Testimonials

Amy’s work was life changing for us! Our beautiful boy Gus was struggling with recall and we were struggling as well. Amy recommended e-collar training, and it has made a huge difference for us. We can now safely have Gus off-leash and enjoy our adventures. Not only did she have patience with Gus, but with us as well, because she was training us too! I can’t recommend Amy and her knowledge and skills enough! -Mari

After adopting our young Great Pyrenees/Labrador Buddy, we soon realized that the training I was familiar with wasn’t helping him or our older, more anxious lab Max, who was not used to sharing his house or people with anyone. We struggled with reacting to other dogs and pulling on leash, boundaries, and general manners within our home. I learned about TBTE training on my own, but quickly realized I needed professional support to help my pooches live their best lives. Working with Amy was incredible; she was very patient, knowledgeable, and she helped both my dogs acquire the skills to deal with anxiety, as well as helped me set physical and behavioral boundaries for them. I thought it was Mission Impossible when we started, but she actually tamed the chaos.

After completing the Companion Dog program with her, we enrolled Buddy in Freedom Dog Program to teach Buddy off leash recall. When we started he had almost zero recall, as Great Pyrenees are famous for. After only a few sessions he comes to me when I call him, and because of her training Buddy is able to enjoy freedom along with Max. He now spends hours with us off-leash hiking in the woods, swimming in ponds, and playing in the snow. - Elizabeth

Shortly after we adopted our dog Junie, we learned she was nervous and sometimes reacted aggressively. I did not know how to handle her and wanted to make sure she would fit into our family and general way of life. Amy helped us find ways to keep Junie calm and help her slowly become used to different environments and situations. She taught us skills for helping the kids to interact with her in safe ways that helped develop their relationship. She helped me learn how to keep her in the right environment for her level of comfort but also how to encourage her to feel safe as we broaden her experiences. Amy gave me skills and tools I could practice without her and helped fine tune these skills during training sessions. Overall, she gave us all the ability to have Junie be a loved member of our family who we can continue to incorporate into the activities we love as a family. I would recommend Amy as a trainer to anyone looking for a positive method for helping their dog! - Meghan, Junie’s mom

We were at a loss with how to help our blind dog and manage his behaviors, and Amy helped us tremendously. The work we did with her helped make his world a much less scary place, and more predictable. Amy not only helped our dog, but helped us become better pet parents and understand his world a little bit better. Thank you Amy for the many tools you have given us that we use every single day! - Robin

My dog Luna is nervous around loud noises, especially fireworks. I contacted Amy for help. and she came to my house to work with me and with Luna. Amy provided clear, specific techniques that I could use to help my dog calm herself, and she practiced them with me until I felt comfortable using them. Luna is now much less reactive to loud noises, and I’m able to help her effectively when she does react. Not only that, Luna is barking less at people walking by our front window, and she is more confident when meeting new people. Even my family has noticed the improvement in her. Amy is calm, knowledgeable, and responsive to the needs of the individual situation. She helped me and my dog, and she’ll help you and your dog, too. - Holly

The Companion Dog program with Amy was a lifesaver for our rescue dog, Zara and us. Zara was rescued from the streets of Russia and spent 18 months at a shelter there before a rescue group brought her to the U.S. As expected, she was extremely fearful and anxious. She developed severe separation anxiety to the extent that she was harming herself. I knew that we needed in person sessions to be successful. It provided us with the structure and accountability that we needed. Amy comes to your house for training sessions, which is HUGE for our really anxious dogs. I appreciated that Amy was respectful of Zara’s boundaries, and focused on giving us the skills to actively work with her on a daily basis. Amy uses the “Training between the ears” (TBTE) method, which helps the dog learn to relax and regulate their own emotions, as well as change how they view the world. Before working with Amy, Zara would often cower, whimper and run away from new people. It was difficult to get her to eat regularly, and she rarely accepted treats. Now she greets new people her tail held high, often wagging with excitement and curiosity. The best part about this training method is that we can continue to use the skills Amy taught us as Zara's GSL increases. - Ally

We absolutely loved working with Amy and our pup benefitted so much from her training sessions. The behavior modification work has helped him become much more optimistic and able to relax on his own — he’s no longer stressed at every dog or person that walks by the house, and is less nervous meeting new dogs. The off leash training was great. We went from nervously trying to corral our dog on hikes to having 100% confidence in his recall (and our confidence in using an ecollar). He is now able to attend dog camp as well! - Nick

Being new dog owners, my partner and I were a little lost on where to start with our pit-mix, Caesar. He's a sweet boy but a rescue that definitely came with his fair share of undesirable behavioral traits. Amy was extremely helpful with giving us the tools to tackle these problems. She made the process
much more digestible by breaking down the training into levels of intensity that set Caesar and ourselves up for success. She helped us realize that many of Caesar's struggles were due to his outlook on life; everything made him stressed! So we focused on tiny challenges followed by lots of rewards. This has made tackling bigger challenges more manageable. Caesar still has more room to grow, but thanks to Amy we have the tools to get there. Now our walks are much more relaxing and Caesar seems to be much more open to the world. - Josh

The work Amy did for me and my dog Moonie was nothing short of incredible! In only three sessions she helped us correct some difficult behavior and helped make me feel super secure with his recall. She's patient, kind, and really willing to work with my schedule which was a huge plus! If you're thinking of working with Amy it's well worth the time and money, and my relationship with my dog is so much better because of it. - Chiara

It was a great decision the do the e collar training with Amy. Our dog Riley was consistent in recall as long is there were no distractions. But would not come if there were other people or dogs around . We really wanted to be able to long walks through the woods without fear of him running off. After the training with Amy we were able to have him off leash and know that he would come back to us when we needed him too. He also pays much more attention to us in all environments. Amy was very helpful with the training and has stayed in touch with us to answer questions. I would highly recommend her training. - Mary

Working with Amy at Squad Dogs was the best thing I could have done for my doggo Tucker James. She was able to tailor the training to Tuckers specific needs as they arose. I adopted Tucker in August 2020 and I was still getting to know him as I signed him up for training. Amy was really able to help me understand when the right time to begin certain training was and how to effectively/successfully implement it. I have already recommended her to many of my friends and I will continue to do so - Katelyn