LLC
Welcome
Teaching people how to create a healthy relationship with their dog
based on compassion, biological fulfillment, clarity, and mutual understanding
Achieve your training goals once and for all
Do you want a dog who is RELIABLE off leash? A dog who can calmly greet dogs and people? Do you wish your dog could walk nicely on leash with you? Do you want your dog to be able to relax on cue and in response to stress?
Learn how to teach your dog to manage their stress so that they are no longer aggressive, fearful, hyperactive, or defensive in response to their "triggers". Communicate with your dog in a holistic and compassionate way that allows you to finally trust your dog to listen to you!
Based in Southern Maine, I offer professional In-Home Private Dog Training , Dog Camp Adventure Daycare, Board and Train Programs, and Group Classes.
Private training brought right to your home! I service most of the southern Maine area including Windham, the Portland area, Standish, Gorham, and more!
Personalized board & train programs for your dog! Your dog will be trained while living with me in my home in Hiram, ME
Limited availability!
Off Leash Adventure Daycare focused on dog socialization! Limited number of privileged spots available for dogs who are friendly, and off leash reliable.
Let's take a hike!
EXTREMELY EFFECTIVE, KNOWLEDGEABLE, & COMPASSIONATE
"We adopted our 2 year old dog named Pork Chop and realized quickly that he
constantly wanted attention; loved other dogs, but did not realize
they were giving him clues to back off and stop playing so hard- he
wanted to be best friends with every person he met, but approached too
happily and excited and did not understand how to do an appropriate
greeting without jumping. We were having no luck in how to get him to
approach other people and dogs less excitedly and his constant need
for affection had escalated from barking and he was getting more
aggressive in nudging for attention. When we walked him on the leash,
he would pull very hard to try to meet any dog or person he saw.
Val's 4 week board and train program did wonders for both Pork Chop
and us! This well-designed program had Pork Chop stay with Val during
the week for his weekday training and then come home for the weekends.
As a result we didn't miss him as much, and when he came home on
Fridays, Val took time to train us too in what he had learned that week. She
also gave us stuff to work on with him on over the weekend to train us
all. Each week we could see noticeable changes in Pork Chop's
behavior and happiness and in turn, our sanity. Not only was the
training working really well, but Pork Chop loved going back to Val.
When Sunday night came around he couldn't wait to jump in her car to
leave us!
Now, Pork Chop is a much better behaved dog. He is able to
self-soothe himself and doesn't constantly need attention. He is much
calmer when meeting new people and dogs and we continue to
improve. He no longer pulls on the leash to try to meet new people, and is calm on the leash when dogs are around. Val also taught him how to recall and heel off-leash.
Val is extremely effective, knowledgeable, and compassionate. It is
amazing the amount of impact and training she instilled in Pork Chop
in such a short time. The additional helpful documents, videos, and
email support Val has provided during and after the training really
help to continue with his and our training. We still refer back to
these resources for support.
With the intensive boarding and train and E-collar training, we were
worried that our Pork Chop would lose his personality, but not at all.
He is still our happy, loving, goofy Pork Chop. Now we are all
happier because he can self-soothe himself and more appropriately
express when he wants attention. We can also walk him without him
pulling at every new dog or person he sees."
Thanks Val!
Paul and Deb
WE TRIED OTHER TRAINING...
"Val is the best! Our rescue Cattle Dog Zuzu struggles with meeting new people and is generally just very high strung in most situations. We tried obedience classes, all-positive trainers, heavily correctional trainers, and did lot's of our own research but nothing was working for us. Val's training method aims to get to the root of your dog's behavioral problems so you don't need a different trick for every situation. With past training we would leave a session feeling overwhelmed and confused but Val's program takes things slow so you can really learn the process and come to understand your pup. I used to think we would never be able to have people over or the Zuzu would be able to be around children or larger groups of people. If you stay consistent and put the work in you will definitely see results and feel supported along the way. Everyday is a work in progress but we now have the tools to feel more comfortable introducing Zuzu to strangers and having guests at our house. It's such a relief to know how to read our dogs' behaviors and respond accordingly."
-Alaena & Zuzu
Limington, ME
WE FEEL MORE CONFIDENT
Photo
coming
soon!
"We worked with Val to help reduce our dog's anxiety and help him learn to relax. The car was our main concern, but she helped us identify other places he was getting anxious, and start with small steps to build up to working in the car. He is now doing much better at relaxing and remaining calm, and we feel more confident in curbing his anxiety before he gets worked up. Val was great to work with, and Koda loved her - we highly recommend her!"
-Spencer& Koda
Portland, ME
AMAZING EXPERIENCE
Val is AMAZING!! I was referred by a coworker and I have a 5 year old lab mix and about a year old Great Dane. I saw a huge difference in both my dogs when Val started working with them on leash walking. My puppy, Emmy has improved so much and it’s all thanks to Val. She always sends me training updates about the girls. She truly loves dogs and loves her work. I would 100% recommend Val to anyone!
-Belle, Emmy & Ruby
Baldwin, ME