Academy Graduates

I know I’ve said this to you time and again in the two years since adopting my precious Leo, but I just want you to know I am ever grateful for all of the knowledge you have imparted about raising him and training him. I am particularly grateful for your kind and gentle responses in my “emergencies” with all the reminders I need to stay calm in the same way I want him to be calm. Thank you for hanging in there with me as I adjusted to the use of the e collar. That has been hard as I am sure it is for many, but has also brought me peace of mind in so many situations. Thank you also for supporting me in that ultimate goal to not have to use it-a goal that I have begun testing with great success. It really does all make sense when I can see such great results. We have truly grown together and now I take a calm, bright, happy dog to my office every day. His joy is as evident as mine. I am ever grateful for you and your never ending quest for knowledge that helps us all. Best wishes for a bright future in your new place where you can dedicate yourself to your passion and help us all.

We bought a puppy for our daughters at Christmas, and by July, he was a wiggly waggly ball of energy. We knew that we needed to invest in some training, and this coincided perfectly within the span of time that Julie began her official dog training journey. Our boy is sweet and full of energy, so much so that taking him on a walk was virtually impossible. He would pull so hard, and lunge so suddenly at things, that it made walking him a potentially hazardous chore. After his first session with Julie, we saw remarkable change. She introduced us to the concept of communicating with our dog via simple direct commands and use of his collar. Through establishing boundaries with him, training has made our relationship with our pup so much easier to navigate. We practiced many structured walks, with Julie’s continued instruction and support. He is now a champ, and totally fun to take downtown, to the parks, and anywhere in between. In addition to learning how to walk together, we needed some help with his behavior at home. Julie introduced us to the “place” bed, and the concept of giving Pawley some zen time during which he can relax without being overstimulated. When company comes, or during dinner, or any time during the day that being underfoot is not ideal, we issue the command “place” and Pawley goes to his place bed and stays until we release him. This has made for a much more peaceful and enjoyable dinnertime for our family. He is able to be in the dining room with us, without jumping into our laps (or otherwise showing his unbridled enthusiasm for food and attention) while we are trying to eat. Through Julie’s patience, careful instruction, and clear goal setting, he is now a model dog-citizen and we can’t thank her enough for working with our sweet Pawley. We are able to enjoy having him so much more now that we’ve learned how to communicate gently yet authoritatively with our dog.

We brought our mini schnauzer Charlie to Julie’s K9 Academy for private lessons and it was the best thing we have ever decided to do. Not only did Charlie learn but Julie took time to talk to us before and after each lesson to address any issues and give us advice on how we can work on changing behaviors on our own. Charlie was so excited he couldn’t control himself. He would pull on the leash and bark at other people and pets that we would see out on our walks. Taking him places became an such a burden and caused us so much anxiety. We took him to the vet and had to wait outside the building until his room was ready because he would cause such a scene! She taught us to start off any outting with Charlie in a calm mind set because once he is too excited he wouldn’t be able to listen to us. He has to sit at the door and wait for permission from us to start our walk. She taught us how to use a prong collar to guide Charlie in walking next to us rather than pulling us and how to hold his attention and keep him focused so that other people and dogs became less of a distraction. We just took him to the vet for his yearly vaccines after spending time with Julie and it was such a rewarding experience. Charlie sat on the floor next to us and didn’t make a sound even with other ppl bringing their pets in. Even the vet said “Wow, what did you guys do? It’s like a whole new dog?” We we’re so proud of him and so thankful for Julie! None of this would have been possible with out her patience and knowledge! It was such a lifestyle improvement and we plan to continue our training with Julie and working with Charlie at home.

Julie trained my 10 month old Dutch Shepherd (Sierra) and 5 year old French Bulldog (Bruce). She helped to improve Sierra’s impulse control, jumping on people and pulling on her leash! The place command has allowed me to take her to social gatherings and be confident she won’t run off or jump on anyone. Bruce struggled significantly with aggressive behavior. Julie and Josh helped him with food agression and obeying the place command. The e-collar is a great tool and Julie was great at teaching us how to use it. I would recommend Julie’s Training to every dog owner. She took great care of my dogs and even downloaded WhatsApp so we could communicate while I was out of the country.

Julie & Josh are simply amazing! We sent our 4.5 year old German Shepherd for the two week board and train. We gave them our top three concerns which were rushing the door when guests arrived, bullying during play time, and off leash recall. Freddie is now a much calmer dog, initiates friendly play, and listens to us immediately! He’s also mastered the heel position on long walks which is a treat too! It was tough to send him off for 2 weeks, but Julie kept in contact with me throughout the training and also posted tons of videos on social media…so fun to watch! I highly recommend their training program and would do it again in a heartbeat!