Hi Robin - Ava and I have not been to many classes lately. Sandee and I have been extra busy starting an alpaca farm and dealing with many things. However I wanted you to know that there has been great progress in Ava's socialization. If you will remember socialization with both humans and other dogs was a problem for AVA, although it appeared to be more of a fear aggression. Ava is now great with all people and great with children. She also is now friendly with most dogs and at the most growls if they irritate her. Things have worked out better than I expected and the classes really helped with her confidence and with her getting use to other people and dogs.
Again thanks for helping a rescue dog to fit in with people and other dogs. Her life is much better for it. Bob Merrick

  Robin and the staff at That's My Dog! are nothing short of amazing. My wife and I found out that we were expecting in March of 2005. We have a Boston Terrier named Prince, who at that time was extremely aggressive towards people and other dogs. We were unable to ever invite people over to our home in fear that Prince would attack them. If we did, Prince had to be locked away in another room, at which time he would throw himself against the door and continuously bark. We were extremely upset knowing that if we were unable to control his behavior with others, and with a new baby on the way, our only other option was to put Prince down.

We knew full well that he could never go to another home because of the aggression towards people. Robin and the staff at That's My Dog! changed our world. They have been working with Prince since May of 2005 and he is a completely different dog. We no longer have to worry about people coming to our house.

Our son Jackson was born in December of 2005. Robin and her staff helped us transition Prince into accepting the new baby the day we brought him home. Prince's behavior is nothing short of a miracle, he has come a long way in a years time and has graciously accepted our new son.

Robin and her staff have come to love their *challenge* that came to them a year ago. We are so grateful to all the staff at That's My Dog! We are looking forward to moving ahead and continuously working with Prince to help him grow even more.

Thank you so very much for helping us get control of our "first baby", so that he could continue to remain a part of our lives!

When we were deciding on weather or not to get a dog we were worried about what the best way to train our dog would be. I refused to have the neighbor hood dog that everyone looked at as "that bad dog." Tiffanie had never had a dog before and was not sure what to expect. We brought Payton home in late November and by the middle of January we had him up for the free demo at That?s My Dog. Both Tiffanie and I were not only impressed by the facilities Robin and her group have but also by the great staff.

I have no regrets what so ever of bringing Payton to That?s My Dog. We have fun at every class we go to and look forward to the next. Every where I take him I have people stop and ask me how old he is and they look at me in amazement because they simply can?t believe that a six month old Boxer can be so well behaved and fun loving!

We always wanted a dog that we could be proud of and say, ?That?s our dog.? Robin, you and your team are helping us get beyond our wildest expectations.

Rosie became a member of the Rosecrance adolescent substance abuse treatment center family when she was a puppy. Rosecrance, a leader in the substance abuse treatment located in Rockford, IL, is situated on almost 50 acres of land with 15 acres of woods, a healing garden and two ponds. Rosie, a collie/shepherd mix with a lot of energy, was “hired” with the thought that her main job would be to keep the geese out of the two ponds located on site. It quickly became apparent that Rosie would also be spending time with patients and staff throughout the day.

It was a rough start for Rosie. From jumping on people to running away it just wasn’t working out. She went to some obedience classes which did help with some bad behaviors but her high energy would always land her in trouble.

After extensive research we decided to bring her to That’s My Dog. I must say the name says it all. When Rosie came back that was the first thing I said, “That’s My Dog?!” Rosie was off leash and very well behaved. I couldn’t believe it was the same dog.

Rosie has done a good job keeping the geese out of the grounds and is becoming an important therapeutic outlet for the patients we serve at Rosecrance. Rosie visits the patients when she is outside or when they take her for a walk. Everyone here knows and loves the new Rosie. She is still young and loves to play but when I say, “Let’s go to the pond,” she is ready to work. She has learned more than I could have imagined. From being a dog that works the grounds to a dog that interacts with fifty or more people a day, she understands what is expected of her.

Thank you so much Robin and your team for your passion and skill with Rosie.

Aaron Statler
E.S. Supervisor/ Safety Officer
Rosecrance Health Network
www.rosecrance.org

  This is a BIG THANK YOU that should have been written some time ago. I am the K9 trainer, coordinator, and a K9 handler for the City of Madison, WI Police Department. Dogs selected for police work are very high drive dogs. That is what makes them brave and tireless, yet hard to control at times in stressful situations. Since the training you provided, there have been many times I have thought of sending this testimonial to you. We have had many K9 calls that were successful due to the training you have provided.

My dog, Arno, and I attended your workshop offered to police agencies in 2004. Arno was nine years old at the time, and to be honest, I felt unchangeable in some ways. I acquired him when he was three yes. old and felt some of his behaviors were set in stone. His high drives wuld show up in tense and sometimes dangerous situations. For example, when we were calling out a bad guy, he was very difficult to keep in a down. After your training I was confident in my control of him without having to resort to strong physical or verbal corrections. This enabled me to focus my attention on the bad guy and not my dog.
The Madison Police Department started its first patrol K9 unit early in 2005 and I scheduled an e-collar training with you based on the success I had with your methods of using the e-collar. The new dog teams had just returned home form their four week initial training. We had a dog that could not sit still during K9 announcements at the door of a building search and a dog that would not stop barking in this situation. During your e-collar training and since then both were able to sit still and remain quiet during the K9 handler announcements. This enables the suspect to hear the announcements and the handler to pay attention to the task at hand. We received many other benefits but in an effort to keep this readable I will not go into detail.
Due to the training you provided, we have used your methods to improve on our K9 team's work in a variety of ways. I now use the e-collar during building searches to communicate with my dog in clearing a building with a potential armed burglar inside. I use the collar to get my dog's attention and direct him with hand signals. There is no longer a need to use verbal cues or sound devices, giving us a clear advantage. We are now able to clear a building systematically and more safely. I can keep my dog from running deep into a building, yet work farther behind him, providing our officers a greater cushion of safety.

There are truly no limits to this method of training and I can recommend it to all police K9 teams. You are excellent instructors and very committed with reason, to this method of dog training.
This thank you is heart felt and I applaud your contributions to the police K9 world and keeping our officers and citizen safe.

Hello Robin,

Just wanted to drop a note and tell you how amazing this collar is!! Now, I can enjoy Kelly so much more knowing that half my energy won't go into making sure I have her under control and listening to me. I was beginning to think I didn't do a very good job with her training, but now I am confident I did a good job with her and the e collar is allowing the real training to show through.

I had spent time each day training, and had gone from flat collar, to martingale, to prong collar with no real change. When I lastly went to a smaller prong, for a stronger correction, she basically shut down. Then, I knew if was correction that was needed, it was getting her attention to do the commands I knew she had learned. That is when I spent several weeks researching the use of the remote training, and found YOU from searching the internet.

From your facilty we went on to Dubuque, got a room at the casino, and stayed over. She actually was a perfect dog, trouble was, so many people wanted to talk to me, I hardly had time to gamble. I took her for a few walks near the river, and it was fantastic. No lunging or taking time for all the pee mail, it was great. I think she actually seems to be enjoying it more. I don't know if it is because she isn't being corrected all the time, or if she just doesn't have to worry about checking everything out. It makes one wonder if it truly does offer the dog relaxation because they don't feel they have to control or check everything, if that makes sense.

She acted amazing yesterday and last night, and everyone commented on her behavior, as they have many service dogs visit. It really made me feel so much better to not have to be constantly checking her with my right hand, while touching the handle with the left hand. So effortless, I am still amazed today.

I highly recommend this method to anyone, and thank you for helping me out. I appreciate your staff in working to arrange a time that worked best for me also.

Frankly, I think you need to have a seminar in this area, all that is available is is "old school" or clicker training. I attempted a few classes, but had difficulty hearing or with dogs out of control that owners couldn't handle and I was fearful of getting knocked over.

I am looking forward to each outting now, knowing that half my energy won't go into maintaining control.



Kindest regards,


Tana and Kelly

  Thank you, Annalissa and Robin for helping us teach our "old dog new tricks!" Gabby has been a good dog since we adopted her five years ago from the Dubuque Humane Society - but now she is a GREAT dog. Now that we are retired, we enjoy walking and always wanted Gabby to walk off-leash. Unfortunately, she did not pay much attention to us. After only 4 lessons at That's My Dog! she began responding much better. It has been only two months and now she walks without pulling on her leash, heels, comes promptly when called and stay on her bed when told to. It is much more enjoyable to share her with the residents of the assisted living facility where my mother lives. This "old dog" is now a Canine Good Citizen! Thank you! She is proof that it is never too late!

Six years ago my long time friend, Jake Allen, who at the time was working on an engineering degree at UW-Platteville, enrolled himself and his new puppy in a That's My Dog obedience course, taught by owner Robin MacFarlane. Shortly thereafter, and for the same reasons that I'm writing this testimonial, Jake began working for Robin as an assistant trainer while putting his career in engineering on hold. At that time, prior to being formally introduced to Robin's method of electronic collar training, and even though I saw how responsive and eagerly obedient Jake's dog was, I had the common misperceptions which most sensible people do and was not going to strap a shock collar on any dog of mine.

One year later, and over the course of a weekend seminar at That's My Dog, my perceptions dramatically changed. I began the weekend a curious skeptic who thought of dog training as one of the most challenging and time consuming activities I could possibly pursue, and then ended the weekend feeling as though I had an extraordinary ability to connect and communicate my request to any dog through the simple touch of a button and soft command.

However, it was the speed in which I could make a dog understand what I wanted, the non-confrontational means of doing so, seeing the dog wag its tail through the whole process, combined with a method which works for any breed, age, gender or dog temperament, which has since made me passionate about electronic collar training as well as one of Robin's biggest fans.

That was over four years ago during my first year in veterinary school. Since then Robin has been kind enough to make trips to Madison and give several talks/demonstrations at the UW-Madison Veterinary School, and I have been to That's My Dog as often as possible to learn more about dog behavior and training. I have also spent several weeks with Robin and the trainers at That's My Dog, as a pupil of her professional dog trainer's school, which is an excellent way for the professional dog trainer to expand their knowledge and business. I have known Robin for four years now and can see she has devoted her life and love to the canine species. Also, from my unique perspective I can, with confidence, tell anyone that Robin MacFarlane does at least as much for the benefit of animals and for strengthening of the human animal bond as any veterinarian could. She has inspired me to the point of seriously reconsidering my choice of careers, the same pivotal way she did with my friend Jake six years ago.

  Robin,

You and your staff did not dissapoint and yet again provided us all with an EXTREMELY rewarding and educational experience. I really can't tell you how much I learned this weekend...one because it hasn't all sunken in yet, but in reality, because a lot of what I gleaned were intangibles that only people with years of experience and expertise can produce. I know i came there, as most others did, with the goal of learning more about working with dogs, but I left with the reality that I need to work on "me" as well...and to be able to be brutally honest with myself on where i am right now and also to be provided with direction on how to get to where I want to be in a single weekend was absolutely amazing to me! I'm so glad that you and your folks put in the work that you do to get this event up and rolling, because it really was one of the most educational and enlightening experiences I have had in a LONG time! Already looking forward to next year!

Thanks again for all that you do for our profession!

Scott VanDenHaute

Robin,

The three weeks I spent with you at That's my dog E-cademy were some of the most well spent weeks in my life! Now, I'm able to teach a dog things that were existing only in my imagination some months ago! You are honestly a charismatic person-trainer and your ability to read, teach and communicate with both dogs and their handlers is second to none! You try all the time to unleash everyone's potential and that is highly appreciated! I came back home with many different applicable ways to train and most importantly with the confidence to stay creative in the everyday training problem solving! Also, you were always available for help when needed, which is sth really important!!!
I'd highly suggest you and your trainers school to everyone interested in new age remote collar training techniques, and to everyone interested in creating better relationships with dogs in a stress free manner, and with less conflict!
Dog training is a great trip that never ends, and you and your place is a great way for someone to start it!!!

Looking forward to meet and train with you again!!!

Best regards,

  Robin

I have attended many seminars and workshops during my 20 years of training dogs for obedience, hunting, and AKC field competitions, and have extensive experience in working with remote training collars. Yet I can safely say that none has been more valuable than the two-week program with you. Your approach to the e-collar as a training tool is unique, and I have been able to incorporate your methods into my training programs with excellent results.
During my two weeks working and learning with you and your staff, you generously shared your approach to business development and tips for networking, marketing, and using public presentations and demonstrations to grow revenues. I am looking forward to using what I have learned in every aspect of my business.
Larry Sonntag, Owner and Trainer, Salty Dog Farms, Cedar Grove WI www.saltydogfarms.com

Robin,

I just wanted to take a moment to thank you for the great seminar you presented this Friday and Saturday at the B and B training facility in Ma. Your material is excellent and presentation style is among the best I have seen in many years. Earlier in my career, as an executive with Verizon, one of the groups reporting to me was the training and development staff for the corporation. I had several hundred trainers in that organization and very few had the mastery of material and the presentation skills displayed by you at this session.

Best of luck in the future and I look forward to seeing your facility and participating in your program next year.

Howard

My wife and I are Senior citizens. Our family presently consists of us and our two dogs: a Sheltie and Cairn Terrier. The two younger members took after my wife: wild, free, and never listens to me. Like Phyllis, they were fun to be with and loving; unlike she, they did not follow the simple rules of our house: to respond when called, to be quiet when their elders spoke, and to walk respectfully when out in public. My wife and I felt something had to be done. To continue to enable this behavior would put us in a mental ward.

We tried conventional dog training. We used treats and a leash. After six weeks of training, they gained weight and the treats made them burp a lot. Their behavior however, continued to be aberrant.

We decided to try That's My Dog! We had heard the trainers used Electric Remote Collars. That concerned us a bit. We chose to check out this option. The trainer, Renee Lamoureux, showed us the collar. She suggested we hold the collar and feel the prompt. The stimulant felt like someone gently touching us.

Maddy is our Sheltie. She was the more difficult of the two dogs. Within the first hour on the Remote Collar, Maddy learned more than she had in all her previous training on a leash and with treats. Within three weeks, while still spontaneous and loving, her behavior was changed. Her prior wild, non-conformist, behavior adapted to our Senior lifestyle. The second dog, Abby, the Cairn Terrier, learned the rules within even a shorter time parameter. Terriers are supposed to, according to many trainers, follow their own drummer. They are independent and do their thing. Abby changed. She, however, is still very playful and loving but obedient.

I cannot endorse That's My Dog! enough. If anyone who reads this has a concern, please feel free to contact me.

And finally Renee, thanks for training us as well as our dogs. The loop of communication is complete when the owners and dogs are one. You made that happen.