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After my wife Jennifer and I lost our miniature schnauzer Addie to cancer in May, 2018, we made the decision to get a female Goldendoodle puppy. When we were paired up with our pup, we found that one of her siblings didn’t have a home. We also recognized their extremely close bond. We came home with two. Jennifer and I were excited about our new family members. Needless to say, they were sweet but wild and uncontrollable. We crated them sometimes and kept them confined to our foyer other times. We blocked off other portions of the house using their crates and child gates. Even though our dog-walker (a neighbor) would spend time with them 3-times a day, boredom between daily playtimes and walks translated to partial holes in the drywall, teeth-marks on the baseboards and doorframes, and Berber carpet unraveling. They bothered our senior blind schnauzer, Cody by wanted to play with him constantly. Our excitement for Elvis and Zoey turned to utter frustration. Caring for them became a huge chore. Almost in unison, Jennifer and I said, “we will NEVER get puppies again!” It was time to look up dog trainers. Sam Ivy K9 Consultants was towards the top of the search list. I was surprised and rather skeptical about the 5 star rating by so many people (since many places cheat the review system). I sent an email through the Sam Ivy online system to schedule a free consultation. On the Saturday of the appointment, we met Enzo. We met him outside to prepare him for the Goldendoodle army of two that was going to attack. He came inside, saw Elvis and Zoey as they wanted to get up close and personal with this new stranger. He also witnessed their double-doodle damage. He looked at us, smiled and said, “No need to worry. We can fix this.” Enzo went over everything from start to finish. Everything we had been doing was not helping. He made us feel comfortable with the prong collar and the e-collar and provided the basis for the training. He gave us the packet of information, shook our hand and told us that the smart ones are usually the wild ones. He ended with, “they’re going to do very well.” The decision was already made. We committed to following every-single-step. The trainer, Gina Marie Avitabile, arrived at our home and the Doodles, being consistent, jumped up and down with excitement. Gina didn’t look at them except to say, “NO”. She meant business. We liked her right away. She went over everything with us and made us feel as comfortable with the process as Enzo had during the initial consultation. The first session was fairly simple with a guide to getting our Doodles to listen and to learn that WE were the bosses. The second session, which was a few days later, we learned a little more. That theme continued and the systematic approach that is a part of your program was seamless. After successfully completing the Intermediate On-leash program, it was an easy choice to continue with the Intermediate Off-leash program. Since a program is only as great as those who instruct it, Gina is excellent! Upon meeting her, we could easily tell that she is a professional who loves every aspect of her job. She is firm with the dogs, yet very kind. Gina’s patience with Elvis, Zoey, Jennifer, and me (mainly with the humans) is a trait and skill that most do not possess. Because of her dog training, instructions, kindness, dedication, easy-going nature, and systematic approach, Gina has changed our household. The gates have come down and Elvis and Zoey are a part of our family. The love that they show us has been greatly enhanced. It is no longer a chore to have puppies. We look forward to every second with Elvis and Zoey and know that they are going to be with us for the rest of their lives. Zoey and Elvis graduated from Intermediate Off-Leash training ending the sessions with Sam Ivy K-9 Consultant. It is exciting and still bitter-sweet. Gina has made such an impact that she has become family. ‘Thank you’ doesn’t begin to express that amount of gratitude we feel towards Gina and Sam Ivy K-9 Consultant. Thank you Gina and Sam Ivy!