Success Stories

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I trained my first dog, Bandit, with Tara. I was really pleased with her training and he is a great dog now.

After that, I got another Aussie pup. I was nervous my puppy was going to develop bad habits and I was very unsure of what my age-appropriate level of expectation should be for her. When that happened, I contacted Tara again. I never even looked into other trainers. I knew Tara could help. Now I am more confident that I can train her to be a happy and well-behaved member of the family, just like Bandit.

We came to Tara after using positive only training methods for a year. Unfortunately we were still struggling with some basic commands like leash walking and focus around distractions. We spent many months researching all kinds of dog training- looking at scientific data and dog psychology reports. We felt positive only training was not enough for our dog. We needed another way to communicate with him that he would understand. After spending 2,500 on positive enforcement training(6 trainers) and still not being able to walk him down the street we decided to give Tara a call. She was very professional and prompt in evaluating our situation and meeting with us. When she first met our dog she could tell he was trained but needed a little fine tuning. Her methods are gentle and effective. She has many tools she uses from verbal training techniques to using different training tools. She was able to customize a program to fit our needs and now I can walk my dog down the street or better yet have him off leash and not have to worry about his safety or mine. He is a much happier dog who enjoys his freedom!! I understand many have opinions on balanced dog training, I also know most people dislike what they think they know versus what they actually know- my conclusion is this, dogs are animals. Period. We have to stop humanizing them- they do not talk to each other or give treats to each other. Watch a group of dogs interact- they communicate through touch, via mouth or paws- eye contact- barking. Ever seen a mother dog correct her pups? Growls and snaps- not treats. Allowing your dog to go untrained is more abusive than any method Tara uses. If your dog is well trained using positive only method great- but it’s not a one size fits all kind of world- some dogs require something more due to breed or personality. So if you are at the end of your rope- tried everything - give Tara a call- she is a miracle worker- loves dogs and truly a professional!

Our very energetic and spastic GSP was in dire need of some training. With a new baby on the way we were kind of panicked to find someone who would be able to help us out in a short time frame. We found Tara online, she walked us through the process and we dropped him off the next week (we were lucky, she stays pretty busy.) She worked wonders with our dog in that two weeks. I'm not going to say he is night and day different because he still has that personality that we loved, but he was infinitely improved in obeying commands and focusing on what we were asking him to do. The E-Collar works great and he does well even without it (most of the time). I know that it will still be several months of work with him using what Tara showed us before he won't need it at all, but the change we've seen in him is wonderful and I feel better now with him being around our new addition to the family (our baby).

Nancy Cirigliano

After an approx 8 week old hound/terrier mix puppy was dumped by my house, I tried to find him a home to no avail. I never had a dog before but always wanted a GSD. Since I don't have it in me to bring an animal to a shelter, I decided to keep him and give him a good home. After a few weeks of no sleep and frustration because I was clueless on how to raise Buddy the right way, I contacted Tara. I was on the brink of bringing him to a rescue because I just could not handle him. Now I have a 4 month old well behaved puppy. People who meet him all remark on how good he is and all say that their dogs were not this good at his age. Tara trained ME on how to get Buddy to understand what I expect of him to be able to live peacefully in my home. He's not perfect. He still has more to learn. He is still a puppy after all. But thanks to Tara I have the tools and knowledge on how to maintain a well balanced pup. And I learn from Buddy too. He has taught me patience and how to understand his needs. He's not the GSD I always wanted but like Tara says, "sometimes you get the dog you need not the dog you want". I could go on and on with the accolades but I will just quote my boyfriend and say that Tara is worth her weight in gold.

Bette Helveston

Although our puppy had been through three complete 6-week obedience sessions at a big name pet store and even attained her Good Canine Citizen status, we were still having issues with her being rowdy, jumping up (she weighs 50 lbs), pulling and lunging while on leash, etc. We noticed a huge difference in Liberty with our first session with Tara! She would walk without pulling us over and even my husband, who had a fractured back and balance issues at the time, could walk her without concern of pain or being pulled over. She has since, with just a couple more of Tara's sessions, learned to calm herself, perfect recall, and much more. Tara explains the canine psyche and takes you step-by-step through how to get the results you want. Liberty has truly become the companion dog we were wanting. I could not more highly recommend Happy Hound Dog Obedience.

Client Denise and her dog Sahara

"Tara has changed the dynamic of our family. Sahara was a nervous, skittish dog with serious dog -aggression issues and little self confidence. Her mom (me) was in tears and unsure how to deal with Sahara’s aggression toward our 14 year old daschund. Tara taught us how to be good, responsible dog owners, and as a result, Sahara is now a sweet, more confident, obedient little girl in every situation. Worth every dime and training session! Highly recommend Tara—she knows her stuff."- Denise G.

Dog Training & Rehab- Pensacola, Florida 850-598-7284