Testimonials

"I was immediately impressed with the way that Fran tuned into my dogs' behaviors and motivations. She gained their respect without being intimidating and was able to demonstrate quickly that they could do what was being asked. Fran is knowledgeable and flexible, fine-tuning technique to the dog and owner's needs rather than taking a "one size fits all" approach. And importantly, Fran is very responsive, even when questions arise outside of scheduled lessons. As a result of working with Fran, my dogs' behavior is more consistent and I have to tools to continue to reinforce the training every day."

Joan Melling, Menlo Park

"When the sessions began, Ben was a playful pup, but unruly.  Fran provided the training in a most professional, but gentle and effective manner, so that now, Ben is a disciplined, yet still playful pup.  Fran's lessons are as valuable to the person involved as they are to the dog.  She loves dogs and does a splendid job in preparing her canine pupils for life with their guardians."

Rex Burbank, Los Gatos

 

"Fran is a thoughtful and very creative dog trainer.  She adapts to each owner and specific dog with whom she is working."

Faith Otis, Menlo Park

"After 4 years of training elsewhere, Fran's training was just what I needed!  She was so knowledgeable, picked up immediately on the things we could work on - including not rummaging trash, not wandering off, not listening, crossing the street only with permission, not mounting other dogs, and most important, coming when called... every time! ... I have a new lease on being out with Kaiden.  I wish everyone could get some good etiquette and E-Collar training from you!"

Nancy Jones, Menlo Park

"My dog, Kayla, ... had a few mild behavioral problems, such as bolting away while on the leash, jumping on people, grabbing important papers and shredding them to bits, etc.  She obeyed commands sometimes, when she felt like it.

"Now she is a happy obedient, and well behaved dog."

"Fran tailors the training to the desires of the owner as well as to the personality of the dog. "

"Kayla has responded beautifully to the training and I now feel confident in my ability to continue the training on my own."

Georgia Abrams M.D., Saratoga

 

I've had all three of my dogs trained with Fran.  I have a Pug mix, a Dachshund mix, and a Jack Russell Terrier.  The most difficult was the JRT, Sunshine.  I've had her the longest.  I adopted Sunshine at ten months old and soon realized that she was not properly socialized to any sort of life situation.  I tried for years to expose her to situations like walks, car rides, dog parks, etc., but each event proved to be an embarrassing situation because of her uncontrollable behavior.  Over the years, I tried every style of training out there with top-rated and nationally known dog trainers, I even sent her off to a board and train, but nothing worked.
When I met Fran, Sunshine was 10 years old.  I thought it was too late to train a dog already set in her ways of bad behavior, but because I was always searching for a solution to better Sunshine's quality of life, I decided to give Fran a try.  I signed up for group lessons for Sunshine to practice good manners while being around other dogs, but I, also, signed up for four private lessons with Fran.  The one-on-one sessions with Fran opened up a whole new world for Sunshine!  Fran got to know Sunshine really well on the one-on-ones and customized her obedience to ensure success for her.  By our fourth lesson, Sunshine was off-leash at a busy park performing commands as if there wasn't anyone else present, despite the runners and bicyclists whizzing by, children playing on the playground, basketball players running up and down the courts.  The ultimate test was when another dog was running in her path while Fran and I practiced Recall with Sunshine...she ignored the distracting dog and targeted me or Fran on the Recall!!
The most important thing to a dog's success is educating the owner.  I now understand what works for Sunshine and I'm so happy that now her quality of life is absolute freedom.  Thank you, Fran!

Valerie Wilson, Los Angeles