Wild At Heart Canine Academy

After researching several different training programs in the area we decided to train with WAHCA and we are so glad that we did! Alyssa and the team at WAHCA taught us how to effectively communicate with Winnie, our pittie mix, and help her to work through her nervous behaviors and general puppy excitement. One thing that I especially loved about training with Alyssa is that she would ask at each training session what our specific goals were for Winnie or what was something we needed to work on. She would then tailor our next lesson around working on and achieving that goal whether it was taking Winnie into a public space, learning tricks, or socializing her around other dogs. Winnie gets compliments everywhere we go now on how well behaved she is which has been a new experience for us as dog owners. We are so thankful for the WAHCA team!

To say WAHCA changed our lives is an understatement! We can’t thank the wonderful team there enough for the joy and comfort they have brought back into our home! We went from an unfortunate situation where we feared the only way out was to rehome one of our dogs, to learning a better relationship with each of them and helping them get along better together. We started with the hybrid board and train program in October of last year and continue to this day sending our girls to day school every Monday and joining in on the multitude of group trips WAHCA offers every month, and boarding with them when we need to leave town! The process is very much about training you as the owner(s) as well as your pups and we have learned so much. There is certainly a lot of time, effort, and learning to be put in for yourself, not just for your dog. But the encouragement and structure provided makes it second nature over time. Aubrie, Hanna, and the rest of the team have only been a text or phone call away when we have questions or concerns, and it’s clear they are truly invested in making sure we accomplish what is best for us and our pups. We can also head out of town worry-free knowing when our dogs are boarding with WHACA, they keep the same routine we practice, and stay engaged and active every day with constructive activities from the same trainers we’ve come to know and love. Our pups love coming to school every Monday or any time we drop them off for boarding, and we truly feel WAHCA is now an extension of our family. I recommend them any chance I get and we feel so blessed to have had their help!

It’s hard to explain how impactful our time with WAHCA was. We came to them with an 88 lb lab mix that was scared and had cornered, growled, and snapped at a family member. We were heartbroken and felt lost on what to do. He was a lovable dog, but had so many bad habits including stealing out of the trash, and counter surfing. It was stressful having him in the house with us. We had hired several other trainers to work with him, but they didn’t have the behavioral knowledge that WAHCA does and ultimately he could sit, stay, and do tricks, but he couldn’t behave! A coworker recommended WAHCA. We chose the twice monthly lessons to start. The women of WAHCA are kind, helpful, knowledgeable, and supportive. Aubrie artfully helped us see where we each had opportunities to grow in our relationship with our dog and gave us lessons and goals to work on. She taught us how to set boundaries that are healthy for both humans and dog, and she gave us the confidence to move forward. Now our home is relaxed, and we enjoy being with our dog. It’s a 180 degree change and that’s no small feat in just 7 months! Our dog Reese would do anything for Aubrie aka the treat lady. He thinks she is the BEST!! Thank you Aubrie and all of you at WAHCA. We are grateful!

We couldn’t love Wild at Heart Canine Academy more! My husband and I brought our highly reactive mini goldendoodle, Daizey, hoping we could one day take her out in public and enjoy adventures together—and they made that possible! We worked with Aubrie, and we are beyond grateful for her. She was so knowledgeable, incredibly patient, and made the whole process feel encouraging instead of overwhelming. She taught us so much and truly cared every step of the way. Our “Crazy Daizey” is still her fun, goofy self (we wouldn’t have it any other way!), but now she understands her commands and knows when it’s time to be wild and when it’s time to listen to mom and dad. We’re so thankful for the progress she’s made and couldn’t recommend them more! (Here is a picture of Daizey with Aubrie and a picture of our latest adventure!)