Paula has made a huge impact on both my dog’s life and my own. She has helped me truly understand my girl, which has set her up for success in this chaotic world. I can already see a difference, her outlook on life is slowly changing, and that is a huge win for us.
For most of her life, my dog viewed people, other dogs, and their actions negatively. Paula’s approach isn’t regular training, it’s true counseling. She has taught me how to be more patient, trust my dog more, and slowly rebuild her confidence. That being said, I have done board-and-train programs before, and they didn’t meet my dog’s needs. Every dog is different, and I truly believe that’s what makes Paula’s work so special. She takes the time to understand each dog needs and tailors her counseling to meet them. Paula’s guidance has made a real difference!

I am so grateful I found Paula. I was at a complete loss with my dog, Velvet, and truly thought I was going to have to rehome her. From the day I brought her home, I hadn’t gotten a full night’s sleep. I have two teenagers, three cats, and another dog, and I wanted Velvet both as a companion for my dog and as an ESA for my son. Instead, her anxiety quickly became overwhelming—for her and for us.

Velvet couldn’t be away from me if I was in the house. She destroyed carpet by the doors, could open doors herself, and nothing (hampers, suitcases, barricades) stopped her from barging in. She licked constantly, jumped endlessly, and woke me up at all hours of the night because she couldn’t be alone. Obedience training wasn’t the answer—teaching “sit” or “stay” wasn’t going to fix the root issue.

I was doubtful anything would work, especially since I have a demanding job and knew my kids couldn’t fully participate in the training. But I decided to work with Paula for 3 months before making any hard decisions. From the start, Paula helped me see Velvet’s behaviors through a new lens—most of them were fear-based. She suggested small, realistic changes that made my dog feel safe in our home.

I’m only halfway through the program and I already have a completely different dog. Velvet now sleeps through the night, stays calm around the cats, and can curl up on the couch next to me without constant licking. She’s even starting to play with my other dog. The difference is incredible.

If you’re at your breaking point and don’t know what to do, don’t give up—call Paula. She gave me back hope and gave Velvet the chance to be the happy, relaxed dog she was meant to be.

I first discovered Paula and Inspire Canine through online searching for dog training/a dog behaviorist for our Great Dane.

We adopted our sweet guy through a local rescue and soon discovered that he had anxiety and fear that would manifest in several ways. For example, while out on lead in our neighborhood, certain noises would set off episodes where he would either attempt to flee or he would freeze in fear and refuse to move. It was quite challenging for us as he is a 170lb guy. It got to the point where he would not go beyond a few steps past our home. We would become frustrated because we didn’t understand what was going on with our guy and how to best help him. At home, occasionally he would growl at a family member when they would walk by him resting on his bed or would even growl when they would enter the room. This was very concerning as I didn’t want our Dane’s behavior to escalate further towards our family member. Then, these past six months, our Dane’s behavior seemed to become worse. Walks became more difficult and he would growl at other family members.

Reaching a point of desperation, I reached out to our vet who gave us some recommendations for training and the option of meds to help with his behavior. I began researching the vet recommendations, but nothing seemed to click for what I was looking for. The trainers that I looked at seemed to be more concentrated on just getting a dog to stop the behavior. I was more interested in understanding the what or why that was behind the behavior in order to make effective changes, to help our boy be more relaxed, confident, and comfortable in his surroundings. Enter Paula and Inspire Canine!

From the moment I found the Inspire Canine website, a light bulb went off; an “aha” moment. This is what I had been looking for! Paula responded timely to my inquiry, and during our initial phone call, she listened and responded back, not with judgement, but with true care, concern, and understanding. She provided me with knowledge and direction, I was ready to get started!

Right from the very first session, I learned quite a bit. I realized that this wasn’t just about our Dane’s behavior, it was also about our family’s response to it, what we were doing prior to it, and what kind of environment we were creating or allowing for our Dane to be in. In working with Paula, I began to understand the “why” behind our Dane’s behavior, and received practical ways to create an environment for him to work towards thriving, being confident, and comfortable.

Working with Paula over these past few months, she has consistently provided exceptional coaching and mentoring sessions that have begun the transformation in our Dane that we are seeing in real time. Paula provides easily accessible avenues to reach out for support as well as impactful feedback. In my time spent with Paula, it is evident that she is passionate about what she does and her vast experience speaks volumes. As a direct result of our sessions with Paula, I am able to see a noticeable difference in our Dane already. Allowing what we have learned to change our family’s knowledge, approach, and perspective has been a vital key. Since applying that knowledge, approach, and perspective at home and in outdoor environments, our Dane has had a positive and growing shift in how he navigates certain situations and interacts with family members. I look forward to continuing the journey with Paula in equipping myself and family in helping our Dane so that we can all thrive together. For anyone searching, needing assistance, or at a point of desperation like I was, I highly recommend reaching out to Paula!