Colonial Dog Training

Finding trainer Jamie was the best thing to happen to me since getting Chloe, my now 5-month-old German shepherd mix, which I rescued on a whim... when I say "whim," I attended an adoption event to "look" and left with a puppy, having only purchased a dog leash I had left at home. This was the most uncharacteristic thing I've ever done. I'm not spontaneous. I'm a planner and a researcher both professionally and in nature... but that face, those puppy dog eyes, and wow! She's so calm (false: she was exhausted from adoption day). I went with it, knowing only that I had the means and would give this dog every bit of love I had. Raising a puppy on my own, I quickly realized that I could use support. I needed someone with the expertise to answer my many questions, interpret behavior, educate me on milestones, and physically stand beside me and train me so I could, in turn, train my dog. When I first met Jamie at the consult, it was clear that she understands dogs. She has studied dog training and has seven years of professional experience. Her confidence instantly put my nerves at ease. I was impressed with her ability to effortlessly capture and hold the attention of my adorable but distractible 3.5-month-old puppy, Chloe. Towards the end of the consult, she offered a demo of one of the commands we would be working on. Clo went off script and started chewing on a forbidden item; Jamie instantly dropped to her level and, on her first attempt, without even touching her, got my dog to stop and redirect. How?! Who is this woman? I was sold. Session after session, it became clear that Jamie was born to work with dogs and yet is equally skilled at teaching humans. She understands the "why" behind each instruction- from why we teach a command to even the quickest, most minor corrections. She almost always has the answers to my questions; when she doesn't, she will find them and proactively follow up. Outside of sessions, Jamie is helpful and generous with her time- always there for guidance and to offer her expertise without judgment. Jamie deeply cares about Chloe and is committed to seeing her clients progress- both in training skills and owner/dog bonding. I'm thrilled with how Chloe has responded to our training. I know our lessons with Jamie will pay off, and she'll be an important person in our lives forever!

Hello. I am more than happy to elaborate. I contacted Colonial Dog training a couple of years ago to do private training with my dog where the trainer would meet at my apartment in the center of Boston. The trainer contacted me a few days before training and asked me to pay for her parking in Boston since it is expensive. I thought that was incredibly inappropriate and unprofessional. For one, I was already paying a premium for at home private training and do not think it is the client's responsibility to cover parking nor is it mentioned anywhere on the website that I could see. Furthermore if the trainer cannot afford parking then possibly they should be paid better by the owner or use public transportation to get to work like many of us in Boston do. I have used 2 other private trainers from other businesses that have come to my apartment and never have I been asked to cover parking costs. Thus I left one star as I found my experience with the trainer to be unprofessional.

Maggie Mader is an absolute to joy to work with. From the first time I contacted her she got back to me quickly, answered all my questions, informed me of the process, and got us scheduled for a first appointment. From the first lesson with Maggie I saw immediate improvement in Tundra. Each lesson had a new focus and was individually tailored to Tundra and I’s needs. Tundra came to me with resource guarding and I had tried everything I could think of and research and nothing worked until I started working with Maggie. Given that Tundra is a husky, I never thought I could teach her recall or to trust her off leash as huskies are notorious for running off and not coming back, however with the skills Maggie has taught us, Tundra was safely able to be recalled after slipping out of her collar, something I never thought I’d be able to say about a husky after growing up with two others. Maggie was so fantastic to work with the first time around with Tundra, that it was a no brainer to use her again with our newest puppy, Denali. After just one lesson, Denali has learned skills that I tried for months on my own to teach him in just an hour with Maggie. I do not know how she does it, but Maggie is truly magical in her way around dogs and I would recommend her to anyone. Not only is she fantastic with the pups and treats them like her own, she is also incredibly personable, funny, kind, easy and comfortable to be around, quick to respond, and always available to answer questions even if it is months away from the last time you have worked with or talked to her. I could not ask for a better trainer and would recommend her without hesitation to anyone looking for a dog trainer.