We have a golden retriever named Ben and our life with him has changed for the better since Annie came into it. She helped us a lot with his basic training, in the house and on walks, even coming to the office to help. (Yes, we take him everywhere).

As an example, Ben was a rescue dog and, out of fear, barked at other dogs on his walks. Annie worked this out for us and brought her own dogs, carefully selected for temperament, to help him over it.

When we go away we would never think of sending him anywhere else but to her farm, because it is a relief to know how happy and well cared for he will be.

She has shown us how to discipline and motivate our dog, but the difference between Annie and other trainers is that she combines very clever and caring observations with such an infectious spirit of enjoyment that she has trained us along with Ben. She makes it such fun that we all want to do and be our best for her.

We think you can't get better than that.  

Arthur & Heather Ross

Our clients love their pets.  That's why we love referring them to Annie at Heavenly Days when asked for help with training.  She offers clicker training which develops both dog and owner.  This results in happy pets and happy people!

Jackie Yeary
Office Manager @ Companion Animal Clinic, Tecumseh

There was nothing better than the feeling of accomplishment and progress when I was attempting to teach Mia to sit, stay, heel, down, and LEAVE IT.  Let’s not forget the most important and what appears to be the most challenging to accomplish, “COME”, especially when there is something more interesting than me currently on her nose’s agenda.  I suppose I wasn’t so exciting.  Well, I discovered how to change that!  Like many, I started with the traditional methods of just giving Mia commands and expected her to understand me and what I wanted her to do.  As you can imagine that didn’t work so well.  I became frustrated and discouraged, which is common with dog training.

Then Annie introduced me to this little box that made this funny click noise.  I looked at this little box and thought, YEA, RIGHT!  This is where things changed and I mean changed quickly and drastically.  I had made the discovery, like others have, that this little box can do incredible things.  In a very short time with Annie, she demonstrated how to use the Clicker as a marker for desired behavior (This would be called Daddy training).  Within a few days I had accomplished more than I did in the month prior.  In the months to come I realized how enjoyable it can be to work with your partner and discover the things Mia was capable of.  Before I new it, Mia was going from sit to down and back to sit so well she looked like a jack in the box. 

OK, we have the basics down, and notice I said WE, now what?  Mia came into my life not only to be a wonderful and faithful friend but I wanted to extend that relationship out into the field.  I really wanted a hunting partner that I could enjoy the outdoors with as well as the satisfaction of a successful hunt.  How can a clicker help with that?  I quickly learned that the basic commands that we learned together were the building blocks to many things.  Being a Labrador, Mia, instinctively would do many things like retrieve and I was able to use the Clicker to fine tune those natural instincts.  Being very familiar with the clicker sound from basic lessons she keys right in on the click and recognizes what behavior I am about to award her for.  She also knows there is a tasty treat coming.  One thing that I really wanted to accomplish was during a retrieve she would always return to my right side, circle around close behind me and heel on my left pointing in the same direction as me, before she released the game in my hand.  This would allow me to set her up for a blind retrieve just in case she was unable to mark a downed bird.  I started from the end and worked on the hold and give command over and over marking desired behaviors with a click and treat.  Once she was doing that consistently, I went to working on returning to my right and heeling at my left.  Initially I was at a loss on how to get this behavior shaped correctly.  I called on Annie and she suggested I start in the hallway next to the wall so there was only enough room for Mia to sit down right next to me on my left.  I built on the recall command and lured her to my right and around behind me and said “SIT” when she was right next to my left side.  Within a couple of days we moved her training to the screened in back porch and then to the middle of the yard.  Within a few repetitions she brought her training from in the house next to the wall to the middle of the back yard and she now recalls around my right side and heels on my left.  Guess what, now when I throw her bumper buddy, she returns to my right, goes around behind me, and hands it to me heeled on my left.  We still work on this daily because frequency is important, but trust me it has become more fun than it is work. 

 Mia is now eight months old and I continue to see progress in her with every passing day.  I look forward to our daily workouts together which I believe are responsible for the relationship and bond that we share.  We do have a lot to accomplish by the fall but with the progress that she has made and her enthusiasm she shows when we are training together I look forward to see those leaves start to turn colors signaling autumn has arrived.   

Jim Palm

 

We feel so fortunate to have found Annie and Heavenly Days. We were lucky enough to have been in one of her clicker training classes that has made a world of difference in the lives of our very exuberant young labs, Tucker and Rocky! And our furry friends weren’t the only ones learning the lessons. In the process Annie gave us the confidence to be patient, successful trainers to our dogs.

Our dogs look forward to visiting Annie at Heavenly Days. We are so relieved that we can now take a worry free vacation knowing that Tucker and Rocky are having the time of their lives on their own vacation and being cared for as if they were in our own home. We would trust our dogs with no one else but Annie and Heavenly Days.

-Marty and Lana Walsh