Happy Clients
Annie and Boomer – Labrador Retriever littermates
"My (Janet's) reaction time is different from others and Karen was exceptionally
patient with me. I needed a lot of extra training and Karen helped me with
whatever I needed.
We have been able to rely on Karen for just about everything related to improving Annie and Boomer, especially ongoing support. We liked that Karen gave direct feedback immediately on any training question that we might have.
Karen taught us to be consistent. She goes above and beyond the 'call of duty' for her clients. She is very interested in doing what you do and because of that, it is an enjoyable experience for all.
"You helped us when other trainers refused!"
Janet and Peter Hiscox,
Millbrook, Ontario
Bristol –female Great Dane (deaf)
I am so pleased with Bristol's training so far and I am really feeling more
confident around her. All thanks to you!
Thanks again Karen for all that you do. You really make a difference in a dog's life and a dog owner's life too!
Janice and Paul Barber,
Bethany, Ontario
Buddy – male Siberian Husky
"Even though I would take Buddy to the dog park for 4 hours every day, he would
not get tired and I could not trust him off leash. During our walks, he would pull
me down the street. After Buddy completed Karen's Remote Collar Training
program, he was like a new dog! Buddy and I now enjoy daily off leash hikes in
the parks and conservations areas near my apartment."
Jessica Chapman,
Waterloo, Ontario
Cara – female Yellow Labrador Retriever
"Before bringing Cara to Karen for training, she was so wild that it was impossible
for anyone in our family to handle her. The best thing we could have done was
send Cara to Karen for remote collar training. She is now such a joy to have on the
farm, and she is so obedient, it is hard to believe that she is the same dog!"
Lynn and Sydney Bates,
Orono Ontario
Duke – male Belgian Shepherd
"Duke and I get stopped many times on each of our runs by people saying it's so
nice to see a dog so well behaved. We now both have ALOT of fun and exercise. I
love it when I pull out the invisible leash, he knows it means he's free.
THANK YOU KAREN for giving me the best dog in the world! We are about to enjoy our 7th 1/2 marathon together!"
Sofie Andreou, M.Eng.
Peterborough, Ontario
Jaki – Chow mix
"Karen was very helpful with my aggressive dog. She is very much a "dog whisperer". She taught me to watch for my behaviour around my dogs and to exhibit authority with them.
I enjoyed the pack walks that she made available near her home. She has reminded me that my energy level is very significant I teaching my dogs obedience and that every reward needs to be earned.
Thank you Karen."
Marianne Jacobs,
Peterborough, Ontario
Jax – male Doberman Pincher
"I am so happy that I contacted Karen before I even brought Jax home at 9 weeks
of age. We have been working with Karen since Day 1, and he is so well behaved,
I can take him anywhere and he is perfectly behaved on and off leash. I really
appreciate that Karen always takes the time to stay in touch."
Steve Hennessy,
Fraserville, Ontario
Kira – female Chow/German Shepherd mix
I remember when we first sat down together to determine if we were going to
begin working together, you asked me what my main goal was. I answered, 'I just
want to be able to walk my dog again'. Karen, I can walk her again and I enjoy it!
At least twice a day, we wander through the streets in my neighbourhood and in
the park behind my house and I am constantly amazed with how relatively easy it
is. Moreover, I am constantly amazed with how many other people need to work
with you to give their dogs some direction and manners! Thank you for working
with us, you have definitely made a positive impact in our lives.
Tanya Pye,
Peterborough Ontario
Liisa – female Shitzhu/Poodle mix
"Karen has a 'presence' that the dog senses immediately. Liisa reacts immediately, in a positive way, to Karen.
Karen identified immediately that I needed to get Liisa's respect. She provided information and the support that I needed to get Liisa under control and to respect me.
Karen has the 'knack' that dogs respect and they respond well to her immediately. I appreciated Karen's honesty – giving me straight answers on how to deal with Liisa's bad behaviour.
Thanks to Karen, Liisa is not biting me anymore. Karen has given me a lot of really good, helpful information."
Anna Van Amerongen
Peterborough, Ontario
Lucy – female Rottweiler mix
"I am so impressed at how much calmer Lucy has become around strangers, in
new places, and at home. She now enjoys calm rides in the car and no longer
jumps around, barking at every moving thing."
"Lucy and I are doing much better together now, thanks to you. My friend Tom can't believe how well behaved she is in the house and with his (elderly) mother".
Jeani Collingwood,
Peterborough, Ontario
Maddie – female German Shepherd/Labrador Retriever mix
"Karen has a comprehensive knowledge and understanding of animals. She shows a true passion for the dogs under her tutelage. She is very approachable for questions.
I like Karen's approach about working with the individual (owner) and not just focusing on the dog. I like how she can work with the people and convince them that they, as well as the animal need training, without insulting the people. I believe that by working with the owners AND the dog, gets more of a commitment from the owners, which means success for you!"
Ann Cox,
Minden Ontario
Mia – female Labrador Retriever/Border Collie mix
"Karen has a natural calmness about her. She teaches by letting the person discover, and
that is empowering.
Karen is very honest. I know that she will tell me what I need to correct when I am handling my dog.
Karen is knowledgeable and able to provide many techniques/information handouts to correct a problem. She is flexible and will provide more than one approach to address an issue. Karen is open to truly getting at the problem. (e.g. I wanted to know if Mia would get into a crate; so she said let's try it; I wanted Karen to see Mia with my brother's dog at my house so she traveled a one hour drive to my place to check it out).
She met our needs by developing a training program that was custom made for me and Mia. Not from the safe confines of a kennel, but out there in parks, and with other dogs, and in situations I was concerned about, including at my own home.
She has given me exactly what I needed to be more comfortable with Mia around other dogs - the opportunity to practice dealing with dog encounters at her home with her dogs; my home with my Brother's dog; and in town along park trails.
Karen gave me the peace of mind to know that Mia is not aggressive, just being Mia or reacting to my bad handling. She taught me how to see that Mia is smart, and a good pup. We just have to work on me more. I am excited that Mia is welcome to come out to Karen's home, and join a pack walk with other pups as part of her ongoing training."
Lee-Ann Choquette
Norwood, Ontario
Misa – female Labrador Retriever mix
"We love seeing the results in Misa with your training techniques. And we had to
let you know that the bumper is a huge hit. Dave took her yesterday and she didn't
even look at another bird or dog - just the bumper. She may be a little too
obsessed!!! But she is very focused and we will continue to use it before and
after her 'working' periods.
Thanks again for all your help."
Joy and David Chase,
Peterborough, Ontario
Molly – female chocolate Labrador Retriever
"Thank you so much or your expertise and guidance over the past year. Thanks to
your help, Molly has become the greatest, loving family companion."
Will and Kathryn Prentice,
Peterborough, Ontario
Molly – female Cocker Spaniel
"We thought that we were going to have to find another home for Molly. She was
out of control and was too much for us to handle with our two small children.
Working with Karen has enabled us to keep Molly and have fun with her as part of
our family. In our neighbourhood, we would not have been able to keep her with
out Karen's training and help.
We were amazed at the results of Karen's Board and Train (boot camp!) program. Molly advanced leaps and bounds with this program. What we like most is that now we can include Molly in our family activities."
Patrick and Marcia Steeves,
Peterborough, Ontario
Molson – male yellow Labrador Retriever
"Karen is a natural at training and working well with dogs and owners. We relied
on her knowledge to help us learn what we needed to teach Molson to be well
behaved. Karen is exceptional with dogs and is pleasant and friendly to work with.
We now enjoy being with our dog and walking him without getting our arm pulled
off. He is now so calm and pleasant to be with. We truly enjoyed our experience
with Karen with our dog. Thanks to all Karen's hard work Molson is a totally
different dog."
Donna Hames and Pete Kehoe
Peterborough, Ontario
Murphy – male Springer Spaniel
"Karen really gave me the confidence to believe that I could do this. I appreciated
how patient she was with me and how calm and positive she was with Murphy.
I am an elementary school teacher and during one session, when Murphy was being particularly challenging, Karen asked me if I would let my students push me around like that. Her response to my answer of "of course not!" changed my life with Murphy forever. She simply said "then why are you letting Murphy push you around?" When I realized that she believed in me, I took the lead and Murphy's behaviour has continued to improve ever since. Thank you Karen!"
Colleen Smyth
Millbrook, Ontario
Mysty – female black Labrador Retriever
"Mysty is still doing well with her obedience training/commands. She's 4 now and
starting to calm down a bit so that it's easier to get and sustain her attention for
expanding her repertoire of commands. She's a clever dog ...a real little "thinker"
...I'll never forget your role in helping me to see that!"
Barb Mabee,
Peterborough, Ontario
Nikita – 1 year old female Siberian Husky
"Hi Karen. Just wanted you to know that I walked Nikita in the Bethany
subdivision today where the Great Dane lives. She did beautifully. Can't believe
she's my dog.
Thank you!"
Ina Bourke,
Cavan, Ontario
Noodin – male German Shepherd
"Before we found Karen, our male puppy, Noodin, was driving us crazy. He was
causing us so much grief in our family that we thought that we would not be able
to keep him.
Sending our dog Noodin to Karen for her 'Board and Train' remote collar training program was the best investment that we have ever made! Now when we take him for a walk, we can let him off leash and he just knows how to behave. He just knows... it's amazing!
Thank you Karen."
Felix and Laurie Carr,
Hiawatha First Nation
Pie – female Labrador Retriever mix
"Karen is naturally good at providing clear direction. She cuts through the mire
and gets directly to the point.
When answering my questions I can rely on Karen for her knowledge and experience with dog communications. I like her flexibility in approach to get the results that I want."
She is very patient and approachable. I now feel confident that I am not going to 'lose' my dog. Pie is now my forever dog because of Karen".
Megan Wells,
Peterborough, Ontario
Riley – male Yellow Labrador Retriever
"I had slacked off in training with Riley. Karen helped us get back on track as a
team. I was impressed at Karen's knowledge of dogs and her patience with
people."
Karen West,
Peterborough, Ontario
Rosie – female Golden Retriever
"Karen was the right fit for us as we adopted a golden retriever into our very busy
company and home. She expertly advised and educated us on how to best train our
puppy with love, compassion and no-nonsense discipline.
We truly value Karen's knowledge of dogs and her ability to impart her know-how to humans. We highly recommend her to those who love dogs."
Mike and Donna Melnik
Peterborough, Ontario
Ruby – 1 year old female Schnauser/Bovier mix
"We have a new dog that we were training ourselves and had run into a wall. We hired
Karen to provide professional training services so that our dog (Ruby) could/would
provide the enjoyment in a pet we desired. Karen not only trained Ruby, but perhaps
more importantly, she trained us, on the fine art of communication with Ruby. It has been
the best thing we could have done, for both Ruby and us!!
Karen has my highest recommendation! If you are not enjoying a stress-free relationship with your dog, hire Karen Laws right now!!!"
Chris and Edith Calbury,
Baltimore, Ontario
Samson - male Saint Bernard
"We are seniors and the demands of an energetic puppy were taking its toll on our
health. When our vet referred us to Karen we were at our wits end. Karen took
away the Tasmanian devil and returned with our perfect dog! She taught us to
Take the Lead and we are now able to walk Samson and enjoy him every day."
Sharon Beecroft and Gary Smith,
Peterborough Ontario
Satchmo – male Springer Spaniel
"I liked the way Karen built my confidence and helped me to build a better
relationship with Satchmo. I appreciated her positive feedback, clear instruction
and close 1-on-1 counselling. Karen's remote collar training is absolutely
necessary to develop your well-balanced dog!"
Sue Fisher,
Peterborough, Ontario
Sorka – female Schnoodle
"I really appreciate all the extra help and attention that Karen gave me and Sorka. I
am now confident to walk her downtown and to let her off leash in safe areas.
We are looking forward to continuing to work with Karen and her pack."
Andrea Heilingbrunner,
Peterborough, Ontario
Toby - male Chihuahua
"Before we started working with Karen, we didn't think Toby could be saved. We
were tired and frustrated and didn't know what to do. We were amazed at what she
accomplished with Toby in such a short time. We learned a lot from Karen. She
taught us so many things that we did not know! We are happy that we can now
control Toby in the house and he no longer sits on the kitchen table! We know that
Karen is always available if we need her."
Jean and Lorne Maracle,
Peterborough, Ontario
Tucker – 6 month old small breed mix
"I was fortunate enough to work with Karen when my family decided to purchase
a puppy. We had Karen come out to our home for a Puppy Foundation course and
within an hour we could see a change in our puppy. Karen's techniques are solid
and effective and the way she worked with my 2 young boys was nothing short of
amazing. My boys listened to her and she was able to explain puppy training
techniques in a way that they, as young boys could understand and follow up with.
We then decided to enroll in Karen's Puppy Kindergartern Class. Again, we were
very impressed with the results that came from this program. Our puppy was at
best "very skittish" and was hesitant to engage in play with the other puppies in the
group. As the weeks progressed and Karen worked with Tucker, myself and my 2
boys, you could see him start to come out of his shell and become more socialized
and comfortable with people and the other dogs. He was even voted "The Most
Improved Puppy" in the class!
I would very highly recommend Karen for her services, not only based on my own personal experience with my pet, but also from seeing the influence she has had on my other friends and colleagues dogs! You cannot go wrong with Karen!"
Kim Armstrong and sons,
Buchorn, Ontario
Tyra – female Scottish Terrier
This summarizes some of the things we are telling other people about working with you
to train Tyra:
We called you in desperation after having Tyra, our 5 month old Scottish Terrier for about 2 weeks. You arrived at our house and began analyzing our situation before you came through the door. In short order you made us understand it was our behaviour that was determining the dog's behaviour. You very patiently showed us a number of techniques to work on and left us some very useful detailed notes. We were astonished the next morning when Tyra overnight had become Wonder Dog (almost). We didn't expect such immediate results.
Over time your approach seemed to be very effective. Your in-depth knowledge of animal and people behaviour was key in our ongoing learning to analyze each new situation.
You are always listening, observing and adapting the approach during each lesson. Because this can be complex to take in by beginners like us, your detailed follow-up notes have become invaluable to recapture and review when we run into bumps. Regardless of what has happened between sessions we can count on you adapting the current session to what is happening now in spite of it not following a proposed lesson plan. This is probably one of key features of working with you because Life and Bad Weather happens, but we move ahead in spite of these things. We have enjoyed working with you and the results demonstrated by Tyra's behaviour, now almost 8 months old, are proven when people in our neighbourhood are astonished watching her heel, sit, stay, even with distractions.
But what about Tyra's opinion? She would rather do her training, with Karen or us, than eat! Her behaviour would indicate that this is the favourite thing in her daily routine; talk about win-win!
Many thanks Karen,
Jim Avery & Nancy Sales,
Millbrook, Ontario
Wrigley – male yellow Labrador Retriever
"Karen has a wonderful manner with the dogs that makes them comfortable. She is
assertive at the right times, and is patient and understanding with me, making sure
that I do the right things at the right time with Wrigley.
Karen and her program are very well organized. She knows what she wants to do when we arrive and we do it, with no time wasted.
Karen's program gave me the confidence and assurance that I could continue the training at home after each weekly session….and I did!
Karen has transformed Wrigley from an unruly character to a nice dog. He is on his way to being the dog that I want him to be."
Catie Sims,
Pontypool, Ontario
Zoe – female Boston Terrier/Dachshund mix
"Karen taught Zoë to do everything that I wanted her to do. As my personal dog
coach, I could rely on Karen for everything related to keeping Zoë the best she can
be.
Karen is a good dog communicator. She is good with people. Karen is better than any other dog trainer in this area.
Karen is nice to me and is nice to be around. Her remote training collar program was well worth the investment."
Ali Braund,
Peterborough, Ontario
