Spotlight Pooch

Donna And Her "Thor"

"I called Kelly at Top Dog to come show me how to train my two year old Laborador Retriever, Thor, to break him of some bad habits and teach him to respond to my commands. I wanted to do this for safety reasons, like not running out into the street after a cat or something, and to have him behave so as not to annoy my neighbor's dog with certain play habits." "Both Thor and I ended up enjoying the training sessions a lot more than "we" thought we would! It became a time we communicated with each other and connected in a way that was enjoyable to both of us. And best of all, he responded well, like we were playing a game. He would do the "sit-stay" and "heel" and "come" when I gave the command it would be like, oh, I get it, we're playing this again, and he would do it! I, of course, think he is very smart." "What is great about Kelly's method, is that there is no negativity to it, or "punishment". It is all positive and loving interaction. When the dog is trying to understand what you want of him, he needs to be kindly corrected until he understands, but that is the operative word -kindly. He is positively rewarded for doing the right thing, and repetitively, so it is all a happy interaction. Kelly gives written clear instructions for you to work with each week, and keeps it simple. That breaks it down into manageable segments. I have a very busy life, like most people, and had to incorporate the training everyday into just our normal interaction. Just a little bit, even, of one on one each day, on the way to the barn to feed the horses, or out for a walk around the yard, and especially if there were distractions, like people or dogs walking by, or cats to chase. It is in those situations that I want him to respond to my commands. He and I have to keep up on a daily basis to keep the response automatic. If the owner can be trained, the dog can!!" Donna & "Thor"

Comments from Kelly

Donna and Thor impressed me from the start. She was dedicated to solving his behavior problems. After the first lesson, which Thor learned to sit-stay, both Donna and Thor excelled beyond belief. She could put him in a sit-stay and walk unlimited distance away, usually I only expect the dog and owner to be within leash distance. She devoted time everyday to her training lessons and it showed every time I came to visit. Now I know everyone will not progress this well but Donna wanted to get the most out of her training and I am here to say she did. This shows that everyone can achieve their training goals no matter their schedule and become DOG of the MONTH!!

Great Job Donna and Thor!

Kelly

The Nissen Pack

Dear Kelly,

Thank you for the professional training you brought into our home for Millie and Morgan. Your instructions have been so valuable in helping us raise Millie and fine tune Morgan. Allowing for some discipline in the household, the dogs get alone fine.

Explanation for those readers: Millie is 5 months old and Morgan is 5 years old. Millie is a Giant Schnauzer and Morgan is a Miniature Schnauzer.

The training that you brought to our home has allowed us the accomplishments that were our goal. You gave us excellent obedience training for our dogs. You are very thorough and consistent. You gave us support when we thought we were taking a step backwards. You are always a phone call away when we have questions or concerns and still even a month or two after training has been over. You taught us how to respond to our dogs; especially the puppy and you taught us how to train our dogs to respond to us. We have control and our dogs respect our authority. Kelly, you taught us and encouraged us to build on that and to continue our obedience. We appreciate all you have done for us. You have been a very special part in all of our lives. Thank you!!

Sincerely,

The Nissen Pack

Comments from Kelly:

I was impressed with their dedication to their dogs. This was Diana's first big dog and she was understandable nervous. She took to training like a champ. She even took a group class after we finished so that she could brush up on distraction training. It was a little nerve racking at first for her but I knew that she could handle it. Of course she became the star of the class. Way to go Diana.

The Hafermans

 

My husband and I had each had dogs when our children were small, but we had been married for 18 years and had never had a dog together. We talked about it, but the time was never right for a number of reasons: living in a condo, grandchildren with allergies, etc. A friend suggested labradoodles, a lab and standard poodle mix, were allergy friendly, light shedders, and real companion dogs. We researched them on line, found a breeder in Michigan, and ordered a puppy from the next litter.

We'd waited a long time for our dog, and we were really excited. Our puppy was adorable. He looked like a stuffed toy animal, but he was a real handful. He was very social, high strung, and wanted to play by jumping and biting. He was more dominant and feisty than I'd anticipated. We'd wanted a big dog, and ours was supposed to get to be around 75 to 80 pounds. When he'd get wound up, I would try to imagine how we would handle him when he was full-grown, and I was really worried. I had heard abut Kelly from a woman from our church that had had her work with her dog, so I gave Kelly a call. The receptionist at our vet's office had also said that Kelly had worked wonders with a friend's out-of-control puppy.

It was about 8:30 at night when I decided to call Kelly, and I thought I'd get an answering machine. Instead I got Kelly herself! She took the time to talk to me right then and to answer some questions that I had. Before I got off the phone, I had some ideas about things to try with our puppy, and I had our first at-home training session scheduled.

Kelly was wonderful. She was very organized and had the lessons planned out with what to do when. She demonstrated everything and then let us practice while she watched and made suggestions. She was also very flexible. When we thought we needed a bit more time to work on something with our puppy, she'd schedule the lesson a week later. Kelly made working with our puppy look easy, we wanted to copy what she did and tried to do so, and it worked! She was always positive and encouraging.

Before getting our puppy, I'd read books and watched videos on puppy training. Everyone I knew who had a dog was full of advice about what we should do with our dog, and the input was conflicting and very confusing. Kelly was one voice we decided to listen to, and we're glad we did. We still have some difficult days with a very active and social dog, but we have much more confidence in dealing with him since our training sessions with Kelly. Her being willing to take our phone calls when we were stuck was a real help. I've called her a few times with questions since we finished our sessions, and she always takes the time to give ideas and suggestions. I look forward to her planning a class we can attend with our dog. My husband and I would highly recommend Kelly to anyone wishing to have a more disciplined and controllable dog.

Pam And Dick Haferman

Comments from Kelly:

After a letter like that what could I say. It is always difficult dealing with well meaning friends and the conflicting ideas you get from them. It helps to have one voice as she put it to guide you along the way. I helped them to be consistent and teach Booker the rules of the house. Booker was very receptive to training and enjoyed the lessons as much as his owners. Stop out at the Saugatuck Dog Park and you might run into them. They will share their love of books with you.

The Roommates

We called Kelly at Top Dog Pet Trainers because we were having a terrible time with potty training. We had been reading books and talking with others who raised puppies and the "accidents" were still happening. Besides the potty issue, Carson was also beginning to bite us. Before we contacted Kelly, we started to think getting Carson was a huge mistake, and maybe we should give him away. After talking with Kelly, we had hope that everything was going to be alright. After our phone call to Kelly, she come out the following week. It was very exciting to learn all that was involved in the classes. It sounded great, we couldn't wait! Once Kelly made Carson's schedule for feeding, walking, crating and free time, it was as if a weight had been lifted. Both of us and Carson were so much happier. Everyone now knew what was allowed and what wasn't. The commands were wonderful, but what really thrilled us was having Carson ding a bell to go outside. All of our friends and family think that is so neat.

We would like to thank Kelly for giving us the dog we dreamed of, and Carson, the owners he deserves. Thank you so much for making this possible, we truly enjoyed the experience.

Thank you

Lisa Ricord and Tish Caldarona

Comments from Kelly:

What they forgot to mention is that Carson was ringing the bell in the very first week. That is amazing, which is why he is in the spotlight. Carson might be little (Yorky) but he sure carried a mighty bite. A few tips and they were on their way. I was glad to help Lisa and Tish. I am happy that Carson will keep his home. Great job girls.

Top Dog Pet Trainers
Saugatuck, MI.
1-616-550-7192