Core Canine

Exceptional trainer, setting is perfect to socialize and train puppies and dogs. My pup Gigi went through all the puppy Happy Hours when she was 4 months old AND completed puppy kindergarten, puppy middle school and puppy high school. April has the highest integrity, caring and real world experience. We even completed a graduation ceremony for each program and I couldn't be happier!! Gigi is complimented everywhere we go on how well behaved she is while her personality still really shines through. April is a true professional and works with each dog's personality unique to them. She uses only positive reinforcement and my Gigi adores her as do I. April purposefully keeps the classes small and everyone gets attention and caring, dogs and humans alike. She is very patient and kind. We feel very blessed to have found her when I did to help Gigi, who is a Beagle husky- very vocal and very playful. I know Gigi misses April very much and hope to surprise April one of these days with all Gigi has retained and learned since. Being given foundational support and psychology of dogs, helps in building further positive reinforcements independently of the classes. Because of April, I have everything I need to have a very happy life with my beautiful Gigi. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts, April! You are a wonderful human. We appreciate you.

We've had fantastic experiences with both April and Olivia. They are both extremely insightful and give great suggestions about exactly what to do, and observations of how to improve communication with dogs. We've had them come for several foster dogs with various challenging issues and the difference they have made has been amazing. The best results we had were with a dog who went from barking her head off at people from a couple blocks away to being comfortable getting within a few feet as long as we managed it carefully, after two or three weeks of conditioning.

Absolutely the best! Highly recommend! I first discovered April and Core Canine three and a half years ago when I got my Chihuahua puppy and was looking for someone to help me with his confidence and interactions on/off leash with other dogs. I wanted a place that offered small group lessons, as well as individual training and used positive reinforcement. After a lot of research and comparison in the Alexandria are, I chose Core Canine. Bodhi and I took her middle school class (and later on high school, as well as multiple private lessons) and it was awesome! The class room/set up is small enough for both owner and dog to easily learn, but big enough to minimize distractions and allow for dog interaction/play when necessary. Bodhi did amazing! We learned so much and made lifelong doggie friends we regularly got together with outside of class. April‘s teaching style is simple, straight forward, and highly effective. Starting with the first class, you learn useful, easy to apply commands that build both dog and owner confidence. Each week builds on the week before and is reviewed every class, so you never feel lost or out of practice. Her techniques are so simple and effective I’ve been able to teach other dogs and owners new skills in a matter of minutes. April is patient, knowledgeable, and really cares about each dog and their owner. You can see her passion and commitment to her craft right away. This is one of the things that struck me most about her when we first met. I’m so grateful to April for her help in training Bodhi (and me!) and always recommend her to anyone I meet. Thank you, April!!!