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Is Your Dog Acting Out? – Positive Dog Training Serving Chardon OH and Surrounding Areas

Written by Ohio Dog Trainer (Middlefield)

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Middlefield Ohio -Dog Training - Articles | Puppy Training - Middlefield Ohio - Articles

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January 14, 2026

We offer positive dog training serving Chardon, OH and surrounding areas. If you have a stubborn dog or a dog that acts out, you might notice that shock collars and control don’t work well. You might also feel that you do not want to use force and control to get your dog to listen. You might be someone that wants to motivate your dog to listen through kindness. We get it. One of the biggest secrets in training your dog positively is to change your focus.

Is Your Attention on the Bad Behavior? – Positive Dog Training Serving Chardon, OH

Think about something that your dog does that annoys or frustrates you. How much time and energy do you put on that behavior? Do you talk and vent about it? Do you wish the behavior to stop? Do you tell your dog “no” or “stop” when your dog does this behavior that you dislike? What are some behaviors that your dog does that you do not like? Here are some examples of annoying behaviors:

jumping on people
play biting or mouthing
running away from you instead of coming
pulling on the leash
jumping on counters
barking for attention
barking at people or dogs passing by

Do you have another behavior that annoys you that isn’t on the list? Drop me an e-mail and tell me about it. I would like to hear about it because I can help you. For in person, we offer positive dog training serving Chardon, OH and surrounding areas. We also offer live help through Zoom, so even if you live out of our serving location, we can still help you.

Notice you get more of what you think about. If you focus on gratitude, you see more good things happening in your life and more good things flow to you. If you focus on complaining, you see more things that you don’t like and more of you don’t like gravitates towards you.

It’s the same with your dog. If your dog is mouthing you and you keep saying “no” when your dog is mouthing you, you are giving the exact attention to the behavior you don’t like. So what do you get more off? More mouthing. The same goes for the other behaviors. Let’s spell it out clearly for you.

If your dog is running away from you instead of coming, do you run after your dog and say ‘get over here!’? What do you do? Are you giving your dog attention for running away from you? Your dog might even see running away from you as a game!

What about jumping? Do you tell your dog “off” or “no” when your dog jumps? Now you are giving lots of attention to the jumping and you get more jumping.

When your dog is pulling on the leash, do you keep walking forward? Your dog wants to walk forward, so if you are walking forward when your dog is pulling, you are giving attention and focus on the leash pulling. Then you get more leash pulling.

When your dog barks, do you tell him to “be quiet” or “no”? Again your dog is getting much attention for the barking and your dog might even see that you are barking with him! He / She might be thinking, “My owner is joining me and we are barking together!”

When your dog jumps on the counter or gets into the trash do you rush over and tell your dog “no”? You want the behavior to stop because you don’t want your dog to eat food he or she shouldn’t eat. You also don’t want have to buy more food because your dog jump up and ate it. Notice, you gave your dog attention as soon as he or she went after the food.

By now you can see how much attention you might be giving to the behaviors that you don’t like and want to stop. Now it’s time to flip the switch. How do we change the focus? How do we start paying more attention to the behaviors that we like? When we give more attention to the behaviors we like, your dog is getting more attention for those behaviors. As a result, your dog will do more of the behaviors that you like.

If you need help we offer positive dog training serving Chardon, OH, Our Elementary Obedience Group Dog Training Course might be a perfect fit for you and your dog / puppy. It is held in the Chalet at the Chardon Living Memorial near the Chardon High School. Four Legged Scholars offers this course through the Chardon Recreation Center.

Change Your Focus to the Positive Behaviors

Start simple. Make a list of behaviors that you would like your dog to do instead. Are any of these behaviors on your list?

Sitting or laying down
Relaxing on his / her bed
Playing with his / her toys
Walking loosely on the leash
Choosing to move away from the window when a person or dog passes and being more quiet
Waiting quietly while you are doing a task
Coming to you

The first step is your mind. Making this list will remind your mind to focus on the behaviors you want to reward. You have to focus more on what you want, to remember to reward your dog the good behavior. When you reward the good behaviors, you will get more of these behaviors. The trick is to change your focus.

Talk to your friends and family more about what you want your dog to do. Think about your dog doing more of these good behaviors. Catch your dog when he or she is in the act of doing these behaviors, and reward your dog when he or she is doing them.

When your dog does something you do not like, ignore it or redirect that behavior. Then give more attention to the behavior that you do like. So when your dog jumps, turn your back and take away the focus on the jumping. Change your focus to rewarding your dog when he or she sits, downs or stands. Give your dog a treat when he does this good behavior.

If your dog is relaxing and being good, its a good time to reward this. Usually we ignore this. Remember we want to change your focus to rewarding this calming and relaxing behavior. Your dog may be calm and relaxed when you are doing one of the following:

talking on the phone
cooking in the kitchen
eating a meal
working on the computer

Instead of waiting for the jumping, the barking, or the mouthing to happen, reward your dog when he / she is quiet and calm (laying down, sitting, relaxing , etc.) with praise, slow calm petting, or treats. Treats can include something that your dog can chew. A bone or Kong can work well. Chewing may relax your dog even more and reinforce your dog’s calm behavior on a deeper level.

To get your dog to come, think of something that will encourage your dog to turn or run towards you. Here are some ideas:

a fun noise such as a kissing noise
clapping your hands
running away from your dog
kneeling down
squeaking a toy
showing a treat

Once your dog comes, give him / her the item (treat or toy) that he wants. If he won’t come, change your focus to make it easier. Try training in a less distracting setting. This can also work to redirect your dog when he or she is barking out the window. Redirect your dog to move away from the window with one of the above ideas. Then, reward your dog once he turns towards you or comes to you. Repeat numerous times.

If your dog is getting into the trash or jumping on the counter, change your focus to giving something fun for your dog to do. Your dog might be communicating that he or she is bored and needs some mental stimulation or exercise. Some dogs want 2 or more hours of exercise a day! 5-10 minutes of play to redirect the behavior, may not be enough.

Instead of leaving the toys out all of the time, bring out a specific toy when needed. Before you start eating, cooking, getting on the phone or working on the computer, give your dog a fun toy that will occupy him. Have some special toys that are not in your dog’s reach. Bring those toys out during these specific times of the day. These toys become more novel. Praise your dog when he or she chooses to play with them instead of barking, mouthing, jumping, etc.

Go to my Amazon Store and click on Enrichment for some great toy ideas to occupy your dog. Remember to give your dog plenty of attention when he or she is playing with her appropriate toys. As an Amazon Affiliate, we get commission but you do not pay more. Thank you for supporting us.

When walking your dog on the leash, stop walking or change directions when your dog pulls. When the leash is loose walk forward. Now you are giving your dog attention for a loose leash. You can also click and treat when your dog is walking nicely on the leash. You changed your focus to nice leash walking. When your dog pulls, stop giving attention to the pulling by not walking forward, backing up, or changing directions. Ignore the pulling or redirect the pulling behavior. When you back up or changing directions you are immediately rewarding your dog when he choses to put slack on the leash. The slack leash is your new focus. Reward your dog when the leash is slack.

In our Elementary Obedience Course, we are constantly reminding our clients to focus on the positive behaviors that their dogs are doing. Most of the dogs want to bark in the first class. Rewarding the dogs for laying down, being quiet, sitting, going on their bed, etc., keeps our classes calm. We offer positive dog training serving Chardon, OH. Check out our next Elementary Obedience Course now.

Saying “No” Can be Rewarding Your Dog

Negative attention is attention. When you say “no,” you are focusing on the behavior that you dislike. Your dog is getting attention for that behavior. Instead, remember to focus on ignoring or redirecting the behavior you dislike. Reward your dog as soon as he performs the good behavior.

Look above for the redirection ideas. Just remember to stop saying “no.” First you are focusing on what you dislike when you do that. Your mind is then subconsciously looking to for another time to say “no” to your dog. Your mind is searching for what you do NOT want.

When you reward the good behavior, your mind starts looking for when your dog is doing good. Your body is ready to reward this good behavior with a treat, toy, praise, petting. etc. You are searching for the next good behavior and ready to reward it. Your dog will also be getting more attention for that good behavior. Now you have changed your focus.

Repetition is Key

Rewarding your dog for doing the good behavior one time and then going back to saying “no” for the bad behavior is not enough. You have to constantly recommit to reward the good behavior. You may need to redirect your dog hundreds of times before he or she starts choose the good behavior more often.

Stay steady and remain focused on what you want your dog to. Keep redirecting him / her over and over again. Keep repeatedly rewarding what you want him / her to do to get behavior to change.

Here is one example. If your dog is barking at the window, you redirect your dog to come to you with a treat. You reward your dog for coming to you. Your dog goes back to the window and barks again. You call him to you again and reward him for coming. You have repeat this over and over again. Eventually, your dog may bark and come to independently. Make sure you reward this good choice so your dog knows to choose to come to you more often rather than bark continuously at the window.

When we work with positive dog training serving Chardon, OH we constantly remind owners to train the same behavior over and over again. Repetition is key.

Changing Your Energy to Change Your Focus – Positive Dog Training Serving Chardon, OH

If you are stressed, your dog will follow your lead. Stress shuts down the cortex or the thinking part of the brain. Both you and your dog are in a reactive state. The change starts with you. Notice when you want to yell or say “no.” It’s time to realign yourself. Changing your energy to feel more calm is changing your focus to be more grounded and relaxed. The more grounded and relax you feel, the more your dog will follow your lead. Your nervous systems entrain to each other. Meaning your dog feeds of your stress.

What are some activities that help you to relax? Do them. Drop me an e-mail and tell me what helps you to relax. I want to hear from you!

Here are some ideas or activities that might help you ground:

Stretching your neck
Shaking your body
Eye patching
Yoga
Meditation
Breathing through your belly. A longer out breath will relax you more.
Talking to yourself in a soothing manner. Reminding yourself that you are safe and loved.
Alternate nostril breathing
Rapid Eye
Exercise

If you aren’t grounded it is hard to change your focus to the positive. You may need to ground yourself first. Then you cab change your focus more easily. Change your energy and change your dog. Change your focus and change what your dog does. You have more control than you think.

Many dog trainers don’t help owners change their energy. Four Legged Scholars offers positive dog training serving Chardon OH for both the dog and the human. We understand that the humans are a large part of dog training. Check out our upcoming FREE class “Is Your Dog Acting Out?” Calm Your Energy to Calm Your Dog. This course is at the Burton, OH public library.

Be a Team With Your Dog

Your dog has needs and wants too. Listen to him or her. You dog is not a human being. Jumping, barking, mouthing, running away, and leash pulling on the leas are normal for your dog to do. Your dog isn’t trying to annoy you or to be bad. He / she is just being a dog. You have to teach him the appropriate boundaries of your household. You also have to meet your dog’s needs. Your dog will listen better if his or her needs are met. Do the following to meet his / her needs:

Exercise. For some dogs they need 2 or more hours of exercise each day!
Explore. Your dog has a strong nose and may want to sniff and explore his / her environment. Feeding your dog in an enrichment toy instead of a food bowl can meet this need. With a go find it game, let your dog sniff and explore safely in the house. Also allow him to sniff and explore on leash walks or in your yard.
Play. Use toys or other dogs to meet this need.
Mental Stimulation. Your dog will want to learn and use his . her mind. Train him or him. Use enrichment toys that cause your dog to use his or her mind.

Your dog may have a minimal need to lay and relax often. He may be an active dog. Do you need help with a dog sitter, walker or daycare? Check out our Local Services page for suggestions for people and businesses that can support you with exercising your dog.

Four Legged Scholars offers positive dog training serving Chardon, OH. We can come to your home and help you privately. We also have our new Elementary Obedience Group Dog Training Course held through the Chardon Recreation Center. This course is great for basic obedience and socialization with your dog or puppy.

Contact Us Now So We Can Help You With Positive Dog Training Serving Chardon Oh and Surrounding Areas

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Amy Heller

20:07 12 Feb 25

Johanna is super! We had a great time in our classes at the YMCA and learned a lot of skills to take forward with our Goldendoodle puppy! Highly recommend!

Hayley Woodside

19:21 09 Jan 25

I just finished the group obedience class at the Geauga YMCA with Johanna and had a really great time! She was very helpful and did a great job not only training my dog, but also helping me understand how I should be training. Being a first time dog owner, I didn't know what to expect and Johanna made sure it wasn't too overwhelming. I highly recommend Four Legged Scholars for your dog training needs!

D Kintop

19:10 07 Jan 25

Working with Johanna in both a private and group setting has been the best thing we could have ever done for our dog! Amren is an 8 month old small but sassy Mudi that really benefited from the positive reinforcement approach that Johanna takes. With Johanna's help Amren's recall vastly improved, we learned ways to help decrease her reactivity towards other dogs, increased her obedience skills 10x, and even went as far as beginning to teach her how to pick up sticks in the yard! But most importantly, the bond between Amren and I has grown exponentially and our time training with Johanna will always be a fond memory.

Sandy Sterrett

22:49 21 Dec 24

I am older and have an energetic beagle mix, very loving but out of co tr to the point I was contemplating returning her. Now that is t necessary as she can sit and allow me to clip her lead and wait til it’s safe to go out! She also is excellent at coming quickly to the “HERE” command which is safer for her. Thank you! A rare moment of rest after playing in the snow.

Jessica Weinman

15:28 12 Nov 24

Johanna transformed the behavior of my two large dogs. She not only helped them, but help me become a better dog mom and trainer for them. The improvement of the dogs was immense and it’s easier to handle them together now. I can’t thank her enough for the work she put in with them and me.

D Kintop

18:40 08 Nov 24

I highly recommend the personal training sessions! Johanna's approach is to teach YOU how to train your dog using positive reinforcement and she will break down all of the finer details that can really boost the effectiveness of your training sessions with your dog. All of the goals are tailored to you and your dogs needs. You will see improvements in your dogs behavior and more importantly you will feel an improved sense of connection with your dog. Can't reccomend four legged scholars enough!

Jodie Lawless

23:10 20 Aug 24

Johanna of Four Legged Scholars is exceptional. Johanna is very knowledgeable about dogs and their behaviors. I appreciate Johanna and her training of our MiniPoodle pup and us! Johanna taught us alot with patience , kindness, fun, and work! I would recommend Johanna and " Four Legged Scholars LLC" to anyone that needs help training their dogs or puppies.

Bradley Woodrum

18:38 15 Aug 24

Johanna was amazing to work with! This was my first time working with a trainer for my new puppy and she made it fun to learn alongside my dog. It was a very pleasant experience!!

Danielle Hope

13:48 26 Jul 24

After the loss of our blue heeler. We adopted a young 2 year old blue heeler that didn’t have any training. When we 1st got him he was going to the bathroom in the house, playing with humans like we were pups (strong and bitty), waking up everyday at 4am, jumped on everyone entering the house, pulling/ jumping while walking, playing tug with leash, chasing cars, grabbing food off the counter and barking at us while eating our food.

We contacted Johanna with all of this being so overwhelming for our family.
Johanna was so much support through all the struggles and was a life saver teaching us how to how to train our young herding dog. She was friendly and understood everything going on through zoom classes. She worked around our schedule. The zoom classes were very beneficial for learning.

Thank you so much Johanna for all the support and creating peace in our home 🏠 🐕 ❤️

Cyndi Istre

14:34 20 Apr 24

Johanna has been a God send inhelping us learn not only the basic ways of dog training but in how we as humans contribute to our pups behaviors. Biting, jumping and potty training were our biggest challenges and accomplishments. Johanna provided us with the training and informational tools to be successful. She also provided guidance in changing our behavior and reactions to achieve the positive results we were looking for.

Christina Fleck

18:11 15 Mar 24

Johanna has been super helpful and knowledgeable in helping me train our puppy. We went over several techniques including practicing not pulling while on the leash. Our puppy is very responsive to the training tools Johanna has taught my children and me. She’s a wonderful person and a terrific trainer! Highly recommend!

Caleb Edwards

19:11 20 Dec 23

Working with Johanna was an absolute pleasure and my crazy Corgi Skye enjoyed it very much as well. Johanna was extremely diligent and patient with her and myself throughout our learning process. She explained the concepts very well and broke them down into simple to understand steps, which was super impactful for me. It’s a lot of information to learn at once but taking it a step at a time truly helps comprehension. She has helped us get Skye on track to being a calmer and more welcoming household dog and also helped us find better ways to get Skye’s energy out when she needs to. If you need assistance or advice on training or just being better connected with your pets, I would highly recommend Johanna!

Rosemary Krupar

18:04 01 Dec 23

Johanna's positive training system has not only helped our dog but has also helped us to be better pet owners. By learning our dog's body language and applying our own calm demeanor and positive reinforcement, we can help her maintain her own level of calmness during what used to be stressful situations for her. The knowledge and the tools we have gained with Johanna have brought about a more peaceful and pleasant relationship with our dog, Ginny. We highly recommend Johanna for your dog training needs.

Kathleen Clyde

17:25 22 Sep 23

Johanna is a really special trainer. We signed our rescue dog Scout up for training because she almost ran away chasing deer in our neighborhood. Scout also pulled really hard on the leash and I was afraid someone might fall when walking her.

Johanna helped us fix all that and more. Scout is a boxer hound mix, so her smell/chase instinct is really strong. Using all positive reinforcement, we were able to train her to go "easy" on our walks and not pull the leash. Scout also comes when we call her, even facing tough distractions like other dogs or food. We can now walk her off leash on trails and be confident she'll stay near or next to us and not run off chasing something. She also learned other commands like sit/stay, go get it, and lay on your bed.

We humans were trained too! We learned what harness and leashes to use, which treats were best, when to treat her, how to get her interested in training, how to progress through a more complex command, and more. Johanna really knows both animal and human psychology, and working with her was such a fulfilling and rewarding experience — well worth the investment. Scout loved her and we did too. We cannot recommend her strongly enough!

Cindy Sheehan

18:57 06 Sep 23

Johanna was very thorough and offered many good suggestions and examples to train for or correct various behaviors. I liked that her training methods were very positive and based on science - and that they really worked. Our dog absolutely LOVES her!

Kathleen Clyde

00:10 05 Sep 23

Johanna is a really special trainer. We signed our rescue dog Scout up for training because she almost ran away chasing deer in our neighborhood. Scout also pulled really hard on the leash and I was afraid someone might fall when walking her.

Johanna helped us fix all that and more. Scout is a boxer hound mix, so her smell/chase instinct is really strong. Using all positive reinforcement, we were able to train her to go "easy" on our walks and not pull the leash. Scout also comes when we call her, even facing tough distractions like other dogs or food. We can now walk her off leash on trails and be confident she'll stay near or next to us and not run off chasing something. She also learned other commands like sit/stay, go get it, and lay on your bed.

We humans were trained too! We learned what harness and leashes to use, which treats were best, when to treat her, how to get her interested in training, how to progress through a more complex command, and more. Johanna really knows both animal and human psychology, and working with her was such a fulfilling and rewarding experience — well worth the investment. Scout loved her and we did too. We cannot recommend her strongly enough!

Kit Blair

18:01 05 Jul 23

When our newly adopted dog started showing ‘stranger danger’ and other anxiety related behaviors, our veterinarian recommended that we contact Johanna Teresi at Four Legged Scholars. Johanna reviewed the issues we were seeing and developed a training plan. We were able to do the working sessions with her using live Zoom and videos of our ‘homework’. Johanna also has a significant file of relevant training videos that she shared to help reinforce the training modification techniques. We are following the training plan and continue to see incremental improvements in our dog’s behavior. We have also been able to apply what we learned to other issues such as separation anxiety and leash walking. We are more confident going forward with a happier dog! Kudos to Johanna and The Four Legged Scholars program.

Christi LaPrairie

17:58 16 Sep 21

I felt pressured to pay prior to services.

Donna Shaffer

19:51 04 Sep 18

Our dog, Bella, was skittish around new people. She would bark and growl. Our veterinarian recommended training. We contacted Johanna from Ohio4LeggedScholars. Johanna taught us counter conditioning and commands paired with treats. Bella has responded well to the training. She has become more comfortable with new people and new situations. We learned to watch Bella's body language to know when she is feeling confident and comfortable.Thank you Johanna!

rachel downey

19:32 23 Aug 18

I love them. Before they came, my dog max, didnt know how to sit for anything, he kept pulling on the leash when we went for walks on our road, and he kept not waiting when we tried to take him out. He would bolt out. Now he sits a waits for the leash to get it on him. Hes such a great listener now.

Stacey Brazie

00:23 26 Jul 18

We were ready to rip our hair out when I found Johanna online. I contacted her and discussed our problems with our 1 year old Lab Laney. She was jumping on us, afraid of people, barked at everyone/everything that walked by, walked horribly on a leash, and barged at the door when someone was there. Johanna immediately reassured me that she could help! She taught us the different signs that our dog gives us. She also taught us about counter conditioning. She gave us the tools we need to change Laney’s behavior. It is not an overnight fix. You need to be able to work with your pup until it sinks in. Laney has made much improvement in all areas! We are grateful to have found Johanna!!!

David McCoy

02:49 21 Jun 18

Four Legged Scholars provided our family with the expertise and guidance needed to train our new puppy Drew. Trainer Johanna Teresi was the perfect person to help us. Johanna's calm demeanor, excellent knowledge and organized approach allayed any fears that we had about dog training. Drew responded well to her weekly training visits and our ongoing daily training routines. My family wholeheartedly recommends Four Legged Scholars and Johanna Teresi as fantastic and caring solutions when one considers the best method to train your dog.
Dave McCoy Ravenna, Ohio

Karen A

20:25 10 Jun 18

I contacted Johanna when Cooper was almost 6 months old. He had major issues with jumping on people and constantly barking at other dogs. I was impressed with her persistence and patience when training. She probably spent as much time training me as we spent training Cooper. Classes are over for now and Cooper has met all but one of the goals that we set for him. Johanna has given me the tools and techniques to continue to train him, and I am confident that he/we will someday be able to walk in the park without his barking at every dog he meets. Taking the class has and will continue to benefit my relationship with Cooper for years to come. Thank you Johanna.

Sandy Bailey

00:19 12 Mar 18

Johanna Teresi with Four Legged Scholars helped my husband and I so much with our Chocolate Lab, Autumn.
It has been years since we have had a puppy and forgot how much work they can be.
Our major concern was how excited Autumn would get when we would get company or our grandchildren would come over. Autumn would jump on everyone. The little kids would get knocked down.
My husband and I finally said, we're calling for help and called Four Legged Scholars and spoke with Johanna.
Johanna was able to see what we were doing wrong and how we were causing more stress for Autumn by being stressed ourselves and within a few sessions we could see a hug change in Autumn's behavior.
Johanna showed us how to react to Autumn"s jumping on our guest. We let all our guest know how to respond if Autumn tried to jump on them and they were all great about helping with the training. We providing a video to Johanna that my grandson took while having a birthday celebration with a house full of people.
Johanna was able to look at our video and see that her techniques were working and she could see the improvement in Autumn the next time she came to our door.
Autumn's behavior is so much better and we are not afraid for guest to come over or be embarrassed at Autumn"s behavior anymore.
The leash training was also extremely helpful. Autumn was constantly biting at her leash and actually had bitten them to the point of breaking her leashes.
I was amazed at how the clicker training works, but it was great.
Thank you Johanna!

Portage Rescue

16:39 24 May 17

Johanna has been volunteering her time at the County Dog Warden for several months. I love her positive methods. She is very patient with the dogs even when they are acting hyper. Johanna explains everything to me and takes notes so I know what she has done with each dog. I strongly recommend her progressive and positive methods. She has helped me learn so much.

Jamie Flanders

19:34 17 May 17

Johanna was a mentor for me when I was first starting out as a dog trainer. I took my very first puppy class through her with my very first puppy. Johanna is unfailingly kind, not only to the dogs that she works with but the people as well, which is a great trait for a dog trainer to have. Many trainers can work with dogs but have very poor people skills but if you want to make a difference for the dog you have to be able to reach the person. Johanna helped shaped me into the trainer I am today and with her initial guidance my puppy turned into a great companion and muse.

Robyn Jones

01:26 13 May 17

Johanna Teresi with Four Legged Scholars is an incredible trainer. She constantly goes above and beyond the expectations of her clients. I watched her train her own dog in the kindest of ways. She thinks so easily from the perspective of the dog, and is always making sure that the dogs needs are being met as well as the owners needs (both emotional and the training goals). Her classes move smoothly as she is very knowledgeable about all things positive reinforcement. She uses the clicker training and it works magically. She really knows her stuff and uses those skills fantastically. She is the only trainer I'd let help me train my dog.

Ruth Weisman

20:22 12 May 17

I had the opportunity to observe Johanna's work for about two years. She is committed to ethical training through humane practices and tuning herself and her clients to their dog's behaviors and needs. In her own home she focused on addressing even the comfort level of her dog as her family grew, making sure that he felt safe with an over excited toddler as well as successful training to lessen his barking at the door. I highly recommend Johanna for both basic dog training and specific needs. She'll tailor the training to suit your pet and your family.

Angie Kieffer

16:05 11 May 17

I met Johanna about 8 years ago, and I was a full-time parent. I had four kids and four animals. One of my dogs needed training. I see my animals as equals, so I was looking for a positive way to connect with my dog that didn’t involve alpha rolls. One of my dogs, Karma, was very skittish.

I had Johanna come to my home. She taught me that my feelings of anxiety were being projected on my dog. I learned to shift and let go of my thoughts and emotions especially around fear and anxiety. I was then able to be more present and focused with Karma. She was able to release her anxiety. Karma has gained more confidence around people, places, dogs, grooming, and other animals such as horses and cows. Johanna taught me how to allow Karma to have her own experience and to not project my own life experiences and thoughts onto my dog.

Working with Johanna was a rewarding opportunity. I would recommend Johanna to anyone looking for a successful option to positive reinforcement training with their dog.

Susan Steinwand

17:28 10 May 17

I volunteered with Johanna for about one year, attending and assisting in her group courses. Having met numerous dog trainers using varying training techniques, I can say with confidence that Johanna truly cares about her clients, both human and canine, and will work together to ensure a happy, understanding relationship between pet and owner. She teaches with positive methods that help owners understand how to effectively and kindly communicate with their dog, which results in better training outcomes. One thing that makes her training unique is that she not only focuses on how to modify the dog's behavior, but also helps owners understand how their actions can affect the dog's behavior, and how changing them can help the dog to learn more quickly.

I have been using Johanna's training methods with my own dog, Aspen, and in the short time we have had her, she has already learned so much and we have clear, mutual understanding of each other. Whenever I have difficulty with training a behavior, or get frustrated, I think back to Johanna's words and am able to re-approach the situation and get better results.

I highly recommend Four Legged Scholars for anyone seeking help training their dog. Johanna creates an open, fun, and accepting environment where owners can learn how to have a loving relationship with their well-behaved dog.

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