From “Good Boy” to “Goodest Boy!”
We had a wonderful experience with Kara. As long-time dog lovers but first time dog-owners, my husband and I adopted a dog from a rescue and realized that we needed some support for some reactivity our new boy was experiencing with other dogs.
Kara worked with us, and taught us so much about how to read our dog and get to know how he liked to interact with other dogs. She showed us safe ways to introduce him to other dogs, as well as supporting us with a slew of other trainings and behavior supports.
We already had a Good Boy, and now have the Goodest Boy!
We also know so much more about him and know the ways to bring him into new situations. We get a huge amount of compliments on our boy and Kara has been an instrumental part of that!
Thank you! - Renee and Liam
I love making my clients and their dogs happy.
Kara is extremely knowledgeable in the area of dog behavior and training. She has helped me not only with my current resident dog, she has helped me in very challenging cases for foster dogs. I was also able to help a stray dog we found in the road this week who was lost and without tags; I earned the trust of this dog quickly, spent about 3.5 hours with her, and was able to reunite her with her owner later that day.
But none of that would have been possible without what I have learned from Kara, and it’s likely that dog would have come to harm on a busy road nearby. Instead, she hung out with us for a bit and got a lot of treats and got to play fetch. So, the good work Kara does helps you not only form a deeper bond with your own animal but makes it possible for you to confidently help and better manage situations with unknown animals as well.
Thank you! - Caroline, Cyrus, Sammy, and Leo
“A Master Class in Dog Training.”
I can always count on Kara to tell me the truth, to help me accurately assess what is possible, lay out options that might work for my situation and dog pack, and then helps me achieve those chosen goals. She is an excellent communicator, both verbally and in writing, and her follow up emails are like a master class in dog training. Her lesson plans are so well documented you can refer to them for years to come when issues arise. I hope she one day publishes in this area because she is so knowledgable and well-written and spoken and always seems to know exactly where to point me for more info on a given topic of interest.
“My only regret is not knowing her and working with her sooner.”
There are many dog trainers, but Kara combines her high level of expertise in the field of animal behavior and training, excellent communication including detailed documentation and additional references, an ability to tailor to your needs and interests, compassion and a great attitude toward her work and her clients. I highly recommend working with her, it will change your relationship with your animal - and likely all animals - for the better. My only regret is not knowing her and working with her sooner!
We connected with Kara when we adopted our border collie puppy from Western Border Collie Rescue. Louie had a bit of a rough start that made things rocky. Of course, we got him during Covid when there was less opportunity to socialize a new puppy and he came to us with some significant reactivity issues. We engaged Kara for ~25+ sessions over the last 14 months to work with Louie - both with him alone and with us walking with him and watching his interaction. We also took a Control Unleashed 6 week class that Kara co-taught.
I have learned so much from Kara, watching how she interacts with dogs and understands how they are feeling. I had limited experience with a reactive dog previously and they can be difficult to navigate. But having Kara's undying patience and insight helped me immensely.
She has taught us so many ways to help Louie feel more comfortable, less reactive and generally happier when he's out in the world. I honestly don't know if we would have been able to handle him without Kara's insight. The games and toys she recommended as well as her guidance on potential strategies to neutralize his reactivity were incredible. She taught me how to handle Louie's behavior and understand that it truly wasn't anything he could control. I can say that after having Louie for the 14+ months and having Kara's support, he is making incredible progress. He can go to the dog park off-leash, he can be in the mountains off-leash and he will come back when called. His progress has been overwhelming, but it's due to a lot of good advice and hard work. I highly recommend Kara for her patience (both with Louie and me), her insight, and her vast knowledge of canine behavior. I have learned so much from Kara over the last 14 months and both Louie and me, are much happier as a result.
5 stars!