As my husband succinctly said after our puppies’ first session with Alyssa, “She is the most competent dog person I have ever met!” We are experienced dog owners, and we adopted two puppies (littermates–shar pei/lab mixes) earlier this summer. What makes Alyssa superior to other dog trainers we have used is her ability to EXPLAIN the rationale behind her behavior modification techniques. For example, she suggested that we tell our young children to stand still (“like a tree”) when the puppies jump on them in enthusiastic greeting. This was counterintuitive to us–our instinct was to correct the puppies immediately. But Alyssa explained that even negative feedback may reinforce the jumping, because it is still attention. Sure enough, after several days of the kids channeling quiet oak trees, the puppies stopped jumping on them. Incredible. We highly recommend Alyssa!!
“Alyssa is the most competent dog person I have ever met!”
