We adopted a Yorkie rescue, Teddy, a few months ago and quickly realized that he was extremely reactive towards other dogs (barking, lunging, etc.). While the stress of having highly reactive dog in Hoboken (where there are dogs everywhere, pretty much all day every day) was very difficult, what was worse was knowing that Teddy wasn't living the life that he deserved. He was missing out on exercise, going to the park, having proper social interactions with other dogs, etc.
We researched, read books, watched videos, and spoke to and met with probably a dozen different trainers - all of whom were highly recommended and are well-known in our area as the best of the best. Several of them did in-person consults and training sessions. We tried everything under the sun. We were consistent. And yet, we saw almost no improvement.
Then, we reached out to Linda, originally to inquire about her daycare services at K9 Nanni, in the hopes that structured socialization would help Teddy learn how to behave around other dogs. I explained our situation and she told me stories of other dogs just like Teddy who she had trained and helped immensely. She spent a considerable amount of time just talking me through everything. She said that she *knew* she could help him but also didn't pressure me into doing anything. She said that she understood that Teddy is our baby and we needed to choose the trainer who we felt would be best for him. We had already consulted with many trainers at this point, but Linda felt different. She also provided several references of other people/dogs she has helped recently. I spoke with each of them, and they all sang Linda's praises and told me how she had literally changed their lives.
Teddy completed a 10-day board & train program with Linda about a month ago now. My impulse is to say that he's returned "a completely new dog," but he hasn't. He is the same happy Teddy that we love so much. He is absolutely still himself - but he is undoubtedly a better version of himself. His reactivity is almost completely gone. He happily walks by our side on walks, meets other friendly dogs in public, confidently enjoys the park and gets to come with us around town wherever we go. Because he is no longer constantly stressed/freaked out, he can let his personality shine through all the time. He is visibly happier and more confident. He isn't even bothered when OTHER dogs react towards him now! He gets to get out and enjoy life, and that's all we wanted for him!
Linda's training program was extremely tailored. She really went above and beyond. Some of Teddy's behavioral issues were very specific to our building and neighborhood (ex: he was TERRIFIED of the gate in our building - would bark and growl at it so we pretty much resigned ourselves to never using that gate - and he had especially reactions to specific dogs who lived in our building). We also wanted him to get to a point where we could bring him to restaurants around town and have him sit nicely with us. During the board & train, Linda took Teddy into our building and helped him conquer his fear of the back gate. She helped properly introduce him - and even took him on walks with - other dogs in our building. She worked with him on the "place" command (basically, a sit/down/stay) at restaurants in our neighborhood. She made the trip over here specifically to work on Teddy's issues, and it made all the difference. I can also see how much Teddy bonded with Linda and how much he loves her!
Teddy stayed at the daycare facility K9 Nanni, so when he wasn't actively training, Linda introduced him to other dogs and let him have structured playtime. She also has a dedicated team of dog walkers, and she trained Teddy's walker on everything he knows. Since returning from board & train, Teddy has been attending daycare a day or two per week and goes for his regular daytime walks with Linda's walkers - who we ADORE! It's been a completely immersive experience where everything he learns is reinforced by everyone who works with him, and everyone is on the same page about how to handle him.
Behavior modification takes a long time, and Teddy is very much still a work in progress, but his improvement since we met Linda has been outstanding. We are continuing to work with her on a few remaining little issues (she comes to our apartment, which is amazing!) and she has been so kind and responsive with my texts and calls with follow-up questions! You can tell she truly cares about dogs and wants to help them live their best lives, and she's certainly done that for Teddy! I highly recommend Linda and her whole team for how much they have done and continue to do for us. read more