Student Testimonials 

YVictoria's new training manual is GREAT! She covers everything you need to teach your dog proper manners and the usual obedience commands and she breaks it down into easy to follow baby steps. My dog Phoebe and I had taken basic obedience classes. So, she already knew sit, down, stay, come and all that. But these were essentially "tricks" because Phoebe had poor manners overall, and I didn't understand how to put her training to use in any practical way. Victoria's lesson helped me understand the bigger picture, and the manual was an inexpensive way to take the lesson. Each lesson task describes the goal (what the behavior will look like when trained) and she breaks each task down into step-by-step instructions that are easy to follow. She predicts where you might run into trouble and provides helpful tips to prevent that. There are photographs in the beginning to show you how to get started and reminders throughout the manual as a way to keep yourself in check while teaching the tasks to your dog. The tasks are simple and easy and are things you do every day with your dog and they just become part of your normal routine. In fact, it all made so much sense that I often felt like smacking my forehead and saying, “Why didn't I think of that?” It’s so exciting to watch Phoebe calm herself and look to me for direction. I no longer get frustrated with her behavior. If she does something I don't like, I know how to fix it and if something does come up that I can't figure out, Victoria’s free follow-up help is only a phone call away. - Ami, Hillsboro, OR

YTori's "Baby Steps" manual has been a lifesaver for us. Molly is doing great. She is our wonderful three-year-old chocolate Lab who is full of personality, love and energy. We just finished the lesson and are already seeing incredible results. We were outside last night and a neighbor, Dan, came over. Molly and I were on the front deck. Molly was lying at my feet. Previously she would have jumped up, run to Dan and practically knocked him over, then ‘herd’ him to the deck. This time she thumped her tail on the deck and when I looked at her she was already looking to me for direction (amazing, but it’s what she learned in the lesson). I told her to ‘go’ and she galloped over to him and stopped. He gave her a pat on her head and greeted her and she turned around and came back to me, flopped down and thumped her tail some more. I was totally AMAZED. I couldn’t believe she was the same dog. Dan was even impressed. We still have a lot of work ahead of us, but when I see things like that I know she’s ‘getting it’. She’s a different dog, and I wish I had done it sooner. If you’ve considered using Tori’s manual and hesitated, hesitate no more. It is remarkable!! Your beloved pet can be well mannered, and focused. You no longer have to make up excuses for their bad manners. Tori’s manual is easy to follow and the difference you’ll see in your dog in a couple of days will leave you wondering why you didn’t do it sooner. Thank you Tori. You are a guardian angel. Your love of dogs and sharing that love with others is invaluable. Thank you, thank you, thank you, and God Bless. Susan, Molly’s Mom
Update one month later: Hi Tori. Molly is doing so much better. Even when we play Frisbee now instead of trying to play ‘tug of war’ she will ‘sit, ‘leave it’ and ‘stay’ so you can pick up the thing without her trying to grab it out of your hand. She doesn’t beg at the table any more, she lays down until your meal is over. When we have company she is polite, and I’m still always amazed when I look at her and she’s looking at me for direction. Incorporating the lessons in life as it is has become second nature. And she still has all of that Lab energy, and the loves everyone. Susan

YFrom Katie's answers to my intake questions: Bailey Button came from a woman who used her to breed Bichon-Poodle mixes. Bailey had two litters, had never been on a walk before we got her and was never really socialized. I called Katie to see how the lesson was going. Here is what she said: "It is going really, really well! I took Bailey Button to her groomer today. She didn’t flip out, as she usually does. Her groomer said she was really proud of her. It is amazing! I think this lesson is really building her confidence. It is really, really exciting!” Later she emailed me and said, “Your training manual is full of great information EVERY dog owner should know.”

YHi Tori! We just finished the manual lesson yesterday and are having wonderful results. Shelby comes running into the house with the other dogs and comes right to me and settles down right away. Amazing! And she seems very happy. Happy dog, Happy mom <g> I did pass your name on to friends of my daughter. They just received a rescue dog and are looking for training. We need to get your name out to everyone because it really does work. Every dog owner should buy your manual. It is fantastic. I can't thank you enough. – Yvonne

YHi Tori. We are going slow, but steady. Murphy's attention span is about 30 minutes. Saturday, shortly after working on the lesson, neighbors came over in the alley to talk across the fence. (Murphy's usual behavior is barking aggressively, and very loud, if we pick him up he panics and barking gets even worse). Saturday's behavior was......Murphy walked out to the fence, picked up a chew bone, laid down in the grass and chewed on the bone, totally ignoring all four of us. Even the neighbors stood with their mouths open. We were all astounded. It was wonderful. We are very happy with his progress. Blessings, Sandi

YI loved the “Step-by-Step” manual! As a technical writer, I can say it is very well-written. The training tasks that make up part one of the manual are simple and easy to perform. As someone who has read volumes on dog training, and has successfully rehabbed a very shy dog to the point that he recently passed his CGC test, I must say the manual contained a great deal of invaluable information that was new to me. Much of it was subtle but extremely powerful and the techniques worked well with Gizmo. - Serena, Corvallis, OR

YWe had our German shepherd dog, Sasha, in regular training classes, but were struggling with her being WILLING to do what we wanted. She is very smart and very active. We had taken two phone lessons with Victoria with our other dog so we knew her methods worked. We decided to try the training manual she had written. It was fantastic! She starts each new lesson with "what it looks like when trained" so at each section we knew where we were going. She assigns a variety of tasks to do and encourages the student all along the way. We found the manual very easy to follow. Our smart puppy looked forward to the training, as did we. The lesson manual gave us a really good foundation for Sasha that will help us all live together much more happily. - Susanna, Seattle, WA

YBefore the lesson, I asked Kat in my intake questions: what would you like to accomplish in our lesson? Reply: I’d like to have a manageable dog. I also asked: What have you already done to rectify the problems with your dog? Reply: I’ve tried the “prevent a problem” technique. But often I fall back on ABBY - NO, ABBY - STOP (biting the cat…) ABBY-OUTSIDE, ABBY - OFF, ABBY - SHHH… ABBY - #$%&. I know it is horrible, but I need better skills!
4-Week Checkup: Hello Kat! This is your 4-week checkup. How is everything going with Abby? I'm here for any problems or questions, free of charge, at any time in the future regarding anything we covered in our lesson. Please don't hesitate to call on me. I want you to succeed! I'd love to hear how you are doing. - Tori

Tori: You would be so impressed with Abby at the dog park yesterday! We've been working diligently and... She came when called, followed my lead and we both had a wonderful time! Yesterday was great. I did find a new park to train her in, it has more of a field-like feel, fewer people and it is way better for the whole Abby come learning process. Also, she has not had a single accident in the house and she is happier. We are both happier. I think that is a key point of training. Be happy! This weekend in Newport is a dog friendly brew fest - I am super excited! Not only for the beer, but because of Abby's socialization. I am confident that this will be a great venue!

YOne of my students, Judy, is a vet tech student, show dog breeder and handler of 15+ years, and has even more years experience training dogs. In her answers to my intake questions, she said, “I have trained my own dogs very well and know quite a lot about training.” But she has a new dog she just acquired, who she said, “Just will not listen to me.” She wanted to take my lesson using my training manual. I met her at a dog show in Denver where she was showing her dogs and gave her my manual to take home. Midway through the course, I sent Judy an e-mail to check on her progress. I wrote, “Hi Judy. How is the training going?” She wrote back, “Training is going really, really well. I am following your training step by step. It is really different than any training I have done before, but it is working. You have a great product.” One week after Judy’s lesson, I e-mailed to check on her. In response, she wrote, "Ivan is doing remarkably well. He comes when I call him, knows my basic puppy commands (leave it, drop it, stay, come). He no longer pulls on the leash and seems to be a happy dog who wants to play with the others."

YCongratulations on publishing your manual. I think it's a valuable resource and as I said before, a complete no-brainer, but it just didn't come naturally to me. It was great to have everything laid out step-by-step. Kind of made me feel a bit dense to see it's as easy as it is, but am so very thankful for having used it. - Melissa

Y4 week checkup: Hi Yvonne! How is it going with Shelby? A M A Z I N G. We are so happy with the results. Even my two other dogs seem happier. I wish I had heard of your training a long time ago. <g>