INSTINCT TO HEEL - Kelowna

Life Changing - I have a sweet 16 month old heeler/aussie shep. We have come a long way on our own but have trouble on a leash (prey drive, reactive to other dogs) and her recall is non-existent (scary when I live on a farm and the wildlife, including bears are around constantly). She was also grabbed and pinned by a loose dog on a trail when she was about 6 months old ( = anxiety for Mom and pup). I have so far done 1 session with Ellie and was STUNNED at what we were able to accomplish. With training on a prong collar my pup was able to loose leash walk WITH other dogs around, and paid the most attention to me she ever has on a leash. Ellie understands dogs and is a phenomenal teacher. I feel comfortable and empowered in working with her. The quality of life she is giving my dog and my family is amazing. I look forward to our E-collar board and train this year. Ellie at Instinct to Heel is worth EVERY cent. I will continue to work with her with all of my family's dogs in the future.

I could write an essay about my positive experiences with Ellie. Instead I will simply state the fact that Ellie understands dogs and genuinely wants to teach their owners the skills to do what is best for the dog. Starting with our first telephone conversation, Ellie's instruction gave me back the confidence that I had lost after months of trying, unsuccessfully, to implement another trainer's techniques to correct our dog's reactive behaviour. Ellie's private lessons provided us with clear coaching that gave us the tools to take back control of our dogs in our home and in our neighbourhood. We are extremely grateful for Ellie's non-judgemental guidance and continue to use her training techniques every day. Thank you Ellie for all that you do for the dogs and their owners!

Ellie was excellent during our first private lesson. She gave us the confidence to appropriately correct our German shepherd, which has made a huge difference in just the short period of time we've worked through the training. We highly recommend Ellie!

I have a large dog that has been a nightmare to walk and control, my dog basically ran the show in the house. After just one training session with Ellie, I am seeing a world of a difference with my dog. I am in control and my dog finally listens to me. I no longer fear walking the dog and I don't have to fear that he will drag me through the streets if we see another dog anymore. Ellie took her time with us and showed my dog and I exactly how to communicate. She is amazing! she is well worth the money for the expertise she provides. Highly recommend!

I have recently adopted a little rescue dog. He has some reactive behavior toward some people and some dogs. I was looking to help him through a positive reinforcement approach. Ellie did not provide this to my satisfaction. Her use of a prong collar to correct his behavior was anything but positive. If you are looking to make a confident, relaxed and happy dog who is a member of your family I would suggest you go elsewhere.

Ellie is amazing! My husband and I had almost given up on rehabilitating Stella, our 3 year old Mastiff Great Dane cross. We recently moved to Kelowna from the Yukon and Stella had not adjusted well. Stella was suddenly very dog aggressive and near impossible for me to control as she out weighs me. With my husband out of town working and no back yard to safely let her out in. she and I were basically prisoners in our own home; sneaking out at odd hours for her to go to the bathroom. So scared of the damage she could do at 130lbs of brute strength and several near misses, I believed i had no choice but to put her down. My husband was not ready to give up yet and he did some research and found Ellie. Ellie spent an hour on the phone with me doing a thorough investigation of our troubles. She convinced me to come out with Stella for a private lesson. In one short afternoon Ellie showed me how to take the control back from Stella and make her a more relaxed, attentive dog. I have always owned dogs and thought I knew how to read them. But our Stella is a dominant personality and I'd never run into one like her before. Ellie knows dogs and speaks their language. She showed me what my dog's body language means, and just as importantly, how my dog interprets mine. Thank you so much Ellie for translating for me. Its only been a few days and already I have my life back and am once again feeling the joy of owning a dog.

We are so thankful to have found Ellie. Our German Shepherd, typical of his breed, is a lot of dog. In the recent past, he had become reactive with virtually every dog we encountered, which had made things very difficult. In the house, he was anxious, following us everywhere, whining and unable to settle. He was the kind of dog that didn’t have an off switch. Unfortunately, there aren’t a lot of dog trainers out there that know how to work with high drive/reactive dogs. We did Ellie’s four week board and train and we’re so glad we did. Ellie taught our guy to to just chill, a key to having any control outside of the house. Him and the family learnt the boundaries that were necessary to get this guy under control. Amazingly, we are able to walk him around other dogs without him exploding, making walks much less stressful. We now have the tools we need to continue working with him and address any issues that arise. Ellie has made herself available for phone calls and text messages in the event we need her. She truly cares and that’s evident. We definitely recommend her!

Doing a board and train with Ellie meant getting to keep my dog! I called Ellie as a last resort before rehoming my dog. She experienced significant separation anxiety, would panic bark non stop any time she was left alone, as well engage in escape behavior to get ‘to me’. It was unsafe to leave her unattended, and took over my whole life just caring for her. After 2 weeks of board and train, I took home a new dog! I was reserved about the use of an ecollar, but after 3 different trainers working with us, we gave it a try. My dog is even better behaved than I could have imagined! She has a great confidence about her now, follows all of her basic commands and is a true joy to be around. I can leave her alone and when we are out and about we get compliments regularly about how well trained she is. Ellie is absolutely worth the time and money and I have been recommending her ever since our stay. She continues to support us as needed and works well with both humans and the dogs! If you are questioning if Instinct to Heel is right for you, don’t hesitate! It has provided us a life we never imagined possible!