In January of this year we realized the cocker spaniel we had rescued in late December needed some professional behavioral modification. Upon receiving several referrals from our veterinarian (Burl-Moor-­Driben Animal Hospital) and interviewing two possible candidates, we selected Dawn Wolfe as our trainer.

 In the course of the next couple of months, Dawn mapped out a weekly plan to change Roxy's errant behavior. Roxy was about a year old when she began her training program. Although she was full of energy and a bit boisterous, Roxy did not exhibit threatening behavior. Her problems were due to a lack of boundaries and no previous obedience training. Her "issues" included urinating in the, house, jumping up on people and furniture, and basically not responding to my commands (e.g., Come , sit, stay, no, heel, etc.). We wanted to correct all of these issues and our ultimate goal was to be able to take Roxy to a nearby park and let her run off-leash.

As Dawn outlined her approach and philosophy, she suggested we use an electronic collar to reinforce Roxy's behavioral modifications. Admittedly, we were skeptical of this approach and did not want Roxy to become a fearful or timid dog. Dawn assured us that through proper use, the electronics system would enhance our abilities to teach Roxy how to become a well mannered dog and member of our family, And Dawn was right!  

Upon completing the 10 session course, we are extremely pleased to report that Roxy met all of our training goals and didn't lose her zest for life in the process. As proof, Roxy spends an hour a day at the park off-leash! We credit Dawn for Roxy's successful transformation but it's important  to emphasize that as dog owners, we must do our part in reinforcing the training methods, which means practice,  practice, practice. Throughout the training, process, Dawn answered every one of our questions and was also a great resource for other pet resources (e.g., pet sitters). We highly recommend Dawn as a trainer and would be happy to answer any further questions.