Training Reviews
Jessica & Rick with Boogie & Charlotte
It has been a little over a week since our initial session and, we must say, we have two very different pups on our hands. Charlotte and Boogie have taken to the walks and rule setting very well and they are much calmer around the baby. Mia’s patience, wisdom and direction have quite literally transformed our household.
Thank you for showing us how easy it was to get our bed back and deescalate the tension around here. I've never met anyone who took the time to ask us questions, observe our dogs and listen to our stories. You were spot on about everything. We really cannot thank you enough--and I know our pups would agree.
David & Elaine with Money
We adopted Money, an older pit bull who had been at the shelter for over a year. He was an absolute sweetheart, but had not been properly socialized and was a basket case on leash. For the first few weeks we had him, he was on high-alert any time we were outside (crouched-down, stalking, and scanning for danger) and pulled so hard on the leash we had calluses on our hands. He would not make eye contact with us or sit for us (even though he was very capable of doing so indoors), and shook in fear the first time we took him to a cafe.
Money has always been an incredible dog indoors, but now he is just as great a dog outdoors – and we could not have done this without Mia at Blue Man Dog. From the very start, Mia explained how to establish a relationship with a dog and set boundaries. She helped us with leash skills – everything from our walking posture as the dog-handler to directing Money’s attention and focus to us. Lastly, she worked with us on socialization, helping us determine Money’s temperament and how we could best approach new dogs. And all along the way, Mia explained concepts in simple terms and from the dog’s perspective, as well as how to properly correct bad behavior and reward good behavior.
Blue Man Dog gave us the tools and confidence to work with Money and establish the kind of relationship we hoped to have with him. Thanks to Blue Man Dog, we have a dog that we are truly proud of and who we trust to adapt to new situations – including a cross-country move and the New York city streets! We are better dog owners because of Blue Man Dog, and we (including Money) are so very grateful for all their help!
Claudia with Adam
I contacted Mia for help with my 4 ½ year old German Shepherd. Adam was leash reactive outside of the house and would scream, air bite and bark at all moving things when inside the car. I felt awful that my dog was so stressed and anxious upon leaving the house. In the past 2 years we had worked with 5 trainers and worked with positive reinforcement. All dog trainers pretty much made the same suggestions: use treats to get your dog to listen, continue to reinforce basic obedience, use a harness to control the pulling and slowly build up to long car rides. These are all good suggestions but needed tweaking.
The problem is that we had been doing all of that. Adam knows sit better than most dogs and will mind all basic commands while at home. After 1 session with Mia, and her positive encouragement of “human leadership,” I had a clear understanding what my role was in providing mental activity for my dog so he wouldn’t have to be wondering what he was supposed to be doing. Mia made it clear that it was not optional for Adam to walk behind me, it’s his job to stay behind. I was allowing him to walk in front of me and despite using a harness, a Martingale collar, a prong collar for a short time, stopping and having him heel, he pulled. In 1 session, Mia taught me how to teach Adam where he needed to be when we left the house. She taught me how to lead him and it has been wonderful. It has been 6 weeks now and everyday just gets better.
Through her coaching (I only needed two sessions and literally experienced a 180 with my dog) me and my dog can now leave the house stress free. People no longer fear me and him. He is no longer walking me and I can enjoy taking him for car rides and leisurely walks.
We are forever GRATEFUL and APPRECIATIVE for Mia’s commitment to working with humans and animals. You just need to quiet your brain and follow her directions. If you get the tools she suggests and follow her lead you will get results within a couple of weeks.
Nicole with Bea
Bea had been getting unruly on walks to the point where I’d be on constant alert anytime I took her outside. She would lunge at other dogs even a great distance away. As a responsible pet owner, I did not want to fail her, so I sought help and reached out to Mia at Blue Man Dog.
After our first lesson, our world completely changed. We went from hot mess to walking with success! Mia taught me many crucial techniques including a quick lesson on Dog Language 101. She gave me the confidence to step up and be the leader Bea needed.
Although Bea and I have always been an extremely bonded pair, we’ve grown even closer. I no longer have anxiety when taking charge or diffusing a potentially negative situation. Mia’s lessons and incredible advice transformed our lives in the best possible way. We’re “furever” grateful to her and her team. Blue Man Dog is definitely in a class of its own.
Jessica & Felicity
A Purposeful Rescue recommended Mia while I was fostering Felicity for them. Felicity and my female dog lived together peacefully and lovingly in an apartment without any issues. However, within the first 2 weeks it quickly became apparent that Felicity was very leash reactive on walks towards other dogs.
Mia is an absolute gem and really took her time to listen and then thoroughly explain what I needed to do to prevent the behavior/reaction and then how to redirect Felicity’s mindset if there was an escalation. She provided a variety of auditory tools that I could use to redirect Felicity’s behavior and then practiced with us multiple times to ensure that I could do it on my own! Mia consistently checked in with me to see how we were progressing and addressed any challenges. Words can’t express how grateful I am to Mia for giving both Felicity and myself the opportunity to navigate our neighborhood walk peacefully!!! We are both still a work in progress, we have amazing days and some that more challenging… and that’s completely ok, because the best things in life are worth the work.
If you’re looking for real life training tips that work for both you and your dog, Mia’s the perfect trainer for you!
Ron and Ajax
I adopted Ajax, a three-year-old Pit/Rott mix, from DDR shortly after adopting another dog from them a few months earlier. Ajax, while a perfect match with my other dog, had some “issues". He was frightened easily and was not used to leash walking and had almost no experience with riding in cars.
Ajax had to be picked up and placed in the car whenever I wanted to take him with me, and then he would hide his head behind me while we drove. On walks, Ajax was a constant puller, appeared a bit aggressive towards people and other dogs we would meet or even see.
I contacted Mia and she arranged a training session up at Griffith Park. There I learned how to walk a dog. Mia trained me, not the dog. I had many questions that she answered patiently and clearly, on a wide range of concerns regarding many areas of dog ownership.
The session proved a tremendous success. Since then, I have maintained contact with Mia and have kept her updated on the dogs progress and have even brought Ajax up to several of the Griffith Park Pack Walks.
Robin and Al
Our excitement about adopting an adorable new dog (Al) for our 10-year-old son quickly turned to anxiety when the pup began growling at our son, along with showing other signs of fear aggression. We hired a reputable trainer to help Al overcome his aggressive behavior, he sat at our house for an hour and tossed treats, but Al barked at the trainer continuously. The trainer told us that Al will never be a "family dog," which broke our hearts. We decided we had to give Al back to the shelter because we couldn't keep an aggressive dog in our house.
Fortunately, we were blessed to meet Mia through Downtown Dog Rescue, and as a last resort we gave our dog to Mia for a week to see if she could help him become less aggressive. And, miraculously it worked! Mia’s unique technique of having well socialized dogs teach troubled and scared dogs to trust people, truly worked! When Al came back home, he was much better, not perfect, but good enough to keep!
Mia told us that another outgoing dog would be ideal to add to the family if possible since it would help Al greatly. A few months later, we got a wonderful dog that Mia helped us find, super social Picha. And, over the years, Al has gotten to be a truly cuddly, “family dog!"
Thank you, Mia, for our beautiful pups!!
Paul and Sheila
After rescuing my latest Pit, (Sheila) I found out about Mia and her Sunday organized hike and so much more. Spending time with Mia and the other hikers has given me (or trained me) to be so much more confident with my dog.
Sheila and I have a really cool bond because of the hiking and I realize I have so much more work to do thanks to Mia. You gotta be consistent, patient and loving. Mia is a wealth of information and she shares it with everyone!