DONNA & DJ
Sue ask all the right questions and listened to my questions and concerns. She was clear with her suggestions and demonstrated when something wasn’t clear to me. Her suggestions were flexible and she has the ability to clearly communicate that she understands that what will work for one dog and their person may not work for another.
CLOVER ANN & LISA
“I needed advice in the proper and productive way to train a terrier! I was truly blown away with the advice. Simple, yet so useful. My Clover Ann was paying much, much more attention to my directions. The building, area, tools and knowledge are all exceptional.”
HAYDEN & CRYSTAL
“My primary reason for working together was to learn how to train Hayden. I have had dogs before, but they have always come to me at an older stage of life. Hayden is loving but has a lot of energy and is protective of me. While I didn't want to discourage her from being protective of her family, I wanted her to be comfortable when she's around new people. Hayden and I still have some learning to do but I can confidently say we can have people over to the house now and she is able to positively interact with them. The best part of the experience was seeing Hayden relax and start to enjoy the visits.”
“Our primary goal was to get our dog (Bruce) under control and learn what can set him off. We learned from Sue how to manage Bruce through situations and learned that obedience was a part of having Bruce more under control. Learning to manage Bruce in his tough situations was a big key to continuing to have Bruce as a companion.One on one time with Sue. Working with her and learning from her was incredible.” — Jeff & Bruce
“Our primary goal was to get our dog (Bruce) under control and learn what can set him off. We learned from Sue how to manage Bruce through situations and learned that obedience was a part of having Bruce more under control. Learning to manage Bruce in his tough situations was a big key to continuing to have Bruce as a companion. One on one time with Sue. Working with her and learning from her was incredible.” — Jeff & Bruce
TEDDY & MARY
“I cannot thank Dr. Sue Kapla enough for all she’s done to help my dog Teddy and myself. I adopted Teddy at 2 and half years old in January 2017. He’d never known a home and had been severely abused before being rescued. His muzzle had been taped shut and he had grown into the tape leaving him with a horrible scar and he had been shot. He was dog reactive and would bark nonstop. At home with me Teddy was a good dog but taking him out in public was a nightmare of him barking uncontrollably at people and dogs. His anxiety was through the roof, if he saw something that upset him he’d bark even after the “threat” had passed. He’d chew his tail and paws when he was anxious. My vet recommended Dr. Kapla to me and I contacted her to evaluate Teddy’s behavior. After meeting Teddy and me she gave me a detailed behavior analysis and plan. She was upfront and honest about Teddy’s issues and the amount of commitment it would take to help him. It wasn’t easy to hear but reality is what I needed! For the past year I have met with Dr. Kapla at her canine training center several times and talked with her weekly. She has always been available to offer suggestions and help with Teddy’s training.
Teddy and I still have more work to do but he has come so far in just a year and that is thanks to Dr. Kapla. He is able to walk on leash and not bark at people who pass us. He’s calmer and much happier. The tail and paw chewing have stopped. His behavior has improved so much and I am more confident in my ability to handle him. Teddy is now truly my best friend and a joy to have in my life.”
LINDA & SUNNY
"My Dobermans and I have been going to Sue's SlicK9 Classes, first for puppy stuff, and now on to Obedience Classes. We have done both Private and Group Lessons at her beautiful and well-planned canine center for almost a year now. My dogs are coming along very well and Sue is always helpful. I have had Dobermans for 45 years, have shown in Obedience and gotten CD Titles on some of them...and yet, every time we attend classes, I have learned new and better ways to work with my dogs. Sue above all, is a dog lover and a problem solver, and I heartily encourage anyone who wants to learn how to train their dog to be a pleasant, valued, eager, and also welcome companion to contact Sue and see how she can help you achieve your goals with your dogs."
JETTA & BOB
“Susan Kapla has a dog training skill that reminds me of my grandfathers wood carving tool box. One drawer has good friends willing to help. Another has a realistic outlook. And a drawer of advice that only comes from experience and success. Dr Susan used these tools to help me shape a young dog that at first was wary of a stuffed animal into one that fell asleep during a group training class. She has given a confidence to my dog Jetta that extends up the leash to me.”
ZAK & CARLA
This guy. About 10 years ago I was lucky to have an opportunity to save his life when I met a CAAB. I was interested in ABA already and was working on my bachelors. He had bitten 4 people, couldn’t ride safely, was muzzled outside often to prevent injury to others. Well after very intense at home ABA training he is amazing. I have children and two other dogs. I’ve kept him safe for 10 years. He is older and slower but still loves training activities, is able to be off leash in my country yard, he is my best bud. I am now a BCBA working with children and adults, but hold special interest in animal training to this day. Thank you Sue Kapla.
DAIJA & CHELSIE
"She helped Daija and myself work at a way to greet new dogs with less barking. This has decreased frustration for me and allowed for my pup to meet new dogs. I recommend Sue for training help!"
LUCIA, CHELSEA & KORY
"I had a few nights filled with tears and my husband wondered what in the world we did by getting a puppy. Then we went to classes with Sue and now we don't know what we'd do without our happy Lab! We are looking forward to taking many more puppies to Sue's classes."
JAXON & SAM
"We drove out to Pennsylvania to get a German Shepherd puppy with the temperament we were seeking. This dog would be an important part of our family for a long long time, so we were dedicated to making the necessary investment of time and effort to enable Jaxon to reach his full potential and become the dog we hoped for. A fellow dog-lover recommended training with Sue Kapla. Jaxon started his education with Sue in a puppy class and has continued with her through his first year. Not quite a year old, Jaxon is well behaved in any social situation, well-balanced, obedient, happy and calm. I'm a firm believer that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, so while Sue is excellent at correcting behavior issues in dogs, starting Jaxon out right has made corrective measures unnecessary (so far!). Jaxon is now well on his way to earning his Canine Good Citizenship certification. We highly recommend Sue Kapla's training techniques and so does Jaxon! He is happy to meet new people, so please feel free to visit Jaxon at Nagelkirks in Harvey, or check out his Facebook page."
LUCKY & JACK
My wife and I have always made a puppy part of the family for life. After losing our 11 year old golden retriever to cancer, we decided to look for a mature rescue dog rather than a puppy. We were thinking that a couple of months of loving would be all a rescue dog would need. Obviously we were way off target.
We adopted a 6 year-old Golden named Lucky. Lucky had a difficult past and more than his fair share of issues. More than just a little hyper, Lucky had high level food and possession aggression, did not get along with other dogs, was completely non-responsive to any command; in fact, he seemed to not recognize his name. We best describe Lucky as living in a different world. He would look through us with glazed-over eyes and had to be in control of any interaction. There was no joy in Lucky; he was a stressed-out bundle of fears so intense that he was uncontrollable in a vehicle, would shudder at practically any noise, and would never look us in the eyes.
After four months of unsuccessfully trying to turn Lucky around combined with several demonstrations of high level aggressions, we turned to Dr. Sue Kapla. This was Lucky’s “last chance.” During our initial visit Dr. Kapla who was familiar with Lucky from an aggression evaluation she administered during his shelter days did a thorough evaluation and discussed in detail what we desired. Dr. Kapla’s assessment was not pleasant to hear; however, it came as no surprise and we so appreciated her honesty and how open she was to tackle the challenge. Next Dr. Kapla developed a plan that identified the most pressing needs to be addressed first; then she taught us how to properly train Lucky using positive reinforcement to bring out the desired behavior. Between on-site training visits Dr. Sue provided weekly phone consultation which fostered our ability to adjust training methods to eliminate undesirable behavior and advance good behavior. What a value! Being able to tap into Sue’s expertise to help me adjust training strategies is a real life-line.
Within several weeks we could see positive changes in Lucky; however, it took several months before we felt that he may make it as his glazed blank stare turned to an alert and attentive look with sparkling eyes. We are even more optimistic now at 6 months. Lucky is responsive to directions and eager to work on new tasks. He is a completely different dog. He has even found that famous golden tail wag.
It’s a fact that Lucky has so much more to learn and he will never completely shake the past. I suspect behavior training with Lucky will be a long process; perhaps life-long. If so, that’s okay. We love our Lucky and simply want him to be happy and safe to be around.
RUGER & MARVIN
"I give Dr. Kapla my highest recommendation. I adopted a 3-year old Gordon Setter who came from a troubled background, including abuse and neglect. He was a sweet dog from the beginning, but he needed a lot of work. Dr. Kapla came to our home to evaluate the dog. She listened carefully to what I wanted from the dog, and gave us a program to achieve it. The training took a lot of work from us - she did not try to train my dog, she showed me how to work with him to achieve my goals. She came back numerous times, and adjusted the program to suit my personality and the dog’s character - she did not have a cookie-cutter, one size fits all program. She worked with our individual needs and abilities. I had never done any dog training before, I was a rank beginner. I could not be happier with the results, or with my experience with Dr. Kapla. Ruger (my dog) and I are a better team as a result of working with her, and I thank her in my mind after every time we come in from a walk."
JOSIE, MANDY & KAYLEE
In 2012 I adopted two golden retrievers, Josie and Mandy. While they were never mistreated in their first environment, they severely lacked any mental stimulation. Josie suffered from terrible noise phobia (storms, fireworks, etc) as well as reactivity toward other dogs. Per my veterinarian’s recommendation I contacted Dr. Kapla. She came to our house and evaluated both of my girls. She was upfront and honest with me from the beginning and took the time to ensure that my veterinarian was part of the conversation. Now, nearly three years later, Josie is a functioning member of the dog world. She handles controlled interactions with other dogs and her noise phobia no longer paralyzes her. Our experiences with Dr. Kapla have opened many doors for us. She equipped me with the tools to change the trajectory of Josie’s behavior and develop an incredible trust between me and my dogs. Through positive reinforcement and consistency Josie no longer lives in a world where she is constantly on guard. I am so grateful to Dr. Kapla for believing that this life was possible for Josie and ensuring that we not only had the tools we needed to excel, but clearly understood what our next steps would be.
BELLA & KELLIE
"Sue Kapla changed my life. I came from the “jerk and choke” school of dog training with previous dogs – I didn’t like it, but hoped both my dog and I would come out the other side and be able to function. And then the pinch collar came out. Enough.
Sue’s training, begun when my Bella was little more than 3 months old, showed me an entirely new and different way of relating to my dog. The work was gentle, consistent and customized for our particular situation and for the results desired. Bella was perfect, but I needed quite a bit of work. That’s the point – all the training showed me how to bring out the behaviors that I wanted in my canine partner and how to extinguish the undesirable ones. I didn’t care if my dog heeled, but I wanted a social dog with exceptional recalls, solid stays and “leave its” and a friend that enjoyed working with me. And that is exactly what I got. Using the lessons learned from Sue, Bella and I did recreational agility, took hundreds of long walks in the woods, had adventures and enjoyed a 16 year-long relationship was bolstered and enriched by the training we did together.
Sue Kapla changed my life. She opened my mind and heart to a deep, rewarding relationship with a great friend. That is a huge gift."