Foley's Dog Training

I have only done one lesson so far (and can update this review if needed after a few more). My dog is a very fearful cattle dog - about 6 months old. Completely unsocialized before she was rescued. Never walked on a leash before. Never lived in a house before. New situations are tough for her. After having her for only two or three weeks, I looked into agility. I had heard that agility can help fearful dogs become more confident. Foley's had such great reviews, certifications, lots of experience/focus on fearful dogs, etc. We showed up, and the very first thing I notice is that, as she is explaining things to me, she is tossing treats on the ground to my pup. Over the next ten minutes, as she's tossing the treats (and still explaining everything to me without missing a beat), my dog starts getting closer and closer. No forced contact/communication like some folks try. Just building her trust with yummy cheese. Soon, my scaredy-cat was eating treats right from her hand. Right away, she taught me some easy things to work on at home for recall and teaching my dog to check in with me. I loved how she asked me if I used certain words for commands, instead of insisting I use a certain word. By the end of the lesson, my dog was going through a tunnel and trying to race across the (very high) dog walk. My pup left exhausted and happy. And I left with new tools to help her tackle new situations. I also received pictures and homework in my inbox that same day. As a direct result of just that first lesson, I've gone from barely being able to get my dog past one house on our road to walking 1.5 miles twice a day. When my dog starts to get nervous, I look for something we can do "Paws Up" on, and that seems to give her a confidence boost. Her recall (and focus on me generally) has improved dramatically. We went to a dog park for the first time today, and they had a seesaw. My "fearful" dog ran right across it several times! She impressed everyone at the dog park with her recall when some dogs looked like they were about to go at each other. Just one "Come" and she was sprinting away from the action, right to me, wagging her tail. I am so excited to continue lessons.

E has been my go-to resource for all things dog (specifically Spaniel) related and I am so glad she now offers training and agility classes! Susie, my Spaniel, is even more glad! We are not looking to compete, although E can certainly prepare you for that too! Instead we are looking to have fun, get a little exercise, and increase Susie's confidence. E lets us do all this and teaches us new things while not pushing Susie beyond what she can and should do at almost 10 years old. E is great with Susie who is a little timid with strangers and new situations. Susie has a ball at her lessons, more often than not literally, as she likes to do her version of agility - ballgility!

Highly recommend! I’ve taken many training classes in my life as I’ve had lots of dogs in my life. I have found all of Foley’s Dog Training programs to be helpful and I actually learn new things from her classes. Her rally class was the first rally class I’ve taken where an instructor was creative and incorporated games into the learning process. It made for a lively learning experience where both my dog and I had fun and became a better working team together. I’ve actually even competed in Rally with my dog and I was so grateful that I had taken E’s class as it truly prepared me. It’s not often that you can find a positive trainer who makes such an engaging and fun learning environment. I plan on taking more classes with her.