Leaps N’ Hounds

My sweet Chihuahua/​/​terrier mix Bonnie has been through both Intermediate and Advanced Obedience training classes with Leaps n’ Hounds Dog Training. Crystal is an incredible trainer and really understands how to communicate with dogs and to teach pet parents how to work with their dogs to achieve great results. Bonnie had been to one training class prior to the classes she took at Leaps N’ Hound, so she had the basics down, but with Crystal’s expertise and enthusiasm, Bonnie made amazing progress. Here’s an example of what Bonnie learned in Crystal’s classes paid off: I took Bonnie out on Halloween to four different pet stores and then to a restaurant afterward. She was super well-​behaved at the pet stores, but her behavior at the restaurant blew me away. Not only did she sit/​stay in a chair while I walked all over the restaurant patio (which I had to do because I needed to get our tray that I had placed on another table earlier and move to a table farther away from two very excited dachshunds), but she did it while wearing her Halloween costume with a plate of brisket on the table next to two barking dachshunds. I was so proud of Bonnie that I almost started to cry. I am so grateful for everything that Bonnie and I have learned at Leaps N’ Hounds, and I highly recommend them!

I met Crystal when I took our dog to a reactive dog class. We learned a lot, and our problem child was improving a lot on the reactivity front using the skills that we learned in that series – overall a positive experience.
However, what has motivated me to write this review occurred a couple of months later. Rufus had been basically left in a back yard by himself for the first 18 months of his life, and thus, had very poor communication skills. This first manifested in reactivity on and off leash, but he then began to show aggression towards my husband and myself. We saw our regular trainer, who is fantastic, but this problem was a bit out of their scope. We were at the point where we were seriously considering euthanisia because he was becoming erratic and unsafe to be around when he was in one of his moods, which were increasing in frequency. My heart was breaking.
In desperation, I emailed Crystal, who came out for a consult. We had not seen her in months, but she remembered Rufus. She stayed for over 2 hours observing him, listening to my descriptions of his behavior and how we interacted with him. She gave me a lot of advice, showed me a few things to try, and she listened to my problems without judgment.
Within 2 weeks, the aggressive incidents had plummeted in both number and intensity. I sent her a few updates, and she always replied quickly and had answers and advice in response to any questions or difficulties I expressed.
Her second visit was about a month later. I asked for a follow up session to work on the relationship between our two dogs. Our other dog was still afraid of Rufus as he’d been the target of many aggressive outbursts. She showed me some strategies for teaching them to share and getting them to play together nicely without too much competition. Their relationship has also improved significantly, as has his interactions with other dogs and humans.
As of today, Rufus has been to dog daycare 3 times with no incidents and no time outs, whereas over Christmas he was not allowed out to play at all due to his aggressive behavior with other dogs. We’ve had almost no aggressive outbursts at home and he’s overall a much happier and more relaxed dog.
People can come over to our house without being jumped on or bothered incessantly, he can go to the park and play nicely (for a short time) with other dogs, and he’s much more bonded to us. We can take our dogs out and about safely and comfortably.
I cannot thank Crystal enough for what she’s done for our family. She’s given us our dog back. I choke up when I think about where I was just a few short months ago. Without her professionalism, empathy, understanding, knowledge and overall awesomeness, we’d never have been able to keep our dog in our home, and there’s nothing I can do to repay her. Crystal, you’re amazing!

I did the Love-​a-​Bull Basic Obedience training (donated by Leaps n Hounds) at the Zoom Room North location. We sincerely enjoyed the class and I look forward to working with my dog on her manners for the months to come! Trainer Erin offered valuable pointers and insight, and I have found that my pup is much more motivated by positive reinforcement (excited voice, treats, praise) than by negative reinforcement like a squirt bottle. We have so much fun when we’re working on her skills at home! My Juno is so excitable and was reactive to the other dogs, but Erin was patient and let us practice «outside» the circle until we were ready on graduation day to rejoin the group (yay!).
I also want to thank Erin and Leaps n Hounds for donating time to a great organization like Love-​a-​Bull. I might be a little biased, but I think pibbles are just the best! These obedience classes enable and encourage responsible pet ownership to change the negative perception of our sweet pups. And volunteers like you make it possible! So THANK YOU!

My husband and I participated in basic obedience class with our young dog and had a great experience. We learned not only basic commands and how to be leader with using positive reinforcement and modeling vs intimidation or fear. Our dog’s personality shined-​she came out of her shell and blossomed. It was fun and informative. I would have like to class size to be 4 dogs vs 6 dogs.

Took my foster dog, Dudley, in for Basic Obedience class and I am completely amazed! Erin was the teacher of my group class and she was incredibly kind and patient. The techniques used to teach my foster were effective and easy for him to pick up! She even had patience for training me as well! Love this place and training and plan to bring my own personal dog back too!

We used Leaps n’ Hounds for the training of our pup Dally. Dally had anxiety, aggressive reactive behaviors. My husband and I were almost afraid to have guests to our house. On top of that Dally was so anxious about us leaving for work each day that she threw up from anxiety about 3 – 4 days a week. Crystal and Erin worked with us to train new behavior for us humans and Dally. They are prompt in scheduling, caring, compassionate about what they do, and offer affordable prices. Erin was awesome in emailing us weekly reminders and homework which really helped us stay on task with training. After 8 weeks, Dally is a new dog. She still has some work to go but does not have any anxiety related to us going to work anymore. No more barfing. She may be hesitate of certain situations but no longer reactive. Dally is so much happier! We would highly recommend Leaps N’ Hounds!

If there were 6 stars, Crystal (and Anne) would get them. They took care of our 3 indoor cats for 3 weeks this past month and we couldn’t be happier. The daily journal entries Anne left were specific and meaningful — she did such a great job. Our feline babies looked healthy and well-​loved, not just well fed. Ours are kitties who are very dependent on us, unlike proverbial «independent cats» — so it’s always extra disconcerting to leave them for long stretches at a time. Leaps N’ Hounds is definitely getting my repeat business next time we leave.

Of course it’s hard to admit that anything is wrong with your precious baby, your best friend, your beloved and constant companion. But Crystal helps you do it so that you don’t even realize that’s what you’re doing. I had to call on her to help solve some anti-​social tendencies in my boxer-​pit mix, Rennie, and first and foremost, her priority was understanding exactly what the problems were, and when they happened and how they happened and where. Next she wanted to get to know Rennie and she spent a long time just figuring out what his weaknesses were, where his boundaries were. Then she wanted to see the two of us together out in the world, so we went walking around the neighborhood together. And that was just in the free, pre-​lesson consultation. Then we got into the actual lessons and already, I have seen enormous improvements in Rennie on the leash and around other dogs. We still have some work cut out for us but I feel better about it, knowing that each lesson will only make things easier.
Training your dog is hard work and it requires a lot of persistence, as well as patience, but I totally recommend Crystal to help you get through the journey. Both you and your dog will be better off for it.

Crystal took care of my beloved Labrador for 4 weeks while I was out of the country. Pepper had been quite ill and was on a lot of complicated medications so it was even more difficult to think of leaving him in the care of others. That fear was soon allayed when I had my initial meeting with Crystal and saw how professional and caring she was. I even had to fill out a very detailed questionnaire about Pep’s habits. Absolutely nothing was taken for granted. A daily diary of each and every visit was be kept for me to peruse when I got home.
I returned to a happy, healthy, somewhat spoiled, pup, who was obviously still looking forward to his walks and playtime with his pup sitter, but had to settle for me.

I’m a dog’s dawg. In fact, I prefer the company of dogs to the company of people… most of the time. I have always had dogs in my home and am very comfortable around them. But, when we got a puppy with some behavior issues, I was a little unsure of how to handle it. Our vet recommended Leaps N’ Hounds.
Crystal arrived and our little toot was pretty much enamored with her from the get-​go. She spent a lot of time showing us how to establish trust and confidence and all of the happy things a dog needs in order to be on his best behavior. To be honest, it was all the same things WE needed to be confident and happy dog parents.
Crystal has since relocated, but whenever I have questions, she is so fast to respond to my calls or emails. She truly brought some harmony to our home. I would most definitely recommend to her anyone with fur-​kids. All of our pets loved her like a fat kid loves cake.

Crystal is absolutly wonderful! We have a young hound mix puppy who is WILD and she has helped us out so much laying down the foundation in order to keep him in check! I love the fact that she does all the training at your home and there is no time limit on her training sessions! I have recommended her to all my friends with furry babies and will continue to! Thanks again Crystal for all your help :-)
Oh and I have to say I LOVE the lifetime puppy support that comes with her services :-p!