11/03/2026
Want to know why I promote certain trainers above others. Here’s why.
Humble and honest.
There was a time, not all that long ago, when I was unable to walk my own two dogs without hiding behind trees and cars, turning down streets to avoid oncoming dogs, and dreading every walk due to the incredibly high amounts of stress/anxiety. My two would absolutely qualify in the top 10 (reactivity and dog aggression wise) of my very worst clients over all these years.
At the sight of any dog they’d explode with barking, lunging, growling, redirecting on each other, and on many occasions drug me to the ground and across it.
But then I woke up, and realized that not only did I hate this traumatic daily life with my dogs, but I also hated what I’d allowed them and myself to become. And one day, I made a promise to them and myself. I promised I would turn it all around. I would repair the damage I’d unwittingly allowed and encouraged. I promised my dogs (literally told them) that before they stepped off this earth, I would ensure that they would be well trained, balanced, role models that other owners to aspire to having.
We had quite the mountain to climb. 5 years of rehearsing and reinforcing horrifically bad behavior and a multitude of negative associations with me. But we went after it—hard. A year and half later, with no help from any professional trainers (and no online videos to learn from—this was long before YouTube), we’d achieved all that and much more. And then people started asking me to help them with their dogs, and next thing you know I was doing what you see in this picture daily, as my new line of work—a professional dog walker, which later morphed into dog training as my current career.
In this picture are some serious heavy hitters, who were my regular walking crew . Multiple dog aggressive dogs (including one who had killed a smaller dog), one incredibly reactive GSD who would happily redirect (bite his owner every time he saw a dog), a super reactive (and very large dobie), an American Bulldog and a Lab with several serious human bites, my two reformed ex-cons, and a few cupcakes sprinkled in to balance things out. 12 dogs in total. (There’s two hidden behind me.)
What’s possible? Probably more than you can imagine. ❤️
