I really appreciate the time you spent with Porkchop and the rest of my family. You really helped the family learn some great techniques to work with Porkchop. It has made a  world of difference not just for him but for all of us. We have a much healthier attitude towards owning a dog. We were very frustrated before we met you. Now armed with the skills we needed to train him we are having a  lot of fun working with him. I have bragged to everyone I know about some skills he learned I never  thought that would be possible. Thanks for everything.

Heather & Porkchop (english bulldog), Hillsboro, OR
 

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On behalf of Robin, Oscar, and Maggie, we want to thank you for your outstanding service. You were not only professional in your service and communication, but also very punctual and reliable. You have taught us the techniques necessary to allow us to let our dogs be free, but also keep them within our boundaries.

Because of the success of your straightforward program, our dogs and the owners have learned the power of the positive reinforcement and an easy method of behavior modification. Your experience was clearly demonstrated with the success in our situation. We can't thank you enough and please feel free to use this email as reference to any future clients.

Russell,
Camas, WA

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I want to thank you muchly for your gentle spirit - you are one of the good one's. I felt it right away at the mall and then especially the day you were here; the way Sadie responded to you immediately. I will yell help anytime I feel the need - You validated all I have read and been told before and probably knew instinctively about how to "train" a dog.

 Donna & Sadie (lab mix), Portland, OR
 

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Cynthia and I spoke for about a week before she came to my home. She asked many questions about Ducatti's behavior, personality, lifestyle and what we wanted the outcome to be from our session with her. She also left the door open for me to add information at any time. Her follow up has been just as thorough, again leaving an opportunity for me to contact her as needed. 

A key item was getting a emergency recall on my little girl. She likes to run around the front yard (the back yard is not suitable for this type of play), but this happens to be off a busy street. She typically stays in the yard, but if she sees something more interesting, she is off like a shot. This worried me very much because she could easily be hit by a passing car, or attacked by a big dog that she thinks she can be more dominant than. 

We practiced using a long line and another dog as what we could call "bait", using key words and reinforcements she taught. We have practiced since then and have had good results. 

I didn't realize how important this would be until just yesterday when she scooted out the door after me and headed down the street. I wanted a "just in case" recall, I had no idea I would need it so soon. I called her, no no, rather I screamed at her the command line, and she came. I was shocked about how well this training method worked. She was nearly under the tires of the car, and she came right back. This was followed by much love, praise and me being so thankful that Cynthia had taught us this command. 

What I really enjoyed about the session was the time that was taken to observe Ducatti. Her personality, reactions, and needs. There are people that claim that they can train a dog, but not many can train the owner, and really connect with all their clients at the same time. 

In our single session, Ducatti took to Cynthia very quickly, I can say I have never seen her do this before. She needs a few meetings to know she can trust someone, when she left Ducatti sounded like a little bird (as we call it) as she watched her car go down the street. This is something she only does with a select few in the family. After a great meeting with her, this confirmed my feelings that she was able to connect with Ducatti and truly make a lasting impact on her future. 

Erica and Ducatti (doxie), Canby, OR

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My wife and I had 3 two hour training sessions with Cynthia. We have a Rotweiller named PJ. Cynthia was very easy going and relaxed. She was punctual to the appointments. Cynthia was also flexible with the times and days too. She was nice, courteous and respectful to us and PJ. All of our questions were answered too. Follow ups from the previous training session happened that night or the next morning. Cynthia really cares and has a passion for what she does. I admire these qualities and look for it in any aspect of doing business in life. She is wonderful with dogs and an all around great person to know too. We are also doing better with our cute adorable Rottweiler PJ.

Sam and Lorena, St Helens
 

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Cynthia is very fluent in human and dog, she taught us both fast and well. She is a great teacher, (we put that to the test), we were lucky to find her.

David & Segue (boxer mix), Hood River, OR 
 
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Cynthia has literally made our lives easier with her skillful, patient training of Miss Madison, our 3.5 year old miniature schnauzer.  Madison was anxiety ridden and a little ADD if you ask us.  With Cynthia's trained insight we realized what Madison was going through and how we could make a difference.  When we first met Cynthia Madison was a barking mess of energy which we could not take out on even a simple walk around the block without being pulled or being in a confrontation with any human, beast or vehicle coming toward us.  We now have a dog that we can take to a park without fear that she will create a situation where we have to break up a dog fight. We can walk with her without her pulling us wherever she wants to go.  She can sit (even on concrete which was an issue), lay down, halt her barking and even interact with other dogs in a friendly way.  Thank you Cynthia for sharing your knowledge, time and talent to achieve the goals we set out.  Best of luck in your future.

Karen, Deb and Miss Madison, Portland, OR

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My husband and I have two older dogs and had recently got a puppy- we knew from our other two dogs we wanted our latest addition to the family to have better manners. We were very lucky to find The Pet Geek! Cyndi was fabulous, initially we had signed up for puppy classes and our little one couldn't be around other puppies until his intestinal woes went away. We had Cyndi do some home visits to help us with training him on how to use the bell to alert us to his need to go out! It worked! Her positive attitude and love for dogs is apparent. She encourages her clients to build upon successes and makes training fun in every aspect. We attended classes to work on more skills. Our dog Cody now over a year old has received his Canine Good Citizenship Award and we are very proud of his accomplishments.

Mona, Lew, & Cody (American Eskimo) West Linn, OR

 

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Dear Cynthia, Thank you so much for all of your help with Cody, the five-year-old beagle that I adopted from the Oregon Humane Society six months ago.

My immediate concerns when I adopted Cody were his inability to walk well on a leash and his extreme leash aggressiveness. He pulled so hard on the leash that he choked himself, and walking him was a real struggle. He would also growl, bark, and lunge at any dog that passed by. We immediately enrolled in Basic Obedience, but his leash aggression was so intense that I wasn’t sure he could handle the classroom environment. The information you provided at the orientation class was very helpful in beginning to work with him, and I appreciated your ability to assess him before the first class to see if he could succeed. I was amazed at his improvement in those first weeks! You made helpful recommendations about proper equipment and taught some techniques for leash training. He was almost instantly a well-behaved loose leash walker, and walking him was no longer a difficult chore. I was even more impressed with the decrease in his leash aggressiveness. We did not specifically address that at first, but the general fundamentals of obedience were surprisingly effective at decreasing his reactivity.

We moved on to Intermediate Obedience, and now are in the Canine Good Citizen class. Besides the specific skills Cody has developed, the classes have dramatically strengthened and improved our relationship. I adored him from the start, but I’ve learned so much about how to love him without indulging him and allowing him to become an anxious, poorly-behaved dog. Every class, private session, phone call, and e-mail with you gives me new knowledge and insights and makes me a better owner.

As we moved through the classes, I asked you for help in managing his separation anxiety. He did not tolerate being left alone at home at all. He would bark and whine if I left him alone just for a few minutes while I took the trash out. I had read about separation anxiety in books and on the Internet, and was working on my own on crate training him, with no real success. Leaving him alone outside of the crate didn’t work either. The program you developed specifically for his unique personality and preferences has been so different – and so much more effective – than anything I read about on my own. Within a few weeks he could be at home alone for 20-30 minutes, and we are gradually building on that.

I also became concerned about a few incidents of fighting at the dog park. Cody loves going to the dog park and generally does very well there. But he definitely plays hard and it has been difficult to know what is acceptable rough play, and when I need to intervene. You were willing to schedule a session at the dog park with us. This was one of my favorite sessions with you! I am always astounded at your knowledge, but listening to you talk about how to read dogs by their posture, movement, facial expressions, etc. was incredible. You quickly picked out which dogs were going to have problems, and predicted what would happen with amazing accuracy. Then Cody joined us, and you were able to tell me the kinds of things that triggered him, and how to intervene. I feel much more confident in knowing how to manage him, and we’ve had great success. And while I’m no Pet Geek, I’m gradually getting better at reading other dogs, too, and being able to derail potential conflicts, or at least keep Cody out of them.

But the best part in all of this has been you. Besides your professionalism and impressive knowledge, I’m grateful for your incredible patience with my learning and my mistakes, and your steady encouragement when I’ve been frustrated. Your accessibility in follow-up is outstanding. I’ve often ended a training session feeling like I know exactly what to do only to discover that I don’t quite understand or am having a problem with implementation, and being able to call or e-mail you, without charge, is a great comfort. I also appreciate your conscientiousness about the potential financial burden of training. The classes are very reasonable, especially given the small size and opportunity for individual attention. Your excellent written reports after a private session, and your ongoing availability for questions and problems has made private sessions a bargain as well. Also, whenever you have suggested private training sessions, you have given me other, less-expensive options. I have complete faith that when you suggest a private session, it is because it’s what’s best for Cody and not just your bottom line.

Best of all, I’ve appreciated your genuine affection and concern for Cody, and your warmth and compassion for me as I stumble along the path towards Pet Geekiness. I cannot imagine how much harder this adoption would have been without you.

Lisa & Cody (beagle), West Linn, OR

 

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We have had Nutter Butter for about 2 ½ years. He has always been very active, very puppy like and uncontrollable most of the time. We had heard that Golden Retrievers sometimes remain puppy like and don’t calm down until they are about 2 years old. Nutter Butter had still not even begun to “grown up” or do anything even resembling being calm. He is a very lovable dog and thrives on any type of attention. He also has a very short attention span. When he greets us he gets so excited and crazy that he charges up, steps all over our feet, licks and nudges and slobbers all over our legs, all while he is circling, wiggling, and generally acting wild and out of control. It would take hours for him to even begin to calm down. He wanted to lick constantly and he demanded so much attention that he became very annoying to us and anyone else that had the misfortune to be around when he came out of his dog run.

When we started training the main objective was to get him to calm down and be still enough that we could pet him without causing him to go crazy again. We also wanted to teach him to leave space between himself and us and basically to teach him some self control.

Within one 2 hr. session, he learned to sit in order to get attention and he was actually calm enough that we could pet him! We couldn’t believe it! He quit charging and began to stop and leave a space between himself and us.

I think that he was as frustrated as we were and didn’t know what to do to please us. It has only been one week so he still has a long way to go but we are hopeful and are looking forward to having a dog that we can enjoy. Thanks Cythia! You are amazing!

Tim & Tammy Lamb

 

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Bennie - 'His Story'
9/29/2008

My husband flew to Iowa to adopt Bennie in the June of 2007. Bennie was one of many Dachshunds rescued in a raid on a backyard breeding operation. He wasn’t our first rescued Doxie. We had already rescued a female Doxie, Brittanie, almost a year earlier. Her adjustment was a breeze, so we felt we were ready for another little one in the house – but just like humans, though, no two dogs are alike.

Bennie had very limited human contact for the first two-plus years of his life and, from what we could glean from the rescue organization, his life consisted of being left in a 30x30 inch cage with three other male doxies. Bennie is a very gentle soul by nature, so I can only imagine what he endured during those years.

~~~Trainers note: At first, Bennie couldn't/wouldn't accept any touching from even his new family. The degree of his anxiety was rather profound. He also was remiss of social skills. To respect how far pet and owner both had come against such odds, readers must know how tragic his case had begun, and the true saving grace of his owners care and efforts.~~~

Bennie was and is fear aggressive. Being in public was a nightmare because everyone wants to bend down and pet the ‘cute little doggie.’ As long as he was ignored by others he was a very contented little boy, but if anyone got too close he was only interested in protecting himself – lunging, barking aggressively, trying to bite, and acting very, very scary for such a little guy.

It was quite the eye opener to me when I came to the realization that I wasn’t equipped enough or knowledgeable enough to meet Bennie’s needs. Loving Bennie unconditionally was great medicine for both him and me, but it wasn’t going to be enough to help him have a full life. The only future I could visualize for Bennie was a bleak one … him always being left at home and out of any activities we were involved in because he couldn’t be trusted in public.

Quite by accident I stumbled across a website for ‘The Pet Geek.’ Catchy name, no? I felt compelled to read the entire website from beginning to end. When I finished, I signed up immediately for a beginning obedience class. The rest, they say, is history because just last weekend Bennie earned his CGC … Canine Good Citizen!

I am so very proud of this little guy. He has come so very far in just over a year. He has surpassed my wildest dreams for him.

Cynthia may never realize what a life saver she is to so many dog owners. She threw me a lifeline when I needed it most. I will always be grateful to her for her knowledge, patience, and effective training skills she so graciously offers all her students – human and dog alike.

Answers to the Trainers Feedback Questionnaire

If people didn't understand my approaches (went outside of their preconceived notions of what they anticipated), what would you tell them from your own experience?

Cynthia always puts safety and the health of your dog first and foremost. She has always been spot-on with everything she has said to me. Cynthia always, always explains the next step, the next expectation, etc., and she always, always backs it up with foresight, knowledge, and examples. I have never felt uncomfortable at anytime when Cynthia is working with my dogs. A case in point was when she was testing Bennie’s fear aggression. She explained everything as she went along and even when she pushed his buttons just enough to confirm her diagnosis, I knew he was in good hands.

Cynthia is worth every single penny and more. I have never seen someone love what they do so much and work so hard for you and your dogs’ success.  If Cynthia’s skills were tactically damaging or the time wastefully spent, my dogs wouldn’t have flourished as they have. The time has flown by and I have loved every minute of it. I feel closer to my dogs than ever before. In less than one full year, both my dogs have passed all levels of obedience and Bennie has recently passed his CGC testing. Hands down I would say that Cynthia works hard for my dogs and I. She moves mountains to help me. She has gone way above my needs and expectations in so many ways, so many times.

What did you learn?

First and foremost, both my doxies have learned a lot. They both have gone through the basic, intermediate, and advanced obedience classes that Cynthia offers. Bennie also recently went through CGC classes and just passed his CGC testing. At the very beginning, I thought maybe Bennie might have been unredeemable because he was headed down the path to biting humans.

But what have I learned? There are two results that I see - the first obvious result is the ability to train my own dogs. I didn’t think it was impossible, but I am proud to be at the point where I can say I had a part in their success. The second (but unexpected) result was the growth in my confidence – my stomach is no longer tied in knots when out in public with my dogs, I feel calm and confident in my abilities and my dogs’ abilities, I also seem to have gained the ability to size up and handle some uncomfortable situations, and the new ability to handle other dogs ok - just to name just a few…

Did you feel valued as a client?

Absolutely. Cynthia goes above and beyond what is expected of a trainer. She emails, telephones, and if you’re struggling on something, she’ll spend time before or after class with you. It is so very obvious that Cynthia does it for the love of the dog.

Was the learning pace too slow, too fast?

Cynthia sets just the right pace for the class. If a dog is excelling above that of the class at that present moment, she offers so many other possibilities/skills to work on. She’s great at anticipating the needs of the individual owner/dog and the class as a whole. The pace is right on the money.

Do you feel the trainer has the best interests of the public safety, owner, pet and training structure in a good balance?

Yes. Cynthia is very mindful of having a great balance for these things …. Inside the class room, it’s pretty straight forward … one door to enter, one door to exit, keeping dogs separate at about 6 feet distance, etc. The real test is when we have had outside class time … this, too, is well structured, we know exactly what to expect and what is expected of us. Cynthia is diligent in making sure that we and the public are safe.

What was your favorite part?

Every time I think “oh, this is my favorite … it’s soooo much fun” then Cynthia interjects something else into the training to shake it up a bit, and then I think “oh, this is my favorite thing.” At first, it was just graduating from each level, then I loved the instant recall, then it was the advanced classes held outside, and right this moment, it is the handing off your dog to someone else to work with while you work with someone else’s dog for a few minutes … it is so cool! I knew, I knew enough about working with my dogs but to see that I am able to work effectively with someone else’s dog … that’s just awesome!

What was the hardest?

It’s my being consistent. Life really gets in the way sometimes and consistency just flies right out the window some days. When I am not being consistent it shows in every aspect of my relationship with my dogs.

What did you learn that you hadn't expected as part of the package?

Confidence. Never really thought about it or thought about the need for it. With each successful step my dogs and I made, my confidence grew. It’s funny but my dogs respond to me differently than at first and I think part of it is my confidence.

Would you recommend this trainer for obedience, behavioral modifications, or both?

Both my dogs came for the obedience training but Bennie also needed behavioral modification training. Brittanie and Bennie have come so far and have done so well – I am so proud of both of them. Cynthia is solely responsible for this success – she saw what was attainable in my dogs (that ‘thing’ that I had only dreamed of) … and now my dogs are enjoying life more fully than ever before. I would highly recommend The Pet Geek for both obedience and behavioral modifications.

Bennie, Brittanie, Irene and Dave …. WOOF!

 

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Thank you for your support...you are an amazing teacher and we are both very lucky to have found you!

Amy & Yetti (mix breed rescue), Portland, OR

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Thank you very much for inviting us to your training class Sunday. The demonstration with Clive was super fun to watch and it's amazing to me how well the simple premise that you were demonstrating works! We really appreciate the opportunity, and in such a short time what you taught us will surely give us a head start in helping Clive develop good manners. Thanks again for all the advice and the opportunity!

Debbie, Cade and Clive (West Linn, OR)

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Thanks so much for the email....Jovani was eager this morning to practice the "Zone" I came out of the shower only to hear the sound of the clicker my first thought was darn it he's using it as a toy but to my shock there they were Bea laying on the "Zone" spot! Very proud of both of them of course! I'm glad your mom and daughter were there it actually helped Bea too and I'm also proud to show that not all Pit Bulls are aggressive attackers...I'm proud of my girl and we do try to give her as much love and praise so she knows this....getting the training only does more good for her and I think you are very knowledgeable and good at what you do...yes Im bragging about you and your amazing skills :) If I ever see anything on CL I will send it to you because I know first hand you are awesome and I will spread nothing but positive things about your skills. Thanks so much for everything last night we are very positive we made the right choice and cant wait to start practicing! Im so glad we finally got the guidance from you that was much needed! We will continue to work on everything! Thanks Again!

Neille & Fam! (Bea, Staffordshire Terrier mix/"Pit Bull", Portland, OR)

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Thank you so much for this great summary! It is very helpful to have this in writing so I can refer to it and make sure I stay on track with the training. Our time with you on Saturday was a wonderful experience. I could see in just that little time the door opening to Obie and I having a wonderful relationship instead of a frustrating one. Thank you!

We practiced when we got home on Saturday and daily since. The out-of-control energy that he puts out at times has reduced a lot. It is just a win-win; we both get what we want. The bell on the other had is going to take some concentrated effort and time, but I still want to work on it. I'll keep you posted with how things are going. But at this point we are definitely off to a good start. Thank you for your expertise and this reinforcement.

Pam & Obie (Mix Breed/Lab)

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Thank you for the summary on the first session with Lucy. We appreciate your expertise and look forward to continuing the training. I know it was just the initial first step, but we are so proud of her and so encouraged by how wonderful you are with training and the progress we saw with the first 2 hours. Thank you so much and we appreciate what you do and how you handled her and us......we are learning so much as well. It was a pleasure to meet you and your children. What lovely young people they are, so well mannered and polite. You are obviously very good with children as well as dogs.

Valerie and of course Lucy too.

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Thank you Cyndi. Not only did I feel your peace and comforting presence while you were in my home, I feel it via e-mail. I am so grateful for your understanding and insight. It was bliss to wake up this morning with Marty wrapped around my head and his muzzle resting on my forehead. I will keep in contact. I appreciate all the time and effort you put into us, and the hours you spent planning and thinking about our case. Thank you so much for your good wishes - I wish you the same.

Thank you so much. Mitzi

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hey its neka dimitri's wife he did forward me the email you sent about everything we are working on with christa and i wanted to let you know we truly appreciate you taking your time out to give us all of this advice because she is a handful we can really use it. and once again really appreciate the advise i know it took sometime to sit down and write the entire email it felt like i was sitting down to enjoy reading a really good book about christa so thank you it made me smile when i seen how extensive and detailed you were!! you really were made for your job and you are really good at it!! As for Christa, accomplishing those feats are simple with a dog as inteligent as her. After you worked with her on the bell it only took one day of associating the ringing of the bell to going outside to potty. So I'm afraid she will have to take most the credit simply because she is just that smart!

neka and christa (Pit Bull Terrier, Oregon City, volunteer work)

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Hi Cyndi, Thank you for the nice message. I have to tell you that you are a miracle worker! Cody did a complete change. He's improved at least 80%. In just 2 hours you managed to convey to him that biting hurts. But the best part is he hardly even wants to bite anymore. Also, he has been letting the cats walk by. It's been great. Thank you so much. If you ever need any volunteer work, help with animals and such, please give me a call. I would love to learn more. Wags back,

Diane & Cody, (Akita/Shepherd Mix, Portland, OR - volunteer work)

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