Debi is awesome she IS NOT ABOUT THE MONEY SHE IS ABOUT TRAINING! She def knows what she is doing. She saved me from having to rehome my fur baby I kid you not in 1 hr. Of working with her of course we had to put our time in but her advise and support is out of this world. So do happy I chose her you will not be disappointed I promise. Debi thank you with all my heart! Shelly and Tino read more

Value Dog Training - Pet Training Near Me

I know Debi will read this and I want to be upfront - I have no intention in demeaning her as a person, and I don't wish ill will on anyone. I'm writing the review I wish I had seen before hiring her. I have an 8 year old Cavalier King Charles Spaniel who is overall fairly well-behaved. I hired Debi to learn training techniques to address his separation anxiety and inability to walk without tugging me everywhere. Debi may be qualified on paper to train dogs, however, the human coaching experience was unpleasant. She pointed out everything I was doing wrong and gave me a lengthy list of things I should change, completely unconcerned with our history, lifestyle, or preferences. I tried expressing some concerns and they were immediately dismissed. She told me to throw the dog crate away (he likes to sleep in his crate though), bring him with me to every store when I'm running errands (no thanks?), buy him a bunch of toys (his entire life he's never been interested in toys), and to tie him up to the couch in the living room. I want to focus my review on the dog training, but it's relevant to point out that Debi subscribes to many conspiracy theories. She argued Covid is "just like the flu", said she doesn't trust any medical professionals (she didn't believe her own test results from the doctor because "all of the machines are purposely calibrated too high"), and said not to follow any recommendations of veterinarians. She told me my dog looks overweight and to switch him to a low-protein diet, which I found particularly interesting because I'm a registered dietitian by profession and that completely belies what I know about human nutrition. Some cursory Googling of the literature confirms what I suspected to be true - a low protein diet is only beneficial for very specific health conditions and actually has negative effects in terms of preserving lean body mass while trying to lose weight. I pointed this out, saying it runs contrary what vets also recommend, and she said "vets aren't nutritionists"...the irony was too much to handle. She did address everything I wanted to learn - from basic commands to walking techniques. But, I'm unsure what advice to follow given that anything with logic or a scientific basis was not in her realm. When it came time to pay, she made an off-color remark about Asians and tipping, and at that point I was so saturated with conspiracies, illogic, contradictions, and now racism that I needed an emotional break before I could write this review. We simply weren't a good fit. But, hey, if you disagree with anything I wrote, maybe you will be. read more

Debi, of Value Dog Training is very helpful during our first lesson! Lots of basics information that we didn't know about, and our puppy has responded very quickly. Debi was extremely informative and demonstrated techniques very effectively. I highly recommend Debi, Value Dog Training. read more

Value Dog Training - Pet Training Near Me

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I have hired Debi a few times for different behavioral training. I have also hired at least 4 "treat-based" trainers who charge a lot more and really didn't get results other than giving my dog diarrhea from all the treats! Debi produces results in one session. Look, she has a stern, authoritative style and it might not be for everybody, but it works for my dogs. I had new neighbors move in behind me with 2 rambunctious dogs that set off my dogs. The barking was non-stop. Debi came over today and worked with me in the backyard with my dogs. We set off the 2 dogs in the backyard and then she worked on changing how my dogs reacted - genius! We did the same thing on the walks where my other dog lunges when seeing other dogs. With just corrections from the collar - my dog's reaction immediately changed. If you do training for a living and see other dogs acting out, of course it's natural to want to tell people how to change the behavior - if you don't want to take the advice - then don't take it! I would rather have my dogs not barking, lunging or jumping on other people so I find Debi's training very valuable. If you want to ask someone who has actually hired Debi vs. complaining about what happens at the dog park - then feel free to reach out. I'm happy to share my experience! read more

I WISH I READ THESE REVIEWS BEFORE I HIRED THIS LADY!!! Our dog is a very smart and sweet German shepherd and all we needed was help so he won't jump on cars or go out of the gate on our 3 acre property. He already knew sit, stay, quiet, paw, lay down, leave it, drop it, potty by the fence, bring it to me etc. So he isn't an idiot. On the positive, our dog will now stay away from the gate and the cars who drive in to my property. On the negative, our dog is literally traumatized. All of these reviews are true. She was so rude that in the first five minutes of meeting her, I had to swear and tell her to leave and she was fired unless she was going to work with me and be smooth. Right off the bat, told me I have to use this and that command and I calmly told her my dog has been used to "quiet" instead of "leave it" when he barks at nonsense. But this is not logical as he is 8 months old and has always been told "quiet" when he barks. She is rude. She is very bossy. She uses many, many commands at the same time and confuses your dog until he is in apathy and just sits still in fear of the pain from the pinch collar and doesn't know what's going on. I could go on, but you get the idea... read more

Amazing! I have a 7 month old husky and who was out of control. I was beyond frustrated! I have completed Foundation III training package and what a transformation! She can now sit, heel, lay down, and wait. I learned so much from Debi of Value Dog Training. I cannot thank her enough. The investment it was so worth it! Do this for you and your dog. You won't regret it. I highly recommend Value Dog! read more

Debi the owner of Value Dog has really turned my dogs behavior around. Coco is a Beagle mix and Daisy is a Terrier mix both tend to bark uncontrollably especially when we have guest over; Daisy is the oldest so Coco feeds off her energy. I've had dogs all my life and never had problems training them. The first day we started working with Debi, immediately,Coco & Daisy's behavior changed, they responded to the commands and now listens to me when I say the commands Debi taught me; also told us the dogs needed more toys. Me as the pack leader now have to continue the reinforcements so that we all can be happy!! Thank you Debi!! read more

Value Dog Training - new toys to play tug-of-war!! - Pet Training Near Me

I am very satisfied with the work of the goddess..I love Debi's Work.Highly Recommend!

If I could give no stars I would! Debi did not train our puppy and will not train our puppy! We met her at a restaurant and was solicited by her. She was bossy and rude. Not the type of person we wish our puppy to be trained by. read more

This has also been put on Google Reviews, but the more places I can put this hopefully the more people will see it. To summarize, since this may get a little long, we hired Debi to come to our apartment to get extra advice on how to work with our newly adopted german shepherd on his reactivity to our cat, and instead she physically and verbally abused both of our dogs, and made recommendations that can be hazardous to the health of any dog. Let me explain. My two roommates and I adopted a german shepherd, Riku, a few days ago, and brought him home to our golden retriever, Hamilton, and our cat, Freyr. Riku shows wonderful temperament with people, but has mild reactivity towards other dogs and strong reactivity towards cats, which we did not know when we got him. Let me preface here that we are not completely inexperienced with animals by any means. My roommate, who adopted the german shepherd, is a former kennel technician who has worked at vet offices, kennels, boarding facilities, dog daycares, and volunteered at animal shelters. I've been training dogs my entire life, but specifically I've spent the last almost 3 years training Hamilton as a service dog. My roommates and I were, and still are, confident that we can train Riku to work well with both cats and other dogs, but we wanted to make sure that there weren't any other options we were missing that might make the transition easier for all three animals, and we wanted another trainer's opinion. When Debi arrived, one of the first things she tried to do was train Riku how to lay down, something we had told her he was already learning quickly from us simply pointing at the floor. Rather than try this, she stepped on the leash connected to his martingale collar so it was forcibly dragging him to the floor by his throat. She repeatedly yelled the command "down" dozens of times in a row without pause, giving Riku no chance to react to the command. Debi kept Riku on leash, and every few seconds she would yank on the leash, repeatedly shouting "Leave it! Leave it!" at Riku, regardless of whether Riku was pulling towards Hamilton, looking around, or sitting perfectly still. She never once praised Riku for anything he did well, and would often give corrections even for good behaviors. Multiple times Riku tried to walk up to sniff Hamilton in a completely relaxed manner, body posture loose and calm, and Debi still yanked on the leash and shouted at him, dragging him away from Hamilton to the point of Riku coughing and wheezing from the amount of pressure on his throat. In addition to what she did with our dogs specifically, she also recommended a variety of things that are harmful to dogs in general. She recommended stroking down the dogs' backs with lavender essential oils, which essential oils can be harmful to dogs, both topically and when ingested. (https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/health/are-essential-oils-safe-for-dogs/) She recommended lavender essential oil specifically to help soothe the dogs while around each other, though she told us that dogs don't need anxiety treatment to begin with. (https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/health/treating-dog-anxiety/) She also recommended shaving both dogs, stating that their heavy coats aren't necessary in the hot weather in Sacramento. Dogs with long coats need that fur not just for keeping warm in the winter, but also for keeping cool in the summer. (https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/health/keeping-dogs-cool-summer/) Debi also told us that there's really no way to tell what dogs are actually feeling based on their behavior and body language, that it's all just assumption with no real consistency, and that it varies between breed so it's impossible to tell. While breed variation can alter the appearance of certain body language cues, body language is still well documented in dogs. (https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/advice/how-to-read-dog-body-language/) Please, if you're looking for a dog trainer, look somewhere else, unless you want a traumatized dog that will hide their stress and give no warning before biting someone. read more

The change in our dog has been amazing since working with Debi. We adopted our pit mix from the pound. He has been wonderful with our sons but he was terrible on the leash, he wouldn't stay off of the furniture and he would bark constantly every time we left him alone- even just in another room. In just a few sessions the boy are able to walk the dog on his leash, he is laying on his bed instead of our couches and his barking has calmed down significantly. The whole family is able to use the commands we were taught and Buddy is happy and playful instead of agitated and anxious. I wish we had found Debi sooner! She is an excellent teacher for dogs and the humans that love them! read more

Debbie acted like she cares for dog but it didn't seem that way. She was yelling at my dog and anytime my dog moved she yanked the pinched collar and yelled leave it! Even when my dog yawned! I requested help to get my dog to behave when we see another dog so she brought her dog Daisy. My dog was barking like normal and her technique didn't do anything but get two separate neighbors to come out yelling at her and me. Worst experience ever and so embarrassing. I had to ask her to leave. She blamed everything on my neighbors and offered me a free training in the park. After thinking about it for a week I decided I will not have her near my dog again and felt the need to let others know not to let her near your dogs. She will belittle you and talk down about any other trainer you brought your dog too. One person who didn't even live near me, told her to stop because he was hearing her belittle me yelling not to let anyone touch my dog. Never again and waste of $50 Much happier with my dog trainer from Petco. read more

We have an enthusiastic Golden Retriever puppy who is quickly becoming quite the gentleman, thanks to Debi, is truly training not only Finn, but the two of us. Even with various dog breeds, sizes and personalities, Debi is competent and effective in guiding behavior, both in the dogs and their parents! She demonstrates every training technique multiple times and gives us opportunity to practice, with coaching. We're fully aware that his success completely depends on our follow-through. Finn is now a well behaved puppy in every setting. We highly recommend Value Dog Training! Thank You. read more

Talked to Debi after talking to several other dog trainers including the very best I could find. The nationally know trainers did not have the time for my strong barking Malinois. Which is, of course, understandable. From the local trainers Debi is the only one that did not ask for a big money commitment to handle a difficult case. She got me and my Malinois on the right track. I appreciated her services. I have read the other reviews and they seem suspect to me. Usually there are 3 and 4 rating as well. Dog training is very competitive it seems these reviews may be from a competitor rather than actual reviews. Give her a call and make up your own mind. PS Yes I don't usually leave yelp comments, but in this situation it seemed necessary. read more

The head trainer for this company is named Debi. I had the unfortunate experience of meeting her today (Aug 23rd 2009) at the Bark In The Ballpark Sacramento River Cats game. She was approaching people and handing out her business flyer. She walked up to me and the two people I was attending with (we had two dogs among us), and asked me directly if I was having my puppy trained. I've had this question asked by trainers at Petsmart and Petco before, which is fine because I understand they have a business to promote. After telling them my pup is already in classes, they praise the fact that I am having my puppy trained and leave me alone about it. Debi was no such person. I kindly told her, yes, my puppy was already in training classes. Right away she seemed oddly offended and asked me who I was training with. I told her it was a private trainer. She responded quickly and with a snotty tone, "I'm a private trainer as well." She then pressed me for my trainer's name, even though I told her I guaranteed she would not know him. I said his name after more pressure, and surprise surprise she didn't know him. I then explained the training I go to is a group situation where friends gather to train our dogs under one experienced trainer. I told her thanks, but no thanks. She then moved on to the two people I was with, and tried to solicit them. They told her their dog was already in training classes, and they weren't interested. Debi had her beagle Daisy with her, which was causing my friend's dog to bark. My friend asked Debi to move her dog away because it was obviously agitating her dog. Debi right away said, "That is something I can fix." My friend again said no, they were not interested. Finally after Debi continued to harass us about what she could do for our dogs, my friend asked her to please leave us alone. She screamed and pointed at us "You all have issues!" and stormed off. We were all bewildered and angry about what had just happened. Not five minutes later she approached a couple a little way from us who had two beagles. We didn't hear what she said, but she stomped away from them screaming "You guys have issues!" The couple had their jaws dropped and were looking around like "What the heck just happened?" Another couple next to them were laughing because they were so dumbfounded by the blatant rudeness of this woman. I have no idea if she is a good trainer or not, but anyone who can be so rude and mean to people doesn't deserve any business. Don't give this woman your money, you can find someone in Sacramento who will treat you and your dog with a little respect. read more

I found this ad for dog training on Craigslist and then visited the company's website. "Best dog trainer in Sacramento!" It says. "Run the other way," I say. I wholeheartedly believe this woman not only does not have a clue about dog behavior or training, but that she is dangerous to dogs and their humans. We only called a behaviorist because our new shelter dog was having fear based aggression issues. Although she knew this is why we made the appointment and I asked specific questions related to specific aggression issues, she danced around the questions and never addressed them. I think because she didn't know how. Her idea of correction was literally screaming at the dogs and spraying vinegar water at them. (Thank you, now my house stinks of vinegar). Throughout our 1.5 hour initial session, she spouted such innanities as: 1. Heartworm is not contracted via mosquito - it's in the dirt in your backyard. The heartworm medication used for prevention is just a sham by the vets to get your money. 2. The stuffing in Dollar Store pet toys is absolutely fine if ingested. (Again, she went back to accusing the vet's of trying to milk us for money. Meanwhile the vet told us to get stuffing-less toys because if ingested the stuffing impacts their digestive tract and requires surgery. The vet was trying to save us money and our dog's life). 3. Positive reinforcement/treat training is BS because you will forever have to feed your dogs in order to get them to obey. (I've trained several of my own dogs this way and you quickly get to a point where they don't need the treat to listen.) 4. She was against crate training and her solution was just to let him roam the house and if he chewed stuff up, well then that's just what happens. 5. She told us our dog's aggression was likely linked to negative energy in the house and that we needed to burn sage to cleanse it. 6. To get the dog used to the leash, her solution was to drag him on his side down the street and told us if anyone were to call the cops to tell them to mind their own business. 7. She spent 80% of the session talking about her dogs/family/friends and really only the last 20 minutes addressing any of our dog behavior issues. 8. Said vets don't know what they're talking about because they just diagnose your dog using WebMD. Actually told us not to take the dog to the vet, rather Google any issues. When we called to cancel our followup appointment, she was angry. We told her there was so much negative energy in the house after she left that the dogs didn't settle down for 3 days. We told her we didn't believe in her ultra-aggressive methods and that it wasn't a good fit. She told us she didn't believe us (I'm sorry, what?) and stuck to her story of there being animosity and negative energy. I'll give her that one though - she knew I thought she was full of shit and kept challenging me every time I asked her a question. TL;DR - This trainer has zero qualifications, is dangerous to the dogs/humans she's trying to help, and thinks she knows better than all of science and veterinary medicine combined. If you're ever in the mood to be demeaned and spoken to in the most condescending manner possible, then hire this "trainer." UPDATE** more than a year after my review this crazy lady is trying to say it's inaccurate because she hasn't serviced Stockton. I was never in Stockton - she came to my home in Elk Grove. If you look at her other bad reviews hey all sing the same story. She caused serious PTSD to my 2 dogs. If you love your animals stay far away. read more

This is a bit different for me to write about one of my best friends (no, he is not a human!), but here is the true story. While visiting my family in Sacto, an Auntie suggested Norman needed a bit of training to relieve him of the aggression he had been displaying toward other pets in the home. While he cannot speak to me, when I get angry with him, he sulks and starts to howl for no apparent reason. Auntie suggested, by a trusted friends recommendation, to Value Dog Training. Once we got there, as we went through the entrance I knew I'd made the correct decision, just the way Norman was acting told me everything would be fine. The young lady, Debi, was very caring and attentive as I spoke to her about what I perceived to be the problem. She explained the various functions of the animals brain, how they think, what prompts them to anger, fear, etc, all so simply and intelligently, I figured she had a veternarians degree. After just a couple days in her care, Norman is much more behaved, obedient and (love to say this) enjoys chasing cats for fun....not for food! Her diet suggestions appear to have changed his attitude and diminished his aggressiveness. The pricing, places a capital "V" in the name "Value" We could not be more pleased with Debi and Value Dog Training. Maybe they should change the name to "Vibrant Dog" Academy?!!? read more

Debbie, the owner of Value Dog Training is absolutely incredible! She has helped me immensely with the training of my Bassett Hound Rocky. Debbie is very firm but extremely gentle with the dogs that she trains. Debbie potty trained my puppy within a week. Debbie's determination to get the job done (training doggies) really is effective. I will continue to utilize Value Dog training for all of my Rocky^s needs. I love her!! Genuinely really cares about your doggie. read more

I went to Debi with a small puppy problem and she gave me easy tips on how to correct the situation. Debi is awesome! I would definitely recommend her. read more

I have read some of the reviews or comments about the abilities of Debbi of Value Dog Training Here is my comment:: We have a little Yorkie who is one year old Her name is Jessie. She is the cutest sweetest animal you would ever encounter. When I walk her everyone we meet would take her in a minute. So what's the problem? The problem is when she gets something in her mouth she becomes very aggressive. If you try to get it out of her mouth she will bite you. It's a little scary we could tolerate it but our concern is what if one of our Grand kids tries to take something away from her she might bite them. After one training session with Debi we realized that Jessie was very smart. She caught on right away. She now drops items that she shouldn't have using the command drop it and the spray bottle with water only. We are very pleased with the results of the training session. Debbi is very aggressive and sometime a little loud but I think you have to be to get the job done. read more

This is an extremely aggressive and abusive lady. I met her several weeks ago when I was walking my dog and she happened to be on her front yard and ran to us offering her services. Apparently she is a dog trainer and at that time i thought it was a nice idea to hire one. However after she showed me few tricks of hers on the street, it made me think about her services. She screamed at my puppy so loud the whole street could her, also she threw my puppy on the ground and screamed for him to follow her commands. Any dog would listen to her because she is really abusive. Next time I met her she was trying to accuse me that my dog is aggressive and I myself need training yet she again showed me her preview lesson by yelling and pushing my puppy to the ground for him to listen to her commands. My puppy is not aggressive . He plays with cats and shares food with them and he does not even know how to bark. I walk him out every day and all the kids we see on the streets or any adults pet him and they all tell me he is a calm and well behaved puppy. I nicely told her at that time I ll think about her services. The services were kinda pricey $400, I really didn't feel paying that much to such aggressive dog trainer. For the 3rd time she saw me walking down the street she start approaching me again with her typical accusations, yelling and aggressiveness and telling me again that my puppy is aggressive and dangerous. I did not say anything and just kept walking down the street, then she started yelling out loud racist comments and cursing in front of my toddlers. So definitely think twice before hiring her . Extremely rude , abusive , unprofessional and apparently very racist lady. *** This is 100% TRUE information and I am not a dog trainer as Debi stated responding to my review. I'm actually an RN :) *** Debbie, it's not fake ! U approached and attacked me last year! Yelp is for to post reviews, good or bad. You can take it down as many times as you want. It's the truth ! Maybe instead of lying just try being a better person and trainer! read more

Debi, the "dog trainer" (in quotations on purpose) is not a professional whatsoever. Her behavior is very aggressive and she's very rude TO PEOPLE, so I can't even imagine how she treats dogs. She offered me her services a few times and she was very pushy, I'd say more of mandating her services onto me. I was just walking my puppy down the street and she was coming out to talk to me several times saying how terrible my dog is and needs her training. I politely declined her services and let her know I'm not interested and next time she saw us she started yelling at me, CURSING and making accusations towards my puppy who actually behaves completely normal but obviously not according to her because she just wants to make money. ***Also, there are some people who stated they are shocked by the negative, FAKE/FALSE reviews and called those victims HATERS, so just FYI this is a TRUE story, and same thing happened to my neighbor as well because we didn't want her services!!! She might be ok when she tries to sell herself to people to hire her, but if you say no to her THAT'S WHEN THE TRUE COLORS COME OUT. If you had a positive experience with her, then good for you, or maybe you're just a relative or were paid or something. BUT THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO HAD A BAD EXPERIENCE WITH DEBI AND WE ARE ENTITLED TO SHARE OUR EXPERIENCE JUST AS WELL. So no need to call us haters or crazy or think we're trying to gain something from sharing the TRUTH. And also the good reviews, which are not currently recommended, sound alike very much and were all pretty much posted from May to July --- I suspect they were done by same person or something. **** P.S. - DEBI, PLEASE STOP LYING THAT THIS IS FAKE/FALSE REVIEW!!! I WOULD NOT WASTE MY TIME ON WRITING THIS IF THIS WAS NOT THE TRUTH. ACCORDING TO YOU, THE BAD REVIEWS YOU HAVE ARE ALL FAKE???? ***Everyone, this did happen last year. I wrote a review then but she did everything to have it removed. So I went ahead and spent a few minutes to rewrite it*** read more

Do NOT hire Debi from Value Dog Training!!!! We had recently rescued a sweet dog from a local shelter and just wanted some advice on simple obedience to help him adjust better to his new home. This woman terrified my dog with her "training" methods. To the point where he was so scared he tried to hide behind our sofa and ended up peeing on the carpet. Her "training" consisted of chasing our dog around the house, screeching at him and spraying him in the face with vinegar water. She would encourage him to do something bad just so she could yell at him and spray him in the face. This was not the type of "training" we signed up for. This is not a woman who loves dogs and wants to foster trust between dogs and owners (as she claims on her website) We ended up finding a different EXCELLENT trainer who treated our dog with the patience and kindness he deserved! read more

First, she was 15 minutes late to our in home training session. Then, she came into the home and right away told my Aunt (who is age 78) that her dog is fat and she is feeding him too much. When my Aunt told her that the vet had told her how much to feed the dog she said the vet doesn't know anything. She then proceeded to be very rude and obnoxiously belittling with her very annoying high pitched loud voice through the whole training, which I cut short because she did nothing but yell at my puppy and pull on the choke chain she had placed around her neck. She made it known several times that she had taken veterinary technician classes and knew better than the vets (I never told her that I had been a vet tech) and thus she proceeded to know everything about everything. I also did not tell her i have been a pet groomer and Kennel Manager. She asked nothing about my experience with animals at all. She even said harnesses are not good for dogs - which we all know is wrong and that seat belts are not good for dogs. she admitted that her dog that she has had for a couple of years has to be on a seat belt because she cannot get him to settle down in the car. She cannot even train her own dog. I ended the session early because quite frankly she was telling me nothing I did not already know and was wasting my time. I paid her her money, even though I really wanted to tell her she had wasted my time and did not deserve to be paid. She is nothing but an uneducated, obnoxious know it all and is rude to both humans and pets! I would never recommend this Debi to anyone! She is absolutely the very worst trainer I have ever met. Please, Please, Please, save your money and go somewhere else if you need training. This was a waste of not only my time and patience but my hard earned money as well. read more

We hired this dog trainer to help us bring our family dog of nine years together with our recently adopted dog (our uncle passed away). Our family dog of nine years was known to be dog aggressive. After one hour her advice to us was that it was not going to work, we should put our family dog to sleep and keep our new dog. Well thank goodness we didn't listen to her advice. After three weeks of patience, diligence, and some common sense our two dogs are not only tolerating each other they are best of friends. I'm a little shocked that this trainer never event suggested putting more effort than one hour into the project. I suspect she just wanted to take the quickest route to her fee. read more

After one visit my stubborn 9 month old Jack Russell Terrier was walking without pulling! I didn't think it was possible. Walks are much more enjoyable now. I will be using Value Dog Training again in the near future. Tim W read more

I am so ashamed to admit that I hired Debi to work with my 8 month old Papillion without researching her in advance. I am even more a shamed to admit that I did not stand up to her and basically allowed her to abuse my 5lb puppy. I cannot explain why I did not stand up to her, when the entire time all I could think about was she's a complete nut! Over the phone I had already explained to her that my pup knew her basic commands including walking on a loose leash: healing on and off a leash. Although on occasion she does refuse to lay down and will sit staring at me up to half hour before finally laying down. She currently will stay when asked for up to a half hour as well. The purpose of the training was to get her to an advance level of obedience (not over night but in time) as I would like to in the future possibly use her as a service dog for myself or a Therapy dog for others. Without an question I did need help or suggestions with associating her with other dogs. She does not go after other dogs while walking or such, but when they are brought into her little bubble of space directly up to her She always wants to dominate the other dogs. Once they summit she's made a best friend, but you know you can't expect strangers to allow her to act so foolish when meeting her. Debi immediately took over my house. My little pup made the mistake of going over to her to check her out. I say this because before I even completely understood what was happening myself she had a choker type collar on my tiny pup. When I objected she kind of raised her voice telling me that it's bull that little dogs of any breed have throat issues that require a harass rather than a collar. Vets do not train dogs so they don't know what they are talking about. My current little dog has never pulled on a leash so I can't say she has chocked with a collar, but I attempted to explain I've had experience w/other small dogs having choking problems she told me it's because they were faking it, it had nothing to do with their breed, throat or health it was all a game. Before I know it she's sitting on the floor yelling "down, down, down, down, down" while pulling on the collar and pushing on my pups body. My dog was shaking like I've never seen an animal shake. Then she started yelling "up, up, up," while pulling her to sit up. A simple sit would have worked. At some point my pup started fighting her. Debi claimed it was cause I've taught her tricks, so she was playing games. NO! Never once has my dog circled without being asked to circle. She was trying to get away from this nut! For a hour I listened to this lady scream commands at my dog and to tell me that vets do not know what they're talking about concerning harasses and such, other trainers do not know what they are talking about. There's no such thing as pack leader in family dog packs, no such thing as small dog syndrome (something I experienced when I had Chi's and want to avoid with my Pap), oh no such things as alpha dogs. Goodness I could go on. If she wasn't screaming at my dog she was scolding me for one thing after another-telling me I'm destroying my dog for one reason after another. Basically everything I have ever read, or seen on TV about dog training was old school and crazy. Things I have been taught going through group training with previous dogs is nuts! Clearly screaming and frightening your dog into submission is the way to train your best friend. The rest of that evening and through out the next day my pap who is always by my side laid on my bed shaking when ever I tried to encourage her off. She didn't care if I wasn't in the room. If I picked her up and took her into the living room where she had been abused she ran back on to my bed. She refused to play ball which she is nuts about, she refused food and water. Late in the afternoon the following day I took her with me to an appointment. For the first time ever she was afraid to walk in the door and pulled on her leash. Mind you this wasn't even a new location for her, which wouldn't had normally mattered anyhow. While visiting with my doctor on two occasion she growled when the doctor made a sudden movement. My dog had NEVER EVER acted this way EVER! She goes every where with me. Yes, she does shake like a lot of the small breeds you've come across, but she's never shyed away from a stranger and she's never growled at anyone. Its been a couple days since I allowed this lady to invalid the safety of my house. My pup now barks at everyone and I'm heart broken to say her beautiful tail is between her legs. Please stay away from this lady at all cost!! I'm going to add before leaving she did tell us about a client she had worked with the week before who had a barking Terrier whom she had regretting forgetting her shock collar that visit. Seriously! A shock collar. Stay away from this lady unless you want your best friend mentally and emotionally if not physically harmed. read more

Each trainer has their " own " ways. Sometimes it is the owners who just don't get it. These days you have to be aggressive to survive. I'd say she seems inexpensive at $400, check around. Make a wise decision but training is always required. read more