Visionary Canine

About two years ago I introduced a new rescue French Bulldog to our home. The first few months were great and then she had a fight with our other French Bulldog. We were at a place where the two dogs could not even look at each other without and altercation. Our home was tense and we struggled with what to do. We thought rehoming a dog was our only option. Gen was recommended and we did a 5 week board and train program. Gen made it clear that we had to be part of the process and come in every week to learn to handle our dogs and be a part of the program. After 5 weeks we brought the dogs home and continued with the rules of engagement. Over time our two dogs learned to live together. Today our home is calm and they play together as if they are the best of friends. They have a better understanding of each others boundaries and they understand each others triggers. I'm not sure where we would have been had we not found Gen and Visionary Canine Training. We now use the boarding a few times a year. It's comforting to know they are with someone that wont set us back in training while we are unable to be with our dogs. If you are having any issues with your dog I recommend reaching our to Visionary Canine. They care so much and it really shows.

Visionary Canine is a revelation, and Gen is an absolute superhero! To be quite honest, I did not know what to expect from dog training. Growing up, we always had well-mannered, goofy, and loyal dogs - something like Scooby Doo from the TV shows. Given these experiences, I was entirely unaware that a dog could be like our precious Momo. Momo is more akin to Brian Griffin combined with a wild filly. Hold your horses; I’ll elaborate in a bit. Momo is my girlfriend’s dog, and she has already articulated her admiration for Gen in a review below. Frankly, Gen deserves to have praise heaped upon her, so I might as well give this review a shot. Gen is passionate, transparent, and willing to hold owners accountable. Visionary Canine’s influence does not stop once the board-and-train is completed. Gen will undoubtedly return you a refined dog that is significantly better behaved than the version that arrived at board and train. However, the buck does not stop there. Once your cherished filly or foal inevitably starts bucking, Gen teaches you exactly how to hold the reins. Albeit, the reins resemble a biothane leash, and your belt buckle is suddenly a treat pouch. Get ready to wield that e-collar remote like spurs on your boots. Gen could easily leave dog owners with these tools at their disposal with little to no guidance, but Gen’s passion shines through. Gen’s in-person check-in meetings, exercise instructions, and responsiveness to questions/quandaries demonstrate how she exceeds expectations. Personally, I have seen her survive nights of sporadic sleep solely to crate-train Momo and ease our pup’s separation anxiety. We visited Gen after one of these near-nocturnal nights, as she nursed a daytime migraine, wearing sunglasses. I always knew Momo was a bit of a headache. Thankfully, Gen is headstrong. Gen is transparent too. She could have easily fibbed about Momo’s behavior and told us that Momo was cool as a cucumber in the crate. Instead, Gen did not sugarcoat the truth. She and Momo were in a pickle. Momo’s crate anxiety was keeping both of them up at night, but Gen refused to abandon Momo and leave our pup in a panting, slobbering mess. Gen was empathetic and personally affected by the seriousness of Momo’s anxiety. Gen even helped us piece together the probable origins of that anxiety, as Momo spent her first few months on a farm with little to no confinement. Now, we can get some respite from our 75-pound dust mite, as Momo is entirely comfortable and happy in the kennel. This training went leaps and bounds towards addressing Momo’s separation anxiety. Unexpectedly, we got a glimpse into a high-stakes situation when walking Momo off-site during our recent check-in meeting. Fortunately, Gen was with us and defused the incident in a manner that I still find hard to believe. As we walked along a roadside, a loose dog charged Momo. My partner and I froze. Neither fight nor flight, just stagnation. Gen was incisive and instinctive in her reaction. As the loose dog charged at Momo, Gen yelled, “No!” at the top of her lungs. The dog was undaunted and continued to charge at Momo. If left unchecked, this dog could have bitten any of us or forced us into the roadway with fast-moving traffic. However, Gen was like a middle linebacker stuffing a running back. Gen anticipated the dog’s trajectory, got low, and wrapped herself around the dog. The dog’s aggressive advances were thwarted as Gen encouraged us to keep it moving along the sidewalk. Admittedly, my jaw was dragging along the sidewalk, but I kept moving. We were stupefied. Kali and I looked at each other, blinking furiously, unable to comprehend how rapidly Gen reacted. Momo just ambled along in heel, seemingly unfazed by the interaction. Gen caught up with us and brushed the dirt off her pants. Gen is a superhero; she makes the extraordinary seem ordinary.

I’m so grateful to have met Gen and Visionary Canine Training! Thanks to her training expertise, I now understand aspects of my dog's behavior that I didn’t even recognize before. What I thought was localized anxiety was actually impacting my dog’s behavior inside and outside of the house in ways I couldn’t see. After her board and train, I see so much more mental clarity in my dog and in our relationship. She is undoubtedly more regulated and less anxious. I can now safely put her in the crate without fearing that she’ll self-harm. The crate is now a safe space where she can rest! Gen has also greatly improved my dog’s obedience skills. I feel much more confident taking her out in public without risk of her becoming hyperactive and lunging at other dogs in excitement. Gen has completely redefined my relationship with my dog. My dog and I have a better understanding of how my leadership in our relationship can show her how to act in different environments. Situations that would have made me dread bringing my dog now make me excited, knowing that I have the skills for us to be successful. We have already returned for another lesson and we intend to continue working with Gen indefinitely. Gen will meet you where you’re at and also help you get to where you want to go with your dog (sports, off-leash, etc.). Gen has never tried to sell me a solution or “fix-all” on the spot. She goes above and beyond in her multi-hour lessons to take meticulous notes. She asks about the dog’s genetic background, puppyhood, diet, socialization history, and much much more. The word “thorough” doesn’t even do justice to describe her commitment to understanding the dogs that come in for training. Even though Gen charges what I would say is the market rate for board and training (based on my experience looking at other facilities), her commitment and investment of time is well worth the cost. I’m surprised Gen doesn’t charge MORE for her services, especially for cases like with my dog who needed extensive behavioral modification for separation anxiety. Because my dog came in with serious crate anxiety, Gen had to be up throughout the night for many instances in the first stretch of my dog’s b&t. Gen does not leave dogs to struggle alone in the kennel. I was happy to know that there is always someone at the facility—dogs are never left overnight unattended. Dogs are also never left on the treadmills alone. In fact, unlike other facilities, dogs are not tied to the treadmills at all. The props are used safely and Gen is fully present. I’m impressed with Gen’s creative training methods to mentally tire out my dog before having her do kennel training. She really takes a comprehensive approach to rehabilitation, incorporating safe play, obedience, and the appropriate amount of stress to keep dogs in the right headspace. She does not push dogs to the point of defeat and shutdown so that it appears as if their behavior has been modified but it’s actually masked. When my dog was struggling, it was clear Gen empathized with her greatly and was personally distraught by the depth of my dog’s anxiety. Never once in my time knowing Gen have I doubted her commitment to the dogs in her care. My dog has a dense coat and Gen carefully brushed and tended to it during her b&t. Her crate anxiety led her to drooling, so Gen had to bathe her multiple times so that hot spots would not pop up. My dog also eats messy, wet raw food. Not once did Gen object to the amount of extra work that my specific dog entailed. She treats the client dogs as her own. We stayed in contact throughout on the b&t via text, call, and in-person lessons. She is an excellent teacher and pushes you to be a better, more consistent and fair handler. She will never send you home without equipping you with the skills to continue your dog’s rehabilitation and training. I think this aspect of Gen’s training protocol is really important, because she makes sure that clients use the tools ethically and appropriately on their dogs. She is kind, fair, and really a pleasure to work with!