Linda was a huge disappointment. We spent 200+ dollars on a two hour session that could have been done in 10 minutes. She asked for my children to be present and ready to learn, but also asked to have a back up plan (baby sitter) because kids can be "needy". Instead they were on their electronics the whole time in their room while my husband and I spent 2 hours listening to her talk our ears off. We had to reschedule a 4 o'clock appointment because of her family matter, which I understand. She had us rescheduled for a 6 o'clock appointment. I explained to her that late in evenings are hard for me, and earlier would be better. I had a brain aneurysm and i struggled mentally when I am tired. She wasn't flexible The only reason I am giving 2 stars, is because she did give us a few helpful tricks that could have taken 10 minutes vs. 2 hours. She should have included my kids. read more

It is difficult to express how important Linda has been to our family over the past 2 years. We brought an F1 Sheepadoodle puppy into our home with no experience or knowledge, about how to do so successfully. My husband found Linda and her In Relation with Dogs website, and immediately I was grateful. Her website describes perfectly her attitude and approach to animal behavior and the importance of building a relationship between you and your pet. Linda's Puppy Training introduced us to this basic shift and approach to animal behavior, and the role of a pet in the family. Through private lessons at our home, Linda was able to educate, model, and practice training skills with each person in our family. She was able to observe our different levels of understanding and styles, our interactions with our puppy, Otis, and see the environment in which we live. She respectfully and supportively instructed us in specific moments of interaction and became a valuable resource for our entire family. Linda has years of experience and education, and shares her knowledge in a respectful and considerate way. Linda has accompanied us on a training journey that continues to evolve. We now have plans for Otis. We think about his needs, and consider him, completely differently than we had before working with Linda. We continue to learn, and Linda continues to be available with a genuine interest and love for what she does. In Relation with Dogs is much more that a puppy or dog training course. It is an opportunity to consider a new approach animal (and human) behavior. Linda inspires us to develop positive relationships, establish new habits or modify behavior patterns, and consider that positively reinforcing behavior, certainly doesn't just apply to dogs. read more

In Relation With Dogs - Pet Training Near Me - Lincoln, Nebraska

I would (and do!) recommend dog trainer Linda Brodzik to any dog owner looking for greater obedience & attention, or who merely wants a better "working" relationship with their canine. Linda takes a calm, gentle-yet-firm approach which not only teaches us, as owners, to get our dogs to work with us; they WANT to work with us! I receive compliments all the time on how "obedient" and "well-behaved" my 18-month-old German shepherd is...and I owe it all to Linda (and maybe some dedication and hard work). She has been a wonderful teacher and always returns my calls and takes the time to answer my questions...of which I have many! Thank you, Linda, for sharing your wonderful gift of knowledge and teaching me how to become a better dog owner! (*Note: Linda's obedience classes aren't just for puppies, but for dogs of all ages.) read more

We scheduled training with Ms Brodzik, making an appointment 6 weeks in advance. Ms Brodzik changed the appointment twice and we were accommodating. I requested a little later time at the third scheduled appointment, after rescheduling twice for Ms Brodzik. She could not do a later time so I rescheduled the conflict. Ms Brodzik then cancelled the appointment, on the appointment day, stating this was due to not letting her know I had rescheduled the conflict? I never cancelled the appointment with her and stated I would change the conflict. Very unprofessional. Have no clue how she is with training but she definitely has an inflated sense of her own importance. Book if you will but be flexible even when she chooses to be inflexible and don't expect great results. Since the training is mostly for the owner, those nonexistent people skills do not bode well. read more

"Thank you, Linda, for your expertise, compasion, and limitless support in helping us teach our new puppy, Colby, all the lessons he needs to know to be a good companion and citizen. We were amazed at how quickly your training positive training methods worked, and how fast and enthusiastically Colby learned. We are especially thankful for your patience and generosity of time with all our questions in between our scheduled sessions. Colby being our first puppy in 20 years, we had a lot of questions! You guidance has been so helpful, and so much appreciated. Thank you!" Brad and Nicole Lincoln, NE read more

We were very fortunate to have found a trainer with Linda Brodzik's level of knowledge and caring so close to where we live. I cannot begin to express all that we have learned from her in the scope of one review. She is not just a trainer, she is also a college educated behaviorist which makes her an expert at reading canine behavior as well as dealing with new handlers. We had a dog with a pretty high drive. She came from working lines and could be quite assertive as well as a little aggressive. We knew excellent trainers, but none of them lived near us. We also did not have the time, nor finances to travel extensively to avail ourselves of their services. How lucky we were to have found Linda Brodzik here in our own town! Linda guided us how to harness our dog's assertiveness into training/learning opportunities with amazing results. When we first met Linda, we had very different philosophies on training. However, after studying various methods of training, we found that many of the top trainers (who were getting the best results) were using methods similar to the ones Linda uses. So, we decided to take a beginning obedience class with our puppy. We had taken other obedience classes before we took one with Linda, so we did have some experience as to what is out there. What first impressed us was the size of the class. It was much smaller than the others we had taken. The other thing which impressed us was how long each class lasted. This combination allows Linda to spend significant time with each student and their dog working on any issues the trainer might be having. This was something we valued highly as we were fairly new and had a lot of questions. My wife and I took our first class with Linda in 2004. Since that time, we have taken numerous classes with her over the years. We have also recommended her to at least 5 friends and received rave reviews of Linda's classes from all of them. Finally, and I can't stress this enough, if you take her class or use her services, one must do the work. The education and services she provides are for the handler. Any results I may or may not be getting from my dog are solely do to my ability and willingness ( or lack thereof) to follow Linda's instructions and advice. Many dogs are put to death each year in shelters because people can't be bothered to learn how to train their dogs, or worse, attend classes, but don't do their homework. Our community is lucky to have such a dedicated professional such as Linda Brodzik. I highly recommend her to anyone serious about taking their own education to the next level. read more

I've worked with Linda on a number of occasions and really respect her approach. She is gentle, but effective. She practices humane, science-based animal training. If you're familiar with Karen Pryor's work, you have a good understanding of Linda. She teaches in one room of a pet clinic, which is spacious and fine. But she will also schedule private lessons in a park or elsewhere which is sometimes more effective and focused. Either way, if you have a chance to train with her, I'd take it. read more

Linda visited our home to help with with our dog's separation anxiety. She gave us some good information and told us follow up calls were included in her fee. I spoke to her twice after our meeting but three subsequent calls went unanswered. I never got the chance to offer more money if I had run over my 'time.' I'm sure she's an excellent trainer, but I didn't get the follow up I expected. read more

I contacted Linda and asked about the boarding and training program. Not only did she not answer my questions I was informed of very specific rules that are not posted. Her emails came across snotty and unhelpful. Rather than offering information I inquired about she said no. It was very frustrating when I'm inquiring about a very expensive service and I get terrible customer service. I can respect if it wasn't a good fit but not even trying is frustrating. Good luck hopefully I was an exception and she updates her website. read more

I had a horrible experience taking level 1 and level 2 of Linda's classes. She did not treat my miniature poodle anywhere nearly as respectfully as she treated the other dogs and at one point told me she was basically hopeless because she had fear issues because I did not get her until she was 10 weeks old. I'm sure if you have a larger dog that she likes she'd be a good trainer but we walked out during level 2 halfway through class and never came back. My dog was so upset she just laid down and froze. I started taking her to Canine Coach after we moved to Minneapolis and she now has her Canine Good Citizen and is enrolled in Therapy Dog Training. Don't waste your money here. read more

Linda came to our home to evaluate our puppy who was having issues with what we thought were many anxieties and or aggression. She hardly interacted with the dog asked us a bunch of questions then proceeded to tell us the dog was ill suited to our family and we should give him up. Complete with horror stories of what dogs like him could do. (As any large breed dog could do.) She did not give us a plan saying these are your choices, he needs this work and commitment or you may want to find him a better suited home. We thought we were getting mainly a lab mix but our puppy turns out to have more German Shepherd tendancies. Once I realized what we were working with and the puppies needs things have been going much better. Regular walks, training, introduction to new experiences have greatly helped him. We could have used that advice from Linda instead of paying her for nothing and then figuring out what he needed on our own. read more

I contacted Linda because my dog had serious fear issues and had become aggressive toward other dogs and occasionally people in certain situations. Linda was able to analyze what was going on and how I was contributing to the issues, and gave me a clear plan of action to work on addressing them. I have met with her privately and have taken several classes with her, and have been very pleased. I found her to be always available when I called between classes or consults with questions. I gladly recommend her to anyone who needs help dealing with behavior issues with their dogs, or who just wants to have a well behaved dog. She only uses positive methods for training, which makes it fun for both the dog and the owner. Another plus is that she limits the size of classes so she is able to give personalized attention to each owner and dog. read more

I contacted Linda several summers ago about our rescue Great Dane as he was fearful and aggressive around strangers. Linda assured me that she was an "expert" with this type of situation. Linda insisted that I get our other 2 dogs off the premises when she visited and that I muzzle our Dane. I did both. She showed up, took LITERALLY a 30 second look at the dog's behavior, told me to put him in the house, and proceeded to charge me several hundred dollars to go on and on about how he was unsocialized (BS as he was very well socialized and calm around those people he was familiar with and with other dogs) and that there was basically no hope for him. For almost 2 years, I actually believed Linda and were unable to expose our dog to strangers or have people over to our home. Luckily, I found a better trainer with REAL experience with aggressive dogs. Lo and behold, we found out that our dane had fear aggression and was in no way unsocialized or "unsaveable". After several private classroom and in-home sessions, our dog has improved greatly and continues to improve with each additional stranger he meets. At one time, my boyfriend was unable to come over when the dog was there. Now we live together! Stay very clear of Linda Brodzik. She was almost the cause of me giving up on my sweet boy. She has no CLUE what she is doing with "problem" dogs!!! If you care about your dog, do your homework. There are PLENTY of reviews out there about Linda that support my experience. read more

I highly recommend Linda not only for training, but for handling behavior issues. We participated in several of her classes, as well as a home evaluation, in learning how to work with our rescue dog. He was really looking for us to show him what to do and what we expected. Linda patiently worked with us as we dealt with an unfortunate incident involving our dog. Linda understands not only how to motivate dog behavior, but people too! read more

Linda has helped me with all of my dogs, rescues and puppies. I have been dogless for many years now and am considering another dog, but first checked to see if Linda was still offering classes as I cannot imagine doing it without her. read more

I think Linda knows her stuff when ths animal behaves exactly as it should. We paid her a LOT of money for a 2 hour session at our home which was also supposed to include any follow up necessary to get our dog to the point we were hoping. After she left our home it was difficult to reach her and our phone calls were often not returned for 3-5 days. She pretty much just "checked out" on us after only two short phone calls, when our dog did not respond the way she was expecting. I would shop around for a trainer that doesn't charge a huge amount up front and really cares about your pet even if the animal is not a "classic case". read more

Linda is such a great trainer. Her methodology is so simple and kind to owner and dog. Before starting her class I would find myself frustrated and unsure of how to deal with a problem behavior in my puppy, even though my puppy was relatively easy compared to other puppies I've known. Linda has a great approach to training as a whole and building a healthy relationship with your dog. She gives you the tools to continue the training process on your own even after class has finished. My dog and I just completed Obedience I and will be doing Obedience II in the near future. read more

Did not have the best experience. Paid her a significant sum of money and didn't feel like I got the follow through I deserved for the amount. BS walks. Don't waste your money. read more

Our German Shepherd puppy is in Linda's level II obedience class. Linda has helped us to be better trainers and owners. When we follow through with her teaching consistently our results are excellent. Linda teaches for success--she is easy to understand and what she teaches is common sense and kindness. She is a wonderful advocate for dogs and we're so grateful to have found her. We have a relationship with our dog that we've never had with an animal. Our dog is able to walk into Pet Smart and be around other dogs without pulling, jumping, barking or growling. It is a pleasure to walk with her on the leash and she loves to train! We receive comments and compliments all the time on our dog's well-behaved, easy manner and people are always asking who our trainer is. We are!! (With Linda's help!) We are looking forward to Level III! read more

While Linda's theories and attitude toward the dogs was great, there was very little actual training done. Probably in part to the fact it was held in the foyer of a vets office so the dogs primarily sat while Linda talked, and talked, and talked. By the last session we were the only ones still there. It was very frustrating to get a good lecture but pretty much zero application. While it was obvious we and our dog needed a lot of help as the weeks went on we were invisible. I think bc she knew what she was saying was not something she could actually demonstrate effectively. I would not recommend her, although she was a nice person. read more

I cannot say enough nice things about Linda Brodzik. She approaches her work with dogs, and all animals, with the objective of building a positive relationship with the animal and helping him/her reach his/her full potential. I have one dog that suffers from severe anxiety. Linda has helped me a great deal with making baby steps that have slowly built up her confidence. My other dog has a very different personality and she has helped him a great deal as well. I have taken Obedience I, II, and III and Tricks I with one of my dogs, and Obedience I and II with my other dog. We'll be starting Obedience III soon. Linda is not about training your dog for you; she is about teaching you to effectively train your dog using positive reinforcement. This builds a lifelong connection and bond with your dog in a way that dropping your dog off with a trainer somewhere and having them do the work for you never could. Training is a lifelong activity. Dogs, like people, need adequate physical exercise and mental stimulation or behavioral problems are going to occur. You have to be willing to put in the work. Linda awakened in me a passion for learning about training theory. Her classes are about much more than "sit," "stay," and "come," although those basic skills are definitely covered. They're about learning to effectively communicate with your dog and understanding that every interaction you have can be an opportunity to teach, to learn, and to make a positive connection. I would recommend working with Linda if you wish to have your dog learn anything from basic skills to complex tricks, while deepening your positive relationship with your pet. read more

"Linda Brodzik has changed our lives. We have now raised two Bernese Mountain Dogs with her exceptional training skills. Our first dog was a "mouther", chewing on everything including us, when she was a puppy. She was not following any commands, and was incredibly hard to walk on leash. We were seriously at our wits-end. Linda came to our home and spent time educating us as to how to redirect our good intentions but not-so-helpful instruction to our pup! We then joined her positive-reinforcement classes and our dog was on her way. We saw such a transformation in our relationship with our dog, and how much happier she was after we all learned to communicate. Making the decision to head to Linda's training series classes (we have done all 3 for both dogs and drove an hour each way every week for them) with our next puppy was a no-brainer and we have two very happy dogs who are very well behaved. We bring our dogs everywhere and always get comments on how well-behaved and well-trained they are. Could not have happened without Linda Brodzik. Cannot recommend her enough. The payoff for learning how to train your dog well from Linda is that you establish an incredible, trusting relationship with your dog. Can't be beat. " read more

I have used Linda's expertise for years. I used to have an old nervous anxious dog who has now passed on, and now I have a young energetic pit bull/boxer X. Linda is my go to gal for any questions or training I may need. She understands how dogs think better than anyone I know. A lot of problems can be fixed simply by fixing the humans. That was probably the biggest lesson I learned from Linda. My dog is not usually the problem, it's my expectations and how I react to them. My changing my behavior I have been able to communicate more effectively with my dogs. When I first got my pit x, she was having some problems getting along with my older dog. Linda taught me a couple of skills to introduce them and they ended up being friends. When the older one passed away, my Pit x was so sad. I really wasn't sure if they would ever be friends! I have also applied those same skills with my dog on many other situations. I am currently using them to adapt her to cats. A week ago she chased them and barked at them relentlessly. It's not perfect, but there is no more chase or barking. Thank you Linda for teaching me how to train my dog. read more