Kristin is, by far, the absolute best person I could have ever found for my corgi. This is a very long review, but hopefully it will show you the amazing depth and range of Kristin's methods.
When I first brought my corgi puppy home, I thought she didn't like me because she was very lethargic and wouldn't play at all. After Kristin met her, she immediately clocked her as having something not quite right with her. Turns out, Kristin was right: Story had come home with two parasites. So instead of being able to spend the first couple weeks out socializing her, as I had planned, Story was going to have to be quarantined and take some heavy duty medication.
Story ended up being violently sick due to an allergic reaction to the medication. After being up with her all night, I texted Kristin at 5a (before the vet opened). Even though Kristin had no outstanding relationship with me (we had only had the one session together), she called me and talked me through what was one of the worst experiences of my life.
As Story started to get better, it became clear that she was naturally very fearful (maybe the result of having been sick from the time she was brought home). Every little noise scared her, and everywhere we went, she would hide in the back of her crate. She was TERRIFIED of other dogs. We went to puppy kindergarten and she refused to play; just cowered in the corner behind me. I was so sad; I had gotten this puppy with the idea that she would come everywhere with me, and it was becoming clear that she didn't want to be anywhere except home. Kristin and I spoke again, and she thought that a three week puppy socialization program with her would be something that would help her get over her fears during this critical imprinting period. I said a tearful goodbye to my puppy, worried that she would always associate me with those early days of being sick and scared, and handed her off to Kristin.
Kristin texted me every day multiple times a day with pictures and videos of my puppy. She showed me the ways that she was introducing her to other dogs, including big dogs, and how she was introducing her to different stimuli (umbrellas, sirens, trucks, skateboards, etc.) so she would have neutral reactions in the future. For basic obedience training, she used 100% positive reinforcement - no use of NO, physical correction or any type of shaming - to EMPOWER Story to want to make the right choice when given a command. Story was so sensitive, but she could really come out of her shell with 100% positive reinforcement because she felt zero fear: if she made a good choice, she would be rewarded and if she decided not to obey, she simply would not be rewarded (i.e., she never had to fear a punishment, even one as seemingly innocuous as saying the word "No"). Each Friday night, Story would come home and Kristin would walk me through what they had done together so that we could continue to improve on her issues and continue her obedience training. Slowly, it became clear that underneath her fear, Story was a super happy and excited puppy. By the time Story came back to me at the end of the third week, I saw glimpses of the confident, joyful, affectionate dog she would become.
After Story came back to me, I knew I wanted to continue to keep Kristin in her life so that all of our hard work would not be undone. We started doing private lessons with Kristin, and having some overnights so that Story could continue to play with Kristin's dogs. We soon graduated to Walk N'Train, where Kristin's amazing associate Will would come over and walk Story, again using 100% positive reinforcement (no pulling on the leash, no use of "no") to train her to want to walk right next to him or me. Story came more and more out of her shell. We would address issues as they would come up, but the most important thing was that Kristin made me feel like I was never alone. Every issue was something we could work on, and any fear (mine and Story's) was something that could be addressed, albeit with time, patience and consistency.
Kristin's compassionate, intuitive methods set my puppy up for success in life. What's more, she helped train ME to ensure that I continue set Story up for success. Today, Story is a happy, healthy, well-adjusted and friendly dog. She walks politely next to me every day, stops to greet other dogs and people, and is so affectionate with me. I take her to work with me, to our coffee shop everyday, and to the dog park, where she even plays with the big dogs sometimes. These are things that seemed impossible when I first brought her home. Without Kristin, I know 100% that Story would not be the dog she is today, and the dog she is continuing to become. I hope Kristin will part of Story's life forever, because she has been so integral in shaping her into the amazing dog she is today. I can not recommend her enough. read more