Pender Vet
Pender Vet

Pender Vet

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Introduction: We serve the Fairfax County area with comprehensive 8-week canine obedience classes. Classes are indoors and go all year long. We will soon also be offering an additional outdoor training facility in Chantilly ,Va. Working with dogs and dog owners! Helping others is very rewarding.
Overview

Hired 9 times

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Reviews
Very good 4.5

6 reviews

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pro avatar
Karen S.
Sep 21, 2012
Michelle is very patient and very knowledgeable and there to help you learn! The class is fun, and great bonding time for you and your dog. She is also great about having families attend the classes together so everyone "speaks the same language." I work with rescue dogs and Michelle answered lots of questions that helped me deal with some of the strange behaviors we see. Highly recommended!
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Tom H.
Sep 21, 2012
I have been impressed that Michelle has been able to respond with suggestions that are appropriate to the personality of the dog with an issue. She doesn't try to make one solution fit everything. She also is patient with both the person and the animal!
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John K.
Jul 16, 2014
Have to say that we weren't impressed, mostly due to inconsistency in methods and vague direction. Michelle seems to be pretty effective with very basic training but we found her confusing at times, and inconsistent with basic principles.At times our questions were met with responses that contradicted earlier direction and nothing is more difficult in the realm of dog training than inconsistency.
Pender Vet's reply
It is very disappointing to hear this review. I begin class with a handout that includes the topics we will cover in class. Then I teach each class and ask if anyone has questions. Then I follow up class with an email, always asking for feedback. If you feel there is an inconsistency, it would help to know what it is, as it could benefit others in the class. We always began class with with a review so that no one is left behind, so I am confused as to what is confusing. In addition, at the beginning of the training session we do things one way, then as the pups evolve we do start to change the rules. Maybe that is how you saw inconsistency, not understanding as the dogs do well we then make exercises more challenging. I wish during class you had spoken up as I want to make sure everyone is on the same page. It means a lot to me. There are many ways to train a dog and sometimes what generally works for most dogs doesn't work for everyone so sometimes I would also offer alternative solutions. Good training with your dog involves patience, lots of practice, and consistency is very important. You are welcome to email me with any details. I am happy to take constructive criticism. I have never personally taken a class with an instructor that offers as much written material and offers to answer questions on any topics via email, anytime. I try very hard to keep the lines of communication open. I hope your pup has benefited from the puppy class.
pro avatar
Cari C.
Feb 12, 2014
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Hired on Thumbtack

Hired on Thumbtack

I found Michelle through Thumbtack and I'm so happy I did. We adopted our dog at around 7 months and she had no previous obedience training at all. In Michelle's Basic class, we were able to teach her to sit, stay, watch, down, and other basic commands. More importantly, we taught her to listen to us. We are in the middle of Intermediate training right now, and I plan to go on to Advanced. Our dog has shown such a huge improvement from when we first got her. Michelle offers great advice about basic training methods and also takes the time to answer any specific training or behavior questions you have. I highly recommend Michelle.
Dog Training
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Karen H.
Aug 1, 2014
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Hired on Thumbtack

Hired on Thumbtack

We took the puppy class with my 11 week old puppy. The class was great, Michelle covered a wide variety or topics and took personal time with each dog. I brought my son with me and he really enjoyed it too. Every week Michelle sent a review of what was covered so you could look back and remember what was covered. The facilities were great, nice big room.
Dog Training

FAQs

  • What types of customers have you worked with?

    Customers that have new puppies, customers that have just rescued a dog, and customers that have owned a dog but are at their wits end to get their dogs to listen to them. I am happy to help those new to dog ownership, or the savvy dog owner than has a dog with behavior issues to solve. I offer family stylepositive training. I also offer advanced training for those getting ready to show their dogs. Pender Puppy Kindergarten is for puppies from age 9 weeks to 5 months. Off lead play time socialization is offered with this comprehensive class for those new to dog ownership and those that have had dogs before, learning just about anything a dog owner would want to know. Topics include sit, down, stand, attention, handling, stays, targeting, recalls, mouthing, biting, stealing, jumping, potty training, pulling, heeling, oral hygiene, grooming, feeding, barking, dominance, and much more. Pender Basic is for puppies and dogs starting at the age of 5 months on up. A dog is never too old to learn new tricks! This comprehensive class is for those new to dog ownership and those that have had dogs before learning just about anything a dog owner would want to know. Topics include sit, down, stand, attention, handling, stays, targeting, recalls, mouthing, biting, stealing, jumping, potty training, pulling, heeling, oral hygiene, grooming, feeding, barking, dominance, and much more. This class differs from Pender Puppy only by the age of the dogs attending and that there is no play time during class. Dogs work harder on impulse control in Basic. Pender Canine Good Citizen Class (CGC) is for is an AKC certification program that is designed to reward dogs who have good manners at home and in the community. Age 4 months and up. The Canine Good Citizen Program is a two-part program that stresses responsible pet ownership for owners and basic good manners for dogs. All dogs who pass the 10-step CGC test may receive a certificate from the American Kennel Club. As of January 2013, the CGC will be title. Topics taught and tested for dogs in class include accepting a friendly stranger, sitting politely for petting, proper canine appearance and grooming, walking on a loose lead, walking through a crowd, sit and down on command, staying in place, coming when called, calm reaction to another dog, calm reaction to a distraction and supervised separation. Pender Obedience 2/Intermediate is for puppies and dogs that have graduated from puppy or basic. Dogs that have performed well in level 1 and are ready to learn more will move up to this next level. Training topics include hand signal exercises for the sit, down and stand, heeling with attention, recalls in distracting situations, finishes, improving and proofing stays, sit and stand stays for examination. Owners will work hard to improve any behavior issues. Pender Obedience 3/Advanced is for dogs that have graduated from level 2 obedience and have optimum dispositions. Owners will learn to train their dogs at a further distance and obedience train their dogs through distracting situations. Main topics include off lead heeling, off lead hand signals, off lead recalls at a distance, and out of sight stays. Owners will perfect their training techniques and may consider showing their dogs in AKC or UKC events. ______________________________ If you are interested in individual training to address the issues that you are having with your dog, we offer private lessons at $80 Saturdays at Pender Vet's indoor location. Please contact me to set up an appointment. ______________________________