A Pawsitive Experience (Susan Ferry dba)

I enrolled my 4 month old lab shepherd mix in the 4 week long PAWS program. Since my puppy was a rescue, he was initially very nervous around new people and other dogs. Susan did an excellent job of socializing him and helping him become the confident pup that he his today. In addition to this change of behavior, Susan was great to work with and showed me many helpful tips on how to handle unfamiliar situations that come along with being a first time dog owner. This program was extremely helpful and I would highly recommend it to anyone with a new puppy!

I did a bunch of research regarding dog training and care. I came to the decision to go with Susan Ferry. Her Pawsitive page on fab and the Internet was very impressive and knew she loved her job and animals made her happy. I have an Australian Shepard (Koda). Very high strung herding animal. Had some commands down but is super hyper. Started to show behaviors I was not use to seeing. She went into attack mode when she saw another dog from afar, once close she wanted to play. Made it very difficult to take her to various stores or even for a car ride. She started barking at dark and just plain wild. I asked Susan to please help with her, I gave her some background and she worked out a plan in her head and said it can change at anytime but gives her a place to start. She came to my home and evaluated not only Koda but the other 4 dogs I have in the house. She said I have a pack and they all need to be included. She showed the differences in the various treats I give and the ones she recommends. She brought toys and a blanket to learn not to bring every toy out every day to switch it up every few days. Blanket to learn place. My dogs listened and followed her closely around the house. Was amazing. Koda responded a bit to what I learned. Susan suggested I leave her with her at Pawsitive to learn to mirror her dogs and for Susan to see the behaviors she did not exhibit while she was at the house. She kept in contact at all times explaining what she saw and how she was going to work on the different behaviors. She kept me informed on what was needed from me when Koda returned home. Koda returned a completely different dog. Just amazes me the time and energy she took to help Koda and myself. This review and a thank you is just not even close to appreciating the work Susan puts forth for my dog and any other dog that crosses her path. Denise Koda mom

My husband and I have a very energetic 14 month old Border Collie - Susan was recommended to us by friends, and I can say that he is a totally new dog after going through the PAWS program! He is so much calmer and he has learned so many new skills. He doesn't bolt out the door like he used to, now he knows to wait for us to give him permission. Susan taught us how to handle him better as well, which has turned us into better dog owners! We are both impressed with Susan's knowledge base, and we have seen significant improvements in our dog's behavior. I highly recommend Susan for both training needs and boarding! We will continue to take our dog to Susan once a week so that he can continue to work on his skills. We are so happy with our investment, and can definitely say we had such a "pawsitive" experience with using Susan as our trainer!

We were referred to Susan's PAWS program at A Pawsitive Experience after purchasing an 8-week old boxer puppy from a backyard breeder. We were uneducated buyers, not having had a pet in over 10 years. Very quickly we found ourselves to be the owners of a puppy who had already acquired bad habits from her litter mates, including aggressive biting. Our puppy's health was also below par of reputable breeders. Susan welcomed us in and cared for Scarlett as if she were her own. She went far above what we ever expected and nursed her to proper nutrition, taught her eye contact and the ability to follow commands, supported her socialization, encouraged enrichment play, all the while educating us and our kids to be successful and responsible dog owners. Her knowledge is vast and she is an expert in her field. We could not be more grateful to her and for her and we look forward to boasting about her and learning from her for many years to come.