Akela, our Saint/Shepherd Mix has quite the personality and zest for life. She is a great dog but had some behaviors that were somewhat problematic - she pulled on her leash really badly. She gets very excited over critters like frogs and squirrels and chases light/reflections like a cat which makes her spaz out at times and difficult to control. She was also known to puff out her chest and bark at other dogs. While she is a very good dog, we definitely needed help with training her to be responsive to commands and be more calm/cool/collected out in public with distractions, little critters, and other dogs. Maria is seriously a dog whisperer. She is extremely thorough, communicative, and loves your dog as if it were her own. She makes sure you understand how your dog is trained to ensure the best possible carryover. She is essentially teaching you and your dog a language that you can both understand. We opted for the in-home boarding. During that time, Maria send us very cute and informative "pupdates" so we knew exactly what Akela was working on, how much progress she was making, and how much she was actually enjoying it. We could not recommend Maria's services enough! read more