Testimonials

Here are a few of the many dog training success stories we’re proud to have been a part of:

Sandra and Willie

We adopted Willy from an animal shelter and we immediately fell in love with him. We have two other rescue dogs and Willy seemed to fit right in with the whole family. He was a great dog when we were home with him however when we left the house it was a different story. He would chew his way out of his plastic crate, he would escape from a metal pen, he chewed all of our family room furniture – basically he got into anything and everything and we were afraid he was going to hurt himself. We tried taking him to a doggie day care and he was frightened and trembling the few hours he was there. We were at our wits end on how to leave our house and keep Willy safe. We weren’t sure what Willy’s challenges truly were although we guessed it to be separation anxiety. Danielle was recommended to us and working with her made all the difference. She gave us tips on how to keep Willy confined when we couldn’t be home. She gave us tools to train Willy so he would develop confidence in himself. Danielle’s program had us work on his socialization, which helped him tremendously. We learned so much from Danielle about everything relating to Willy – snacks, proper crate size/type, location of crate, the best collar for Willy, behavior modifications, exercises we could practice with him, how to overcome his fears, things that would help relax Willy when we left the house, etc. Willy has made great progress and we are so appreciative of Danielle’s knowledge and expertise in helping us to help Willy. I would recommend Danielle to anyone needing guidance/assistance with their pet.

Michelle and Bug

In March of 2012, my boyfriend and I decided to add a dog to our family. I had been working (and falling in love) with one of the mixed breed dogs at the rescue where I work, and as soon as I got the OK, Bug became a part of our home. At the time, he was a year and a half and came from a situation where the kids and the dog in the home were bullies. He was anxious when he was left alone, pretty reactive to other dogs, and would urinate on himself (and scream) if we put him in his kennel. All of this we found out after we adopted him. My boyfriend and I tried everything we could to work with him for a year with no success before Danielle came into our lives.

Danielle was working with one of the problem dogs at work, and was showing the adoption counselors in individual sessions how to train him and make him more adoptable. Throughout our session, Bug and his issues kept being brought up. As we were getting ready to put the dog in his kennel, Danielle told me that Bug sounded like fun and I was elated when she said that she could help us.

After I sent in the e-mail survey, she came to my home (a huge plus for those of us that have reactive dogs – you know the barking/lunging nightmare I’m talking about), and assessed the situation. She saw firsthand his reactivity, the wreck that he left in our home, and everything that I was doing that was actually impeding his progress. What really stood out to me was that she didn’t really sugar-coat anything. She was honest, helpful, and up for the challenge. Well, not even three weeks later and she had my dog playing with one of her Border Collies, Zephyr – something I never thought I would see. Before Danielle, I thought that I was only going to be able to have one dog, and he’d never be able to enjoy playing with another pooch.

Danielle helped us show Bug that his kennel, a place of trauma in his previous home, is actually a place to relax and eat Kongs filled with delicious treats. I’m so thankful that we found her and I’m not sure where we’d be without her help. Bug is finally starting to understand that he’s not going to be hurt or abandoned again, and that is all thanks to Danielle. I’ve learned so much from her, and I look forward to learning even more as Bug’s sessions continue.

Seriously – this woman is worth her weight in gold!

Sammie/Chris and Ella

I can’t even begin to say how glad I am that I contacted Danielle O’Neill to help with the new addition to our family! In December we got a 4-month old German Shepherd named Ella. She is a beautiful dog with a LOT of energy. Ella was a big time chewer, nipper and disobedient dog. She chewed up several power cords, toys, the couch, basically anything she could find and get a hold of she chewed up… and ate. She NEVER listened to us and when we did try to punish her she thought it was play time and tried to turn it into a game. Around April we just didn’t know what to do with Ella anymore, and a friend had told us about someone who is wonderful and did at home dog training. We couldn’t have been more excited about that and I immediately contacted Danielle.

Danielle Helped us through so much with Ella! She told us what Ella was thinking and feeling just by the way we stood or talked, which also helped us relax a little more and help our dog feel more comfortable in a new home. My biggest concern with Ella was when she was nipping and starting to show her teeth some. We have so many kids in our neighborhood and the last thing I wanted was one of them wandering into our yard trying to pet her when I was inside and get bit! Danielle helped teach us how to make Ella want to be around us and pay attention to us more that other people or things around her. In our training sessions we learned how to help Ella and ourselves. She is now very attentive to us and loves being around the family and playing constructively with her toys and not just eating them or biting us. She also helped with what to do about Ella starting to put her front paws and head up on the kitchen counters since she learned she should reach, after a few time-outs she learned that is a no-no and NOT okay.

We now know how to help with all of that crazy German Shepherd energy she has! Ella was not getting enough exercise and we knew that, but now that we have had help from Danielle we learned that it’s not just going on runs with the dog that helps her get rid of that energy, she now goes on puppy play dates, dog parks, parks, car rides, and family members houses to play.

Thanks to Danielle, Ella has also learned how to act around other people and dogs! She used to be so crazy and would jump and just act like.. well… and idiot. She now sits and lets people pet her and sniffs other dogs before they start to chase each other and have fun. Every once in a while she will get a little TOO excited and try to jump on someone, but we use the tools Danielle gave us to calm her down and show her she can not see the new person or dog until she acts polite. We had 9 great training sessions with Danielle and we are confident that we can now use everything she gave us to raise a wonderful dog. Ella is still learning and still has her crazy “teenage” moments, but after all.. she is still a puppy.

So really what we are trying to say is… THANK YOU DANIELLE! You have helped our entire family and we are much happier with our puppy and have the tools to help her grow into a wonderful family dog.

Joann and Atty

I was so lucky to find Danielle. I have a one-year-old, German-Shepherd dog that is full of energy and curious about everything. I love her energy and do not want to destroy it, but I do want to find ways to channel and control that energy.

I was looking for a very special person to work with as a trainer. I wanted someone who has an ability to read the dog and the owner and who is comfortable with an array of training methods. Since I was looking for a way to use my dog’s energy positively, I also needed a trainer who was well aware of multiple scenarios for putting her energy to work. And, I wanted someone who would commit to my goal of training my dog so she can go anywhere with me.

Danielle is amazing. I have learned so much from her. She knows when to push a dog and when to back off and how to arrange the proper dose of challenge. She progresses at a reasonable pace for the dog while keeping her eye on where she wants to end up. Sometimes her approaches are things that I think I should have been able to figure out, but most of the time she has counterintuitive solutions that really work. But her skills are not all intuition; she is disciplined and conscientious. Her homework assignments are detailed and available within 24 hours of a training session. The homework is never just a review of the training session; it is a preparation for the next session. She posts the homework online and I find myself reading it over each time I go out to work with my dog. She follows up on homework and often checks midweek to see how our sessions are going.

I have now worked with Danielle for six weeks and the progress is astonishing. We have worked on getting my dog to focus on me and that is helping to get her energy under control. My dog can now give a dependable long down, is healing nicely on a leash, and is finally calming down around other dogs. For her energy release she is learning to do Frisbees. Best of all, I feel like my dog and I are in sync with one another and it is wonderful.

Great trainer: looking forward to more weeks of work with Danielle.

Sally, Fred & Lemi

We contacted Danielle because our little fluffball, Lemi, was acting possessive over food, bones, and other objects which she found to be desirable. She had been exhibiting this behavior since the day we brought her home at 8 weeks old. Literature regarding how to address this behavior was limited and contradictory. Nothing we tried worked, and we were just pain stressed! It was such a relief to find Danielle, who assessed Lemi’s behavior and implemented a simple plan. Right away, she was able to give us insight into what Lemi was thinking and assure us that everything was going to be fine! She is supportive and has always made herself available for questions. Danielle understands the relationship that people develop with their dogs and designs techniques that are well-suited and individually tailored. Training sessions are fun and productive, and always followed up with notes for review on her website. Her passion and dedication to helping dogs is clear, and she goes above and beyond what we ever would have expected. We look forward to our continued training with Danielle.

Ann & Cooper

Danielle is amazing! Her common sense and consistent approach to dog training is right on point and the results are even more impressive. When at four months, our puppy could “sit” and “down” and “leave it,” it made managing him so much easier and also impressed our family and friends that a dog so young could have that kind of self control. Hiring Danielle and Train Your Pup has been one of the best investments we could have made for our puppy and our family.

Erica and Isabel

Our family has been working with Danielle for about 5 months now and the transformation is unbelievable. Most of our pack behaviors were from our own behaviors and lack of discipline. We’ve gone from a family in chaos on the brink of trying to re-home one of our beloved fur babies, to a calm happy home environment & it's all because of Danielle! Now I’m ready for Danielle to turn Isabel into a disc dog!

Corrinna and Roxy

When it comes to dog trainers Danielle O’Neill is the best! She literally saved me from my 2-month old German Shepherd Roxy. I would wake up in the middle of the night with Roxy standing over me growling and foaming at the mouth. I called Danielle begging for help. I had never had to get rid of an animal before, and I didn’t want to start with Roxy. I showed up to see Danielle with bite marks on my arms, holes bit into my clothes, and afraid to sleep in my own bed. She not only helped to train Roxy to be a loving and obedient dog, she also helped me to understand how my behavior played a big role in Roxy’s overall behavior.

Roxy is now 5 years old, and we can’t imagine life without her, and that is all thanks to Danielle.

Mutka and Millie

Danielle is an amazing trainer. She certainly has the technical expertise when it comes to training. But I think what sets her apart is her love for her furry subjects! I have yet to see a trainer so focused and technically savvy and yet so emotionally involved in the dog’s well-being. She won't mince her words when it comes to correcting behavior – both the dog and the owners! Your dog is in the best hands possible with Danielle!!

Julie and Tulip

Danielle was the foster mom for my dog, Tulip, before I adopted her. Thanks to Danielle, not only did Tulip come to me house-trained and crate-trained, but Danielle taught her how to do a dog catch (jump in my arms on command) and got her started on her Frisbee training even though she was still just a pup. Tulip loved her time with Danielle, and to this day when Danielle visits, Tulip goes crazy over her!