I have a pack of three Boston Terriers (ages 1, 3, and 4) that I desperately needed to teach better manners when it came to "charging"€ the front door, jumping onto the couch, and not pulling while on the leash.
To add to the situation, my 1 year old puppy is deaf.
In searching online for local in home trainers, Nicole's name came up. On top of her bios and other professional write ups, it was the other happy customer reviews I read over that sold me on the idea that I needed to reach out to Nicole. Before even meeting her, I got the vibe that Nicole was the "real deal" and was excited to see what techniques she would be bringing to the table to help me with my pack.
Nicole worked with 1 dog at a time until they mastered the concept, then we practiced the skill with all 3 dogs at once. Making adjustments to my body language, voice tone, and wording had me speaking "€œdog"€Â, which had my dogs quickly realize the "€œcharging", jumping, and pulling behaviors are no longer acceptable. With every tool or technique tried, Nicole gave me an explanation as to why she was having me say and do things in the particular manor she was demonstrating, which was much appreciated. Knowing why I'€™m doing something is just as important as understanding how to do it.
During this process, I was most impressed with Nicole's ability to teach my deaf high energy puppy the same expectations and skills that the other two were learning. Having her own deaf dog has lead her to be very knowledgeable about best practices and techniques. However, I am confident that if Nicole didn't have prior experience with a deaf dog, or any dog with special needs, she would have taken the time to educate herself prior to coming to the lesson and come prepared with several tools/ techniques available to find the most successful one.
From beginning to end, Nicole's demeanor towards myself and my dogs was nothing short of professional. She didn'€™t leave any questions unanswered or apprehensions unaddressed. It is clear that Nicole is truly passionate about what she does and that it isn'€™t "just a job"€ for her. Since our lesson, Nicole has reached out to check in on our progress and is always responsive to emails with questions/ concerns that have arose with helpful information and reminders. I would recommend Nicole to anyone!!!!!
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Bark Busters dealt with Barking, Hyperactivity, Jumping up, Other