I met Gail at an agility class, one of the many classes to which I've taken my dog, Taavi, in my attempts to a) socialize him b) have fun with him and c) turn him into a trained dog.  With the help of all those classes, I'd been quite successful at a) and b), and much less so at c).  In fact, the general consensus from the (many) instructors whose classes I'd attended with him was: "Taavi is a beautiful, sweet, smart dog - but he's very challenging, and a handful for a first dog."  More or less in desperation, I asked if anyone in the agility class could teach me to use an e-collar correctly.  Gail told us that she had 20 years of experience in training people to train their dogs (not to mention in training dogs) and that she could, if that was what I wanted, teach me to use an e-collar.  I started taking private lessons with her; we've been at it for about five months, and we've never gotten to the e-collar.  Gail has patiently taught me how to handle and train my dog; the ongoing obedience practice has taken him from being a sweet dog, but not really under my control, to something that even approaches responsive and (gasp!) obedient.  Taavi now can, and does, go anyplace with me and inevitably gets complements on how exceptionally well behaved he is.  This is entirely due to Gail's tutelage (thanks, Gail!).  What's more, Taavi and I have had fun along the way.

As well as private lessons, I've participated in a group class taught by Gail and even gone with her on a consultation visit to a multi-dog household that was having problems with the dogs.  In all contexts I've been extremely impressed by Gail's ability to adapt her teaching to the needs of both the dogs and their owners, tailoring her treatment of dogs and owners to the personalities, abilities and needs of the individuals.  Gail's reptoire of different approaches seems to make it possible for her to find something effective for widely differing dog/handler combinations; it's been both educational and fascinating to watch.  What's more she is consistently kind both to the dogs and to their people - although she can certainly correct either firmly when called for.  I intend to take advantage of both private and group lessons for as long as possible.

As they say, "A++++, highly recommended".

Risa (Taavi's person)