Testimonials

"I really think the intermediate obedience class we took and Rally O have made a big difference on Greta's focus on me and our development as a team. I have noticed a difference in agility class too . Its fun learning new tricks! Greta loves it too!"

~ Emily from Portland

...the underlying message is rally gave me the tools to teach all kinds of other stuff, and I’m thrilled about it! Who knew I could teach the dogs to take my socks and shoes off?!!!

~ Ann from Durham

It is not an exaggeration to say the DogSense's Super Seniors class was one of the best things that has ever happened for my dog "Spice". It's heartbreaking to watch her get older; Spice has always loved a good hike, but at 14 years young, she is having more difficulty going long distances. Super Seniors gave her the opportunity to stay active with fun and low-impact exercise in a low-key environment. I noticed a significant change in Spice after completing this class; She has a little extra pep in her step, thanks to the engaging and brain-stimulating activities that were introduced in class Spice and I were also introduced to Sniff It, and we will be taking a workshop together later this month! I am forever grateful to DogSense for giving Spice a new lease on life. I will definitely take this class once it is offered again.

~ Becca from Portland

You may remember Cody, the little shy guy who was in one of your classes last year. Just wanted to let you know that Cody has been going off leash and has been 100% trustworthy, which has made x-country skiing with him a blast. Still a bit shy with new people, but now very confident and a happy little guy. You have never seen a dog as joyful as Cody when he is flying through the woods in the snow at what looks like 90 miles an hour. He is the most wonderful companion imaginable. Thanks for all of your help!

~ Anita from Glen, NH

I just wanted to thank you for your help, it has gone a long way with Seamus and has really helped his behavior. Almost more importantly it has helped to teach me how to properly train and teach him. I needed the conditioning as badly as he did! I’m sure you have not seen the last of us!

~ Cliff from Portland

Carolyn is a skillful trainer that makes classes both informative and fun for both the humans and the dogs.
She is very knowledgeable and professional and provides information to keep people and dogs safe and happy!

~ Sue from South Portland

My dogs improved in spite of me! Carolyn makes it fun & offers constructive criticism in a sensitive way. She is as good with people as she is with dogs.

~ Bonnie from Portland

The Off-Leash class was great! The exercises made sense and I saw results quickly. I have no suggestions for improvement. The class was perfect Violet and I both had fun, and we look forward to taking more classes with you in the future.

~ Tina from Portland

I just wanted to say again how much I have enjoyed and appreciated you and your expertise - that made for a fantastic experience in our class! I was always so happy that I made the effort to come and always left wishing the next class was tomorrow!

~ Christine from South Portland

Wanted to share my experience at the vets with my two proper dogs. We had to wait quite awhile and both Pepper and Oliver came in quietly, sat then lay down on command. When it came time to check out we had to wait for some test results. I told both dogs to sit and wait which they did perfectly. All the time that's we're dogs coming in, lunging at them, barking etc. Oliver and Pepper never moved. People commented on their great behavior. I gave you full credit. Thank you for teaching me to have such proper dogs.

~ Donna from Gorham

Thank you!!! I just had to tell you the whole drive home Alex kept talking about how much fun he had in the class and how he really appreciated how patient you are and how logical you are in explaining everything. I'm going to really try to get him to come to more classes!

~ Gillian from Gorham

I am sure it was the great class last night, but I put the harness on Danny this morning and we had the best walk we have ever had! About 75% less pulling. I think he felt more comfortable and confident. He found a stick put it between his teeth and pranced down the street for several blocks showing all his new purple harness and terrific stick.

~ Mike from Falmouth

Just want to thank you for a great class - I so enjoy your method of training. Sasha and I really have a good time!

~ Holly from Scarborough

I wanted to thank you for your wonderful training-for me and Ziggy. I often think of you as I walk two very well minded, very social dogs-Riley and Ziggy-they are marvelous to walk-come when called-walk beside me when needed and both are extremely social-with humans and dogs.
Ziggy is still a little shy around some people but certainly not the same dog as he was when we first started your class. He is happy to be a live everyday!
I am confident that you would be proud of the two little puppies that started your classes months ago as they have grown into wonderful, obedient, loving young dogs.
You are a wonderful instructor-full of insight and wisdom-I highly recommend you!

~ Toni from Portland

I just wanted to say I spoke with the dog walker and she said Haylie is doing so well, she said she is like a different dog - not pulling or dragging down the street, she is enjoyable to walk. Same with (my 10 yr old daughter) Bella. I don't have to worry as much about her getting pulled into the street and Bella can take Haylie on longer walks. I think the combination of the harness and the
re-directing is helping Haylie. We thought we were going to have to give her away and now she is like a
new dog and we see a light at the end. I can have my 80 year old dad walk Haylie and not get dragged down the street! Finally! We still have work to do but she is doing so great. Thanks so much!

~ Val from Cape Elizabeth

Another HUGE thank you to you!!. We won the Advanced class with a 98!! She started to wander a bit going to the first sign and I thought oh crap. Then I said trust her when you call her back. Miracles she listened and kept listening. Thank you, thank you for all your help. We never could have gotten this far without you!

~ Sheryl from New Gloucester

Just wanted to drop you a line to thank you for the awesome class! Money well spent! You made it a fun, judgement free zone which meant the world to us and our girl. The continued support and caring you provide gave us hope. You made us feel like everything is doable and you’re always a phone call or text away. As a class we were all on the same boat and it felt good to know that we were all Team Addie, Pepper ,Ringo ,Lucy , Nina & Nash. You haven’t seen the last of us! : ) You will absolutely be our go to trainer and we’ll probably put Addie’s fur brother through a class next time around. I’m so glad we found you and will definitely be singing your praises any chance we get! : )

~ Laura from Standish

We are trying to use the techniques you taught us regularly. Buddy has definitely benefitted from it more than anything else we have tried. Sadie is walking much better with the harness and double leash.
TTouch Workshop participant

~ Cathy, Londonderry NH

I just wanted to thank you for your help, it has gone a long way with Seamus and has really helped his behavior. Almost more importantly it has helped to teach me how to properly train and teach him. I needed the conditioning as badly as he did! I’m sure you have not seen the last of us!

~ Cliff from Portland

"I signed my dog Corbin up for the Beginner Dog Training class and was amazed at how much he improved in just a six week course. From the first night I learned new things I could start implementing into our daily routine, and over time I saw him begin to focus and respond to commands better than he ever had before. The structure of Carolyn's training is such that both dog and owner are entertained but not overwhelmed, which was perfect for a pup as rowdy as mine! I am now much better equipped to train my dog on my own and would highly recommend the Beginner Dog Training course to anyone looking to improve their dog's behavior!"

~ Mike from Portland

I am feeling much more optimistic after meeting with you. My daughter and her family came over yesterday afternoon and I practiced the Glance & Reward to keep him calm when they came into the house and then having him wait until we gave him permission to go say hello and it was amazing!! He is usually so excited and barking and crazy but he did really, really great!

~ Wendy from Lewiston

I always recommend you and your class to everyone I know with a puppy. I benefited so much, even more than 7 years later we used what we learned in puppy class.

~ Cindi from Portland

"After working with you for just one short hour gave me all kinds of confidence that we can work through this behavior with Oban. That's half the battle!”

~ Annette from Windham ME

"Really fun! Many thanks for all you do- you make my life with my dogs even better!"

~ Holly from Scarborough

Thank you so much for all your expertise you shared during the recent Beginner Dog Training class. We have experienced many different methods of training over the years, but this class was by far the best. Your techniques make so much sense and are extremely effective. The classes were a lot of fun and so quiet - it was a wonderful learning environment for the dogs. I appreciated the small class size which allowed you the opportunity to focus on specific issues.

~ Candice from Buxton

Marcus graduated from his Intermediate class yesterday. What a FANTASTIC class with Carolyn Lindsey Ross. Every class filled with such practical skills in the company of 7-8 other dogs and wonderful people. Love how Carolyn fills every class with a variety of fun ways to practice critical skills. I am certain that's why Marcus does SO well in public. It's one thing to practice skills at home and a whole different thing in public with so many dogs and people. Love how you individualize advice to each person in class Carolyn. So worth 3 hrs of driving for each class. Thanks so much and I look forward to more after a Wag It Camp break.

~ Rita from Winslow,ME

"Thank you for the help, it was nice to hear from a professional. But also - instead of being anxious, nervous, or worried about her future, I can confidently work on molding all the desired qualities.
In just one session, she was really working on being more engaged with me...it was quite interesting to see her (later on) bring me other toys to see if I wanted to play...I see her engaging more with me now! All the dogs got involved and wanted to participate.
Now that I am less concerned about the growling and seeing how clever she is, my heart has opened.....I am learning to stay focused and also relax."

~ Holly from Gorham

By the way, when we left class on Tuesday, you mentioned that you were pleased to see me do a couple of tricks that you taught me. Bottom line is that you taught me just about everything other than
sit, down and heel! So, it's all your inspiration and expertise!
It's really fun, and we play with the tricks a lot. Bailey now expects to do a series of tricks for his morning slices of banana!! And we have fun walking down the street doing throughs, arounds, spins, front crosses and whatever else. I thank you and so does Bailey.

~ Lois from Portland

“Who knew the real world benefits of training? Jem, a 1 yr old Australian Cattle Dog, and I have been playing Wag-It Games (Obstacles and Shadow Skill) with Carolyn for about 6 months.
Jem is an extremely physical dog and has always delighted in stealing gloves…sometimes with the hand still in it! Last winter this led to a lot of cold hands out on the x-country ski trails and a happy dog running just out of reach with the glove…but no longer.
It occurred to me that she should be bringing that glove back to me so I asked and, miracle of miracles, she did and now regularly brings whatever she snitches right back to us!

Add that to all of the other real world benefits – Jem totally cued in to us, awesome recall, calm, happy, obedient dog – along with just plain fun classes and we could not be happier that we found Carolyn and Dog Sense!”

~ Pam from Dayton

Thank you so much for this great follow up after our wonderful session with you! We really enjoyed meeting you, and we both got so much from our session . I had fun trying out the things you showed us with Luna while we were together, and I’ve continued to work on them every day with her at random times. The nervous biting is almost completely gone — wow. I love the articles you shared — they are VERY helpful and packed with good information.

~ Cathryn from Portland

What doesn't show in the photo is my confidence in being able to let her off leash at East End Beach. The work we do on training and partnership - though a bit limited and imprecise - has paid off with a trustworthy dog. She elects to stay near me and has acceptable public behavior. Of course, partly it's just her but it's also partly attributable to the kind of work we do with you!

~ Polly from Gorham

Carolyn, this was soooo much fun....creative equipment...using my own learned knowledge to resource and decide best ways to train obstacles we had previously never done...and success! The independence this exercise demanded is empowering. I feel more confident in training after having done this and I am looking forward to doing more. Thank you for all your patience!

~ Gina from China, ME

This thank you is overdue! We had such a great time in your class and learned so much. I really appreciate your skill and patience. Molly is a better dog and we are better dog owners!

~ Mary Katherine from Hollis

We had a great outing this morning and I actually looked for dogs because saw them as an opportunity to practice rather than a problem. Walking again with friends this afternoon! I feel more confident than I was.

~ Lizz from Portland

We've used both your leash technique (greetings and furniture hopping!), and some "self-soothing" crate time
several times since yesterday. Am happy to report he responded well to both at the time, with minimal protest. He's in the crate now with one of his favorite chew toys, rolling around a bit and "talking" to it quietly......I'm eager to learn from these articles and video...We thoroughly enjoyed meeting with you yesterday and were so impressed with the extent of your knowledge, experience, and your kindness.

~ Peggy from Gorham

Seeing an improvement in Otis every day! He now runs up to people and sits and waits to be pet!
He never could have done that a few months ago! Thank you so much!

~ Jeanette from Windham

I wanted to take a moment to affirm the great choice you have made in adding Jerry to the DogSense training team. I’ve now taken two sets of classes with him and found him both knowledgable and personable. He manages to adjust to the different ability levels of each trainer while keeping the entire class moving forward. It’s amazing how much he can pack into one sample class giving us a good idea of how to get started and the “tools" to use showing us where we should be ending up.

I appreciate he's on time and prepared for each class also finding his follow up emails very useful in a recap and I will be able to refer back to them for links and info.

~ Bea from Buxton

Thank you so much for all the time and expertise you shared with us. I can see why people so highly recommend your classes!

~ Heidi from Gorham

I just want to let you know that you have totally changed my life!
Your training methods are so clear and concise, and I feel so much more confident about being able to train my dog. I cannot believe the difference one session has made for me and I think for Phoebe as well.
I'm not sure I'm doing everything exactly right, but I totally understand.
As a side note, there was no 6 pm craziness. She was totally calm so it was encouraging to see this!
Thank you so so much!

~ Sheri from Saco

We took Mochi for her next round of vaccinations this morning and the vet was really impressed with how far she's come and how well-behaved she is for a puppy (she was sitting nicely and asking for treats as soon as she figured out who controlled access to them!!), so thanks so much for all the help with learning how to support her.

~ Louise from Portland

I took a great deal away from your class. I've never had a dog before and didn't have a clue where to begin working with Hunter. The class - the techniques, starting with the eye-contact game, gave me confidence. After the first class, I went home and did the touch and eye contact game with Hunter for half an hour - and I couldn't get over how quickly he caught on. I still rely on those little games to connect with him when he spends longs days with me in my office. Even when he's not perfect, those little get-in-touch games get us back to common ground.

I like your approach - making the effort to see things from the dog's point of view makes sense to me and aligns more with the way I like to be treated myself. I think it works.

~ Pam from Portland

Everything is great! I was so impressed at the first class in how everything was so well organized. The workbook is easy to understand and to the point.

~ Carlene from Berlin, NH

Carolyn was able to not only teach me some great lessons for my puppy, but also helped me correct my own faults. She taught us both lessons which strenghthened the bond between us. Her instruction is invaluable!

~ David from Yarmouth

We were so happy with our beginner obedience class with Carolyn that we signed up for the intermediate class. Carolyn helped us to work with our high energy Lab and taught us how to work with him and make home life easier. We wish we could take her home with us!

~ Erin from South Portland

We were up in the air whether or not our 9 month old Golden Retriever Sandi needed a formal obedience class. She knew basic commands and walked pretty well on a leash. After some deliberation we decided – hey what could it hurt!? Are we glad we enrolled in Carolyn’s basic obedience class! Though we had spent time teaching our puppy basic commands from the moment we adopted her, Carolyn’s techniques really helped to reinforce Sandi’s understanding of the commands. I feel after completing the class with Carolyn, our puppy not only has a firm understanding of what we are asking of her, but she thoroughly enjoys carrying out the command. I felt the homework portion was a nice touch – it really motivated me to work with Sandi out of class. All and all it was a great experience and a lot of fun!

~ Linsey from Portland

Sasha and I (probably myself even more) have learned so much. While we already had formed a bond when beginning the class, I think it has really solidified our bond. I would definitely recommend for anyone adopting a pet. Behavioral issues or not, it is a super bonding experience!

~ Denise from Gorham

We have been thrilled with all classes planned and taught by Carolyn. She is a great teacher, whose love of dogs and true respect for the owner's relationship to their dog, and their skill level with their dog is admirable. Carolyn's classes are well-planned, upbeat fun, enthusiastic and full of amazing knowledge and problem-solving skills. She is a true professional and a delightful teacher!

~ Wendy & Gerry from Westbrook

I had never trained any dogs prior to joining the Beginner Class with my two year old dog. I figured that the dog and I would both have a terrible time and most likely be asked to leave the class as we both would be untrainable, what with the learning the commands, learning how to handle the dog on a leash the correct way, and having other dogs in the class.

I have to say that Carolyn’s training technique of humans is WONDERFUL and her technique with DOG IS EVEN BETTER! I learned so much from her on how to train myself and train my dog that working daily with my dog at home and weekly attendance at class was a pleasure.

I would recommend Carolyn’ classes to everyone who has a dog, no matter what age the human or dog happen to be.

~ Ron from Portland

Teaching her to relax on cue has been an invaluable tool. I'm so proud of the many changes I have seen in her over the past couple of months & will continue to strive for higher achievements with both of my dogs. Thank you so much for everything. You make learning simple & straightforward & explain yourself very well.

~ Angela from Hollis

Carolyn is great! She is so motivated and excited to help her human and animal students succeed. Leash walking is generally stress free and fun now that I've been taught how to make walking my dog into a game of training instead of pulling. Besides, like Carolyn says "It's a game to them."

~ Carlene from Berlin, NH