Testimonials

Kerry is friendly, welcoming and very knowledgeable. My 1.5yr old Labrador absolutely adores her…. Sometimes digs her heels in after class trying not to leave!

Finding Kerry was the best thing as this lovable lab is super enthusiastic and high maintenance…. If she is not emotionally and physically worn out it is like having a frenzied fur tornado rip through the house. Luckily I now have an amazing tool box full of tips and tricks to draw on to quickly and calmly wear her down, so she is chilled out and happy!

Chance and Tilly the tornado!

I’m very grateful to Kerry for working with me and my German shepherd, Luna. Kerry didn’t just focus on fixing the problem, she also identified the cause and then tailored strategies to suit my dog. I loved Kerry’s use of cruelty-free methods to help my dog (and her owner) tackle problems like pulling on the lead and barking at other dogs and people. Kerry was willing to make home visits and work with us one-on-one.

Now, Luna is a pleasure to have in the house and as I use Kerry’s strategies, I see my dog improving on walks. No more barking at passers-by.

Annamarie

We are the proud owners of a large male Siberian Husky named Ronin. Huskies are renowned for being “difficult and stubborn” but early training has done away with the stereotypes.  Kerry helped us with strategies and techniques that guided Ronin into being a wonderful companion and canine citizen. She also helped turn my young daughter into a confident dog handler.  Ronin will now walk ‘loose lead’, he doesn’t steal food from the kitchen, he has no resource guarding issues and will relax on his mat when we ask.

I have no hesitation in recommending Kerry Clapton to any dog owner. Having someone like Kerry doesn’t mean that you are unable to control your dog, or that you have a “problem” dog. It means that you have a vested interest in laying the foundations for a long and happy life with your dog. This type of positive training is an investment that will pay you back tenfold.

When Kerry visits, Ronin gets so excited, he absolutely loves her, it is so wonderful to see and this is just an added bonus.

Jason – Joondanna

I was looking for extra training for my standard poodle Rigby .

Kerry has a great calming and patient nature which works really well. She has helped me under stand my dogs, Kerry uses positive training techniques and is always happy to help with any problems , my dogs love to go training every week , I now have another standard poodle and she attends training also ,thanks Kerry for all your help.

Fran ,two very happy dogs Rigby and Evie.

I started attending training with Kerry when my Kelpie, Gus, was 3 months old. Gus quickly took a liking to Kerry and still gets beyond excited to hear her voice each weekend. Although I had, had dogs my whole life, this was the first time I have spent time really learning how to have them react to commands such as sit, drop,  on your mat, along with ensuring correct interaction of dogs with each other, my dog with others and how to interact with other dogs myself. Kerry’s methods are based on positive reinforcement of the dogs, rewarding with words, pats, toys and treats – which ever works for your dog.

Gus has now moved into the advanced class where we are learning additional skills  such as switching while walking, how to step onto an item, search and find as well as lose lead walking with distractions.

With having two medium sized dogs who are full of energy, the skills they learn are transferable in all situations and allow me to control any situation I find myself and the dogs in and also instils me with techniques to remove myself and my dogs from confronting situations and how to deal with two “teenage” boys who are full of energy and sometimes want to misbehave! I would highly recommend Kerry for yours and your dog’s training – both are just as important !”

Cait

We have been taking our ‘labradorable’ fur-baby Calvin to Kerry’s weekly training classes for 18 months and he absolutely loves it! As Calvin was our first family pet we quickly discovered it was more ‘owner’ training than puppy training and we have learnt so much through Kerry’s positive approach and extensive experience and knowledge. Calvin loves learning (& roast chicken treats!) and a little everyday has certainly gone a long way. As a result of hard work and Kerry’s ongoing encouragement we have a well mannered and socialised family pet who keeps us human pets laughing, learning and disciplined everyday.

Thanks Kerry! Christine, James & Calvin

We began taking our dogs to Kerry when they were 16 weeks old. And we wish we had taken them sooner (to puppy pre-school). Kerry has provided a great foundation with positive reward dog training that the whole family has enjoyed…..especially our Lab X who loves Kerry. Kerry has been approachable about behaviours and hints and tips that were not part of the standard class. Kerry has often stayed behind to help owners with ideas and individual training, for example how to train our lab X to get in and out of the car unaided. We have recently had a new baby and Kerry has proved to be a very valuable resource.  We have found the classes to be reasonably priced and flexible, with working shifts it’s not always possible to get to class and Kerry has been more than accommodating. Kerry has also been able to taylor classes to individual needs and interests such as nose work, loose lead walking and many other topics. We would definitely recommend Kerry’s Pawsative dog training.

Leigh-Anne

Kerry was a great trainer for my Boston Terrier, Oscar. She taught me some really great commands that have been so useful when meeting other dogs etc on our walks. I have found “Find it” to be a lifesaver! Kerry’s positive training methods, helped both me and Oscar to learn together and gave me an understanding of how to let him know what was expected of him.  I would certainly recommend her for her knowledge and wonderful friendly approach.

Moira

We first came across Kerry when we decided to look for a trainer for our new Rottweiler Max who at the time was around 13 weeks old.  I emailed a few people and we chose Kerry due to her experience with Rottweilers.

We initially had a home consultation and then joined the puppy classes and from there continued with weekly group training.  Max is now 20 months old and we will continue with the training, which I have learnt is just as much about the owner as it is about the dog.

Kerry has helped us immensely with Max, who absolutely adores her and loves the classes.  Kerry is an important part of our lives and someone that we will always keep in touch with.

Zoe, Chris & Max

From the moment I saw Kerry Clapton (as an instructor at our local dog club) I was impressed. As a dog trainer, she has an uncanny ability to read a dog, to understand what’s going on (e.g. is this stress? Is this confusion? Or what?). Her confidence and leadership just oozes out and dogs respond to her instantly.

She is a brilliant problem-solver and a very creative one – and those are essential qualities for a dog trainer.

Her methods are positive, inspiring, gentle and effective. Her style is friendly, open, honest and lots of fun. Her special interest is creating classes that are fun, effective and family friendly.  If dogs could talk they would be shouting their support for Kerry. Members of our dog club say “Yes, we want Kerry as our instructor!” that’s probably the highest recommendation you can get.

I have been teaching people to train their dogs for many years too. I’m a very critical audience.

Carla O’Donnell, trainer in obedience.
Aneiraby Golden Retrievers Australia
http://www.aneirabygoldens.com

Kerry has taken us and our dog through Puppy Pre-school to group training.  We would not have the well balanced, obedient, well socialised, go anywhere, do anything dog that we have now if it weren’t for Kerry’s exceptional patience, experience, enthusiasm and encouragement.  Kerry provided a structure to educate both the owner and the dog as well as easy to follow solutions to any behavioural issues (our dogs and ours).  Equally important she made it fun for us and our dog.   We have recommended Kerry to all our dog owning friends and will continue to do so. Should we adopt another dog, we would again, need Kerry’s help.

Mike & Michaela (and Ned)

Our dog’s name is Tayto. Before starting kerry’s pawsitive dog training we had a very frightened little puppy. Now a few months in and our young dog is glowing with confidence. Tayto is our first dog so we needed training too. We now know when showed the correct way, training a puppy can be fun for both you and your puppy. We really enjoy our sunday mornings with Kerry because it is always a worth while experience.

Majella, Brendon & Tayto

Dear Kerry,
Thank you for last night; and, I did learn many new things!
Best new things were:
•    collar-holding
•    shoulder-smoothing
•    leash-“dragging”, to get used to it
•    20 times twinkling per day until 6 months old (!!!), so it ain’t no use worrying and fretting about “accidents”, just need to work on it consistently. I am fortunate that Clark is living with his Mother until I collect him permanently, so he will learn some good house rules from her.
•    Absolute highest level of toy distraction (in the past, I had not been as systematically zealous with it).
So, so far, very good.

Thank you and best regards,
Jillian Mercer

Dear Kerry,

Just a note to tell you how pleased we are with the results we got from your training lessons; Zada’s behavior is now much calmer and responsive after attending your sessions. Indeed a big achievement, specially considering that she is a rescue dog.

Needless to say your training sessions are not just for dogs but also for “humans”. We have learned to understand our dog’s language and therefore we have a better communication between the three of us…of course she is still the Queen of the house.

Cheers,
Mariela, Roberto and Zada

Being the happy (but frazzled) owners of two very different and very ‘special’ dogs, we were constantly on the look out for a good training class that would meet the needs of our ‘babies’ (and boy do they have needs). We were fortunate enough to come across Kerry’s business card at the vets one day and immediately swooped on it. After a really informative chat with Kerry on the phone about my two lovelies we came to the conclusion that Kerry and her classes was exactly what we needed.

Each of our dogs have very different issues to anddress and Kerry tailored the classes so that both of them recieved the things they needed without having to put them in separate classes. It was fantastic to get that individual care without having to miss out on the class experience. Her classes are also really practical and look at ‘real life’ situations as well as good ol’ fashioned obedience.

Both of my dogs have thrived under Kerry’s tuition and we have made amazing leaps forward. We thought that the dogs we had before meeting Kerry were what we would have for life but with the wonderful, caring, safe and informative environment provided by her classes, we now have two very different dogs. They’re still a work in progress but Kerry is more than dedicated to helping us with that!

J&J 🙂

“Honey enjoyed going to Kerry’s classes every week. The setting of Kerry’s training was very appropriate for the dog’s needs and it assisted with the facilitation of training. Honey was able to overcome her initial stress reactions and was able to adapt and develop more confidence around people and other dogs. Kerry also provided great insight and inspiration for our training techniques that we could utilise with Honey at home.

Justyna

I am the very proud owner of a beautiful but boisterous 7 month old border collie, named Flynn.  I have not owned a dog of his size previously and it became apparent early on that I’d need to learn to be in control if we were going to have a positive time together (chewed skirting boards when his teeth started coming through were the first indication!).

We met Kerry at puppy class and got so much out of those classes that we signed up for her weekly obedience training class which we have attended since.  Flynn is a fantastic quick learner – it is me that needs the training, but Kerry has been wonderfully patient and encouraging………….and we are getting there!  The past two weeks Flynn has come into a new space – he’s more and more eager to please and is becoming a joy to live with.  He loves the training sessions ….. and, of course, Kerry.

We are very grateful Kerry came into our lives – her positive training techniques have made the world of difference to Flynn and me.

Thanks Kerry,

Wishing you all the best,
Karen and Flynn

Kerry is Jet’s (and my) saving grace. Last year I was helping to rehome Jet, a 12 year old male retriever who was untrained, unsocialized and unsterilized.  I needed serious help. Kerry’s expert knowledge and training enabled Jet to be well integrated into his new home, with his new family. Kerry’s support and advice on dog behaviour and training has been invaluable.  She is fantastic at what she does and I am continually recommending her to friends, family and strangers. I recommend Kerry to anyone who needs help with their loved canine companion.

Kath Longhurst.

My dog Leo and I had two private training sessions with Kerry. I was impressed that Kerry managed to attract Leo’s attention immediately, and kept him focussed and interested throughout the entire class. I liked the way Kerry used treats and praise as an incentive for him to comply with the commands. She also gave Leo enough breaks so that he could relax for a couple of minutes and then re-focus. I felt that she had realistic expectations of how much Leo could process.

My main problem with Leo had been that he tended to be very easily distracted on walks, to a degree that he would largely ignore me when there were more interesting things such as other dogs around. Kerry taught me how to attract and keep his attention during walks. Her tips were very practical and easy to implement. It was also an advantage that the training was held in the Leo’s local dog park, which gave us the opportunity to work with the distractions which Leo normally encounters, mainly other dogs. Leo has already improved considerably. Whilst he is still very interested in any dog that comes our way, he no longer pulls towards them.

We also attended one of Kerry’s group training sessions. I like Kerry’s concept of smaller groups. Again the dogs are given the opportunity to re-focus when they become bored, and Leo enjoyed the playtime at the end. I walked away feeling that it was worth the time because both Leo and I had made some progress. (I had been to bigger classes before and had walked away in frustration because the instructor had no time to focus on the individual dogs.) I look forward to further group training with Kerry and I’m sure both Leo and I will learn a lot.

Well What can I say:

THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!!!

Our adopted dog, Jet, had had no training, little regular contact with his previous owners and was 10 years. They say old dog cannot learn new tricks. Kerry, you proved them all wrong. You helped us understand Jet and Jet to understand us. During your visits you performed miracles!

Jet is now more responsive than ever! You gave us the skills to train Jet in a positive way and to undo negative behaviours he learnt from his previous life.  Jet is now apart of my family and i have to thank you for this, without your help, I don’t if I would of been able to keep Jet.

He came to us as a very anxious, erratic puppy, in a 10 year old body. With your help, Jet (and myself) has calmed down and we get along great!!!

Your technique is firm, fair and effective!! I have met others dog trainers who do not have half the understanding of our canine companions like you do.

Cheers
Michael Bryan

We were having a few problems trying to teach our little Miniature Australian Bulldog, Angus, how to toilet train and decided to call the Baldivis Vet and thought maybe they could give us a hand. The informed us to Call Kerry at Kerry’s Pawsitive Dog training and she asked us to come to the Puppy training she ran on a Sunday morning. We attended and have never looked back. We have learnt how to do things like walking Angus properly so he doesn’t pull away, how to send him to his mat when we need to go out and much more. The best part I found was the agility training for Angus because his is a very energetic little puppy. Although he didn’t always do what we wanted and just wanted to play I found it very helpful for me at home with no distractions to teach him.
Kerry was extremely professional and was very welcoming when we first arrived. She gave us great advice on how we could help Angus with his toilet training and was very encouraging when we had some bad weeks.
We would like to thank Kerry for all her hard work and effort that she had put in with us and Angus. We will definitely be recommending Kerry to our friends and returning when we get our new little puppy.

Melissa, Steve and Angus Scaife
THANKS KERRY