Success Stories

We adopted Fergus last year, without knowing much about his past. Within a few weeks, he began exhibiting severe anxiety and fear-based aggression towards strangers. We were scared and overwhelmed but thankfully we found Becca. Not only did she teach us mechanisms to reduce his anxiety, but she also took the time to check in with us, understanding the stress that comes with owning a dog with anxiety and aggression. I was most impressed with her humane and realistic approach to behavioral training. It is a long process and cannot be “fixed” overnight, but thanks to Black Dog BT our family, Fergus included, is able to navigate the stressors that life brings with more patience, understanding, and confidence.

As a rescue, Mongo’s behaviors did not appear right away. He became leash reactive and needed more discipline in the home. We hired Becca from Black Dog Behavior and Training and she helped us to transform our dog. Mongo is a very food-motivated dog and she taught us the importance of high reward treats. Mongo now listens on his walks and we are able to redirect him with triggers. We also learned how to keep his mind active at home and he is now overall a very well-behaved dog! We can’t thank Becca enough for all her help. I would recommend her services to anyone!

We adopted Marty last February, and had no idea what to expect in terms of behavior training. We found out very soon that Marty was an extremely anxious, reactive, insecure dog. Taking him on walks was almost impossible and in the house he exhibited demand barking and extreme separation anxiety. With Becca’s guidance over a few months, she gave us the tools to help reroute his anxieties into more productive activities. With the right environmental controls, ongoing positive reinforcement training, physically and mentally stimulating activities, and anxiety medication, Marty is a much more emotionally stable and confident dog. His training is always ongoing, and we feel that Becca’s behavior focused guidance helped to improve his quality of life.

Sushi had a lot of behavioral challenges when we first adopted her from ACCT Philly, which made her hard to live with. Becca gave us the tools, and more importantly the emotional mindset, to help Sushi feel less overstimulated. We love Sushi a ton, and after some consistent effort training her with Becca's expert guidance, Sushi's behavior has improved greatly. Thank you Becca!

I have no idea what I would have done without Becca! Becca helped me have a better understanding of Jameson’s body language and helped with new ways to manage his behavior issues and just being a better dog mom!

When Olive was about 8 months old, she became fearful. She started to show reactivity to strangers and some dog aggression. I felt constant anxiety whenever we went into public or when people came to our home. Thankfully I found Becca and after only a few sessions I see a change in Olive’s temperament, confidence, and her relationship with me. Becca validated my feelings of stress and taught me foundational skills, de-escalation/redirection, and enrichment. Now, Olive is making strides in the right direction. I am so proud of the progress we have made and would recommend Becca to any dog owner!

We got Sly as a puppy from a family member that had little time for him. Shortly after taking him we became overwhelmed and realized his problems were more than we could manage alone. After finding Becca, Sly’s behavior gradually improved. She gave us the techniques to better manage his frustration and arousal levels in order to help him become more confident experiencing situations that make him anxious. More importantly, she gave us the confidence to help him along the way. We still have a long way to go but his behavior in the house and during walks has changed so significantly. We are hopeful for the future thanks to Becca and Black Dog Behavior and Training.

As first-time dog owners, we were adamant that we wanted to train our puppy early. We attended a different month-long dog training when our pup was ~6 months old. However, he continued to struggle with leash pulling, reactivity to new environments, and a subpar recall. After our sessions with Becca, we were re-educated on how to best train our dog with positive reinforcement. Throughout our time with Becca, she provided us with articles, websites, YouTube links, and, honestly, encouragement. And, our little one has improved greatly. We learned about rewards and that consistency is key. So doing something right (a non-punishment approach) over and over is important. Becca was down to earth, sweet, patient, a true pup-lover, who gets just as amped when she sees your dog improving. We were really overwhelmed with how much information is out there on the ‘right way’ to train your dog. I wish we had connected with Becca from the start, but I'm grateful our paths crossed along the way.

Rory was a VERY nervous dog and was doing a lot of jumping, crashing into people, nervous peeing, and other anxious behaviors. He is now great at following his “settle” cue and just generally being calmer and more confident with his family and visitors. Rory thinks Becca is his best friend and he is so grateful we found her and BlackDog!