"My family has appreciated having Diane as our pet trainer. Diane is a professional dog lover and people educator. She is a gifted trainer, both in understanding canine motivation and behavior and in coaching owners to be better pack leaders. We got highly individualized attention with in-home training visits. We were given a wealth of research and material to read and homework assignments to work on prior to the next visit. Diane is a great communicator with people and canines - a perfect combination!" You not only get a great trainer, but a friend and coach for life" I recommend Diane as your pet trainer.
Gassia M.
"I enjoy learning from Diane so much! My dog, Perl loves her too. Diane teaches you how to communicate to your dog in such a fun way. I likened her technique to Victoria Stilwell's (It's Me or the Dog) technique. It is all positive and full of love. She is great at solving problem behaviors as well as specific 'tricks' you would like your dog to know. She can customize the technique to you and your dog's needs. Perl passed her Canine Good Citizen because of Diane!"
Barb S.
"Diane did a good job in helping us train our dog. She came to our house which was great, and made it a whole lot easier. She was friendly & honest and gave us paperwork with great tips to review on what she had just taught us in training our dog.
She also stayed a little longer at times when training Bosco.
We were so satisfied with her; we gave her name to another friend who was very impressed with her as well.
Good job Diane."
Fran O.
"Most helpful of all was having you work with my children to make sure that they used correct timing, so his training was a family effort. (Having you tell them what to do was more effective than coming from me). Also, thank you for your helpful insights each week when I picked your brain for tips on surviving puppy behavior. Brody was always so excited to see you each week. Hopefully, we will be able to schedule another round of sessions to teach him a few new tricks! Again, thank you so much!"
Sincerely,
Regina D.
"I would like to take this opportunity to thank Diane Nikander for her expertise in helping me train my dogs using positive reinforcement. She is a wonderful trainer, very knowledgeable and very patient.
Four years ago, I adopted my Rottweiler, Shadow, from a shelter. He was about two years old at the time and had no training whatsoever. With Diane's guidance, he became an amazing student and we both loved the training. He always knew what was expected of him and most times I just used hand signals with him. I will never forget Diane using a clicker to get Shadow to put a toy into a basket without saying a word to him of what she wanted him to do. I was amazed at how she got him to figure out on his own what she wanted. Truly amazing!!
Three years ago, I adopted another dog from a shelter, Pumpkin. She was three months of age and once again I called on Diane for training. She did an amazing job with her too. Both dogs made a tremendous improvement in such a short period of time. I recently lost Shadow but have rescued yet another puppy, Lucky, and I just started training him with Diane. I am sure I will have amazing results with him as well.
I would definitely recommend Diane as a trainer. She has trained all three of my dogs, and I will have her train any future dogs as well. She is an amazing trainer and person."
Josephine R.
"We sought Diane's dog training services before our first baby was born. Captain and Juno needed help with behaviors such as jumping up to greet people, not coming when called, barking excessively...manners in general. Diane's program was easy to follow and set up as a step by step process so that you can train at your own pace. We were very happy with the results, our two pups have adapted well to life with the new baby and are much easier to manage with the skills they learned through the training process."
Jenn A.
"Three years ago, we got our first dog Hudson. Hudson is a high energy Shetland Sheepdog. A Sheltie is a herding dog, and they are happiest when they have a job to do and are exercising their brains and bodies.
We first started training Hudson with Diane when he was 11 weeks old. Through her methods of positive reinforcement Hudson made great strides in learning new tricks, obedience, and how to walk properly and appropriately on a lead, amongst other things. We were so happy with the quick results that we continued with Diane for further training. We gleaned a ton of knowledge about how to handle behaviors, how to keep Hudson healthy and happy, and we truly enjoyed working with Diane. Hudson has been able to maintain all of his skills and tricks and knows what kinds of behaviors are expected of him in different environments. People have described Hudson as "quite the gentleman" and we have Diane to thank for that. Everyone on our block knows Hudson and always comments on how well trained he is! Diane is a wonderful trainer and will make great strides with your dog, all while keeping things fun and positive. Hudson (as well as us) absolutely LOVED Diane (who Hudson knows as "Coach")."
Aimee F.
"I met Diane when I was about six months old. She taught me manners in such a fun way, I did not realize that I was in training. Diane trained me with positive reinforcement and taught me to be myself within my mom’s boundaries. I had a difficult time learning to stay when my mom went out of sight, but Diane was always patient and kind, and instructed me with such a soothing but firm voice that I was able to pass my CGC test."
Tosca (6 year old Maltese)
"Diane is the most knowledgeable, warm-spirited trainer I have come to know. She fosters positive dog training, meets each dog right where they are, and trains them to be the dog each owner wants. I would never choose another trainer – she represents positive dog training at its best."C. Renee (Tosca’s mom)
"I met Diane when I decided to train my new Lhasa Apso puppy, Ohgr. Diane was so wonderful and showed my husband and me how to train Ohgr with positive reinforcement. My husband had never owned a dog before, and Diane always answered his questions and really taught him how to be a good dog daddy.
Diane teaches that patience and respect for your dog are always excellent tools to use. She instills in her students that positive reinforcement is always the best method to achieve a happy relationship with your dog and in turn to have a happy dog.
Anyone who knows anything about stubborn Lhasa Apso personalities knows that it takes a great dog trainer to teach an owner to teach her Lhasa to respond to 23 verbal commands and to do rally. Diane is that dog trainer.
She is always there to help you through those tough puppy times and remains there whenever you need her. I will always recommend Diane to anyone wanting to have a great lifelong relationship with his or her dog."
Rachel D.