Teamworks Dog Training

Testimonials
I first came to Teamworks over 15 years ago. It was dumb luck. I knew nothing about your philosophy. I had been taught to train my dogs using a choke chain and that is what I had done with each of my dogs my whole life. When I was informed at the first session that choke chains were not permitted on the premises I thought ya’ll were crazy. I obeyed the rules however and purchased flat collars for my dogs. Initially, I removed the dogs chain prior to class and put it back on after class, so the dogs had 2 collars on. I did not “cheat” and use the choke chains in training, but used the clicker as instructed. Both of my dogs earned their CGC but they already knew most of it prior to coming to Teamworks – so that didn’t make me a believer. Then I acquired a puppy and discovered agility. Agility was a great fun thing for my dog Astro and I. It was not until I truly observed how Astro responded to what he was taught that I truly “got it.” Of course he loved agility. But when I asked Astro to sit or down – he did with his head down, tail down – these were taught using the choke chain prior to Teamworks. When I asked him to back up – a skill he learned using positive reinforcement at Teamworks he did so with tail, head, ears up – and it was obvious that he joyfully obeyed. The difference was amazing – once I actually took the time to see this. The day I realized this difference, I removed and disposed of the choke chains – that we weren’t using anymore anywhere. My puppy Tucker (now 15) was totally positive trained through Teanworks, as was my rescue Roxanne (now 14). I believe my relationship with each of them is stronger and better than it would have been if I hadn’t experienced Teamworks.	C. Bryant
Our dog Sam has been through Teamworks' Dominant Dogs and Canine Good Citizen classes and I was so thrilled when he passed his test and earned his certificate! He is better behaved in our home and I am so much more confident now about taking him out in public around people and dogs.	M. Ray
My dog and I attended the Fearful Fido class, experienced 100% success, and had an absolute blast doing so. Prior to this class my dog was afraid of traffic cones, blowing flags, trash in the streets, potted plants that weren't there yesterday, the Christmas tree, basically any object that was "new" to him. He came into the Fearful Fido class literally tiptoeing with his tail down low (hard for a Standard Poodle!), but Fearful Fidos class changed all that, and most importantly we did it while we ALL had enormous fun! Through play and positive reinforcement we conquered all fear. My dog will actually seek out new objects now and deliberately approach them to check them out! Thank you Teamworks!	B. Falzone

My 76 year old mother was given a Wheaten Terrier puppy after my dad passed, to keep her company. (Not MY idea!) I immediately thought it was a bad idea when I realized that none of our family knew anything about understanding how a dog thinks, and how to work with them! Teamworks Canine Good Citizen was recommended to us by a friend, and 7 weeks later we were stunned and amazed when she received her CGC certification, and was doing all the things we never thought she would! I can't wait for the Therapy Dog Class, she will be wonderful with animal assisted therapy!	P. Queen

I attended the Canine Good Citizen class with my 5 year old hound/pit mix, whom I got from a shelter. My dog gets nervous in new situations, so I thought a class would help him gain some confidence and learn to adapt. Indeed, these classes are great fun for the dogs. They use reward-based training here, which means you use lots of treats. It also means that there are no scary, Cesar Milan domination-style tactics used. No shocking, no choking, no prong collars, no collar yanking, no "popping." So, dogs love it! And it works! There has been an improvement in my dog's manners and in his anxiety level. Christie was great and very personable. I would recommend this place to anyone and would love to have the extra time and money to enroll in one of the more advanced classes.	Jessica G.

I signed my puppy up for Teamworks per the recommendation of a veterinary assistant when I brought in my 10-week old puppy for her first check-up. I wanted an introductory training class that wasn't at PetSmart, so I tried it when Riley was about 16 weeks old.Riley and I did the 7-week Puppy Class (Positive Socialization and Introduction to Basic Manners) with Christie. There were four puppies total in the class, so I loved the attention we each received in our hour.Christie is a great trainer. She is very knowledgable and helped me get a new harness to walk Riley that would allow me to control her more. Of course, she is patient with the pups (and the humans).I wanted to continue bringing Riley to classes there (Puppy Agility, and Canine Good Citizen), but (1) you cannot miss a class and as the summer came, that became hard to schedule, (2) I moved to Durham, so I was no longer close to Capital Blvd., and (3) I started law school.w But I would recommend Teamworks to anyone. I attribute Riley's good manners and attention skills to her solid base training. I also gained confidence by training her, which was good!	Meredith D.
I just wanted to say THANK YOU to everyone who was involved with Annie during her stay with TeamWorks. She came home happy, healthy, and it was obvious she was worked with while she was there! I will be making reservations again! You all are THE BEST! Thank you	Amy B.

My dog is a 9 pound schnauzer mix, now six years old, and came (we think) from a puppy mill. He had been in his own crate and never interacted with people or other dogs. So I had plenty of concerns about how to get him properly introduced to the new world around him. I took him to numerous puppy classes at Teamworks and he spent a fair bit of time attending puppy day camp. I didn't know at the time that you could do an intensive (InBoard stay) with them or I would have jumped on it. I have never boarded him anywhere but with Michele (Teamworks), because she is the head of a uniformly humane and attentive crew. My dog always runs up excitedly to greet them, and is not panicked at all, but similarly happy, when I return. The teaching methods are positive, and I have met the folks that work with Michele, and they bring her gentle, clear direction with them. I believe so strongly in the importance of socialization. Your puppy is just a baby now, but he needs to go to "school" to develop a comfortable relationship with the world around him. Your little darling will enjoy a lifetime of positive interactions with humans, children, and other pets. My dog is still my little shadow, and he is a happy adult, that can meet dogs of all sizes and does amazingly well with kids. In two or so years you are going to meet the dog your little boy will become. Between now and them he will do all the things kids do, push boundaries, throw fits, etc. I found the techniques I learned in class were reinforced with the stay overs, and he comes home happy. These days, he stays with Michele I think about five weeks a year, when we go on vacation, and I always put him back in training.	Susan W.

I just want to make sure you know how much I love and appreciate Teamworks. We have had Hershey for one year now, and I can honestly say we couldn't have done it without you. Hershey is our very first dog, and other than reading a puppy book, we knew nothing. Casey and Jenny in particular have helped us so much through puppy classes and board and train learn how to love, teach, and care for our big, high energy dog. I am so at ease knowing he is well cared for when we are away, and love that we can learn from the videos and blog something that will make all of us have better experiences when we return. In class, I leave every week with information that makes life easier.	Jennifer H.

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