We met Kate three weeks before we got our puppy. The purpose of the session was to review everything from supplies, to vets and vaccinations, to grooming, and most importantly, our lifestyle needs and how to adapt to a new living, breathing little ‘person’ in our home. She even called the breeder we used – to our delight – in order to get a sense of our pup’s life before us. Kate came to our house the very first day I brought our little girl, Sophie, home. What a godsend. I didn’t know where to put the crate/containment area (next to our bed? In another room? On a different floor?), or how to walk her (all Sophie wanted to do was lie down on the sidewalk!). What’s more, Sophie climbed out of her containment area on the second night we had her. We got a higher containment area, and she climbed out of that one too! She weighed 4.5 lbs!! I texted Kate early the next morning, and Kate got back to me within ten minutes. Through a lot of creative thinking, Kate helped us find a solution. Our puppy now sleeps peacefully through the night in her crate and pees both on wee pads inside and by the curb outside with equal ease. Kate’s approach tailors her training to her client’s lifestyles. Ours was challenging because our house was under construction when we got our pup.

There were workmen in and out of the house daily, with no consistent schedules, making a lot of loud, jarring noises. Kate got innovative to determine what would best help our pup feel safe and calm. Sophie, like all dogs (and human beings), has gone through stages that have led to behavioral changes. She’s now an adolescent, and true to form, she’s pushing boundaries, just like my two teenagers… agh! She tests us, defying commands and asserting dominant behavior in play with other dogs

Regarding the latter, Kate doesn’t believe in treating aggression with aggression. The dog will fear you, but not necessarily respect you. Discipline, detachment (the dog isn’t doing it *to* you, the dog’s just doing it), exercise, and love is what Kate teaches. I could go on, but I’ve probably already lost most of you… Suffice it to say, Kate has been invaluable, and is a good, kind and generous human being. I can’t recommend her highly enough. Elaine T.