Reviews
- Classes
- Problems With Other Dogs
- Anxiety & Fears
- Difficult to Handle
- Canine Professionals
- Good Citizen Test
Wendy is a terrific teacher! When we first got Cooper he was 4-months-old and she met with our whole family for a private consultation. Then we started him in puppy kindergarten and continued into group classes. He loved the interactions and we all got a lot out of the training exercises. I highly recommend Wendy Pool and Good Dog! School! - Erin, Ashland, Oregon
I have kept my dog in class with Wendy Pool since he was 10 weeks old; he is 12 months old now and has progressed into the fourth level of training. Wendy Pool’s classes are structured to allow her students and dogs to work at whatever pace they wish to proceed; Wendy has incredible patience. Wendy’s classes are enjoyable and you soon see the benefit behind her years of training through the behavior of your dog. My dog recently qualified to be in the therapy dog program and it never would have happened without Wendy’s expertise in dog behavior and training. - Armo, Ashland, Oregon
I have an 18 month old, rambunctious yellow Labrador Retriever who loves to express her energy and share her love with all! I have attended other obedience classes but have not been able to receive the attention needed for ME to help my girl become an acceptable young woman of society. I have been able to change her behaviors within a few short weeks. I am excited to see where we will be in a few more weeks. I would recommend Wendy if you want a dog you can take to any social situation. Train on!! - Medford Dog Owner
I can't thank you enough. The bond my dog and I have now because of all the work we did with you is incredible. I couldn't have done it without your help. Thanks again! - Kelly, Ashland, Oregon
Wendy is an incredible dog handler and trainer. She is both learned and insightful in her approach. She truly understands the inner workings of the dog and uses firm, yet compassionate training techniques. She has a wonderful way with dogs, but ultimately she is really training us, the dog owner, and does a splendid job of that. Her manual is outstanding and the classes productive.We consider ourselves very lucky to have found such a talented dog trainer and highly recommend her to anyone. - Emma’s Family, California
Picture this: Our King Charles Spaniel loves people and gets excited when we have company. Guests approach. We say, “Go to your pad.” Reluctantly, he goes there. When we finally say, “Okay,” he runs to the newcomers, sits (this part is really hard for him), and waits to be petted. Now it’s time to say good-bye. “Sit, Fletch. Wait,” we say, and the door opens. There he sits, watching our guests depart, until the last car drives off. None of this behavior would have happened without True Companions and Wendy Pool. - Ashland Dog Owner
My dog just loves going to Wendy’s Good Dog School, though it could also be called “Good Owner” school, as that’s one of the great gifts of attending. Both dogs and humans learn a lot. Wendy has taught me to better understand how dogs think which has sharpened my canine communication skills (I don’t bark, but I have learned to body block). We’re lucky to have this school in the valley. I highly recommend it! - Dana G.
As a new dog owner I started with Puppy Kindergarten. I was so impressed with Wendy's knowledge of not just training techniques, but also how dogs think, that I have continued and now am in her High School class. The dogs and I look forward to school for the challenges and fun we have with other classmates. Wendy clearly has perfected an ability to lead group classes while still offering individual support. She teaches the owners how to be effective trainers and integrate those skills into everyday activities. Her advice is always spot on. Flexibility and adaptation are important to Wendy to keep Classes interesting and fun. - Dog Owner
Wendy Pool has given me the joy of bringing a high energy, smart and large labradoodle to the age of one year. Both the classes and some personal sessions have been indispensable for both me and my dog Willa. As a woman of age having a dog that is dependable, socialized and obeys commands is essential. - Dog Owner
Wendy and her assistant, MJ, are great! I look forward to going to class every week!! It is such a rewarding and bonding experience for me and my puppy. We both learn a lot. The classes go way beyond basic dog commands such as "sit", "stay", "down", etc.. I learned how to train my dog to be a well-behaved member of my family and society. The result is a dog that I am proud to walk around the neighborhood and have friends come to visit. And most of all, I have a furry companion that I love with all my heart and is an absolute joy to be around. - Debbie S.
We think our puppy, a German Shepherd mix, was taken from her mom and siblings too young, because she was extremely reactive to other dogs, as well as human handling. She didn't even like us to pet her much at all. We brought her to Wendy, who immediately started working one-on-one with us, and we saw amazing changes right away. What she taught us were very simple, reward-based techniques, that we could easily implement at home, but we never would have figured out how to do them on our own. Wendy was so insightful to recognize the specific challenges our puppy had, and tailored her private sessions to help us address those issues. Now our puppy not only likes to be pet, she will actively seek out cuddles, and even likes to be hugged! Her reactivity to other dogs has drastically improved as well. We can bring her to Wendy's grade school class and she will sit calmly while other dogs bark or jump around. She's such a good girl, and we are so lucky to have found Wendy and the Good Dog School! - K. Mason
Wendy is a perceptive, experienced trainer of dogs and their people. Our 10-month-old yellow lab, Farley, was a real handful when my husband and I sought Wendy's help about 8 weeks ago. Her competent training advice has already made a noticeable difference in Farley's behavior, and, importantly, in our confidence with him. Farley responds readily to Wendy's training, but my husband and I are more difficult students. Wendy has been great at showing us our missteps and how to correct them, leading to a calmer, better behaved dog. Lastly, and importantly, Farley loves going to dog school! He eagerly jumps in the58595a car to go, and he prances and shows off on the leash at school. I take that as a sign we are on the right track. Thank you, Wendy! - Melanie Harrington, PhD, Etna, CA
It had been years since we had a puppy & after two weeks we were a little concerned about our decision to take this on. Then we started our puppy classes with Wendy & her assistant, MJ. We now understand our puppy much better, are beginning to understand various training techniques and having a lot of fun with the experience. Wendy’s classes have helped us and continue to help us so much and I think this will be the best dog we’ve ever had! - Geri & Dave Mathewson
We recently adopted a puppy and Wendy Pool was recommended to us by the breeder. Wendy is very knowledgeable and she truly understands the importance of positive training with treats, clickers and rewards. Wendy did a few home visits to train our entire family, she is wonderful with human children too! We joined "puppy kindergarten" class and met several other new puppies and their owners. The classes are fun for us as well as our dog! - Chris
Our dog loves the company of other dogs and we are getting ourselves and him trained for taking him around town in walks or in the car, and for making life easier and more delightful with him at home. - Margery and Tom Winter
From the moment I talked to Wendy on the phone I knew I liked her. She listened to me tell our story about our dog Freedom and seemed interested and eager to help us. Wendy is soft spoken, gentle, direct with her instructions. She truly understands dog behavior and giving the human tools to use to better the relationship between dog and man. Our interactions in class with other people and dogs makes it fun and gives you food for thought. She truly has a knack in understanding dog behavior and also in teaching that to her students. MJ her assistant is remarkable with her injections of advice and humor. Thank you Wendy and MJ for being there for us. - MeeMee, Linda, Freedom and Bear
So being a novice mom blessed with a new puppy can be a bit of an overwhelming experience. Of course, I want the best for my pup and to give her a good start toward adulthood. Wendy has been invaluable with ideas and training tools to allow this to happen. Of course, it can't happen unless the parent is consistent (much like with a small child). We enjoy the group classes as well as the puppy play groups and I am convinced it has made a difference. Thank you Wendy and MJ. - Dog Owner
We have been very pleased training our puppies with Wendy Pool. So far she has trained 5 of our Shar Pei dogs, and we currently have a puppy in training. Wendy is very thorough and professional in her work. She brings to the table training techniques enabling the puppy to meet all sorts of challenges they will encounter in dog life. Training sessions are fun and educational for both owner and the puppy. You can bring your individual dog problems to Wendy on a personal basis. I think it is very important to have a professional like Wendy be involved in dog and puppy training if you want a well mannered, well behaved and happy dog. - John T and Dee An Weisel
We just started at the Good Dog School and our sweet little terrier is making headway. Wendy has lots of good suggestions for behavior problems. Apparently Tex, all 10 lbs. of him is anxious about many things including people and loud noises and that has caused him to bark and be aggressive when he is frightened. We have had two private classes and the barking, jumping up, and biting is much improved. He is a noticeably calmer dog and that works for me. I can't wait to see the end product. - Dog Owner
We have two calm, well-behaved, and most importantly, happy dogs thanks to Wendy Pool and her excellent training. Through Wendy we have learned skills that will serve us through the lifetime of our beloved pets. Wendy has shown us how to lead our dogs toward good behavior using a variety of tools and drawing upon unbelievable patience. Our big German Shepherd has especially benefitted through Wendy’s training, and he looks forward to our sessions with her as the best part of his week! Wendy’s methods focus on diligently repeating positive communication with our dogs, and rewarding a desired action instead of punishing for mistakes. The classes are fun and effective, and our private sessions have allowed us to work more closely with our dogs that has created a trusting bond between us and our animals. We owe so much to our wonderful dog trainer for making our lives easier, and the lives of our dogs richer! - Dog Owner
We are the proud owners of Ernie, a great big, lovable labradoodle. Ernie is very smart, energetic and strong! We started him in kindergarten at the Good Dog School with Wendy and proceeded to go though "college." We learned so many valuable skills in class. Ernie is by far the best companion dog we have ever had and we have had some very good dogs in the past! Wendy was able to give us the skills to shape Ernie into a well socialized, responsive pet. It was particularly amazing to see what she could accomplish with a group of dogs with varieties of personalities and temperaments. The games and exercises we did in the group setting were fun and challenging but she always made sure we (dogs and humans alike) were successful. We owe a lot of the joy we get from Ernie to the skills we learned at The Good Dog School. We would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a pleasurable pet experience. - Cathy and Larry Maukonen
Wendy is a trainer extraordinaire. She has the touch, the voice and the skill of a gifted teacher and always achieves positive results - a calmer, happier and more obedient dog. - Mari Gayatri, author, Unleashing Your Inner Dog (and others)
We owe a lot to Wendy's training style. Not only has she made having and managing a 70 pound Labrador puppy a joy but her program has made us better dog owners. - Tom, Cindy and Nathan Suttle, Medford, Oregon
You took a dog that was totally out of control and he has now conformed to our routine and is not even a year old! God bless you!! - Kristi Phillips, Ashland, Oregon
I love hearing how you continue to have a positive impact on puppy /people relations! Our sweet Sophie continues to delight us. - Karen O’Dougherty, Ashland, Oregon
(sent as a text) Just a quick Gunnarr update. Two days ago, we were on our evening walk. We encountered a big poodle type dog, off lead, laying in driveway. The dog immediately goes ape shit and starts lunging and barking at Gunnarr. His ears were up, his tail was up as were his hackles. He was primed for a war. I kept him engaged with me, repeating easy over and over. The poodle kept it up, Gunnarr and I kept walking. Gunnarr kept an eye on him for awhile, but that was it. When we were some distance from the dog, I put Gunnarr in a sit and gave him a ton of praise for not going dead red. The whole deal was amazing.
- Medford dog owner
When we brought Juni home from the shelter, we all immediately fell in love with her. She was very affectionate and loving but not very well mannered. She would jump up on guests when they visited, put her front paws on the kitchen counter while we were preparing and eating meals, pull on the leash when taking a walk, and become very excited and uncontrollable around other dogs. Wendy was able to correct all of these undesirable behaviors. Wendy taught us strategies and positive reinforcement techniques for modifying Juni's bad habits. Now we are able to walk Juni on a loose leash and pass other dogs with out incident. She no longer jumps on guests, she stays off the kitchen counters, and waits to be invited before getting on the furniture. Thanks to Wendy, we now have the dog we always wanted. We have a pit bull, and I was very impressed with Wendy's breadth of knowledge about the history, temperament and personality of this breed.
- George and Julie Ramsey, Medford, Oregon
Wendy Pool is our hero. We contacted Wendy when our dog, who suffered from separation anxiety, was on his last chance at our house. While we went on several trips, "Norm" did board and train with Wendy for almost five weeks and came home a much calmer dog who could be left alone. We got our life back and because of Wendy's expertise and patience with "Norm" we can now enjoy him so much more. Wendy really knows what to do when training dogs and we would recommend her enthusiastically.
- Larry and Debra Wolfson, Ashland, Oregon
I have a 3.5 lb teacup poodle, Brandy. When we got Brandy, she was very shy and "spooky" around people. Using the recommendations and tools both in her book and classes, Brandy is no longer afraid of people and is very well adjusted. The socialization that occurred in the classes was of great benefit to her. In fact, we now have the most well trained dog we have ever owned, and we’ve owned over 15 dogs. I also had trouble grooming her front paws. She is extremely sensitive about her feet. Using the suggestions Wendy gave us, I have been able to successfully groom and clip her feet. I have no hesitation in recommending Wendy Pool and her classes for anyone’s dog.
- Barbara Jarvis, Ashland, Oregon
We began with a fearful, defensive puppy that now enjoys likfe of a socially well-adjusted dog. "Thomas" loves the world, and it loves him back. Due to Wendy's expertise and positive approach, we were able to re-shape our pup's perspective and even have some fun along the way!
- Sue Flynn, Ashland, Oregon
We recently adopted a dog from the animal shelter that is very loving and affectionate; however, we were very surprised when she nipped at a visiting child who had run up to her very quickly. Wendy was able to schedule a home visit almost immediately and her advice in just two sessions showed us how to work with the “triggers” that caused our dog to be alarmed and fearful. Within a few weeks we were confident that our sweet new dog would be the great companion we thought she would be when we picked her out. We now recognize situations where we occasionally need to be more cautious, but for the most part we have managed to ease our dog’s fears using the tricks Wendy showed us. Thanks, Wendy!
- Janet Larmore, Ashland, Oregon
Wendy Pool has been a life saver for me. I have a young Rottweiler that was becoming very hard for me to handle. Wendy spent 2 hours going over my dogs history and I came away with the feeling that "I can do this!" We have been attending Wendy's classes and I have seen a marked improvement in my dogs behavior and in my ability to handle this BIG dog. Thank you Wendy.
- JoAnne Weisel, Ashland, Oregon
Thank you so much, Wendy. My relationship with my dog is so much better now. My dog is compliant and does everything you taught him. I'm so impressed with what you did in such a short time that I can't find the words. The training you did worked out much better than I'd hoped... If the kids get him jazzed up he stops listening, but he actually seems to be able to quiet himself, and, once I get his attention, he obeys even in the face of all this chaos. At 6 months old, he's actually better behaved than any of the other family dogs right now. Thanks again!
- Sharon, Medford, Oregon
Good Dog! School's methods fall into the "why didn't I think of that?" category. The methods are logical, supportive and positive. The results demonstrate how successful the classes are. The dog parents are all very different individuals in each class. Our trainer recognizes and meets the challenge of dealing with the singular quirks and challenges of the students. I can't imagine going to any other trainer given our wonderful experience with Good Dog! School.
- Ashland Dog Owner
Our new little puppy had more energy that we could handle and our efforts ner at home training were not showing much results. Almost immediately, our dog responded to training with Wendy Pool at Good Dog! School. We've been amazed to watch her progress - and we have too in our understanding of how to work with our beloved pet. Wendy teaches you (the human) tools and techniques to help your pet learn how to behave in different situations and how to prevent developing bad habits. Classes are always informative and fun.
- Ashland Dog Owner
As our young labrador puppy started to reach 6 months of age, we realized that he would be much bigger and more rambunctious than my husband and I could handle without all of us getting some training. We enrolled Magoo in multiple classes with Wendy. She was able to help us get through his stubborn adolescence. He is now 7 years old and 120 pounds. He still remembers the early training and will come running when he hears his clicker! I don't know what we would have done without Wendy's help. I continue to recommend other pet owners to the Good Dog School whenever I have the opportunity.
- Diana Schropp DVM DipACVECC
I am a professional dog trainer living with a houseful of dogs When I get a new puppy, I want it to get off the best possible start. It is exposed to my adult dogs and I , of course, know how to train that puppy. However, what I can't give the puppy in my own home, is the necessary and important exposure to other puppies of various ages, new people, and environment. It is critical for all puppies to have these experiences when they are young. Thanks to Wendy's puppy classes, my puppies were able to acquire wonderful socialization skills as well learn and develop in a fun a safe environment. Wendy is a caring and patient trainer with a vast amount of knowledge. I highly recommend her puppy classes.
- Bev Dauber, Professional Dog Trainer and Behavior Consultant, Eagle Point, Oregon
As a professional dog agility instructor and Volunteer Trainer at the Humane Society and Animal Shelter, I refer all my tough cases, including problems with aggression, to Wendy. She is a terrific problem solver and can help in situations where others can't. I happily refer people to Wendy for help with any behavior problem. I also refer people to Wendy who are looking for a fun group class for their dog or puppy. The exercises taught in her classes are practical and are great for anyone who wants to increase the bond with their dog.
- Dianne Quarg, Eagle Point, Oregon
- Volunteer Coordinator at the Humane Society (1992-2000)
- Head of the Foster Program at the Humane Society (1992-2000)
- Volunteer Trainer at the Humane Society and Animal Shelter (2002 to present)
- Professional Agility Instructor (1998 to present)
Wendy is a trainer extraordinaire. She has the touch, the voice and the skill of a gifted teacher and always achieves positive results - a calmer, happier and more obedient dog.
- Mari Gayatri, author, Unleashing Your Inner Dog (and others)
Wendy, I'd like to send a big THANK YOU for all your help and support! Niabh passed her CGC last Saturday with flying colors and was the youngest dog in that group taking the test. We couldn't have done it without you!! The Levels class format worked beautifully for passing the CGC. I'm sure it would help with any other training issue! - Mary Sharkey, Medford, Oregon