Hello my name is Lava. I am a loving, loyal and playful 1 ½ year old Yellow Lab with some fear issues. Woof….. woof…. We all have issues right? My mommy and daddy took me to Kari for a one-on-one evaluation and treatment plan. I trotted in, smelled around, scoped out Wag & Train, tucked my tail in between my legs, and barked. I was so afraid of people and didn’t know people language well at all. It was so hard for me to trust. After an hour and a BIG Kong smeared with peanut butter I started to warm up. I took treats from Kari’s hand and listened to her gently talk to me. I soon realized that mommy and daddy, along with Kari, were serious so I accepted my challenge to face my fears and become a more balanced and stable dog.

Now for the human portion of our success story: Kari came highly recommended to us by a coworker. Thank goodness for word of mouth. We are so happy with Kari, her work and her genuine love for our special pets. Kari provided the guidance and tools for us to work with Lava as a family. We attended the Level 1 training and I can not tell you the magic it worked on our Lava. The socialization the group provided was second to none. Lava learned commands in a comfortable environment. She had stubborn moments and days where she simply did not feel like listening. We worked with Lava non-stop. We addressed her fearful barking, anxieties, and overall skittish behavior. Each day brought a new opportunity to incorporate new methods we learned from the training class and our private sessions with Kari.

Lava’s abilities were finally put to the test a few months later, when we had an out-of-town guest stay with us for a week. Needless to say my husband and I were a bit nervous and anxious to see what would happen. We told our guest to ignore Lava and allow her to come when she was ready. Lava not only came to our guest… she even took treats out of her hand! Imagine our delight when our guest was bombarded with Lava kisses! Our story is yet another shining example of Kari’s proper training methods and love for animals. A well behaved dog is a work in progress. Thank you, Kari, for teaching us how to help Lava.

Chad, Lori and Lava Warriner