KEYSTONE DOG TRAINING

with

MARY SMALLWOOD, CERTIFIED PROFESSIONAL TRAINER

Serving all of Pennsylvania's York County,

Cumberland County and Dauphin County

(717) 542-3427       keystonedogtrain@gmail.com

April 2012

It's been a few months since we met to finish Sookie's training and I thought I should give you an update!  You did such a great job training her that my boyfriend fell in love with her and incidentally, we are now officially engaged.  He plays with her all the time and I taught him how to tell her to "sit" "stay" "down" and "come".  He thinks it's kind of magic that he can tell her to do these things and she actually does them!

Sookie is loved by everyone we meet, and that's a LOT of people.  Miami is just the best for animals.  I can take her into almost ANY store - Walgreens, clothing stores, coffee shops and outdoor restaurants.  People aloways want to pet her, I always hear, "what a well-behaved dog!  I could never get my dog to behave like that," and I say, "I put her throught training but her breed and intelligence made it really easy on me."

So I just wanted to let you know how well things have turned out since we had Sookie trained.  It was the best thing I could have done to ensure living happily together with her and with my fianc�.  Thanks so much!

Wendy Mitchell

From York, PA to Miami, FL

Daisy's Letter

I am an 11 month old Yorkshire Terrier who found all kinds of adventures when my people brought me into my new home.  It was fun to chew the family room carpet and legs of the furniture, to grab household decorations and play catch me if you can, and to dart to and fro while walking on the leash.  I was having a great time being boss of the house but I don't think my owners were happy.

One day my owners put me in the car and I thought "Wow, this fun."  I like car rides.  On the ride I heard the words Keystone Dog Training and a new name, Mary Smallwood.  This ride changed my life.  Mary fitted me with a little training collar and away we went!  She taught me my manners and helped me learn how to sit and lay down, how to stay and walk nicely on leash and so much more.  She took me to lots of fun places like the parks and the pet stores.  I learned how to come with my little ecollar so running off leash became one of my favorite things to do.  Our fetch games became much more fun.  Mary showed me how to make different choices in the house when I wanted to chew the woodwork.  I worked hard and played hard.  So many dogs to play with in between my lessons!

My life now is full with walks, doggie play dates, and fetch games in the back yard.  I practice my obedience everyday and feel so happly when I see the smiles of pride on my owner's faces.  I don't want to grab things off chairs and chew carpets anymore, I have better things to do!  I have figured out what my owners want because they have learned how to help me understand.  Thank you Mary, we live in a harmony I know my owners are grateful for.

Your Friend,

Daisy

September 11, 2011

We rescued Bandit from the SPCA.  They had no history on him, as he was just tied to the fence one morning when they arrived for work.  Bandit has always been a high-energy dog and as he matured, he became more and more anxious and dominant toward other dogs.  He had been �kicked out� of a doggie day-care facility for fighting with other dogs.  I also feared that he may hurt someone when he was in anxiety producing situations such as having small children around or new people in our home.  As our options decreased as to how to stimulate Bandit and ensure that he had modes in which he could release his energy, we sought a training program.  We met with Mary and decided that we would give it a try.  The training experience was wonderful!  We had always commended ourselves for spending time with Bandit every day (we would run a few miles together almost daily), but with the training we spent structured time with him to engage him mentally as well as physically.  Bandit was slightly resistant at first (he is a very strong-headed dog!), but quickly began to enjoy the training.  Bandit is now a dog that can focus in anxiety-inducing moments. He is able to lie down and wait as a new person enters our home.  He is able to maintain his composure as a new person or small child approach us in public. Bandit is also able to be �off leash� in many environments.  We don�t worry about Bandit running away or abandoning me at any time.  He LOVES to �hunt� and we are able to help Bandit control himself if he sees a rabbit, squirrel, or any other animal.  Bandit will listen to our words and disregard the animal even while off of a leash.  The training has taught Bandit and our family how to focus and communicate with one another.  It has been priceless and all of our lives are better because of Mary and the training she provided to our family.      

Leanne Ambrass-Horner

York, PA

When the time came for a new dog, I purchased a very beautiful, black Labradoodle I named Gracie.  It didn�t take long to regret my decision.  She was very hyper and would not obey me.  She truly was a bad puppy. 

I took her for obedience training where she was rewarded with a treat when she obeyed a command.  She is very smart so she performed the command, received her treat and went right back to being bad.

I was literally on the edge when a groomer who saw my desperation, recommended Keystone Dog Training.  I wanted to keep my dog so I called.

At our first session I felt the �connection� with my dog.  As we went thru the classes I began to take control and Gracie understood what I wanted from her.  It was going well and I was excited.  But there were a few critical problems that remained.  They were jumping at people (she greeted with way too much enthusiasm), pulling me and excessive barking in the car at people outside.

Mary recommended a remote collar.  I wasn�t happy about it but I decided to try it.  Immediately the barking in the car stopped so she got to go with me more often.  Pulling when walking stopped and eventually so did the jumping.  People can now pet her and she is loving it.  The remote collar opened up so many doors of opportunity for enjoyment for us that without it, we would not be having.  I enjoyed working with Mary.  She was always kind and caring with my dog and wanted what was best for us.  I appreciated the way she treated Gracie with respect. 

Now I have the best dog!  I am happy, Gracie is happy and we are getting more out of life.  I am grateful to Mary and glad I tried the remote collar.

Sue Feltenberger

Jacobus, PA 

CeeBee D. Finley is our 6 year old miniature Yorkie, the love of our life.  Before we met Mary he had ruled us instead of our controlling him.  Thanks to Mary�s training skills and techniques he was completely turned around to follow basic commands such as come, sit, down, heel etc.  We were apprehensive about the program since another training program didn�t work for us or for CeeBee.  This program was successful and now we have a well mannered family member.

Kathie & Newton Finley, Windsor PA

My husband and I adopted a 6 month old, headstrong pit bull.  He was totally out of control by jumping and plowing us over to get out the door. "Lou" is very friendly and was extremely exuberant.  We have two young children and we wanted "Lou" to behave appropriately around the family.

Mary was recommended to us by a friend who had used Mary's services and had good results with her dog's training. After Lou's evaluation with Mary, we all decided that it would be best to have Mary train him at her facility. Lou spent 3 weeks at Keystone Dog Training for a "Stay and Train" session.  Upon the completion of his "Stay and Train" we met Mary and Lou at a pet store.  We observed them from a distance.  We were delighted and amazed to see how he would heel, sit and stay, while walking on a loose leash.

At the next training session, Mary taught us how to work with Lou ourselves.  At this time we found it easier to be with and train Lou because of the training he received from Mary. We now have a mannerly pet that is a wonderful addition to our family. 

We thank Mary for all the expert training and patience she gave to us.

The Keech Family,

Mike, Lori, Kaitlyn, Ben and of course our "LOU"

I enlisted Mary's services in the training of my two dogs.  My first training experience with Mary was with my rescued Australian Cattle Dog with very dominant traits.  I tried other obedience classes to train Keji but he was still exhibiting his dominant tendencies.  After discussing my dilemma with Mary regarding Keji wanting to be the one in control, I decided to train with Mary because she offered a "one on one" training program.  She assisted me in working Keji in a training regimen to teach him better manners in many of life's situations that we encounter on a daily basis. She would explain in detail how I should handle specific situations. Throughout the training sessions I could see that Keji was responding well and showing improvement.  We would meet Mary at her facility and also at local parks.  This allowed me to train Keji in many different settings. He has come a long way from being the one in control to me being the one in control. Together, we now enjoy hiking and canine agility. 

My second training experience with Mary was with training my young, newly adopted Australian Cattle Dog puppy from the York SPCA.  I wanted to socialize Sedona  to all that I could to help her become a dog with good manners.  Mary taught me how to work with a young puppy, to make training fun for both of us, and how to incorporated our training sessions into our daily routine. We again trained at Mary's facility and in local parks.  This way Sedona could be exposed to different situations with children, people and other dogs. 

Mary always answered my questions in class and throughout the week if I encountered a time when I felt I wasn't making progress. She offered me great insight on the "whys and how�s" in training both my dogs in many given situations. Her excellent dog handling abilities and the patience she exhibits with both the owners and the dogs are her FORTE.

Life is good now.  Thank you Mary. 

Keji, Sedona and Mary Kay Heisey

Wrightsville, PA

Obedience training has affected our lives in such a positive way.  We started training with a very headstrong Bullmastiff puppy that has blossomed and developed into a well-behaved, willing to please young lady. Mary's knowledge, commitment and personal attention was exceptional.  The transformation in Ginger was amazing and immediate.  It not only stimulated Ginger mentally, but has given us a renewed confidence; all the while forming an unbreakable bond of trust between us as a family and Ginger.  

Traci and Lee Calaman

York, PA