Find a Dog Trainer in Fairfax

Tommy Meyerhoeffer visited us to help integrate our new 9 month old, a shelter dog, into our home. We already had another female, 6 years old, and saw signs of dominance and some aggression from both that we needed to correct right away. The 9 month old was also destroying a lot of things in our home. Her behavior was expected but we were clueless about how to fix the problem. Tommy visited us right away on a Sunday (which we really appreciate) and was patient, polite, and made sure to explain and answer any questions we had (trust me, there were many). He also led by example and it was interesting to see the response he got from our dogs just by being calm and collected. The methods he taught us also helped a lot. Just a day has passed and we already see signs of improvement. Both dogs are actually listening to our commands and there is a much safer and confident atmosphere for all of us. I highly recommend Tommy and look forward to working with him in the future.

John is a life saver! He is professional, patient, and most importantly he’s very effective. I rescued a small chi-mixed pup and John has helped me train him with both reactivity and crate training. I never thought we’d be able to achieve what he did with my pup! Will certainly rehire him for any training needs in the future. 10/10!

Those who know me know that my entire world is run by two miniature schnauzers. Granted, they are cuddly, cute, and have personalities the size of St. Bernards, and because of these reasons (amongst many), they have turned me into one of those crazy dog ladies that swears up and down that I'll never be able to have children because how -- HOW I ASK YOU?! -- could I possibly love anyone or anything more than I love these two creatures?Yes, Harry & Daxter are the fluffy little loves of my life, and boy oh boy, do they know it. It's not that they're bad dogs, really, it's just that they know how to get away with all the bad things that they do. Because, you know, they're cute. And while they have both gone through basic obedience and already knew how to do all the "normal" dog things like, sit, stay, and even high-five (Daxter gives excellent high-fives, FYI), a few commands does not a perfect dog make.And between the barking at every living thing (and sometimes even non-living things -- hello UPS truck) that passes by the house, Harry's penchant for eating my leftovers straight off of the coffee table, and how Daxter literally backs away from me when I say "come," it eventually got to a point where I needed to call in some professional help to turn my pups into more than just cuddly bed buddies.So thank GOODNESS for Lara and For Pup's Sake training! Under Lara's patient tutelage, my dogs now actually know how to go to their "place" before mealtime, and we're working on sending them there when folks come to the door as well. Their recall is better, they're generally more obedient, and, heck, better mannered, too! After all, a tired pup is generally a well-behaved pup, and with Lara's training these boys definitely get a mental work out.Lara comes and works with you in your home, so your dogs are learning in their environment, and gives you all the tools to continue the training when she's not there in person to guide you through it.We've worked on everything from leash-training to place-training to perfecting their patience and willpower with variations of the leave-it command I didn't even know existed. Beyond that, Lara truly cares about your dogs and wants to make sure they're set up for success from the get-go.My boys still have a bit of a way to go before they're truly the perfect pets (and I have a LONG way to go before I'm the perfect owner, hehe), but I'm so happy to have Lara and For Pup's Sake leading the way there.