The Loyal Hound

Thank goodness we found the Loyal Hound! Corinna has very possibly saved my dog’s life. Moose was a sweet energetic puppy, but when he got to be about 10 months, his excitement for life became overwhelming and he started wandering further away. It got to the point that the dog walker couldn’t find him for 20 minutes because his recall was so low. So we brought him to the Loyal Hound for some intensive training. We were worried about the collar, but i am such a wimp and could barely feel it at the level we had Moose at on my sensitive wrist! There is no way that it was painful for Moose. It was just enough of a physical presence to remind him to listen up, even while on hot pursuit of a squirrel. Now, we barely have to use the collar and Moose still comes running. So happy Corinna was able to help us!

WOW.
I’ve known Corinna for years and while I always knew she was an exceedingly talented and hard working trainer, I could not believe how quickly she corrected our shepherd’s leash re-​activity. After weeks of working with a positive reinforcement (and ONLY positive reinforcement) trainer, our pup was still pulling and barking ferociously at every other dog we saw on the street. People, including the trainer, told us this just might be what we have to live with, some dogs never get better, and we should basically just throw in the towel. I got on the phone with Corinna and, after listening to each part of the problem, she told me to come in for just one session. I thought it was too good to be true, but Corinna knew exactly how to evaluate our pup, giving her the space and tools she needed to succeed.
Our session went a bit like this: Corinna first had us explain exactly what our goals were for the session, and then she asked us to show her what the current «normal» is for our dog. With her perfectly trained canine assistant, Winston the pit, she observed how our pup reacted to other dogs when she was on leash. Corinna then explained the next part of her plan. I was hesitant about using a pinch collar because we’d tried them on my family dog growing up and I remember it wasn’t effective at all, but Corinna explained the rationale. The goal was to increase loose-​leash walking and reduce our dog’s frustration during walks. She trained us on how to use the collar and how to correct our dog’s anxious barking. To my disbelief, our dog saw a little poodle cross the street and, although she certainly wanted to bark, was corrected in half a second and was quiet, relaxed, and focused. I actually cried. They were tears of absolute relief and of joy.
Since the session (now months ago!) we’ve been working on good walking habits and we have gotten to the point where our pup can walk by a dog that used to trigger her worst barking and pulling fits without raising her voice at all! Training a dog takes a ton of work and consistency at home. I’m not saying that Corinna is magical and can transform a dog permanently in 2 hours, but she educated us in a way that made it possible for us to continue the lessons at home and have dramatically improved our quality of life as a little family.
I cannot wrap up the review without lauding Corinna’s professionalism. She is so passionate about her work and has an incredible wealth of experience. Her explanations, even when we were reluctant or unsure, were respectful, professional, and always held our safety as well as our dog’s comfort at the highest priority. She listened to our concerns and delivered results above and beyond our expectations. We cannot wait to get the chance to do more sessions with her in the future!
tl;dr
IF YOUR DOG ISN’T BEHAVING, A TRIP TO CORINNA’S WILL BE THE BEST MONEY YOU’LL SPEND.

I have a male dog that I adopted when he was a year old that is now almost 3 years old. As such a loving, playful dog with people, I was surprised when I noticed early into having him that he was aggressive towards other dogs while on walks. Additionally I noticed that he was scared of noises, quick movements, and became increasingly scared of men that he had never met before (or had met a few times). This got worse as he got older and he stopped running away from things that scared him and instead tried to defend himself by growling and snapping.
I tried basically everything– bringing him to a behavioral specialist who tried to use food to get him to behave (which worked some of the time… its the rest of the time that worried me!), buying a thundershirt, keeping him away from anything that may set him off, giving him prescription medication to calm him down, giving him over the counter herbal ‘calming’ treats, using a harness on walks, using the gentle leader (BIG mistake), you name it. None of these things helped and I was struggling with having a normal life with my dog.
When I found Corinna in a search online in September, I was unsure if she would be able to help me since nothing else worked. We went to meet with her and I was given new hope that my dog could be trained to look to me during stressful situations rather than reacting to them. It has been a little over a month since Oz completed his training with Corinna, and I have to say he is a million times better. Is he still scared of life? Yes, but he will listen to me rather than acting in a way that could be harmful to him or dogs and people around him. I can take him on walks without a leash and he will no longer dart after other dogs that are on walks nearby. He stays by my side and all I have to do is say «nope» to get his attention if he begins to stare. It’s definitely still a work in progress to get him to listen at all times– he’s still going to test me to see what he can get away with, but at the end of the day, I have a truly amazing dog that is just as playful, loving, goofy, and energetic as he was before this program– none of that went away with the training which I’m sure many people will worry about. Oz absolutely LOVES Corinna, which goes to show that you can get love from a dog that you are sometimes giving tough love to.
This program was a learning opportunity for me, helped me control my anxious dog, and was the best decision I made for both of us.
THANK YOU CORINNA!!!