Client Testimonials
Diane and her dog, Ivy
"I’m sitting here looking at my calm, submissive, affectionate, 23 month old Rottweiler, Ivy. She is a joy now, but this wasn’t how I felt about her 19 months ago, before my husband and I took her to Shawn. She is our 4th Rottweiler and by far the most challenging.
She was a confident and fearless 10 wk old puppy when we got her from the breeder. She quickly showed signs of aggression, biting us when we tried to take something away from her or make her do ANYTHING she didn’t want to do. I knew I was in over my head with this one. None of my training methods used on my other dogs were remotely effective and she was getting worse by the week. Biting our granddaughter on the thigh when she tried to take a sock out of her mouth was the last straw. As I was picking up the phone to let her breeder know we were sending her back, my husband suggested we take her to Shawn, who was highly recommended by our neighbor.
My first conversation with Shawn was over the phone. I could sense his passion and conviction for his tried and true philosophy. He spent 20 minutes pouring as much information about this philosophy in my ear like a fire hose. Everything he said made sense as his methods come from the perspective of how dogs learn in the pack. Our brains needed rewiring and I knew he would be a good teacher and coach for us.
When we showed up to his beautiful and well maintained facility for our first training, he greeted us warmly and sat a while on the tailgate of our SUV while getting to know us and mainly our puppy. Training began with her the moment he took her by the leash. She immediately responded well to his Alphaness.
It really took less time to train her than it did us. We needed the most work. When we did things Shawn’s way, establishing our rules and consistently, firmly following through, our relationship with Ivy improved immensely. When we got lazy and fell back into our old ways of dealing with her, we lost her respect for us as leader. Shawn is strong for us because he knows how much we stand to lose and how serious the consequences can be to live with an aggressive, disrespectful dog. He is passionate about helping humans and canines live in harmony together.
We gave up on taking our dogs to dog parks to play after a couple of past bad experiences with aggressive dogs. So we are so glad we can safely board Ivy twice a week for the day knowing that Shawn only allows dogs trained by him in the fenced property to roam freely together. They are monitored closely and trained not to bite or growl during play and NO aggressive behavior is tolerated. Ivy loves it and the regular socialization and training has helped her behave well with family and friends dogs who come to our home.
As a teacher, I have adopted his philosophy of balancing firmness and authority with love and speaking belief into my students. I have gained more respect than ever from even my most challenging students and there is a great spirit of joy in the classroom as my students are clear about expectations and consequences.
None of our previous Rottweilers were as well behaved at such a young age. Ivy is confident and happy. So are we. We highly recommend Shawn to anyone."
Tim and his dog, Eddie
"While Eddie and I are relatively new students, I am very excited about the progress that Shawn has helped us achieve in such a short time.
With over 35 years of training experience, you can be assured that Shawn knows his craft. With proven training techniques, you will see immediate results. Shawn will custom design a program that best fits the needs of you and your dog. And once in the program, Shawn is always available when questions come up.
I’m excited to see continued progress from Eddie with Shawn’s help. [The Dog Way] is a fabulous facility for your dog. If you want the best for your pup, this is the place. Shawn has built a fabulous facility. It is spotless and the dogs have a great time here.
5 Stars from me!"
Kenny and his dogs, McKenzie & Kailea
"We are so thankful for the relationship we enjoy with our dog. She is loving and calm. The Lifetime Training program, featuring 'The Dog Way,' helped us understand how to teach our dog to know and live by clear expectations. The program helped us focus on behavior and development, rather than tricks.
Our experience with 'The Dog Way' has removed any anxieties (for us and our dog) that can come at the different stages of development. From early on with our dog, all through our last days with her, Shawn was there for us every step. He helped us introduce our newborn babies to our dog. He helped us make sure our dog experienced a healthy adjustment when moving homes. Our dogs (both our first and current dogs) have been a blessing to our family at every step, and we are so thankful for Shawn’s influence along the way.
We've learned how to have realistic expectations for our dog, depending on her age and stage of development. Also, learning how much happier our dog is because she understands clear expectations. The lessons are simple, and easy to follow. It is about the work you put in with your dog, which even furthers the relationship with her. She loves the learning and attention too.
This isn’t an obedience program. This isn’t learning tricks to manipulate your dog to do what you say (only when you are paying attention). This is about behavior and temperament. It is about eliminating anxiety (for both dog and person). The Lifetime Training programs is the only program that is there for you (and your dog) along the whole way. It’s not just a three-month program and then you are on your own. Shawn is a true partner, and friend, who cares about helping our family and dog have the relationship we all desire."
Susan and her dogs, Zoe & Joe
"I have lived with many animals including dogs throughout my life and have worked with MANY behaviorists, trainers and care providers. We were fortunate to find Shawn a few years ago and have found a new and improved life with all our dogs. Shawn and his 'The Dog Way' training philosophies have guided us to far better, longer lasting and "make sense" results than anything we have ever seen or even heard of. My only wish is that we would have found him sooner. 'The Dog Way' philosophy is unique and may seem a bit unconventional at first as it did with us. But please just be patient, because I guarantee soon it will all make more sense than anything you have ever used before. Like Shawn says, our dogs really are the happiest, healthiest (emotionally, mentally and physically) and best behaved dogs you will ever know.
AND his care facility is by far the best run facility we have ever seen. Whenever we have been there, the grounds and home are always extremely well kept, quiet (one of his several safety rules is "no barking"), and just a really nice place to be. Our dogs have always loved it there and Shawn is always open for questions and some social time as we come and go.
Since we have been working with him and 'The Dog Way,' we have randomly met several other happy clients of his as well as well our Vet, all of whom highly recommend Shawn and his unique canine-based philosophies. We have used these same techniques with many of our other animals and in many other aspects of our lives.
We can't recommend [Shawn] highly enough... Thank you, Shawn and 'The Dog Way' Training!"
Janet and her dog, Jamie
“Buying the Lifetime Training was for us like buying insurance. One never knows when the insurance will be needed. It’s totally reassuring to know we can call anytime when we have a concern or problem with our dogs. It gives us peace of mind. We have always benefited from the calls and we always come away with an understanding of the behavior and a plan for remedy.
Our third Golden, Jamie, wasn’t easygoing as our first two. She was a total handful, hyper with a capital ‘H.’ We tried several trainers with little success before we found Shawn and ‘The Dog Way.’ His methods worked! Jamie became much less of a problem, much more enjoyable as we learned what she needed from us.
The most unexpected outcome from our experience with ‘The Dog Way’ has been how simple and effective it is.
When we first listened to Shawn’s spiel, we were concerned he might not ‘understand’ our dog, might be far too strict. We needn’t have worried. He totally loves dogs, even ones it’s hard to see why. He cares about them. He wants them to succeed and he knows what they need from us to have that happen.”