Client Testimonials

"We are having such a good time in Beyond the Backyard class and I feel like it’s one of the most effective classes I’ve ever taken. I think I started to say to you in class that I used to get really embarrassed while taking group classes because of my dog's exuberance and excitement. At home he’s a totally different dog so I think it’s easy to not put to use what we learn all the time and fall in to bad habits or laziness—but what we’re learning now is so useful for the every day stuff and I’m excited to keep integrating it into our normal life. Thanks for helping me reconnect with my dog and to appreciate his excitement/party pants so I can harness it to learn new things!!" - C.Q.

"Hanna is, quite simply, the best trainer we have ever met. She is so knowledgeable and intuitive about what each dog needs and our dogs just love her. She is the reason our “clown in a dog suit” earned a trick dog title, she has taught us what we need for our dogs to have a solid recall, and without her, I don’t know how we would have transformed our impulse adoption of a southern shelter/stray dog with major behavioral issues and no manners at all into the sweetest cuddle-bug around. We are better dog parents because of all we have learned from Hanna." - A.S.

"Hanna helped me with my foster dog who was fearful of strangers.  Before she came, I was really worried that this dog, who was very sweet and loving most of the time, was going to act out because of his fear, and potentially hurt someone - causing him to get put to sleep. Hanna came and showed me very specific things to do to help build his confidence and work through his issues. Her training methods make sense and will have you saying to yourself, “Why didn’t I think to do that?" Hanna is a patient and kind person and I highly recommend her. My former foster dog is alive today and doing well in an adoptive home because of her and I will be forever grateful." -  N.C.

"I have a pup who could not abide having her nails trimmed. She would shriek, howl, and whimper when taken to the groomer, and even they could only get a few nails done during each visit.  I decided we’d had enough of this agony and thought, rather skeptically I might add, I'll try to apply the basic training principles I had learned from Hanna in previous private sessions dealing with other issues, to the challenge of getting my dog comfortable with nail trimming. I broke the trimming process down into little steps getting her used to the trimmers, touching her nails, and worked for short periods of time; giving her lots of treats and praise for each small victory. After a few weeks, she is just about fearless now and offers me her paw and lets me snip. She even wags her tail when I show her the clippers! Thank you, Miss Hanna! This style of training is sort of like a recipe. Once you understand the principles Hanna teaches you,  you can apply it to any doggie problem. It’s about taking small steps, giving clear criteria, and having good energy. It ends up being very fun for you, the person, which your little one can sense, so you both end up happy and being even better friends. PS. My other dog loves the sessions too because she lies patiently off to the side and gets rewarded for calmly waiting her turn and just for watching. So now everyone loves the trimmers!" - D.D.

"Everyone wishes just having a great dog trainer would solve all their problems. Difficult dog becomes cooperative dog. But dog training with Hanna is not just a simple equation. With her there's wisdom, experience, technique, results, and something more. There's acceptance, too. We learn to respect our dog the way we want to be respected. We learn to emphasize their strengths and work with their fears. We learn to do what they CAN do - not just what we what them to do. My dog is a blast but not the most emotionally stable dog around. But Hanna taught us how to work together, to take responsibility, and always praise what my dog CAN do. My pup still forgets her lessons once in a while but she's just like me - we both do our best. It's a positive "yes" relationship and we're much happier now. Thank you, Hanna." - D.F.