Testimonials

We started working with Kristin when our puppy was 10 weeks old and have been meeting with her weekly for the past four months.  We had met with three other dog trainers before our first session with Kristin, and immediately liked her calm demeanor, training philosophy and techniques. Our puppy is turning into a fun, affectionate, and well-behaved dog. Kristin has guided us through all aspects of training including housebreaking, essential commands such as sit, down, heel, and stay, as well as how to play fetch. The process has been enjoyable and rewarding, and Kristin has been delightful, as well as professional in all ways – reliable, but flexible with scheduling; punctual for the sessions; makes full use of our time together; provides training notes; and is available between sessions to answer questions.  Also of note, she has been adept at dealing with all the personalities and training styles within our family.  We are so grateful to be working with Kristin and recommend her highly. 

Jim and Laura Kroger

We adopted our husky mix Chance when he was 1 year old and were having a hard time getting past the basics. He was pulling a lot during walks and was super reactive around other dogs.

 We decided to work with Kristin and I cannot speak highly enough. She is amazing. When he came back, he was extremely well trained. My husband and I were very committed to implementing what Kristin taught him and she made it super easy to put into place what he worked on with her. It’s an absolute joy taking him for walks now. We are getting compliments left and right about how well behaved he is. We take him off-leash hiking often and trust him completely. Kristin is very responsive whenever we have questions—even a year later.

We can honestly say it was the best money ever spent.

Sarah C.

Our dog, Wendy, has always been very high energy and anxious. When we adopted our other dog, Bonnie, there were a couple incidents where Wendy would become aggressive towards her. When Wendy was at board and train, Kristin sent us detailed emails explaining what they were working on as well as several photos/videos of her training. Kristin helped Wendy build up her confidence and eagerness to train in a matter of days. When Wendy came home, we had a long training session catching us up to speed so we could maintain her training and further her progress. It’s been almost two months since we started this program and both of our dogs have flourished.

Zoe K. 

Rosie is a strong-willed rescue dog (Blue Heeler and Border collie mix) and hadn’t had any training when we offered to take care of her for a while for our son.  This was my first experience with a dog, so I needed help.  I started working with Kristin, who has a lot of experience with training cattle dogs and what a difference it has made for Rosie and for me.  Kristin knew what she was doing with Rosie’s training and was able to help me gain confidence, so I could be more effective with the training.  Kristin was extremely supportive and encouraging to both Rosie and me and I have so appreciated that and have enjoyed the progress we’ve made together.  Kristin always seemed to have something new to try when we needed to change things up.  Rosie will always have that cattle dog temperament, but with the work we’ve done, she is a much easier and more enjoyable dog to have around the house now.  We’ll miss her so, when she goes back to live with our son. 

Erica Gregory

 I first signed up for a Reactive Dog class with my lab, who was six at the time and extremely anxious, reactive, and generally out of control. I've had this dog since he was a puppy - we were too lenient and didn't socialize him well, and after moving into a home with essentially no yard, we were out of crutches to help us deal with his poor behavior. He would pull like no other on the leash, lunge aggressively at other dogs, and was nearly un-walkable. We couldn't take him anywhere, because he would bark, lunge, growl, and similar. I knew he wanted to please us, but I didn't know how to communicate with him. In January of 2019 we started training privately with Kristin, and I can't explain what a lifesaver she's been. By mid-February, my dog was walking amazingly on leash, had near-perfect recall, stopped lunging and barking, and hung out on his place in our kitchen while we were at home. This dog now goes to work with me every day, goes shopping with me at all the dog friendly stores, goes out to eat with me, walks downtown with me, and elicits countless comments that "He is so well-trained!!" I give Kristin's email address out multiple times a month to people who stop me and ask about my dog's obedience because he's just that good. I can't thank Kristin enough. A year and a half ago I told my husband "I'll never get rid of our dog, but I really don't like owning him anymore," and today, he goes everywhere with me and spending time with him is by far one of my favorite things. 

Audrey W.

Kristin was amazing. She helped us to overcome issues with separation anxiety, dominance, house manners, and basic obedience in our 180lb Great Dane puppy who had become too much for his mom to handle. Kristin was very experienced, professional, and knowledgeable. She is no nonsense and we loved her balanced approach to dog training. We had invested in “purely positive” training classes and they did not work! We now see the benefits of a fair and balanced training approach.

Each session we worked on new skills and Kristin followed up with an email outlining what we worked on and how to practice. She was organized and had a clear training path. Our dog is now a joy to have around and is fun to take on a walk. The difference is amazing. He now listens to his mom and she doesn’t have to worry about getting dragged down or knocked over. We built up his confidence and he no longer has separation anxiety. The place command has changed our life. It gives him a job and he does it! We have learned that we need to be fair, consistent 100% of the time, and put the effort in to see the changes we want. This was money well spent. Just be ready to put in the effort.

Kevin R.

Everything was going smoothly until Gus hit 9 months old and really started acting out. He stopped listening to our commands and was unpredictable. We tried to manage it for a couple of months but one day he darted out of the garage and started barking at our neighbor and his daughter very aggressively. It freaked everyone out.

The handover was very easy, she came to pick him up. It was like sending an unruly teenager off to wilderness camp. Kristin sent us updates and we received writeups on the work she was doing and why, along with pictures and videos. As the days went by, we really didn’t even recognize the happy and obedient dog she was working with. Gus was quickly transforming and loving it, day by day. After three weeks Gus came home really knowing his commands, “place” and “come” being two of our most valued. Everyone in the family committed to being a part of Gus’ training and engagement. Kristin taught us that all of us need to commit and participate.

Kristin is just amazing in her ability to work with humans and canines alike. She is smart, patient, and so knowledgeable. Her style is very hands on so when we work with her, she SHOWS us, trains us, and then helps us train Gus. Her combination of theory and practice makes her a real stand out compared to other trainers we have worked with over the past 6 dogs/20 years. My husband has had issues with every dog trainer we’ve worked with except Kristin. He has developed a level of respect for her that has never happened to us before!

Dawn Crew

My dog is a 100-pound German Shepherd that has some aggression issues and was just a mess. In house he was very good but taking him out on a leash was awful and embarrassing.

A few weeks after, I met with our trainer Kristin, who introduced us to new methods, and ways to read body language. I was a bit apprehensive at first, wondering how small things could change my dog’s behavior, but low and behold, after the first session, Thor was walking on leash much calmer. After a few sessions, Thor was a completely different dog. Not perfect, but we are armed with the tools now to do better. He is able to walk in heel, play in public, and just have a better experience. I don’t think he’ll ever be the dog who a stranger can come up to, but I prefer it that way. Kristin made sure to address all of my concerns, like my dog’s reactivity to motorcycles, dogs, and ESPECIALLY bikes. During our last session we exposed him to bikes and dogs. Again, not perfect, but he is better, and I know what to do when the situation arises. I also took him off leash for the first time and was scared as HELL. But they assured me it would be fine, and to be confident. We did it, he did it! I couldn’t believe it.

Now we both enjoy a lot of off leash activities (where permitted), and I can’t believe how far he has come. I do note that you as the owner HAVE to keep up with your training and be proactive in the lessons. You put in what you get out.

Chuck C.

We don’t even have words to thank Kristin, but we will try. She changed our lives for the better.

We were becoming more desperate and getting to a point of hopelessness. In spite of Max’s bad and worsening behavior, we loved him and felt bad that we couldn’t have the bond that we wished. Our 10 and 8 year old children were sad and disappointed. Max bit us often, we couldn’t play with him, and we were all afraid of him. He would bark all day long and for hours before sleeping at night. His behavior was so bad that we thought something might be wrong with him. Five different groomers tried and failed to groom him within the year. We were skeptical about training Max but had high expectations due to the high price tag.

The second we met Kristin and she picked Max up our hopes instantly rose. From that moment on, Kristin started to change our mindset. Getting updates during the week were the highlights of our day. We were amazed with the breakthroughs and we also learned a lot by reading Kristin’s emails. Her patience with us, the way she explained things and answered each question we had, and her updates, gave us strength, purpose, and hope. When Max returned, he was a totally transformed dog. Still, we lacked confidence and feared that he could go back to his old ways with us. Then, Kristin started training us. In our lessons, she gave us the tools we needed to be successful. As with dogs, she has an incredible attention to detail. Everything she does is with respect and care. Our confidence grew with each session and any setbacks were learning experiences. After our lessons we knew we could do it!

It is not cheap and we are far from rich, but it is worth every dollar. It is not spending; it is investing in our happiness. Seeing Max calm, relaxed, and happy every day has transformed our lives. We have our house back, he can be groomed, and our boys now play with him daily.

Natalia Villalobos