FirstBark
I cannot say enough good things about Risa and George & Friends. When I adopted my rescue pit bull, she had recently lost her left eye and was coming from a pretty rough past. She was sweet as could be, but had severe separation anxiety, was reactive toward other dogs, pulled on …Read full reviewClose full review
I cannot say enough good things about Risa and George & Friends. When I adopted my rescue pit bull, she had recently lost her left eye and was coming from a pretty rough past. She was sweet as could be, but had severe separation anxiety, was reactive toward other dogs, pulled on the leash, and was easily triggered by sudden movements or loud noises. Finding Risa changed everything. She was wonderful with my pup from the first session. She's warm, patient, and genuinely intuitive with dogs, and she was great at walking me through the process step-by-step. She caught some seemingly small things that made a huge difference, starting with the equipment I had been using (harness, leash, etc.), which hadn't been doing us any favors. Simple fixes I never would have thought of on my own. I really appreciated that she used positive reinforcement and emphasized the idea of building leadership (rather than establishing “dominance”). Another thing that really set her apart is that she didn't only treat the behaviors on a surface-level. Not only did she work with me on specific exercises tailored to my dog's needs, but she also saw to the root of what was going on with my dog and addressed that as a core part of the training. As a result, my dog gained confidence, her anxiety came down, the reactivity is SO much better, and most importantly, Risa helped the two of us build a relationship where my pup trusts me to lead and trusts me to keep her safe. If you have a dog with a hard history and you're not sure what to do, please call Risa. As sappy as it sounds, I really mean it when I say that she taught me how to be the person my dog needed.