Unmistaken Stars Farm Sanctuary and Dog Training

Andria is truly gifted at understanding people, dogs, their relationships, and how to build trust and love. My nine-year old mix is both protective and highly in-tune with emotions. My daughter struggles with regulation, and our dog was reacting to her dysregulation by charging her and barking at her whenever she had a dysregulating feeling arise. This understandably ramped my daughter up more, which then ramped our dog up more, and all of this then ramped me up too. It was out of control and awful. It is no exaggeration to say that Andria has given us all our lives back. She earned my daughter's trust on day one, which is not an easy thing to do. She immediately knew where to start in training, creating a bond and trust (and fun!) that my daughter and dog desperately needed. Now when my daughter starts to feel dysregulated, she knows how to take control and let our dog know that she doesn't need to react. It's shocking and truly wonderful to see the two of them now snuggle together on the couch and at bedtime, with my daughter rubbing our dog's ears, praising her for being the best dog in the world, and delighting in the bonding licks she gets in return. I will never be able to thank Andria enough for the peace and calm she has brought to all of us. She is one in a trillion. To help the algorithm let the right people find their way to Andria, I'm going to throw in a few keywords too: foster care, adoption, DCF, dysregulation, fear, trauma history, trust, bonding, kindness.

I brought my dog Luke to Andria at Unmistaken Stars to assist in his reactivity and aggressiveness. I met with Andria for several private sessions. Her knowledge about dogs behaviors and ability to read Luke's body language is unsurpassable. One example she explained to me that the way I was putting on his harness was making him uncomfortable. Andria was able provided me with the tools to make Luke feel more comfortable. We have also been working on Luke's being reactive towards other people, Andria has given me the tools to make both Luke and the other person feel more comfortable. Thru our training she suggested that I might want to look into if he had any food allergies as during training she noticed his belly was bright red. I had him tested at the vets and turns out the cheese stick and meatballs I used for training he was allergic to. Andria helped me find the right dog food that didn't include any allergens. Her knowledge as a behaviorist and love for animals is clear when you meet her. Andria help does not stop once you walk out the door, she is there to answer any questions along the way. I would highly recommend Andria to anyone who is looking for a knowledgeable animal behaviorist who is also a very kind person.

I reached out to Andrea out of desperation to help with our dog with separation anxiety. For context he’s a 4 year old lab/hound mix. His separation anxiety was so severe that he jumped from a second story window this past summer. I worked closely with her on how to desensitize him and learn his warning signs. She was the only dog trainer in my area willing to take on his case. It took a lot of work and dedication on my part but with her help, reassurance and plethora of resources she sent me we were able to get our boy comfortable with staying home alone for up to 7 hours- uncrated! He is on meds at her recommendation as well (doing amazing). Highly recommend her - you won’t be disappointed!

Andria Young is a god-send! When Nelson, my 11-year old hound, lost his companion to cancer in August, he became depressed, anxious, and increasingly aggressive toward other dogs. He also withdrew from me, which was terribly sad, considering I was also grieving from the loss of Gracie. I asked my vet to recommend a trainer who could help us, and they offered only one — Andria Young at Unmistaken Stars. After completing our initial consultation and evaluation, Nelson and I began private lessons. I knew after the first session that Andria’s methods of patience, desensitization, and constant reward were going to work for Nelson. By the third session, he was walking past other dogs without barking, growling, or lunging. He had already learned that paying attention to me while we walked past the dogs meant he would receive lots and lots of treats and praise. If you face similar challenges with your dog, even an older dog like Nelson, I highly recommend working with Andria. Who says you can’t teach an old dog new tricks?

Andria at Unmistaken Stars is top notch. We have brought multiple rescue dogs here for behavioral consults and were blown away by the expertise and care provided. We walked away with powerful suggestions and an easy-to-implement plan to make each dog into the best version of themselves. From scheduling, to in-person consult, to follow-up documentation and email correspondence...our experience was seamless. We are so appreciative of this service locally and cannot recommend Unmistaken Stars highly enough.