Family Paws, LLC

Jennifer is the best! She guided us so helpfully when we got a new puppy and our son was 2 years old, a tough age to get a dog at. Now he is 4 and he and our shepherd/husky mix are the best of friends thanks to Jennifer's support :)

Where do I begin! Passionate educators, exceptional curriculum, and true support for their Family Paws Parent Educators and Parent Educators to be! As a certified dog trainer/behavior consultant and Educational Specialist, I can say hands-down that the Family Paws Parent Educator Course is in a class of its own! This 13 week course is like no other program I have ever taken- the knowledge and skills that I learned in teaching and supporting both families and the dogs they care for has created a paradigm shift in what creates thriving family members and thriving dogs under the same roof! The program is taught by educators Jennifer and Bethany, a dynamic duo, who differentiate their teaching so that all students can succeed. Having more parent educators in our communities will help close the gap on the miscommunication between dogs and humans that can so often lead to either tragic events or the rehoming of family dogs when newborns and/or toddlers are in the home. I do not know of any other program with such expertise on how a baby’s development into toddlerhood can have such a profound effect on the well-being of the family dog. After just the first class, I started to use my new knowledge to support coworkers (who work with kids and one of whom brings a dog to work) to navigate safe, joyful interactions. Sharing “Dog Aware” (Family Paws) skills with others is a game changer and it often presents itself like a “eureka” moment when all family members learn to effectively communicate with their dog. The unfortunate truth, as exemplified by large numbers of social media postings, is that many families encourage interactions between their baby and/or toddler with their dog that they deem safe; in actuality, the dog is showing signs of discomfort, distress and feeling conflicted. I am truly proud to be a part of this amazing team! Helping people who coexist with dogs become both dog and baby aware can help close the communication gap between dog and human. As I write this review, I am overwhelmed with excitement and hope to make a powerful positive difference in my community! Susan Petrucci

I`m a Dog Trainer and did the Family Paws Educator Foundation Course last year. Even after 12+ years of training dogs, I’m a big believer that learning never really stops—especially when it comes to animal and human behavior. Dogs & Babies is such a special (and sometimes tricky!) topic all on its own. I’m so glad I decided to go through the course. The content was super valuable, and the materials were incredibly helpful—not just theory, but things I can actually use with clients. I feel way more confident supporting families now, and honestly, I also just love being part of a community of thoughtful, experienced trainers who really care. Highly recommend to anyone working with families and their dogs!

Jen is someone who changed our family permanently - our lives, our daughter’s life is permanently better for Jen’s support. If you have a dog and a young child or have young children frequent your home, you need to be reviewing Family Paws educational content and if you have ANY instinct about your dog’s trustworthiness with children, reach out to Family Paws. I’ve never met someone so willing to love and support my family in a time of need. I was connected with Jen after my 21 month old daughter was badly bit by our dog. I reached out to Jen wondering if she knew of reputable therapy dog programs - Jen invited a totally different conversation; she put us on a healing journey with validation we so desperately needed. She just gets it - the nuance, the second guessing, the trying to do it all right all the time. She helped us see our dog as an individual responsible for his actions and supported us thru our journey of devastation. Our healing was accelerated by Jen’s involvement and we gained confidence in a decision to bring a new dog into our home. Jen has also helped us thru our family’s furry addition with awareness of our deepest fears and encouragement to see our new puppy as the individual SHE is. Without Jen’s help, it would have been many years later before we were ready to have a dog again. Jen and her approach is helping us confidently keep both our new pup safe/trained and our toddler dog aware and dog happy. Her approach is creative about ways to support both dog and toddler needs with awareness of what it takes to be the parent of a young kid.

Our baby is now 14 months old. His relationship with our dog is simple: we keep the distance. We have concentrated all our efforts into making the dog neutral in our lives and the baby's lives. This may sound cold to some people, but it's what works for us best as Pei has a hard time handling his emotions. We just don't take changes, period!!! We keep the gate in the living room up all the time, which separates the dog from the baby in our little apartment. Pei is now used to his comfort without being bothered by the baby or us humans, but Pei always sees us from his space. The baby observes the dog and even plays fetch with the dog, ALWAYS under adult supervision for short periods of time. The dog has seen the baby walk, always with a parent in a between and not approaching the dog. When the baby is awake, we keep the dog in the laundry area (right outside our apartment) or in the yard with a yummy Kong. This has allowed us to provide the baby space to explore without having the dog directly in front of him. We do teach the baby not to touch the dog's belongings. I must say that we've been lucky because the baby has never shown that much interest in the dog since he was born. He's always been more scared of dogs in general. He cries when the dog barks and also cries with dog stuffed animals. We've used this to our advantage to listen to our baby and keep the dog at a distance where both are comfortable. The baby, on the other hand, LOVES the cat. He's always loved the cat. However, from time to time we observe the baby becoming uninterested in the cat as well. Our baby loves plants and rocks though. As I have always said, one day at a time! Thanks to Family Paws, we have learned how to prepare for changes as both the baby grows and the dog ages. We are very realistic and keep in mind that one day, the dog may be adopted by my aunt. Jennifer has been more than wonderful to help us pick the battles we want to fight when it comes to living with a dog and baby and keeping both comfortable.