Reviews Feed

We started Sam Ivey training with Haley 5 weeks ago with our 11 week old giant schnauzer. After a great consultation with Enzo, we decided on Intermediate On Leash training. Louise was quickly growing in both size and aggression, and we needed help. Haley came in and saved the day! Initially, our target behaviors were that she was nipping/biting us and furniture, a terror to walk on a leash, and basically ran our house. Enzo summed it up for me during our consultation when he said, "it sounds like you kind of are on edge thinking about what will she do next". Yes. We were matched with caring and sweet Haley and I'm so glad we were! Not only was Haley prompt (early every time!), but she was kind and caring and loving and knowledgeable and answered every single question that we had. I liked how she paraphrased what I was asking - "so you're asking me ..." so everything was clear! She listened to our Louise... the first night we introduced the prong collar was tough. Louise retreated to a corner. Haley was warm and suggested we do the training indoors instead of venturing outdoors which eased my worries so much! The prong collar and e-collar have been an immense help. Yes there are judgy McJudgies in our neighborhood who scoff at the tools we use, but my question to them would be... "Does your dog sit and wait while focusing on your face if you stop to talk to someone? Silently? Does your dog sit when you stop to cross an intersection and not move until you say the words OK? Does your dog heel and not pull incessantly on the leash? Well then move along and keep your Judgies to yourself b/c my dog, after 5 weeks of intense training, is a different dog. She stops at transitions from tile to carpet and waits for my okay. She stays on "spot" (a carpet square) despite distractions of my 13 year old running past banging the treat tin. She sits, stays, comes, she stays in that stay position until we give an "okay" command. The most important thing though, is the freedom we have with her now. She no longer nips and bites us. She realizes that focusing on US and understanding that WE are alpha dog has its benefits also. She cuddles when we invite her. She doesn't counter surf. She is a loving and calm puppy. And she's only 16 weeks old! I could not more highly recommend the Sam Ivey training program. I personally have adored our sessions with Haley who always greets us with a smile and an agenda and a sheet of review to remember what to practice. One final tip too... if you aren't ready to put in the work, don't invest in this training. If you want the dog that I have described - a loyal companion - then know that the training extends beyond what the trainer teaches you. She doesn't train the dog. She trains YOU. I would even sometimes want to defer to her, but she'd calmly give me the command of how to do it so that I was comfortable doing it. 5 stars for Sam Ivey and for Haley!