Linda trained my dog Brie as a puppy and continues to work with her on a regular basis. My dog is now over 7 years old, and yes she’s a princess, but she’s a smart and well behaved princess!!! I’m blessed to have such a wonderful companion and so grateful to Linda for her expertise. Brie learned basic obedience skills and way beyond! She knows her basic sit, down, stay, etc. She also knows how to crawl, lay flat, lay flat and raise her leg, and back up just to name a few, skills that are fun, and some have been incredibly useful in certain circumstances. Thanks to Linda, Brie has been exposed to extraordinary training methods and a variety of unusual tools for assisting in training.
For example, when Brie was a youngster, I was instructed to dress her up…putting shirts on her body, socks on her feet, wrapping ace bandages around her torso and legs, all in a comfortable manner of course. Linda explained her reasoning for “dress up” and how those experiences are beneficial for the dog and the owner. Well… “dress up” has paid off. Recently, my dog had a malignant tumor removed from her stomach area that left an 8 inch incision with sutures that needed to be avoided, by Brie of course, for two weeks. We all know how much dogs and their owners love that “cone of shame”, the Elizabethan collar, but it was a necessary prescription from the vet to insure the sutures would remain intact. However, Brie’s time wearing that collar was limited; she had become so comfortable with “dress up” that she was able to wear a shirt secured around her torso for most of each day during that two week period. The shirt was sufficient to keep Brie from reaching her incision so she couldn’t lick at the sutures or pull them out. Those two weeks of recovery were far more comfortable for Brie not having to wear the cone 24/7. This is just one example of how training beyond the basics, which Linda is so knowledgeable at, can be so beneficial.
Linda’s understanding of dog behavior, combined with her comprehensive knowledge of training and the canine physical body, makes her a remarkable trainer. I consider myself fortunate to have Linda in my dog’s training camp!
Ann R.