Blue Dog Training & Behavior

Working with Blue Dog Board & Train was a terrific decision for me and my energetic puppy. Both Sarah and Andrew clearly have a deep love for dogs and the concept of positive (humane) animal training. Hobbes (my Wirehaired Pointing Griffon) came back from his 2 week board and train session happy, alert and incredibly responsive to the training techniques Sarah used and passed along to me. Friends, neighbors and even strangers at the dog park regularly come up to me to praise Hobbes on his obedience. I would encourage anyone to bring their dog (young or old) to Blue Dog for training work with these two caring professionals. The results are totally worth it.

Best time and money spent on our dog thus far! We took our adolescent pup there for a consult, as we were unsure how to handle some new behaviors and didn't want to make things worse. We had raised two other pups over the years and been to training classes, but Sarah's insight into our particular dog's personality, coupled with her experience and knowledge on behavior and training, was invaluable! She was focused on us and our dog for a long session, was a great teacher, very approachable, and so helpful! Her advice on our follow up calls has already been much appreciated.

When I got my dog Buffy a few months ago after years of cat ownership, I knew that the memories of family dogs from growing up wouldn’t be enough to train her well and keep her engaged and and happy. There’s so much conflicting advice out there, and I didn’t want to inadvertently teach her bad behaviors. When I started looking around I found Sarah Kalnajs and Blue Dog Training, and I’m so, so happy I did. Here are just a few reasons why: 1: The support Sarah will provide goes far, far beyond the flat fee of the session you choose. There can be a lot of information overload in a training or assessment session, and no session can cover every scenario. Whenever Buffy is doing something I need an answer about quickly, or something comes up I didn’t expect, I know I can shoot a text Sarah’s way and she’ll reply promptly and thoroughly. She even lent me one of her dog behavior books on resource guarding. She is so generous with her time and wants and *expects* follow-up questions. 2: She uses positive reinforcement training methods. Sarah addresses reducing unwanted behaviors, of course, but a lot of the approach involves rewarding good behaviors when they occur. It makes training fun because it’s focused on what Buffy’s doing right, not what needs to be corrected. And when using Blue Dog Training for a midday walk or pet-sitting, I know they will interact with Buffy in the same calm, positive manner that I am learning to work with her. 3: She uses and teaches good communication that’s grounded in a deep understanding of dog behavior and body language. Even though I’m new to being the primary dog owner, I grew up around dogs and generally feel pretty comfortable with them. But the way Sarah explains dog behaviors—both in person and in her DVDs—taught me a lot about what to look for. I’m so much more astute about when Buffy is feeling excited or stressed. It took a little back and forth to arrange my first appointment, but it was definitely worth it. It’s such a good feeling to have a reliable professional to reach out to when I have a question or I need help with Buffy. I would not hesitate at all to recommend Blue Dog Training.