triggers has decreased significantly. Plus, Ollie has learned some cool new tricks, like how to stop on command. Matt provided many extra tools for our toolbox when navigating tricky situations. We truly can't recommend him enough!

I thought I was not going to be able to keep my German Shepherd because she was so reactive to…read morethings like rabbits and squirrels and particularly other dogs. Matt helped me work with her on these issues, and also gave me tools to use when I am out with her to manage situations that might arise. She is still a work in progress, but the key concept is progress. Even our neighbor commented on how much better she is doing. I am definitely keeping her now!

What a great experience! I've never done dog training with any of my previous pets... But I knew…read moreright away with my new puppy that there were some hurdles that we would have if we didn't. Susan's shy confident class was exactly what we needed! She gave us the tools and the feedback to not only train our dog, but to train us on how to best interact and react with our new dog! We implemented everything we've learned and we're seeing results! Very thankful for the time spent! Thank you!!

PUPPY DAY CAMP is a great investment in growing your dog's social & obedience skills. Maisie, our…read moreField Golden who has boundless energy thrived at PDC. She loved being able to play with other pups & we continue to benefit from her willingness to follow commands & her good manners when on & off leash.

I reached out to Sensitive Dog when I adopted my current dog Lexi, a poodle mix. I quickly realized…read morethat she was bigger, stronger, and marter than other dogs I have had. I had taken dogs into the past to group obedience classes, but I realized that I wanted more than that - I wanted to make sure that I strengthened our bond as much as I could and that I was giving this sweet, smart dog as enriching a life as possible. The experience was incredible. Julie's background and knowledge are beyond extensive, and she tailored our work together to both Lexi and me. It was wonderful with Julie, and I feel as if our relationship was greatly enhanced by the experience. Julie was willing to give suggestions and advice about a broad range of questions I had, and I am very grateful. Without a doubt - if I ever add another end, I will be reaching out to Julie. I cannot recommend Sensitive Dog more enthusiastically. Thank you so much!

Julie Forbes, the Sensitive Dog trainer saved us! Our 11 month old adopted puppy, Haggis was…read moreadorable, but soon became known in the neighborhood as Haggis the Horrible. He devolved into a frenzy of barking when any person, dog, bike, car, or even a garbage can was in his field of view. My vet recommended Ahimsa, which was absolutely no help. Haggis failed their Growley Class and thus was barred from any further classes. I did one on one training with them that was a complete waste of time and left poor little Haggis catatonic with fear. I never returned. The wonderful people at Portland Dachshund Rescue, where we adopted Haggis from, encouraged me to find a trainer who had worked with Dachshunds before, and or really understood how to help sensitive dogs. My hunt for a new trainer took over a year! But it was well worth the time and energy. When I contacted Julie I was hopeless and a bit frantic myself. We had to cancel vacations because poor Haggis couldn't tolerate anyone in the house except me and my husband. Julie was terrific! She talked me down off the imaginary cliff I was on and we signed up for the initial lessons. I warned her Haggis would bark at her the entire time, which he pretty much did. But Julie ignored him and kept talking to us over his barking. Haggis finally wore himself out and curled up at my feet throwing a stink-eye at Julie occasionally to reminder her he was watching her. Then a remarkable thing happened. Julie taught us a calming game for Haggis. She had us lead him through the basics while she continued to ignore his chuffs. After a few trials of learning the game, Haggis completely forgot about Julie. He was absorbed in the sniff game, which utilized all dachshunds's super skill: their nose! Haggis ran through the game eager to do it again and again. He approached Julie without barking and looked up at her wanting to play *with* her, instead. At the end of the lesson he jumped up on her couch and sat next to her, content with his new friend. Each class with Julie provided a similar breakthrough for Haggis. At the second class Haggis, bound out of the car, ran up to Julies classroom and barked to be let in. Haggis's affection never wavered for Julie, an neither did ours. WE learned valuable tools and correct training techniques to help Haggis overcome his fear aggression. Within months, Haggis stopped barking at people and let them approach to say hi. Dogs were still something he preferred to keep across the street from him, but soon he stopped barking like a frenzied Doberman ready to attack (I had two Dobermans and they were the sweetest boys!). I am grateful and astonished to say that with Julie's training and guidance, Haggis has no problem letting dogs pass him on the sidewalk and has made a few walking buddies in our neighborhood. Haggis, once the Horrible, has turned into Haggis the Adorable! And Julie Forbes deserves 100% of the credit. We are indebted to her forever!!!!