This review is long overdue! First, bravo on the name! :) Puns are great! There's so much to say, but so little time!
We found Sit's Getting Real on a SD Australian Shepherd FB group and Tomas reached out and shared that he's a dog trainer and works with herding breeds often, so my wife and I decided to just stop shopping around for trainers and 'go for it' and started 1-on-1 sessions with him. We felt that our girl, Sydney, being the hyper pup that she was/is, needed some special attention because of her breed, and we did not regret our decision. With Tomas, we worked on basic obedience such as leash training, jumping/reactivity with guests, greeting other dogs at the dog park, bringing her to public places (restaurants/cafes), and more. Tomas was so patient with us and also Sydney. He gave us the confidence and tools to feel like we could practice and execute the commands on our own. We also appreciated how accessible he was if we had any questions in-between our next sessions. Even better, Sydney, LOVED seeing Tomas each session and did not hesitate to wiggle butt dance whenever he showed up!
After our 1-on-1 sessions ended with Tomas, we started working with Amanda for group training (3 sets of 5 sessions). Even though we had developed a good foundation for Sydney while working with Tomas, we needed some additional support for her in regards to reactivity with other dogs. Sydney is such an outgoing dog, that if she saw another dog from afar, she would lunge, stand on her hind legs, bark, and whine/bark. As her paw-rents, we really struggled trying to control her when she would get into this mental state, so we knew that working in a group setting with other dogs would help. Working with Amanda was another amazing experience! She was so patient with us, gave us positive feedback during and after sessions and checked-in with us throughout the week. She would be able to 'read' us during the group session and tell when we were feeling frustrated and adjust accordingly. Believe me when I say that the girl that would squeal at the top of her lungs when she saw all the other dogs in class and had to be sat furthest back from the group, was able to decrease her reactivity threshold to a few feet by the end of the class. In our last set of classes, we focused purely on leash training, which further gave us the tools we needed to manage Sydney if she ever got reactive on our walks. Now, we feel more confident that if we encounter any reactive situations, we know what we should do to maintain control.
We are so grateful for the partnership and relationship that we've developed with Amanda and Tomas. Without their experience and help, we would be lost and frustrated. By no means is Sydney 'perfect,' but she is better-adjusted and calmer. Now, we feel like we have the tools to help her thrive! It goes to show that if you put in the time, energy, and effort, great things can happen! We have recommended Sit's Getting Real to our neighbor/friends and they rave about them, as well! We're so grateful! read more