Testimonials
We have tried other trainers in the area and Sylvie's K9 Solutions is the best. Our dogs enjoy the classes and their behavior has improved tremendously.
T.M., client
I really love the positive approach.We've been to a few different classes over the years and this one is by far the best.
D.H., client
Sylvie teaches owners and their dogs just like I teach children in Montessori school. Always positive and fun. Always hands-on. Thank you for helping my dog be my best friend!
D.G., client
Thanks for all your help with Sazi's early days with us and for a great Basic Manners class with Kathy. We had such a good time and learned a lot. I really appreciated how Kathy took Sazi's deafness completely in stride and helped us modify the training to suit her learning style.
We're now taking an Advanced class with Kathy and are excited about building on our knowledge base to help Sazi become a better canine citizen. We hope to take the Field Trip class later this spring and perhaps even investigate the Agility program since Sazi is so energetic and agile.
C.C., client
I also have to say if you ever need a testimonial I'd be first in line....we walked thru Umstead today and passed many obstacles and Jack and Casey both were stellar....
S.L., client
S.L., client
"You probably hear this all the time .... Donnie is WONDERFUL!! There were 4 of us humans eagerly awaiting Donnie this afternoon because we had all about reached the end of our ropes with Toby! Donnie gave us great tips, techniques, and insights. Seeing him in action with Toby was great -- plus having him watch us interact with Toby and give us direction was invaluable. For the first time in a very long time, I feel like we have hope. I'll send you updates as we continue working with Toby."
Thanks, Sylvie!"
Rita Hewell, client
Thanks, Sylvie!"
Rita Hewell, client
"The session with Donnie went well yesterday. I enjoyed getting to meet him and talk with him - and am glad I took the opportunity to do so before anything gets out of hand with Memphis. He gave me a number of good tips, but the one tip related to leadership that I think is going to have the biggest influence addressing his current growly/ barking issue with strange dogs seems so simple that I guess I never considered it - just making him heel/walk at my side 95% of the time on our walks rather than just once in a while.
I took Memphis on quite a long walk yesterday afternoon - on heel the whole way except for a few times I gave him permission to stop/ sniff & check out things. He was quite compliant & happy the whole walk - even when we saw squirrels he didn't yank my arm off (I warned him ahead of time that he shouldn't think about it!). Silly me - we really did think we were being "nicer" to Memphis by letting him do what he wants & be in the lead when we walk - normally only practicing heel for a small portion of the walks we take. I'd never stopped to consider how much influence that letting him walk out in front would have in terms of the leadership position that gives him - putting him in charge of making the decisions and deciding how to handle strange dogs we meet - and the "bad" decisions he might make, especially if he was already feeling vulnerable due to his recent neutering."
Jane Woodall, client
I took Memphis on quite a long walk yesterday afternoon - on heel the whole way except for a few times I gave him permission to stop/ sniff & check out things. He was quite compliant & happy the whole walk - even when we saw squirrels he didn't yank my arm off (I warned him ahead of time that he shouldn't think about it!). Silly me - we really did think we were being "nicer" to Memphis by letting him do what he wants & be in the lead when we walk - normally only practicing heel for a small portion of the walks we take. I'd never stopped to consider how much influence that letting him walk out in front would have in terms of the leadership position that gives him - putting him in charge of making the decisions and deciding how to handle strange dogs we meet - and the "bad" decisions he might make, especially if he was already feeling vulnerable due to his recent neutering."
Jane Woodall, client
We have bonded well and understand each other much better."
Julie Romig-Koch, client"
Julie Romig-Koch, client"
| "We are so happy with Oliver now! We were thinking we had made a mistake getting him but now we are so in love with him. Generally, he is a pleasure to be with now." Lynne Goodman, client" |
I can recommend you from experience. With all of my pack issues, you guys have saved our lives, and our mental state!!
Jeremi Clark, client
Jeremi Clark, client
"My dog is a lot less timid and more confident. This has made our relationship stronger because she is willing to do more things with me."
J.C., client
J.C., client
"This is my second dog through this class and it was a great experience for us. Our trainer was very patient and loving toward this crazy hound. Our time and money was well spent!"
J.H., client
J.H., client
"Prior to this class, our dogs kept us from other people because they were so jumpy and barking. Now they are better behaved, making our lives much easier and more full because the dogs don't scare people off. Thank you for restoring us to power in our own home!"
D.P., client
D.P., client
"Thanks so much for sending Donnie to spend Sunday morning with me & Violet! Since Violet is mostly deaf and not very food motivated, some of the more common training methodologies don't work with her. Donnie showed me how to use my body language and hand signals to communicate with her. We are doing great! She is walking on a leash like a champ, not walking in front of me or winding around me. She is sitting on command in a variety of situations and we are starting to work on staying. All in an hour or so of Donnie's time and just some consistency with me! The issues with her going outside in the backyard alone and going potty when I need her to out there are works in progress. Donnie diagnosed her problem and gave me some strategies for working with it. I am confident we'll get there, but it will a bit slower than the other things. All in all it was hugely successful and I am very, very pleased! One of my original goals with Violet was to train her to be a therapy dog, she has such a perfect temperment for it. But, when we seemed to fail at basic obedience I gave up on that. Now I know that we can accomplish it if we want to!!"
Thanks again!!"
Kristen Kostelnik, client
Thanks again!!"
Kristen Kostelnik, client
| "Many thanks to K9 Solutions for offering wonderful classes and solutions for our dogs! We appreciate the approach you take in your training, the options you offer within the classes for owner preferences, and the ways you strongly encourage behavior correction before more drastic solutions (medication or (worse) giving up the pet). Adoption is, afterall, a "forever solution"! Your techniques have forever changed the way we interact with our dogs -- making us stronger as the pack leaders and helping our dogs relax and trust that we're in charge! This is precisely why we would come back to K9 Solutions again and again and again. You really do outstanding work and have proven to us that you love for our dogs (almost) as much as we do!" Carrie & Neil Johnson, clients |
Sylvia, please pass my thanks to Donnie. I've been practicing what he showed me yesterday and it's amazing the difference! We haven't gotten to one of her trigger situations for attacking yet but by taking control on something as simple as her walks and by continuing to use the techniques now, I feel more comfortable that I'll be able to control her. I'll start introducing her to trigger situations after the techniques become 2nd nature for me. I'm actually looking forward to it!
It's amazing to me that things so simple make such a big difference. Our walk last night was so much more enjoyable!
That was definitely money well spent.
Thanks
T.B., client
It's amazing to me that things so simple make such a big difference. Our walk last night was so much more enjoyable!
That was definitely money well spent.
Thanks
T.B., client
Your advise and wisdom have saved our household. Shiloh has a long way to go but I can now see that he can and will be a productive member of a family. I almost forgot, since the second day of being crated, Shiloh now wags his tail when me and the dogs approach him to take him out of the crate for a walk. I could have cried! Thank you doesn't start to say enough. I am getting ready to go out of town next week and I am a little nervous that Shiloh might revert a little but I now have the skills to get him back on track.
B.T., client
B.T., client
You are a wonderful instructor and Maddie and I learned a great deal. I thank you so much for the class. You have a perfect demeanor and a sweet dog-loving manner...as well as a sense of humor! It was a truly a terrific way to begin. I hope Maddie and I can continue to Pet Therapy. We walked in the SPCA walk last Saturday. She did great and I had a lot of fun, too! Quite an experience!
THANK YOU, SYLVIE!
M.S. and Maddie, clients
THANK YOU, SYLVIE!
M.S. and Maddie, clients
Sylvie, I do not have Donnie's contact information, but hope you will forward this on to him to thank both of you so much for the class you gave for us today. We know how hard you work, the many miles you both drive every week, and to give up a Sunday morning to help a group of foster dogs was an incredible sacrifice for you both. It is always such a pleasure to see you both, and see you in action, and I think you opened some eyes this morning! Amazing to all of us, really, since you know that we asked for this special consideration because of the great number of "problem dogs" we were having returned. But as I saw with my own eyes, Donnie takes control of a situation immediately, and the first to know it are the dogs. I promise you those kids have never sat so quietly or attentively perhaps in their whole lives! I almost had to laugh .. until the dog I brought got into a fight. Surprise! Wake up, Pat! It's all about the handler, isn't it?
You did a wonderful thing for us today, and we are so appreciative of your many kindnesses to our rescue. Your classes are jam-packed with solid information and tips that any dog owner needs. But they are also fun and funny .. Donnie always makes me laugh and though I've been to several classes with him, he never tells the same joke twice. Thank you from all of us. Thank you for Heidi, Baxter, Zinfandel, Achilles, Knox, Donovan and especially Gizmo. You showed the fosters what they need to do to get control over these dogs, and there is nothing better than seeing it live. You are the best and we applaud you!!
P.D., Neuse River Golden Retriever Rescue
You did a wonderful thing for us today, and we are so appreciative of your many kindnesses to our rescue. Your classes are jam-packed with solid information and tips that any dog owner needs. But they are also fun and funny .. Donnie always makes me laugh and though I've been to several classes with him, he never tells the same joke twice. Thank you from all of us. Thank you for Heidi, Baxter, Zinfandel, Achilles, Knox, Donovan and especially Gizmo. You showed the fosters what they need to do to get control over these dogs, and there is nothing better than seeing it live. You are the best and we applaud you!!
P.D., Neuse River Golden Retriever Rescue
I absolutely love K9 Solutions classes. I have taken several classes under Sylvie, Donnie, and Kathy. I recommend that everyone take a class with them. I always mention K9 Solutions to my local adopters and even mention them to other owners that call/email me with problems with their dogs. I have taken my personal dogs and many of my fosters to their classes. They have helped not only with my difficult, aggressive personal dogs, but also with my dogs (personal and fostering) that just need some socializing and conditioning. Their teaching techniques are positive but also teach leadership which is one of the most important aspects of owning a dog.
Jeremi Clark
Australian Shepherd Rescue and Placement Helpline NC Representative
Jeremi Clark
Australian Shepherd Rescue and Placement Helpline NC Representative
Oreo: Our Feisty Fido
With mixed breeds, you never really know what kind of temperament you're in for and Oreo's Coonhound-Lab combination makes for lazy, bouncy and talkative moments. As she matured, the dog submissiveness turned into episodes of fear that often resulted in protective measures kicking in. Great. On-leash aggression. The innocence of puppyhood is over and "I'll protect you" attitude begins. It's nice that she wants to take on the new role but, as we found out from our class, we haven't given her the proper support to know when and where it's appropriate. Enter K9 Solutions and Donnie Hult.
Feisty Fidos is lead by Donnie, who's probably one of the most insightful trainers I've met when it comes to interpreting dog behavior. In the first few introductory minutes, he pointed out several body language elements that Oreo exhibits - and what we can do to let her know everything's OK. This session, which occurs over 4 weeks, starts small and then works into big and challenging exercises - from our own group of 7 dogs in a quiet space to the frantic tranquility of Shelley Lake park. After our second session, we were off on 2 mile walks in dog-rich parks practicing our new skills. Not every encounter was perfect - but much better than before.
Who's the target for the training? Us. Not her. We needed the education and Oreo needs to be a dog that is comfortable with her pack. Most of the underlying problems we had with on-leash aggression was our not taking control of the situation and letting her know that we're the leaders. She should follow our lead. Donnie taught us to recognize "threats" and apply appropriate correction and support to let Oreo know that it's fine to meet other dogs and they could actually be fun.
The results. Astounding. Is she perfect? No. Wait. Are we perfect? No. There's work to be done. You do have to practice the techniques and purposely get into challenging situations in order to reinforce the behaviors. We're miles away from where we were before. There's miles to go but we're signing up for other sessions now because we're confident that we're in control.
Oreo, D and K, Client
With mixed breeds, you never really know what kind of temperament you're in for and Oreo's Coonhound-Lab combination makes for lazy, bouncy and talkative moments. As she matured, the dog submissiveness turned into episodes of fear that often resulted in protective measures kicking in. Great. On-leash aggression. The innocence of puppyhood is over and "I'll protect you" attitude begins. It's nice that she wants to take on the new role but, as we found out from our class, we haven't given her the proper support to know when and where it's appropriate. Enter K9 Solutions and Donnie Hult.
Feisty Fidos is lead by Donnie, who's probably one of the most insightful trainers I've met when it comes to interpreting dog behavior. In the first few introductory minutes, he pointed out several body language elements that Oreo exhibits - and what we can do to let her know everything's OK. This session, which occurs over 4 weeks, starts small and then works into big and challenging exercises - from our own group of 7 dogs in a quiet space to the frantic tranquility of Shelley Lake park. After our second session, we were off on 2 mile walks in dog-rich parks practicing our new skills. Not every encounter was perfect - but much better than before.
Who's the target for the training? Us. Not her. We needed the education and Oreo needs to be a dog that is comfortable with her pack. Most of the underlying problems we had with on-leash aggression was our not taking control of the situation and letting her know that we're the leaders. She should follow our lead. Donnie taught us to recognize "threats" and apply appropriate correction and support to let Oreo know that it's fine to meet other dogs and they could actually be fun.
The results. Astounding. Is she perfect? No. Wait. Are we perfect? No. There's work to be done. You do have to practice the techniques and purposely get into challenging situations in order to reinforce the behaviors. We're miles away from where we were before. There's miles to go but we're signing up for other sessions now because we're confident that we're in control.
Oreo, D and K, Client