My Sidekick Dog Training

Ash is incredible. She genuinely changed our lives (and Duke’s) in a way that “dog trainer” doesn’t even begin to cover. Yes, she’s an exceptional trainer: fear-free, practical, and wildly effective. Her approach works. But we lovingly (and respectfully) call her our dog doula for our reactive pup because she showed up with so much more than just training skills. Ash was patient, kind, and took the time to actually understand Duke (and us) without judgment. What makes Ash stand out is the level of support and real-world guidance she provides. She’s come with us to vet visits to help create a safe setup (for Duke and for us as we learned how to handle those environments). She’s joined behavior appointments to advocate, translate what’s happening, and explain things we weren’t fluent in. She also comes to our home regularly to work on foundational training and to coach us through things like slow, safe introductions with new people. On top of all that, Ash creates training plans (and even gamifies them in a neurodivergent-friendly way), sends a detailed written summary after every session, and even made a shared photo/video drive to help us organize videos of Duke’s behavior. All of which ended up being SO helpful during vet visits and appointments. Ash also advocated early on that behavioral issues can be linked to underlying physical pain (and her persistence mattered a lot in the end). Her insight and support led us down a path of discovery, and in our case she was absolutely right: Duke had major underlying issues that were repeatedly missed by vets and specialists. We’re incredibly grateful she kept encouraging deeper exploration and validated what we were seeing. Ash has been a light in the dark for us. She’s been invaluable in our home and in Duke’s care. If you’re considering working with her, do it! She's incredible!

After years of hearing of Ash's incredible reputation as a humane trainer and admiring their work with clients and rescues through Instagram, I was excited to have the perfect reason to finally get to work with them when I adopted my new puppy –Batty– earlier this year (my first puppy in almost 20 years!). Our training experience has been everything I dreamed it would be and more. Batty's breed mix ranges in size from pomeranian to presa canario so we had no idea how big he would get. Our primary goal was ensuring that no matter his size he could have a safe and respectful relationship with our tiny senior gal, Dolores. Ash provided a clear, compassionate roadmap to achieve just that. They didn't just train Batty; they educated our entire household and even took into account my neurodivergence and anxiety, asking how best to present information for me to process and remember it as well as providing helpful tips for managing Dolores and Batty's interactions throughout training to ease my anxiety about Dolores' safety. As someone who has had dogs my entire life, I was amazed at how much I learned about canine personality, behavior, and the science behind positive reinforcement methods. For my partner, a first-time dog parent, Ash's guidance was invaluable and built his confidence immensely. He has also been able to involve his children in Batty's training through what he's learned from Ash and that has been so fun to watch! Most importantly, it's clear how much Ash genuinely loves and understands Batty (and Dolores!). Seeing that authentic care and investment in their well-being makes all the difference and makes us feel so secure. Ash equips you with the knowledge and tools to understand your dog(s) better, which in my opinion has deepened my bonds with my dogs. Now that Batty is almost one and has a good grasp on the basics, I am so excited to continue moving into some more "fun" enrichment training. We are so deeply grateful to Ash!

Ash @ My Sidekick Dog Training is an excellent and trusted source of information on modern and ethical training practices. I appreciate all that Ash does for their community - both people and dogs - and genuinely tries to help anyone in need. Ash has also provided free educational resources to our shelter and other rescues in the area. Highly recommend working with My Sidekick Dog Training for any training services needed.

I can’t recommend Ash enough! She has been such an incredible trainer and support system for me and my husky mix, Sky. Thanks to her guidance, I’ve learned how to advocate for Sky’s needs and her anxious personality and work through her challenges with patience and confidence. Since working with Ash, Sky’s quality of life has improved so much and she is showing such a progress on everyday tasks where she used to struggle. If you’re looking for a trainer who genuinely cares, motivates you, and celebrates every win with you, Ash is the one!