Handful Of Leashes

We truly lucked out when looking for a dog trainer! Heather came into our life the week we rescued our 13 month old golden lab retriever. She is the biggest dog we ever had & we were very apprehensive to say the least. Thanks to Heather, we can walk her without being pulled over. She is much calmer, listens, and stays on her mat (place) for longer periods of time. Aside from in-home training, Heather also dog sits at her home. Heather is a breath of fresh air, caring, knowledgeable, understanding, & totally dedicated! Our dog, Sammie, just loves her! We look forward to being able to go on vacation knowing Sammie is in good hands!

Heather is the absolute BEST--knowledgable, patient, understanding, reliable, flexible, and so obviously LOVES what she does (and our pup adores her). After deciding to get a puppy our first call was Heather! Having witnessed her train my parents dog (the older sister of our puppy) to perfection, the decision was an easy one. Initially our plan was to work with Heather over Zoom before getting our puppy, train with her in person when we were back east, and find someone else to train her in person in LA. We quickly realized it wasn't necessary to work with someone in person in LA as our Zoom sessions with Heather were truly JUST as effective as in person sessions. I was skeptical about this initially but after experiencing both over the past 6 months I can say she gets the job done extremely effectively in BOTH mediums. Heather helped us to not only devise a training plan for our pup beginning the first hour we brought her home but also prepare her to fly across the country 2.5 weeks after getting her. Heather gave us the tools to make it a successful reality. Indie crushed her first two flights in a carry bag thanks to the training (crate training, bag training, socialization, alone time, potty training, and boundaries etc.) Heather had us strictly implement from day 1. Next, Heather began working on obedience, distractions, behavior, impulse control, resource guarding, and more boundaries over Zoom and in person. Her training was so successful we were able to fly back and forth with Indie on leash (4-6 months old) before she even began leash training because her foundation was SO strong thanks to Heather. When Indie hit 6 months she did a lodge and learn with Heather where she began leash training. We assumed she would learn the basics since she was only with her for 10 days. However, Indie was a different dog on leash when we picked her up. It was unbelievable. Prior to this, Indie would pull and walk all over the place, tripping us constantly. In the airport on the way back to LA, I didn't have to even use her e-collar once--just light prong collar pressure to lead her in the right direction. I was actually able to have her leash loose on my arm while holding a coffee...that would have been IMPOSSIBLE 10 days prior to her stay with Heather. The airport is a crazy place with many distractions (kids, food, crowds, etc) and she didn't break a heel ONCE. I was speechless and couldn't believe the progress she made in only 10 days. When we started working with Heather our main goal was to have a dog that we could both take anywhere but also leave home whenever we chose to...In essence, we wanted her to be trained to behave perfectly in every environment and happy to be in her crate at home, as well. Heather made that dream a reality. Indie flies across the country twice a month, comes on every vacation with us, sits through long dinners, goes grocery shopping with me, and is now playing in the park off leash at only 8 months. She holds an hour long place and walks into her crate every night when she's ready for bed. NONE of this would be possible without Heather's training of both Indie and us! It is a lot of work outside of training sessions but it is also incredibly rewarding and has bonded us deeply. Heather's expertise has enabled us to live our lives on our schedules with Indie by our side and we couldn't be more grateful for her. If you are considering hiring Heather to train your pup, I promise it is worth every penny.

We love to travel, but used to worry about our pup when we were away. Not anymore! Bridie, our 5-year-old Aussie, absolutely loves going to Heather's place. She hangs out with Heather, takes walks on the farm, and plays with Stitch (Heather's dog) Heather is reliable, responsive, knowledgeable and clearly loves caring for dogs. The convenience of having Bridie picked up from our house and returned before we get home is a huge plus. We wouldn't go anywhere else!