Testimonials

Logan

"I just wanted to take a moment and say thank you for everything from jumping through tunnels to walking next to Logan. I have to tell you that I initially questioned the decision in taking an Obedience class again. My friends even wondered why I did it. But somewhere between the first week and the last week of Obedience I realized something; I realized I didn't do it so that Logan could walk better with me, I didn't do it because Logan needed a stronger hand. I did it because I needed to understand how to walk with Logan not the other way around. I did it because I needed to be a stronger leader for my boy. He doesn't need a stronger hand. The class was for me not for him. He still drives me nuts and he has his moments where he pulls and he'll still look at me when I'm calling his name as if to say "What do you want-I'm busy over here". But we seem to have a better understanding of each other and for that I can't say enough thank yous. Any way just thought I would express my epiphany and say thank you again." -David

Lovie

"In just a few short weeks Kim managed what nobody had managed before: She turned our Dachshund puppy who loved to pee and poop wherever he pleased (mostly behind the couch) into a well-behaved, polite and perfect young man who rings a little bell whenever he needs to go out and do his business." - Anette and Jack

Toby

"Within that first session I noticed a change in Toby's behavior. He was listening to me! Toby realized he was no longer the Alpha in the house, I was. Then within the weeks Toby stopped chasing one of my cats, stopped chasing the neighbors cats and especially barking every time he saw the neighbor (who's cats he was chasing.) Then it was walking on the leash, not running to the door and jumping on whoever came in and the biggest problem, jumping at the dinner table. By the end of our 6 week session, Kim had taught me more about being the BOSS, and Toby being a dog, a great dog!"

Stewie

"From the moment that we met Kim, we knew that she was the right trainer for Stewie. He knew she meant business when she walked in the door, and the progression that we saw each week was amazing! At the end of each class, Kim provided handouts so that we would remember what to practice each week, and I still refer to them for ideas. Plus, the convenience of having her come to our own home meant a lot to us, and we didn't have to deal with the distractions of other dogs. We can't wait to begin our Advanced class in the summer!" -Sally & Jonathan

"I remember when I first met Kim, she brought this great string cheese. The cheese was so good that I wanted to do whatever she asked me to do, like sit, stay, down and let's go. When I saw the look on mom and dad's face when I was a good boy, the cheese didn't matter so much. Kim really helped me be less of a 'wiggle butt;' I'm a little guy and I just get so excited about everything! Thanks, Kim, for helping me become a 'good boy!'" -Stewie

Dunkin

"I can't rave enough about Kim Schiro. We contacted Kim when we brought home our 8 week old Tibetan Terrier and started basic obedience training with him at 9 weeks of age. We were both fortunate in that he is a very smart dog and learns quickly, but unfortunate in that he is a very smart dog who wanted to be in charge. In our private lessons with Kim, it was apparent that he performed training exercises within one or two prompts from her. The problem was getting him to obey us. Kim excelled in helping us gain control and demonstrating the "how's" to deal with him when he was stubborn with us. (He knew that he couldn’t get away with misbehaving in front of Kim and she was never forceful in how she corrected him). Kim spent most of her time teaching my husband and me rather than the dog. She has considerable expertise and knowledge in both breed behavior and in specific dog temperament and tailors her training to accommodate both. We learned a lot from her, not only about the commands, but also in how to play with him and nutritional needs and training aids. The irony is that I am a psychologist with considerable experience in reward based training and thought training a dog would be a piece of cake. Boy, was I humbled when my clinical experience with people did not translate into training a puppy. Kim was very supportive and available both by phone, text, and email when we encountered difficulties. At our last training session, we went over what specific training will benefit him in the future. There is no doubt that we will continue training with Kim when he is ready for more advanced training. I recommend her to anyone as an excellent resource for those people who want to use reward based training rather than more punitive correction training." - Sue Yellen, Ph.D. (Licensed Clinical Psychologist)

Pebbles & Maddy

"I cannot recommend Kim Schiro highly enough. I first met her at a doxie meet-up and she gave me some invaluable suggestions that very first day. Then, when I adopted a second doxie (and my real troubles began) I called Kim and she was ready to help immediatly. She was wonderful with my girls and patient with me...teaching me how to think like a pack animal, and gradually to be the Alpha in "my pack." Without her help I hate to think how frustrated I would be right now. Other people now see me walking with my dogs and think they are well behaved! I never imagined that day would come. Thanks Kim for all your help!" - Ruth

Romeo & Guinness

"My dachshunds, Romeo and Guinness, had the nickname "the beastie boys". They were lunging at people and barking at other dogs. I couldn't talk to my neighbors over the noise. It wasn't enjoyable to take them for a walk. In the winter they pulled me across the ice. I had no control of them. After working with Kim, my dogs have become good walking companions. They are no longer the terrors of the neighborhood. They no longer bark at everyone that goes by. We can walk past other dogs. My neighbors have remarked at how much better behaved and quiet they are. Romeo and Guinness are happy to see the neighbors now and receive the extra attention. I feel more confident in handling them." - Beth

Ziggy

"Kim did a great job with Ziggy. She has a no nonsense approach that both of us sorely needed. He was all over the place when we began class, now he walks on a leash so nicely, it's a pleasure to go out with him. We're both much happier now that we’ve learned some manners." - Libi

Nutmeg

"Our dog Nutmeg is a sweet, but very shy, Golden mix. We brought her to training with Kim so that she would learn some basic commands and so that we could learn to work around her timidness. After six weeks, we have seen positive changes in her. Training has really given her a lot more confidence; now she sits and lies down quickly (even without treats!) and she seems very eager to please. It seems that she now accepts us as her "alpha dogs" and she is a lot more willing to allow us to handle situations. Up until her training she was terrified when anyone came over to the house, and she would bark and hide behind us. Now, on Kim's advice, when someone new comes over we leash her and have the guest give her treats. After a few minutes of this Nutmeg is still wary, but willing to accept treats and calm down. This has helped us a great deal because now we can entertain without worrying too much about our dog.

Kim is a trainer who works using kindness, patience, and humor to to teach her pupils (human as well as canine). She understands the different needs of each dog and helps the owners to work on specific issues. We recommend Kim as an experienced and understanding trainer who will work with you to solve problems." - Elizabeth and Joe

Maggie

"Since it has been a couple of months since Maggie graduated from the training sessions at Central Bark, I wanted to update you on her progress and thank you for your help.

The methods you taught have been extremely effective. Maggie no longer jumps on people, always important but much more so when they weigh over 80 pounds. Using your methods we have trained her to sit on the stairs by the front door when people arrive. Walking her is now a pleasure as she walks by our side instead of pulling us around the block.

Feel free to use this email as a recommendation letter. I would strongly recommend your services to anyone looking for guidance on how to learn to be the leader a dog wants and needs. My wife and two young daughters follow the program and have seen great results. Sit, stay, come, leave it, wait, down, up are all very easy now for Maggie. As a result Maggie and the whole family are much happier." - Brad

Thor

"Never having a dog of our own we enlisted the expertise of Kim to help train us (and Thor) into be being better people to our dear Thor. With Kim' s help the transition from resuce to home couldn't have been smoother for Thor. We have a well behaved dog who will sit and stay on command, doesn't pull when he walks, and is just an angel. Kim is a patient trainer who gave plenty of great advise and helped ease many of our worries. Without Kim we would be clueless! I highly recommend Kim especially with rescue dogs, we brought home and older rescue dog who wasn't a good fit for us, she wasn't afraid to express her concerns, we appreciate her candor and no nonsense style. Thank you Kim!" - Dennis and Maria

Ruby

"For the first 3 years of her life, Ruby thought she ruled the world, as most dachshunds do. One trip to Minnesota to visit her cousin Holly the beagle showed me that Ruby desperately needed some discipline. I knew exactly who to go to - Kim.

Turns out Ruby thought she was the leader in our tiny little pack (just the 2 of us).

After only 3 or 4 sessions, Ruby and I made another trip to MN and she already showed improvement. Now I can take Ruby anywhere with confidence that I can control the situation. Kim showed me how to be the boss and get Ruby to follow behavioral commands. I've even been able to incorporate these commands into our everyday routine. For example, Ruby loves to go up and down the stairs, which is very bad for dachshund backs. Now I can tell her to stay at the top of the stairs, go down, get what I need, come back up and she's still staying like a good little girl. I'm very happy that Ruby and I went through Kim's training." - Amie

Chompers

"The first day Chompers met Kim she was only able to get within a few feet of her because Chompers was so afraid and defensive with new people especially when they came into our home. The next time we met, Kim was able to stand next to Chompers in her crate at our house, although with lots of barking. It took until the fourth session for Chompers finally to be able to touch Kim, not bark, and to be off of her leash with her in the room. After that, Chompers was in pure joy when Kim came because it was fun time to do commands and get some cheese!

Kim helped my husband and I learn how to handle Chompers especially when visitors are over. Chompers is a very smart and loving dog, but she needed her parents to be taught how to manage her with others around. Chompers will now just pass by strangers on the street and is getting better each time new people come over to our house. We are so appreciative of Kim's help with Chompers and would highly recommend her to anyone who has a new dog!"

Lucky

"Kim is a very devoted and excellent trainer. Her teaching skills have made a difference in training my Lucky. After one week, I saw a tremendous improvement. I strongly recommend her. She is the best!" - Janice

Coco and Buddy

"With Kim's teaching, I already saw results and positive changes in my two puppies after the very first lesson. My two Yorkies are now on their way to becoming stars and Kim gave me all the tools and advice needed to make sure this happens." - Jessica

Riley

"Kim Schiro is a great trainer! A lot of trainers do not have experience with terriers nor the patience to train them. Kim was definitely the right choice. Everyone we spoke to told us terriers are difficult to train and not to expect too much from him. Kim was very enthusiastic from the beginning. We contacted Kim when our Norwich Terrier was 5 months old, discussed our goals and started basic obedience training with him with elements of agility hand signals. In our private lessons with Kim, our terrier performed training exercises within one or two prompts from her. Kim was able to demonstrate how to deal with him when he was stubborn with us. She has considerable expertise and knowledge in both breed behavior and in specific dog temperament and tailors her training to accommodate both. Kim was very supportive and available both by phone, text, and email when we encountered difficulties. We were able to master the basics within our six week private sessions and started Riley in the fundamentals of basic agility. There is no doubt that we will continue training with Kim as he progresses in more advanced training. I recommend her to anyone as an excellent resource for those people who want to use reward based training rather than more punitive correction training." - Stacie

Chloe

"Kim introduced us to the techniques and provided us with the confidence we needed to train our lovable but hyperactive puppy, Chloe. Her program was easy to follow and Chloe made excellent progress. Kim went above and beyond to assist us, answered all our questions and calmed our concerns. She gave us hope that Chloe will mature into a calmer dog." - Sharon and Carmen

Shasta

"We were very happy with Kim and her class, particularly with her enthusiasm, encouragement, patience, willingness to spend time individually with each dog before and after class, and great responsiveness via email outside of class. She thankfully didn't overwhelm with a large number of homework exercises, but rather provided several key areas constituting a great framework from which to work with and train our dog. Highly recommended and will likely enlist her help in the future on advanced training." - Patrick

Champ

"I was one step away from giving Champ away to another home. I tried Kim’s basic obedience class and she gave me the tools I needed to bring peace and tranquility back into our home. Gone are the days of puppy/owner miscommunication and now, I wouldn’t trade Champ for the WORLD. Kim is very knowledgeable and she helped with issues in and outside of class. Don’t be afraid to ask her anything! Knowledge is POWER!" - Christina

Ocho and Aiko

"I am 5 feet tall with two dogs that out weigh me by about 85 pounds. I had been to 3 training programs with my boys with moderate success, however, we were still having some behavioral issues at home. From the minute Kim walked into our house, everyone became a better listener...including my husband and kids!! Kim helped us to learn about our dogs and why they do what they do, and how when they do something wrong, it is us, as humans that need to learn. Well, 6 lessons later, I have learned and now I am getting compliments about how well behaved my two dogs are, which has NEVER happened before! Kim breaks it down and makes it simple and helps your to understand that you don't need to be perfect to have great companions. Kim loves dogs and she knows them....and we LOVE Kim!!!"

Oscar

"Kim- Thank you. Your class was great. Oscar and I learned a lot. Since Oscar is my 3rd dog, I've had experience with other classes. What was wonderful and different about yours was that you taught us and encouraged us to have fun with our dogs; also you focused on our relationship with our dog and helped us appreciate how special that is. We hope to be back for the next class."

Charlie

"Kim's Dog Coaching has turned us, as owners, and our six month old puggle into a winning team. Kim is supportive and makes her commitment to you and your dog clear from the first moment of class. The methods she taught us have brought structure and discipline to our daily activities — she basically taught us all how to live, work and play together! The six week class was a positive bonding experience with our pup, and gave us better understanding of who our dog is and why he does what he does...and it was a lot of fun! We loved working with Kim (we're going for the next level of training in January!!) and would recommend Kim's Dog Coaching to any dog owner." - Jeremy and Jarrod

Charlie

"When we first took Charlie home at only 6 weeks old, we didn’t quite realize what a load he was going to be. Kim was invaluable in getting us through the early puppydom stages. The whole experience became much simpler with Kim’s expertise because she took the time to explain the behavior, and gave us simple tools to control the situation. Her sessions were customized for what we needed. Charlie is now not only a handsome dude, he is growing into the gentleman we always wanted him to be." - JMJ

Spartan

"Spartan knew basic obedience skills (sit, down stay etc.) But I knew I still advice on handling my spirited and energetic terrier mix, Spartan (particularly while outside on walks). I called on Kim and we worked through a few private lessons. Right off the bat, Kim was knowledgeable in her assessment of our training needs and tailored the training accordingly. We practiced inside and outside in various situations using Kim's positive reward training techniques, which Spartan has completely responded to. Her practical tips, demonstrations and straight-forward approach helped me to gain confidence in handling Sparty on walks and when those trigger situations arise. Spartan and I have made improvements, thanks to Kim! I also appreciated Kim's advice and willingness to be available for questions that come up throughout training and after. She is great to work with and I would highly recommend Kim for your dog training needs!" - Paige

Murdach

"Hi, Kim! Just wanted to give you an update on Murdach. We were struggling with him pulling a lot on walks until we finally purchased the miracle device you had recommended -- a harness! Haha! He is an absolute prince on walks now and he seems a lot more comfortable. He also has his potty spot outside and goes on command. Everyone is always commenting on what a good boy he is and we can't say enough about your class. We watched our friend's eight-year-old dachshund over the weekend who is pretty set in his ways and you would not believe how well he responded to the same kind of direction we give Murdach. Old dog, new tricks, eh? :) Anyway, just wanted to give you an update and thank you again. Hope you're having a great summer!" - Stacey A.