Tricia and Fenway 3/21
I have to admit I was skeptical of how the online training would work, but as you said, aside from some little glitches it went pretty well. I'm glad to be able to continue training during this time. So thanks for testing out the online world. Zoom should work well; I did an online yoga class with it yesterday and it was pretty convenient.
Krista and Blu
The entire experience was overwhelmingly positive! I had major reservations about being able to adequately train my dog because he is deaf. He not only trained easily with sign only commands but displayed an easy going, fun personality for both people and dogs. Time well spent for both of us.
Becky and Cooper 5/18
Coop has improved a lot since our first puppy socialization through now (midway through our first round of grad puppy). He has made a few puppy "friends" during the classes and I have learned a lot about how to manage his reactive personality while out and about in the real world. He is still a very reactive dog (barks at new things, mostly out of fear), and I believe we will always be managing this, but overall he has shown a ton of improvement and we hope to continue taking classes over the next year or so.
Jay and Bohdie 1/18
Bodhi is now a certified Therapy Dog!
Dog B.O.N.E.S. They are great. They have frequent workshops in multiple locations. It takes three sessions. Bodhi and I did ours in Dedham. One thing I really appreciated is that they pretty much decided if your dog is ready at the first session. I am very happy with their program. They focus a lot on looking out for the welfare of the dog: detecting stress and knowing safe limits.
I am starting at the Harvard Medical School Library. Today was the first day! I have applied to Children’s Hospital, but they have a big wait-list for applicants.
Shaina and Ollie 4/17
Hi Judy,
I had to share this picture with you of my growlies graduate. Ollie has gone twice on off leash (or dragging a long leash) hikes with Sudbury K9 where he'll be boarded in May and I got this back from the owner today. So impressed with how far he's come. Thanks for all your help! We'll see you Sunday!
Eileen and Balu 9/15
My dog learned how to be calm around others dogs. He also completed his training for the AKC Canine Good Citizen certificate and received that certificate. In addition, he learned the AKC Rally Novice obedience exercises, and he won a first place ribbon in his first try in an AKC Rally Novice trial. Given my lack of experience with dogs, much less training dogs, the congratulations go to his trainer, Judy Bernard. Judy is an experienced, expert, and gifted trainer.
Gary and Beaudy 4/14
Our 1 year old black lab, Beaudy, was much more accustomed to off leash time in the woods than on leash walks in town. At 85 lbs he was quite a handful and would have been a great sled dog for his pulling abilities. Judy's one on one training was transformative. Beaudy is now a pleasure to walk with on leash and has enabled us to spend much more time enjoying in town walks and socializing.
Brittany and Stella 1/14
Judy took personal and caring approach with us and our dog. She explained things in a manner we could understand instead of a vet or other dog specialist. She's local which was great for classes and could recommend shops, vets, groomers, etc.. Not only did our dog have fun and was excited when she came, but we had some good laughs as well :-)
Steve and Mobi 1/13
We started working with Judy when our very spirited Portugese Water Dog, Mobi was 10 weeks. Judy helped us nail "the basics" quickly, and also went above and beyond to help address some exuberance that was overwhelming us initially. Mobi is now 20 weeks and we feel on a great path to having the energetic and well behaved pet we wanted.
Coleen and Callie 11/12
I came to PPDT with a 4 1/2 year old lab for barking and trouble getting overly excited on leash (barking/lunging/pulling). Callie is a great dog but I was frustrated with having her look like Kujo on our walks particularly since I knew it was just exuberance, not aggression.
Well, the saying 'You can't teach an old dog new tricks.' does not apply at PPDT! I have seen such a huge shift in Callie's behavior on our walks, she is calm (mostly), but never barks or lunges at people or dogs any more. I've learned how to be more clear with my dog so that I can get the results I am looking for from her. I am so grateful to have all the training tools I do now. Thanks.
Penny and Mosie 6/12
I started with Judy thinking I'd have a refresher on my training knowledge from having trained my older Chesapeake 12 years ago. What she offered was an entirely different program that focuses on positive reinforcement, never scolding. My puppy thrived, clearly wanting to please and earn her treats - and in the process, she became a well behaved dog!
Liza and Layla 1/12
When I called Judy to inquire about training, my Puggle Layla was 5 months old and an absolute terror. We had gotten into the habit of chasing Layla when she wouldn't come or when she was chewing on something she shouldn't. After our first session, we were able to stop playing the 'chasing' game. The first time you train a dog it is the owner that needs to be trained.
Judy gives you all the tools you need to teach your dog to be a member of your family. It is a pleasure to have a well trained dog. Thanks Judy!
With our 3 dogs, we have worked with 6 dog trainers. Judy is the best. She has on-line materials and home work assignments to insure we are prepared for our class. The physical layout, with movable partitions, lets each dog and owner work without the distraction of other dogs when necessary. Judy answers our questions and shares her deep experience of dog behavior, but most to the time we are working with our dogs - great balance of talk and action. She is supportive and extremely helpful in coaching us to understand our dogs' needs. We recommend her highly - and so does our dog, who adores her.