Testimonials

Testimonials 

Testimonials, photos, and reviews for past classes

Finnaeus Easterly and Kiriko-Inu!

 

 

One of my favorite teams to work with!  Kiriko catches on so fast!

My name is Finnaeus Easterly and I have been a client of Faith Gadling’s since August 2013. I found Faith when she was working as an in-house trainer at a local pet store. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I quickly realized that I had somehow stumbled onto the exact right trainer for my prospective service dog in training. I met Faith before I had purchased my service dog. I asked for her input about purchasing a Shiba Inu puppy and she gave me her honest opinion - that making a Shiba was a high bar to clear, but if I wanted that breed, positive reinforcement would definitely be the only option. We discussed both her concerns and mine and she was able to answer my questions and either validate my concerns or explain why they wouldn’t probably be an issue.

I brought Kiri home at 8 weeks of age and the next day she met Faith and began training as a “prospect”. I was immediately impressed with Faith’s training style: linear, but not rigidly so. If there was something that Kiri was being particularly stubborn about, we could move on to something else for the training session. This made sense to me because it’s more important that we continue to move forward and that Kiri continues to have a good experience with learning than her mastering “down” as soon as possible. I also found her hands-off attitude refreshing. She very rarely interacted directly with Kiri. I didn’t even realize that I was the one teaching her commands, under the direct supervision of Faith, until several weeks in. This helped quell a lot of my anxiety about my ability to teach and handle a service dog and cemented my bond with Kiri as her handler. The hands-off attitude extended to teaching Kiri how to behave when I was not giving her my full attention. 

 

"I have my independence back. . .Kiri and I are truly a team and our bond is stronger than I ever thought possible."

I didn’t realize at the time how useful this would be in the future for public access work, but I do now and I am infinitely grateful for it. Kiri sits and lays down politely and quietly while I am busy perusing a shelf in the grocery store or waiting in line at the pharmacy. I get compliments for this behavior consistently, especially from people who recognize her breed and what an achievement her conduct is. 

Today, Kiri has mastered 20+ tasks to help me with my disability. They include simple things like waking me at my alarm or reminding me to take my medication throughout the day to more complex things like retrieving her brush, offering it to me and allowing me to brush her in times of severe anxiety or automatically leading me home while stopping and checking for traffic before crossing the street and avoiding people when I dissociative episode. We were able to successfully alter her DPT task from her using her full body weight on my abdomen to only the weight of her head to prepare her for my abdominal operation scheduled less than a week out. Faith’s mastery of the advanced elements of positive reinforcement dog training techniques is an obvious asset to her ability as a dog trainer, but it’s her passion for the profession that makes her unmistakably superior. Her appetite for the most current knowledge and techniques isn’t something that I have found in other trainers. This zeal is an advantage to me as a client because I know that Faith will find a solution to any obstacle we may encounter at any point in the training process. I feel that Faith understands the needs of a service dog/handler team better than other trainers because she has a service dog herself. I have found her to be very empathetic to my needs as a client, which is very important to me because speaking to a stranger about your disability-related needs is not an easy thing to do. She has never been judgmental or condescending. She explains things thoroughly and in a way that I can understand them, which is further evidence of her proficiency. 

Kiri will be 16 months at the end of December and, already, I have my independence back. My husband can go to work without worrying about me constantly. I don’t feel like I need a “babysitter” all the time. Kiri and I are truly a team and our bond is stronger than I ever thought possible. She’s not perfect, but for all intents and purposes, she’s still a puppy working full time to help me. I have Faith to thank for that. How do you repay someone for giving you back your life and sense of self-worth? All in all, Faith is a great person and brings her qualities of character to her job as a dog trainer. She has a very bright future and I’m looking forward to continuing to work with her. I give her my highest recommendation with confidence and enthusiasm.

~ Finnaeus Easterly and Kiriko-Inu

 

 The Klampe Family, and Shilo

They always send me the BEST family photos!

We first met Faith in 2012 when we took our dog, Shilo, to Petco for puppy training where Faith was a trainer. Our family loves Faith and Shilo is infatuated with her. She definitely has a special bond with dogs. She is extremely knowledgeable and willing to help. She is patient and doesn't give up or become frustrated. 

 

 

"Our family loves Faith and Shilo is infatuated with her."

Every problem or bad behavior we have encountered Faith has always had ideas for us to try. She goes out of her way to help educate & train because I believe she truly loves what she does. Faith is a true professional and I would recommend her to anyone looking for a dog trainer. She's the best!

~Teresa, Noah, Audry, and Shilo