High Drive Dog Company

If you have a truly unruly dog this training is for you. We rescued a red heeler mix who we almost gave up on. She was extremely reactive, to the point where she broke her leash, ran across the street and charged someone walking by. We went to two other trainers before High Drive and had little to no improvement, so High Drive was our last attempt, as I was fully ready to say Remi was an at home dog only since she could be trusted in public. After the foundations class, some doggy daycare days, and e-collar training Remi became a different dog. We also extended her training to the Advanced class and I can officially say Remi is able to enjoy life off leash, and we are no longer worried about her reactivity. I am so thankful to High Drive and all advice and knowledge they gave that helped us overcome some of the biggest most stressful issues with our pup. It is worth noting though, if you are a positive reinforcement only kind of person this training in not for you.

We went to High Drive because our smart, energetic dog was also very naughty. We’d trained him using positive reinforcement and thought his biting, snarling, and leash-pulling were unfortunate personality quirks. After a few biting incidents, we had to get real. We were nervous about “balanced training”—afraid of damaging our relationship with our dog, changing his personality, or causing trauma. We filtered High Drive’s Google reviews by lowest ratings and methodically confirmed all our fears through people “just like us.” Then we spoke to Carly. She was firm in her philosophy and confident in her approach, but what stood out most was how much she cares about dogs. That call made a big difference. We enrolled our boy in Board and Train, committed to four months of follow-up classes, and nervously hoped for the best. Our main goal was to avoid another bite incident. Seven months later, not only have we avoided further incidents, we: • Regularly, comfortably have company over—and they adore our dog. • Walk our critter-filled neighborhood with minimal leash-pulling and no lunging. • Hike throughout Boulder County off-leash without worrying about him losing impulse control. Case in point: last year, camping along Independence Pass meant constantly managing his behavior, keeping him tethered, and always hiking on-leash. We had fun, but we worried constantly. Last week, we went camping again. Occasionally we leashed him, just to be polite. Otherwise, he hung out at our campsite as another untethered member of the family. We never worried about him bolting into the woods. When he wandered farther than we liked, he returned immediately—and happily—when called. We legitimately did not know life could be so good with our doggy pal. You’ll see reviews calling dogs “stable, balanced, and confident” so often it feels like a meme. But it’s really true! There is no better feeling than giving your dog more freedom in day-to-day life. We can do that because of the communication skills and accountability all three of us learned from Carly and High Drive. Our only regret is that we didn’t start sooner!

Worth every penny!! My family brought home our mini Goldendoodle puppy, Daisy, in May, shortly after losing our beloved family dog of 14 years. We were so excited, but almost immediately, Daisy started exhibiting incredibly challenging behaviors. She would howl and frantically bark anytime we left the room, jump baby gates, panic and scream in her crate, lose her mind when she saw another dog on walks, and jump and pounce on our kids. She was so wired and high-drive that she barely slept. Within 2 weeks, we were exhausted and seriously considering returning her to the breeder. We had Daisy evaluated by two reputable private trainers who used positive-reinforcement approaches. Despite following their advice, we saw zero improvement. Eventually, one told us rehoming was probably the right choice because Daisy’s anxiety was too extreme and it was a permanent part of her temperament. We were devastated. Then a friend told me, “Before you do anything, take the Foundations class at High Drive.” She swore by Carlie’s approach, so we skeptically decided to try it. Within two weeks, things had drastically changed. Daisy could calmly go into her crate without panicking. Week by week, other behaviors followed. We could walk past dogs without reactivity. She learned to play independently, interact appropriately with other dogs, stop jumping on people, play with our kids, and be polite at the door. It has been a NIGHT AND DAY difference. What I appreciate most about Carlie is that she gave us the tools to actually teach Daisy. Instead of treating her like a fragile, anxious dog who couldn’t handle expectations, Carlie believed she was smart and capable. Through that process, we uncovered the incredibly smart, hearty dog Daisy actually is. It makes me teary to think we almost certainly would have rehomed Daisy if we hadn’t found Carlie. We had essentially been told, “This is her temperament. This is just who she is.” Carlie showed us something completely different. And I’ve watched the same transformation happen with other dogs in our class, including one whose anxiety and reactivity were so extreme that her owners couldn’t even get her into the building on the first day. Carlie believes dogs are smart and capable, and it shows in everything she does. She holds both dogs and owners to a high bar and they rise to it. I would highly, highly recommend Carlie and High Drive to any dog owner, whether you’re dealing with extreme behaviors or simply want better communication with your dog. We’re incredibly grateful to have a trainer of this caliber in Longmont and most importantly, grateful that because of Carlie, Daisy gets to stay exactly where she belongs: with our family.

High Drive is down right life changing. Carly has this really incredible ability to distill really complicated (she would say it’s not complicated) training into bite size, accessible, and effective skill building and life giving trainings. We rescued a Rez dog a year and half ago, and we tried a range of techniques (and there was little improvement). After reading about Carly my family and I decided to try out the into class. I wrote Carly that my dog was dog and people aggressive and I was worried to come in. Once you meet Carly and come to class you will very quickly understand that any dog is welcome. She works with them all. And yes, she is a hard ass, but it is refreshing, because she is equally so kind and generous. High Drive saves lives and invites us all to have more ease with our lives too, not out of ignorance but because her training truly is empowering, grounding, and one of a kind. Our pup is now in advanced training, and our dog walks off leash, heals, can recall from a football field away, and is the most loving and easy going pup I have ever had. I 100% recommend.

As an autistic person myself I find it disgraceful that they use a flawed 1930s operant conditioning study to justify putting 8 week old puppies in prong collars and spray them with water bottles. This “one size fits all” training method is ironic considering Carly expect you to treat her differently and be ok with verbal abuse because she is different. I successfully trained my last dog with PROPER positive reinforcement and will train my next as well. If you don't want to take the time and effort for your best friend, this conditioning will keep your dog in line just like other “successful” users of operant conditioning, cults, gangs, and abusive households. Also, they are going to move your training time on you, but remember, if it doesn't work there's still no refunds.