Island Dog Obedience

Our Shiba Inu just turned two and is quite the independent thinker. He’s very smart and picks up on training pretty quickly, however is also smart enough to know when he doesn’t have to listen. He doesn’t have behavioral problems, but we really needed help getting his attention especially out in public where he’s super distracted (chickens, cats, all the smells). His recall was only good when he wanted it to be. We had heard great things about the board and train but we opted for personal training sessions with Chantelle. The first meet and greet Chantelle was a wealth of information. She came to see how his temperament was, what we were looking for in training, explain how the sessions would go, etc. I really appreciated the transparency of the costs and what the sessions would look like. I was worried I’d get pressured into doing the board and train, absolutely not the case. She was so willing to work with us in a way that would benefit us and what we wanted to accomplish with Hiro. Get to the actual training sessions, Chantelle is an amazing trainer (dog trainer and human trainer). She is really good at communicating to us what we should be doing and the dog psychology behind why and what Hiro is thinking. She also tailors our sessions to our level so we’re not stuck doing things we can already do. She’ll change up our environment, bring distractions for him to practice with. We really get the most out of our sessions. Also, sessions aren’t set in stone, you schedule your next session when you and your dog are ready to learn more. Also, ecollar related. I was hesitant about it at first, but after talking to people I thought we’d give it a shot. The first meeting Chantelle really took time to explain how it works, why it works, how it is used as an appropriate training tool, and as a means to ecollar/leash free obedience. You can tell she really loves what she does and only wants the best for you and your doggo! She’s easy to communicate with, will happily answer our training questions between sessions too! We’ve really enjoyed our time training with her! Highly recommend!

Experienced trainer Chantelle from Island Dog Obedience responded to our request for help within hours and was at our house within a couple of days. She felt like our savior. We had adopted a possibly abused and terrified dog. Our little pup had just gone through losing her home, spaying and losing one of her legs, all in the space of a few months. She was so terrified. We didn't know where to start. We only did a consultation with Chantelle but in that consultation she gave us an exercise to help us build trust with our little girl. We are just a few weeks into adoption, and for now we will be working on building trust, and coming back to obedience later. Chantelle was professional, knowledgeable and gave us an exercise that has already shown results. It will be a long road to heal our dog, but we are off to a great start, mostly due to Chantelle's help and expertise. I have the highest regard for her. Thank you Chantelle and Island Dog Obedience!

During the middle of the pandemic, we adopted a sweet baby girl dog who became a smart but very stubborn toddler. Maggie learned all of her commands early, but she wouldn’t follow them if she wasn’t in the mood and, given COVID restrictions, we couldn’t do much in the way of advanced training. She was just over a year old when Chantelle picked her up for board and train and while she should have been with the trainers for four weeks, our schedule only allowed for two. Maggie’s first day or two back home was tough; she tested us to see what we’d let her get away with, but Chantelle had spent over an hour training us to train Maggie (and to be prepared for pushback). Maggie’s training has yielded incredible results and while she’s still a work in progress, she is 90% better than when she began her training. There is now minimal jumping, she actually heels, and she’ll follow commands and leave things alone the first time I tell her. Our 12 year old dog is much happier, too. Chantelle was terrific throughout this process - she explained everything in detail and, when the time came and Maggie went to stay with her, she sent pictures and videos every day so we could see our girl was happy. I cannot recommend Island Dog Obedience enough