Testimonials From Our Clients
“Autumn and Dom truly changed my life with my dog, Sully. I got him at eight weeks old and struggled so much in those early days with severe separation and confinement anxiety. He would panic in the crate, sometimes for over an hour, so neither of us was sleeping, and I couldn’t leave the house without worrying he would hurt himself trying to escape. On top of that, he became extremely overstimulated outside and would panic every time we left the house.
I came to Autumn and Dom desperate for help, determined to find a way to support him. They met me with so much kindness and understanding. We had multiple calls where I was able to ask questions, and they took the time to really understand both my needs and Sully’s. Ultimately, I decided to move forward with a four-week board-and-train program to ensure there was enough time to make real progress. I was very nervous leaving him, but I almost immediately started receiving updates and photos, which gave me so much peace knowing he was safe and well cared for. Autumn sent daily updates, which made such a difference because they helped me understand the process and how he was doing each day.
When the four weeks were over, they spent meaningful time making sure I understood how to continue his training at home so we would not lose his progress. That ongoing guidance was invaluable. He came home a truly transformed dog in the best way. He went into his crate calmly on cue and slept through the night without crying. I was able to leave the house without anxiety, and he settled in his crate without stress. Outside, he could walk without the panic he used to feel, and we were finally able to enjoy walks together.
Most importantly, it allowed me to actually bond with him. Before, everything felt overwhelming, and caring for him felt like a constant crisis. Autumn and Dom gave us the foundation to become a family. I am endlessly grateful.
If you are wondering whether it is worth it, from my experience, it was the best decision I could have made for both me and my dog.”
Christina, Sully’s Mom
What challenges were you having before training?
Our ~6mo Barbet demonstrated leash reactivity to the extreme of not being able to see a dog down the street without losing her cool. She was very difficult to walk, displayed lots of nuisance behaviors in the house, and was not consistent with calm, quiet crate time. She was unwieldy despite only being 30 lbs of fluff! The leash reactivity was the most challenging part because we live in a dense residential neighborhood in Washington, DC where we walk daily in our neighborhood. Not being able to walk her without a ton of stress for us and putting her in stressful situations that she was unequipped to handle was fully untenable.
What changes have you noticed in your dog?
After multiple sessions with Your Hero Dog Training, a 4-week board-and-train, and multiple follow-up sessions, it’s as if we have a totally different dog. Her leash reactivity is very limited and only happens rarely. She is a joy to walk. Her “place” at home is a fantastic way to give her structure while also limiting nuisance behaviors. Her recall is fantastic. Her ability to sit and lie down on command is very helpful. So many things that you want in a dog were trained effectively by Autumn and Dom.
What was it like working with us?
While Autumn and Dom are fantastic dog trainers, they really focus on “training” the humans, too. So much of managing a dog in challenging or uncertain environments is how the human deals with the situations you will encounter. Autumn and Dom built so much confidence in us and our ability to navigate situations with our dog in public while also helping us take on the consistent behaviors required at home to reinforce and continue the skills our dog learned from her training. Autumn is very communicative, responsive, and always had strategies to help us as we navigated the training process. We really appreciated how Autumn was able to explain what the dog was experiencing in challenging moments to help us better understand how to set them up for success or manage those challenges.
What was your favorite part of the experience?
Our favorite part of the experience was getting to see the progress updates day-to-day and week-to-week during the board and train. Also being on the other side of the intense training with a great dog is such a blessing.
Has training changed your everyday life with your dog?
1000%. We comment often about how it’s amazing having a really good dog. She listens to us. She is responsive. Her obedience is top-notch. She is very manageable to walk now in a consistent heel with very limited-to-no reactions to other dogs. Her behavior in the house with her dedicated “places” that Your Hero trained for her has been fantastic. She is such a happy pup and creates so much joy for us where she initially created lots of stress.
Would you recommend Your Hero Dog Training to others? Why?
Absolutely, we already have :). We really enjoyed working with Your Hero Dog Training, and the results of the dedicated program and consistent support have been phenomenal. Any time we see a reactive dog or one that pulls a lot while walking on a leash, we remark to each other “these people need Autumn and Dom”.
Colby & Julia, Beaker’s Parents
The whole family can now get involved in walking Wrigley!
“Autumn is the absolute BEST!! The way she has connected with our dog, and most importantly, our family, has allowed us to create an environment where we have achieved great results with our Golden Retriever, Wrigley. He is our first family dog and Autumn was able to connect with and give valuable instruction to my then 8 and 11 year old kids and explain everything in a way where our entire family has been on the same page with training and raising him since he was 3.5 months old. She also did an amazing job of getting to know us and what we were looking for out of our pet, and then created a program and environment for him (and us) to succeed.
We have had in-home sessions, a board & train with e-collar training, participated in group lessons and utilized Autumn for regular boarding, and I can't give her high enough reviews on all fronts. She is always highly responsive, even to follow up questions and clarifications between sessions. The board and train results were far and above my expectations. And she pushed us (in the best way possible!) to pursue e-collar training, not because she profited off of it, but because it was the best solution for our dog and our family situation. My wife even commented on how much less stressed I seemed when the correction comes at the push of a button vs a leash correction.
Even Wrigley's veterinarian gave me feedback that they don't see many young dogs as well behaved as Wrigley.
Not a week goes by that we don't somehow bring up how lucky we are to have met Autumn and how much we appreciate that the well mannered dog we have today is because of her.”
Mark, Wrigley's Dad
“Jane and I had a great experience with Your Hero Dog Training and their puppy board-and-train program. Jane was a six-month-old cockapoo – all puppy! I was hesitant and anxious to send her away for training, but Dom and Autumn made the process feel reassuring, thoughtful, and genuinely caring. I was updated almost daily with videos of Jane’s training sessions and clear, thoughtful explanations of what Autumn and Jane were working on. They spent time with me when Jane came home to make the transition easier. The program included two home visits, where I continued to learn practical training tips. And Autumn and Dom are a text away with any questions I continue to have! They are gifted, kind, knowledgeable, and caring dog trainers.”
Liz, Jane's Mom
Go-To-Place & Recall
Heel & Auto-Sit
“From the moment we brought Ellis home, it was obvious he had been exceptionally trained. He is well-mannered, responsive, calm, and such a joy to be around. The foundation that Autumn gave Ellis made the transition into our home easy and enjoyable. You can truly see the time, care, and skill that went into his training. We are incredibly grateful for the work that was done before Ellis came to us and would highly recommend Autumn to anyone looking for a trainer who produces confident, well-balanced dogs.”
Lisa & Dean, Ellis's Parents