New Dogs - Old Trix

Life changing training taught with love and respect I cannot say enough great things about Susan & the services she offers at N.D.O.T. It was soon into our initial consult with Susan that I knew she was offering something special with the training methods and communication structures that go into her Board & Train services. At the time of our consult we had a 2-year-old energetic blue heeler that was a perfect storm of energy, anxiety, and smarts. Arriving from HSSA, we are the second home for our little girl and knowing she’s a working breed we tried to keep her both physically and mentally stimulated. We had already been through courses with another highly rated training facility here in Tucson (multiple individual 6-week courses: beginner-advanced as well as private lessons with trainers from the facility focusing on reactivity). One of the difficulties we still ran into was leash aggression and her anxiety around other dogs. Concerned she was going to hurt another animal or cause health problems to herself we were struggling to find a path to harmony with our little one. During the initial consult we discussed our backstory and the current training methods we were practicing. Susan shared the outline for how her typical board & train program progressed and then she spent time discussing how she planned to tailor the program to focus on the areas we were most concerned with. We left the first meeting with a boarding start date, some diet adjustments [we were overfeeding / treating :( ], and a ton of relief knowing how much we clicked with Susan’s outlook/experience/reassurance. After starting and throughout the program Susan gave us regular updates on our little one’s progress. It was incredible to witness the growth of confidence and trust this cattle dog gained during her first week with Susan and the pack. She transformed from an anxious, reactive, & lungeing terror around other dogs to a playful, curious, and happy member of Susan’s pack. She was getting along with and safely learning how to interact off-leash around dogs of all sizes. During the final half of the program Susan went out of her way to ensure life ‘post-graduation’ was going to be set for success. We were able to join pack-walks at N.D.O.T. to learn and demonstrate the communication techniques Susan provided us. Susan brought our little one home prior to finishing training to join us for neighborhood walks in our own streets (helping us discover new opportunities for successful play and training in the future). We even got the opportunity to join Susan for multiple field trips with the pup. The communication had improved so much that we were practicing public training outings at everywhere from hardware shops to farmers markets. The program ended after enjoying a wonderful meal on a Resturant patio the pup calmly resting throughout (this is something 3 weeks earlier I never would have believed possible!) I am unable to overstate the gratitude I have for Susan’s training and the improved communication skills we have developed with our four-legged loved one because of it. This training pays dividends. Keep Susan’s contact info saved because even if it’s not today someday you will want it. To me N.D.O.T. is the equivalent of a low-key amazing restaurant or bar. If you know someone who could benefit from working with Susan and you want to give that person the gift of a lifetime then just share Susan’s info and let them know she really is life changing.

Susan is an incredible dog trainer and person. I reached out to her just two weeks after bringing home my puppy because I needed help. She was the only one out of the four or five people that I contacted that actually got back to me. I think she could sense the exhaustion in my voice and she reassured me in that first conversation of so many things that helped. She trained my puppy when he was just five months old. I was able to be involved during the duration of his three week board and train and she gave me all the skills and a write up to reference when he came home. The first night home, I had some questions and she came over the very next morning to help. Since then, she has been an amazing resource any time things have come up. I’m also grateful to be able to board with her whenever I need to leave town and can’t bring him with. I recommend Susan 100%

We have worked with numerous trainers with our Plott Hound with obedience and more recently behavioral issues. Daisy suffered from anxiety/noise phobias and would not even want to leave our driveway. I was at my wit's end when a friend referred me to Susan. Susan created AMAZING results in the three weeks she had Daisy! The day I brought Daisy back home I stopped by work with her. Multiple coworkers asked me if I had gotten a new dog because she was calm and collected (on previous trips the entire building knew Daisy was in the building...it was very embarrassing). A few honestly did not believe me when I told them she was the same dog! Yesterday I took Daisy to breakfast, and she laid calmly under the table and even went to sleep. Before Susan, I never thought I would even be able to take her into a store, let alone have her comfortable enough to fall asleep in public. Along with being highly skilled in working with dogs, Susan is also a great human teacher. She has been extremely patient with me and spent tons of time training me on how to best handle Daisy. Anytime I have a question she quickly responds and she not only provides answers but the reasoning behind the answer (which helps me greatly remember in the future what to do). She provided video, text and phone updates regularly. I was completely comfortable knowing Daisy was being well cared for and was in a safe environment. Susan has a passion for working with dogs and is committed to helping create balanced, well-behaved pets. If you need assistance with your dog I would recommend Susan 1000%!!!