CAT PELO

We couldn’t be happier with the training sessions we did with Sarah! We have a mini Aussie (Duke) who we previously did basic obedience with and also worked through some insecurities/behavioral issues. But even still, we struggled to control Duke in the following situations:

-When the doorbell rang or someone knocked on the door.

-New people coming into the house and moving around the house.

-Duke’s reaction and behavior with us leaving the house (even just to take out the trash).

-Hiding when the TV was loud, people were cooking, etc.

-Becoming uncomfortable/unfriendly with bigger and more energetic dogs

We decided we needed to work with a trainer when we realized how many normal things in life we were trying to work around in order to accommodate Duke.

Since working with Sarah our relationship with Duke has totally changed. Sarah worked with us to create boundaries with Duke and set expectations for him. She taught us how to control Duke in these situations that were once nearly impossible, and we now feel like we are in control and know when/how to correct Duke’s behavior. While this will be a work in progress for a while, we have been able to get through all of the above situations with control both during training sessions, and in our daily lives. By reestablishing our relationship with Duke and consistently working through these situations, he even seems less nervous and is confident that we can control the situation and he does not need to “take charge” (react).

Sarah was incredibly easy to work with and would focus our sessions on what we wanted to work on. She would also spot other behaviors we didnt even know about and let us know how to watch out for and how to handle them.

I can’t recommend working with Sarah enough. If you are even considering reaching out for training, I would encourage you to do so- you will not regret it!

THE CROOKS FAMILY

Sarah Russell gave both my family and our dog the confidence to develop a fantastic and loving relationship. We had friends rave about their experience with Sarah and thus we reached out to her when our new pup was about 10 weeks old. Over the course of the initial four training sessions we made so much progress - it was extraordinary. While Sarah always had some key behaviors she would identify as workable areas, she also started each session with asking us where we wanted help. She gave us direction and encouraged us to continue working with Duke in between sessions. We also chose to do a "Board and Train" visit for Duke where he went to Sarah's house for 9 days. While he boarded, Sarah spent time each day working with Duke on various behaviors. When we picked up Duke he was a completely different dog. The transformation was nothing short of extraordinary. Over the course of the last three months, Sarah has guided us in shaping our pup into a very well trained member of our family (frankly better behaved than my kids!). More specifically, I found Sarah incredibly professional, kind, knowledgeable, flexible and lovely to work with. I'm so grateful for the time, energy and love she puts into her "students". Sarah has given me the confidence and courage to think about adopting a new puppy (eventually!). I would HIGHLY recommend Sarah Russell. You will not regret the investment!

AMY M.

The best decision that we made when planning for our new puppy was to enlist Sarah to help us with training. Just two days after Woody came home, we had our first training session and it immediately had a positive impact. There is so much information out there but there is no substitute for someone actually meeting your dog and tailoring training to its personality and walking you step by step through the process. We had a wonderful experience and we have a VERY GOOD BOY!

THE HAMILTONS

We adopted Penny in February 2020 and were very much looking forward to having a dog to love on in our home again. After a short while, we realized Penny is an anxious dog. She would shake, hide between our legs, and cower. FedEx trucks, bicycles, and strollers all had the same effect - as did friendly strangers! We quickly realized our lifetimes of being dog owners hadn't prepared us for being able to train this pup on our own.

We reached out to Sarah after hearing of her miracle work from a few friends. The strides Penny made week to week as a result of Sarah's trainings were amazing and really motivated us to work with her in between appointments.

Following Sarah's lead, we've been able to build up Penny's confidence which has helped some of her nervous behaviors to wane. She is still unsure (and drooley) in the car, but loves being on the boat (go figure!). She even jumped in the water to swim with the kids, surprising us all. Now we're working on getting her to run well on a leash.

With time, we're confident she'll be a terrific, well-adjusted dog. Sarah is always in our corner and helping Penny grow.

JON AND JEANETTE

Before meeting Sarah, we struggled with leash reactivity and poor leash manners from our dogs Oscar and Alice. It made walking both dogs very difficult and stressful, even with 2 people. Our dogs would bark and whine so much that it was impossible to carry on a conversation. After meeting and working with Sarah, our dogs were happier and calmer plus a joy to walk. Sarah gave us the tools to positively re-shape their thoughts and behaviors towards other dogs. The training tools we learned have even improved Oscar's agility training- he is much more focused and apt to look to me for direction and the next steps on the course. We cannot thank Sarah and Upward Dog Services enough for all the help with our pups!

JENNIFER K.

Our rescued 7 year old hound-mix, Hunter, was always a bit "socially awkward" as we liked to say, in that he was never too excited about other dogs but never aggressive or mean in the nearly 3 years we had him. Unfortunately, after a few interactions with neighbor dogs and friends' dogs, we started to notice more aggressive tendencies and knew we needed to take some major steps to correct them before the behavior caused any harm. Hunter is a big, strong boy so his strength coupled with these negative interactions made me extremely anxious to even take him on a walk. We were finding ourselves completely frustrated with Hunter and were rarely seeing his sweet, loving side even at home - he often stayed to himself and wanted to be left alone.

We came to Upward Dog Services and Sarah on a referral from a friend and I am SO SO glad we did. After just one lesson we were already seeing huge changes in Hunter. We opted for the eCollar to help with basic commands and especially walking. As we continued the lessons I was amazed at how Hunter's confidence grew, as did mine. One of the biggest lessons Sarah taught "us", was that dogs often have negative reactions when they feel that their handler isn't in control. I realized I had let my anxiety transfer to Hunter. Together, with Sarah's help, Hunter is now so good on the leash (no more pulling!), is not barking at dogs as they pass on the street (no more interrupted Zoom calls during work!), and by the end of our 4 lesson series, Hunter was going on pack walks with other dogs!

The best outcome of the lessons was not only the correcting of negative behaviors, but that his demeanor completely changed! We got our lovable, goofy guy back and I've even noticed a huge positive shift in our relationship. He is much more calm and at-ease, knowing that he doesn't need to react to every situation. We are actually so overwhelmed and grateful for how Sarah helped us! Everyone that knows him has seen a difference, and we can't get over what a good boy he is now. Thank you so much Sarah!

THE SCHWABS

Our family came to know Sarah in the fall of 2019 when our lab was turning 6 months. He was a great addition to our family, full of excitement and energy. It was quickly understood that we could use some instruction on how to channel his energy in a positive way.

When we met Sarah for the first time, we felt and instant friendship and couldn't wait to get started. Alta, our lab, would bombard anyone who came in our house, chase our son down the street on his bike, and pull like crazy on a leash. Sarah made simple changes in collars, and we began training. My wife and I were impressed with her ability to connect with our 11 year old son, and keep him on the same training page as us.

After the first of four sessions we saw immediate changes, and we knew that following her simple steps would work wonders. Our family worked with Sarah for 4 sessions, the last being at the park we normally play, and the transformation was night and day. It has been almost a year since our teaching sessions, but I must say that all the training stuck. Alta respects our visitors when the enter, he won't run after the children on their bikes, and he doesn't pull on his walks.

We were nothing but impressed with Sarah. She is professional, encouraging, and fun. Anyone would be doing themselves a favor by having Sarah's services help their family.

THE CLAYMANS

Sarah was exactly what we were searching for to help our puppy, Shrimp, become the perfect dog for us. We were skeptical at first that he even needed much training, as his general personality and demeanor is already so docile. We told Sarah we were just hoping for a few commands that would allow us to control his jumping on people and on furniture.

Sarah really dedicated a tremendous amount of hours towards exactly what we asked for. She recorded videos so we could not only see the progress, but have them as reference later. She taught him to “chill” on a cot upon command, and taught him to stay and come! She even taught us how to use the tone and inflection of our voice, as well as physical body language, to help Shrimp follow our instructions.

He was an angel before but now he’s an obedient angel! Thank you Sarah!!

TODD B.

I knew that raising and training a Malinois was going to be a challenge for me even as a fairly experienced dog owner. I was achieving moderate success training Kona but I felt I was missing unlocking the full potential of our relationship. That is when I sought the help from Sarah at Upward Dog Services after receiving a recommendation from a friend who had already experienced tremendous success with Sarah in helping train her dog.

Besides modern dog training expertise, innovative training scenarios, ability to constructively identify improvements in owner behavior, being a great encourager and coach, Sarah’s ability to assess the owner and dog relationship is the number one skill and expertise that I found tremendously helpful. Her approach isn’t a cookie cutter training program. She observes and identifies areas that you as an owner can improve on to better communicate with your dog. Once I began working with Sarah, it was like a new communication channel opened up between me and my pup. To me dog training is a life long learning journey and you are never done and working with Upward Dog Services helped us refine our training and get through a plateau and now we are continuing with a great foundation and getting better everyday. I only wished I had started working with Sarah sooner!!!

TARA P.

We added a second dog, Georgie the Aussiedoodle, to our already busy lives. We loved our dog from day 1 but did not have the time or energy to truly train her, so the days went by and her behavior became more and more challenging. We wanted to enjoy our dog, and we simply weren't-- she was anxious in social situations and when excited, would not respond to our cues. We decided to do the Board & Train with Sarah and we're so happy we did! We were amazed by the progress videos throughout Georgie's stay, which acted as a sort of "lesson" for us as dog owners. By the end of the week, Georgie had learned so much and was much less anxious and hyper. She was still sweet and excitable, but obedient. Board and Train gave us the ability to have a happier dog while not adding more to our already very full plate. We love Sarah's approach of helping our dog to be more relaxed with having reasonable boundaries and expectations set-- not just training our dog to do "tricks".

CAROLINE

My family adopted two, nine-week French Bulldog siblings at Christmas 2018 , Willa and Waldo, from a long trusted breeder we had used before for our first Frenchie 15 years ago. We wanted a brother and sister this time around as we had no other dogs in the house for their company. As is the breed, Frenchies are sweet, fun loving, and eager to please…most of the time. As with sibling/litter mates, it can be double trouble, particularly as they entered their “teen age” period around 9 months.

After receiving two very positive recommendations about Upward Dog from friends, I contacted Sarah who responded so quickly and intuitively to my main concerns. While training one puppy requires fortitude, training two was quickly rising above my pay grade, so to speak. I simply was not equipped to safely and effectively train them. I needed help. My main concerns were pulling when on a leash and lack of obedience to commands and some house rule (particularly around potty training) which previously they had obeyed. As well, I needed to learn how to settle them down more effectively when I needed to work from home so they were happy, safe and not under my feet.

Sarah, Waldo, Willa and I worked together for one month, involving four sessions. Coming to my house to work in our environment was very helpful. Sarah’s skill to provide me with 1) the verbal messages/commands 2) the training choreography and 3) the follow through all of which has given me confidence and insight into the little minds of my puppies. Also, immediately I observed the puppies responsiveness to the boundaries being set. They quickly learned what got them positive reenforcement and their favorite treats…we go through lots of cheese!

If you want to train your dog, it takes a big commitment of time, consistency and patience on the owner’s part. And everyday will not be a great day. The puppies are like children. Some days they listen and other days, they just don’t want to. Also, some days I can work with them more evenly and consistently then others. With two puppies, I have to work with them individually as well as together.

They now listen, respond, settle down, walk on a lead without pulling and come when called (most of the time) and our potty training is going very well. I realize for the goals of obedience and impulse control I wanted to tackle, I have to be very committed daily to helping the puppies learn. And, the great thing is that Sarah is only a text or call away. She made this process fun and always gave me realistic goals as homework. I would highly recommend Upward Dog Services…Sarah is a gem!

MELISSA C.

I first called Sarah at Upward Dog Services when my children convinced me to add a third dog to our family. I have three children and already had two dogs who were well behaved and laid back. I thought I would easily be able to train a puppy since I had done it already twice before. Well I was in over my head!! My once well behaved dogs were now running all over the house and the order of the pack had been disrupted. I had no idea where to begin to bring order back to my family. A friend recommended Sarah and I knew I had to make an investment in god training if I was going to have peace in my household right away and in years to come. I signed up for a package of lessons and I have to say that after just the first session I saw a significant difference in all my dogs. Sarah didn't just help me work with the puppy but she worked with all the dogs as one,

Every time there was a knock at my door, my dogs would go crazy and I couldn’t even open the door as my dogs were ready to pounce on every visitor, By the first or second session my dogs were going to “place” in their dog bed where they nicely wait while visitors enter and they don't move until I “release” them to come say ho once settled down.

I also had a terrible time walking all three dogs at once. I had leashes in both hands and the dogs were pulling me in all directions, barking at any other dogs we came upon. After working with Sarah, she taught me how to hold all three leashes in one had and have all three dogs heal at once. We also worked on walking by many dogs and learning how to be quiet and take nice peaceful walks.

I can actually hold three dog leashes in one hand and hold a cup of coffee in the other with no problem:) People stop me and compliment me on how well behaved my dogs are and they can’t believe that I can walk all three by myself with such ease. I really could go on and on about how great Sarah is as a trainer. I tell anyone I meet who has a new dog or puppy that the investment in a good trainer is priceless!!! Thanks so much Sarah.

ALLIE

So grateful to have had friends recommend Sarah to help our 1.5 year old pup find her confidence and trust in us, as well as other people/dogs! Misty had a few negative tendencies such as pulling on the leash, jumping on anyone who comes in the door, barking/growling at random strangers, and occasionally getting overly excited or anxious when seeing other dogs. After four sessions with Sarah, we’ve already seen a TON of progress with Misty! We are so excited that we can easily go on walks, take her to coffee shops, breweries, etc. and not worry too much about her behavior around strangers/other dogs. We also feel much better equipped as owners with the correct tools, commands, disciplines, and rewards that can help Misty continue becoming the best dog she can be. Thank you so much, Sarah! Misty is a happier pup and we are happier pup-parents! We cant wait to share more of Misty’s progress with you!

LINDSEY AND ALEX

Adding a puppy to our lives was a big decision for our family. With two young, rambunctious children, we were sure we wanted a dog, but were unsure how we would make it all work. Once Huck was home with us, we knew that he was  perfect for our family - but weren't sure how to perfectly fit us all in together. Having Sarah work with us has been the best decision we’ve made since bringing Huck home. Sarah came into our home and worked with Huck- and our entire family. Seeing our reality, she was able to assess what would work to not only train Huck, but help him adjust to our active home. Her thoughtful, well-articulated techniques and positive reinforcements shaped Huck into the wonderful dog he is today. It is not hyperbole to say that on our daily walks I run into people who are astonished at how well behaved he is, especially as an eight-month-old puppy.

We can only credit Sarah - and when we do, I inevitably encounter someone else who has had Sarah work with their dog. While we go on vacation, we entrust Upward Dog Services with Huck’s care. He happily boards with Sarah, and she sends us videos and helpful information about his progress. Sarah has integrated Huck into our family - helping him interact appropriately with our children and our other pets - making our family happy and whole.

FRAN AND LISA

Before we met Sarah, our 2 sister Pit Bulls (Sadie and Sasha) were a bit hard to handle. Although sweet, we/they desperately needed assistance in many categories. In 10 minutes on the first visit with Sarah, we saw an eye-opening change in our dogs. After each session, by applying the techniques Sarah recommended and demonstrated, it was clear to us our dogs were responding better than we would have ever imagined. After 4 sessions, they have made leaps and bounds of positive progress. Sarah has provided us with the knowledge and techniques to build up our dogs’ much-needed confidence. Sarah is a true professional and highly gifted in her ability to understand our dogs’ unique needs. We look forward to each lesson and watching our dogs progress into the confident dogs they were meant to be. Sarah, thank you so very much.

CATHLEEN

Our Pekingese, Sir Acha, was as spicy as him namesake when my husband and I started training with Upward Dog. When he bit a relative on the leg, we were at our wits end and not sure where to go or who to ask for help. A friend suggested Sarah/Upward Dog Services and we have been making the same suggestion to anyone and everyone with a dog ever since.

Sarah helped us realize that we often weren't setting Sir up for success and needed to spend more time training him so that he felt he could trust us. His behavior and impulse control improved immensely over just a few training session. And when my husband and I moved onto a property a few months ago with new dogs, Sarah helped us introduce all the new pups and set all of up for success. I seriously cannot recommend Upward Dog Services enough.

JEFF AND ALYSSA

We cannot thank Sarah enough. She not only trained our dog, but was also so patient with us, teaching us how to continue building her confidence (and our confidence in her). We rescued Lucy earlier in the year, not knowing anything of her past. We got as far as we could with basic obedience and house manners, but got frustrated and overwhelmed with her aggression. She reacted on the leash to strangers and other dogs (really anything), and walking her was a constant battle. We also couldn’t have people over without putting her in a crate or leashing her and she would growl and never settle down.

Sarah was able to show us that she wasn’t an aggressive dog, she was an insecure dog who didn’t know her place in our pack. Sarah sent us between 5-10 videos a day, and very detailed emails while she kept Lucy for over a week. We were impressed with the progress we saw but still skeptical, until we picked her up.

Picking up our pup:
Lucy was still Lucy, but this Lucy was a confident, happy, trusting dog. She deserved this and our lives have been so much better since! She walks beautifully on the leash, she meets dogs in a calm way, we can have people over and meet people out on walks. We took Lucy to breakfast recently and people came to pet her and Lucy wagged her tail and enjoyed it.

I can’t say enough good things about this process, it’s helped Jeff and I so much, and it’s helped restore a balance in our lives.

TILGHMAN AND KRYSTA

My wife and I just completed 4 training sessions with Sarah Russell of Upward Dog Services in Annapolis, MD - and wow, what an incredible experience!

We have a 1-year old Cavalier King Charles Spaniel named Lady and recently added to our family another Cavalier named Poppy. Lady is a very sweet dog, but was not keen on sharing the undivided attention that she was used to receiving from my wife and me with this unidentified, 3 pound "intruder" into our peaceful home lives. Initially, their play was a little rough and we were worried that their relationship would not start off on the right foot, leaving us with two dogs that would not get along. In a bit of a panic, we reached out to Sarah for some help and she jumped on it right away. We decided to engage Sarah with the transition of bringing  puppy into the home and also wanted her to help us with the dogs walking properly on a leash. Not only did we successfully accomplish these two goals, but we walked away with so much more. We got together with Sarah the very next Saturday and we were immediately impressed with her professionalism, intuition, and expertise. Within minutes into our first training session, both dogs were not only learning, but having a blast. Sarah makes training fun for dogs and their owners - and don't be mistaken, we are both being trained at the same time!

Top 5 takeaways...

- As owners and pack masters, because of Sarah's training, we now have the tools and empowerment to take on any future challenge

- Sarah was very accessible and flexible, working around our busy schedules

- She's extremely intuitive and patient with dogs and, maybe more importantly, with owners

- Sarah produces results and has ultimately cultivated a happier home environment and more fulfilling existence for our dogs and for us

- Training with Sarah is fun!

Whether your dog is totally out of control or could just benefit from some fun and stimulating exercises, reach out to Upward Dog Services - Sarah Russell is the real deal!

TARA L.

We cant say enough amazing things about Sarah and Upward Dog Services. A few months before we found Sarah, we had two rambunctious dogs. They were two of the hardest playing dogs our vet had ever seen! Unfortunately, Finn's big sister, Riley, had cancer and we all had to say goodbye. Finn always had a little anxiety when alone, but it was after Riley passed that his anxiety became unmanageable. We tried calming treats, pheromone sprays, frozen peanut butter toys, and even classical music, but Finn just continued to spiral.

When he growled at a coworker, we knew we had to do something to help him. That's when we found Sarah. After speaking with Sarah and learning that Finn just needed to find his place in our smaller pack, we knew she was the right woman for the job.

Finn spent a week with Sarah, 100% immersed in training. She gave us a private YouTube link that housed at least 60 videos for us to watch. Not only was Sarah training Finn and helping him, she was teaching and training us as well. When we went to Sarah's house on the 7th day to pick up Finn, I started to cry. I was so incredibly overjoyed at what Sarah had accomplished with Finn. Finn was proud of his new role. He was confident. He could walk calmly on a leash. He didn't guard and rush his food. In one week, Sarah was able to give us an amazing gift. She gave us back our Finny. Our homework continues and at times its hard to keep up with everything we've learned. But, now, we all have the tools we need for a happy home.

SEAN AND RENEE

We adopted Boomer almost 2 years ago and from the day we got him we were in love. He always wanted to play and give lots of kisses. Unfortunately about a year and a half into having boomer he became very territorial over things and started to become that way with me as well. Knowing that he is kind hearted we gave Sarah a call after hearing such great things about her services.
Sarah could sense exactly what was going on with Boomer without us even having to tell her. She instructed us to take small simple steps initially to get him calm and feeling comfortable. From there she taught boomer to stay in his crate when guests arrived and how we should introduce them. Boomer was never a fan of his crate but after training with Sarah it seems to be his safe spot now. After our 4 sessions Boomer has continued to improve and we are able to take him out to socialize with friends both human and puppy. We are so happy Sarah was able to give us back the pup we fell in love with.
 

DONNA

I fell in love with a 6-week old puppy and brought him home.  I struggled from the beginning with him not differentiating between the carpet inside and the grass outside when it was time to relieve himself.  I tried everything:  coaxing, spraying, pulling my hair out … nothing worked, and the problem was negatively impacting my relationship with the puppy. 

My veterinarian suggested Upward and I reached out to Sarah the same day.  Through tears, I explained that my puppy and I were going to have to part ways.  Sarah asked for an opportunity to work with him.  That afternoon, I dropped the puppy off for a 7-day stay with Sarah.  I visited him during the week and he was clearly happy and comfortable.  Each day, I got videos from Sarah, encouraging e-mails and behavior updates.  I felt like I was part of the process. 

After a week, I had a puppy with different behaviors.  Sarah had three follow-up visits in our home and – each time the puppy saw Sarah – he got so excited!  It was clear to me that he loved being in her company and was anxious to do what pleased her.  Today, the puppy understands what he is supposed to do, and he does it.  If you are at all unsure about whether or not to have your puppy/dog trained by Sarah, call me.  I am giving Sarah permission to give you my phone number so you aren’t relying on a written testimonial.  

MELISSA M.

We adopted Sammie from a rescue league; we were her third home in about a month. She had a lot of anxiety, jumped up a lot and ate everything that came in her path. Sarah provided us with the tools to address this behavior. Not only did her behavior improve pretty much within the first week, but the tools she gave us are things we can continue to work on well into the future. 

Sammie is much more confident and comfortable and has become a loving member of our family. We are no longer afraid to have people over. I would highly recommend Upward Dog Services to anyone!!!

LORI

We wanted a golden retriever in large part because of their friendly, social dispositions. We had no idea what we were in for! Our Pete is the sweetest dog, but was so overly enthusiastic in his love for all creatures that it was nearly impossible to walk him down the street, let alone have anyone come to our house without closing him in the mudroom. When other people weren’t around, anyone “new” entering the room (one of us coming back after a few minutes in another room) resulted in him dissolving into a puddle of excitement (sometimes literally leaving a puddle on the floor!) and overly affectionate pushing, leaning, jumping, licking, etc. Even when not greeting someone, Pete’s overall level of excitement was so high that even when sitting or laying down he was almost constantly panting. We needed to do something to reign in this enthusiasm and teach Pete how to express affection appropriately.

When we started working with Sarah, she helped us establish and enforce clear limits on his behavior. She helped us understand not only the reasoning behind the new skills we were teaching Pete, but also his behavior and reactions. She also taught us how to teach and reinforce new behaviors, so we can now teach him new things on our own.

Pete has stayed with Sarah twice, and each time come back a different, better version of himself. He clearly loves it there, which is obvious in the daily videos and emails we receive when he’s with Sarah. Her emails a pleasure to read - she has a wonderful way of conveying how well she knows and understands our dog, as well as what we can do to help him make better choices. Additionally, the in-home follow up sessions have helped us reinforce his new skills. He still gets excited when he sees her (and others), but he can now express that without totally losing it. And he can now walk down the street without even reacting to other people and dogs that we pass.

I would wholeheartedly and without hesitation recommend working with Sarah. Her patience with us and with Pete along with her ability to explain what we’re doing and why make her a pleasure to work with. She has transformed Pete into the dog we knew he could be and we now have a dog that we, and others, truly enjoy being around.

THE RHYNER FAMILY

We want to THANK YOU so much for working with Dez! It’s really made a huge impact in our house and made him a much more peaceful dog. It’s been such a pleasure for us working with you, too!  It’s obvious he has taken a liking to you, which says a lot.

We heard about Upward Dog Services through a friend who we often vented about our dog’s behavior to. Our German Shepherd, Dez, was very anxious and energetic. His energy always seemed to result in negative habits including, very poor leash walking, jumping on the fence, jumping on guests that came to our home and constantly pacing and following everyone in the house around. He always had to be first in the room or through the door and it didn’t matter who he’d knock over on the way. We had visited other board and train locations we but disliked the idea of him being kept in a kennel most of the day and being trained for only 1-2 hours a day. We also worried that he would do well while in training and then would come home to our other dog and revert back to all his bad habits. What we loved about Upward Dog Services was that he got to stay at Sarah’s home with her family and her pets for the week. While we missed him dearly, the videos and daily email updates assured us that he was in great hands and was being worked with throughout each day with great progress! Sarah made us confident that when he came home we would have the tools to help Dez continue to improve even with our baby and other animals acting as distractions for him, and sure enough we saw a world of difference!  Every bad behavior we expressed concerns about was addressed during his week with Upward Dog Services and during the follow-up sessions Sarah helped us tailor his training to better suit our home and our everyday routine. Now, Dez does not jump on guests that visit but he calmly greets them and warms up to them. He no longer follows us around every moment of the day, he is learning to relax on his place for a while in peace. He doesn’t barrel through the door when we go in the house anymore, but calmly walks in with us. And it is very enjoyable and peaceful to go on walks with Dez now. We are so happy we chose Upward Dog Services and had someone like Sarah to work with our Dez! He seems like a much happier and peaceful dog and we are so happy to see him continue to improve.

LORENE

We rescued Tucker after he had been found in a bear trap in the woods of North Carolina. I knew the moment we met him that he was meant to be a part of our family. His calm demeanor and kind eyes were so sweet.

We brought him home, and we were amazed at how well-mannered he was. He never chewed on anything in the house, did not beg, never had accidents, walked well on the leash, and never stole food.

But all was not perfect. Although the rescue organization told us that he was dog-friendly, Tucker definitely felt threatened by other dogs. When we walked him, he would bark and lunge at other dogs; trying to establish his dominance before they even met. On one occasion, he pulled free, and went after a neighbor's dog. Thank goodness, no one was hurt.

We called Sarah for help. Within two days, she was at our house with her sweet dog, Cotton. We walked up and down the street toward each other with our dogs. We started with the dogs far apart, and gradually walked them closer and closer, clicking and treating Tucker for not reacting to Cotton. It worked like a charm. Tucker actually LOVES socializing with other dogs now.

Six months went by, and Tucker started a new unwanted behavior - protecting us at the front door. One time he grabbed onto a woman's sweater and wouldn't let go. Another time he ripped a hole in the FedEx man's sock. Yikes!

Again we called Sarah, and she quickly came over to help. She explained our dog's mindset. We needed to assure him that it was not his job to protect us at the front door. Through practice and consistency, he is now calm when we answer the door.

We feel we have a trusted partner with Upward Dog Services, Sarah's ability training and understanding dogs is absolutely amazing. She intuitively knows exactly what motivates their behavior, and provides perfect solutions. And she is always accessible to answer any questions. Thank you Sarah! You are truly a blessing!

THE STAUFFERS

Before sending Rocky to Sarah for the Board and Train program for a week, it was hard to even imagine a "normal" life in our house again. He was so nervous and out of control and just so big that he was unmanageable.

The idea of buying a dog for two growing boys to love and grow with seemed brilliant. The unconditional love, the fun, and the bonding that the boys (including my husband), would have for a new puppy replaced all of my thoughts about the hard work that would be put into raising him. And, not only did we have a puppy, we went big and got a Great Dane, named Rocky.

Rocky was too big, too nervous, and too much stress for all of us to handle. Frustration and stress filled our house, instead of the happiness and joy that I imagined. But after only a few days with Sarah, there was a noticeable change in Rocky. He is now confident, lovable, and easy to manage. We can't express how grateful we are that Sarah offered to help us gain control of our dog. She honestly brought joy back into our house and made us super proud of our dog! Sarah is great with dogs and her love and compassion for them is evident in everything she does.