Westward Hound

There aren’t enough stars for Amanda’s knowledge, enthusiasm & effectiveness. I met her a few years ago when my black lab was pinning a friend of mine’s dog. She gave me the tools to encourage positive behavior towards the other dog and they became best friends surprisingly quickly! When I ran across another that Pax didn’t like, I went back to Amanda and once again, she is working miracles. Does it take effort as an owner to follow throw on strategies and exercises? Yes, but they’re so effective & SO worth it. Purely positive reinforcement at its best. Thank you, Amanda, for your knowledge and the faith you have in me and Pax!

I am a certified dog trainer, and when some issues arose with my own family dogs we hired Amanda and are SO glad we did! Empathetic and professional, she loaded us up with fantastic resources and straightforward homework which was easy to implement and incredibly helpful. Every time our dogs play we are so grateful for Amanda!

We were seeking someone to help us with our new foster dog's separation anxiety, and we were referred to Amanda by a local obedience trainer, who recommended a specialist to work on this issue. Amanda was very impressive, both in terms of her personality and her approach to treatment. She engaged us in very thorough assessment techniques in order to gather data about the best way to approach the problem and to develop a treatment plan. She also recommended talking to our vet about some medications to help with the process. She was thorough and forthright about treatment options, and she was not at all pressuring. I am by no means a dog specialist, but i am a psychologist, and i was very impressed by Amanda's skills as a behaviorist - her personal skills were an added bonus. I would highly recommend her services!

Amanda is absolutely fantastic! She has been a godsend to our family as we struggled to address our dog Beans' reactivity to strangers and other dogs. She took the time to get to know Beans and made sure he felt comfortable, displaying immense patience and understanding throughout the process. Her positive reinforcement and fear-free training methods have made a noticeable difference and helped Beans make remarkable progress. Prior to finding Amanda, we had tried a few other trainers who mixed in some aversive techniques that only made Beans' reactivity worse. Amanda not only helped Beans, but also gave us the confidence and skills needed to continue working with him on our own. We still have a ways to go, but now feel so much more equipped to support Beans thanks to Amanda's guidance. If you're thinking about hiring Amanda, DO IT!

Amanda is incredible! Her vast knowledge and experience training dogs is unprecedented in my world. We adopted a new rescue pup (foster fail) and suddenly he started barking...at everything, everyone, every sound, every animal. It was nerve wracking - especially camping. I came to Amanda really downtrodden. I thought it was just something his breed was predestined to do and that we were just going to have to get used to it. But, I was wrong. Amanda gave us tools we needed to help Peanut feel comfortable and bark less. He's doing so well with his training! After several weeks, his barking has decreased by at least 75% while at home. Great start! He is also crazy on leash when we see other dogs. She taught us what this means to Peanut and why he does it. She gave us the tools we needed to help him along on this journey of leash walking. Today, we met two dogs while walking on a leash and both times it was successful! She has given us the confidence and tools we needed to assist Peanut to have a healthy, happy, stress free life! We still have a way to go, but Amanda will be with us for the whole journey! I could go on and on but just HIRE HER! You won't regret it!