CLIENT PROFILES

I started with Tiffany in the fall of 2021 with my dog Piper. I rescued Piper when she was 2 years old from the humane society where she had been returned twice due to dog aggression and not being “trainable”. The first week I had Piper I understood the challenges that I was dealing with and I was determined not to let this dog down and do whatever I could to help both her and I not only succeed but to be able to have a dog that I could enjoy doing “dog things” with. I was referred to Tiffany and I can say that within the first two months of working with Tiffany, Piper was a completely different dog. I have now been working with AQK9 for two years. Piper can walk past dogs at the park or on the street and has almost no reaction and I am complimented on her behavior when we are out in public all the time. We go to class where she is shoulder to shoulder with other dogs and does not even acknowledge them. But not only has working with AQK9 changed my dog, it has changed me. I am more confident, I have learned to slow down and to have patience and I have learned how much my dog feeds off of me and the energy I am putting out. It can be frustrating when your dog is not on the same page with you but it’s those times that I have learned, you take a step back and figure out what you are doing wrong because if I have learned anything in this journey of dog training, it’s that it is almost 100% ME that is causing my dog to do what they shouldn’t be doing. Moral of the story, you can, in fact, teach an old dog new tricks.

I adopted a 1.5-year-old male boxer, Rex, that had been surrendered by several families due to being too hyper, child reactive, and dog reactive. Having owned six previous boxers, many of which were also rescue dogs, I figured it could not be all that bad. Ohhhhh was I wrong. After struggling for several months and being pushed to the brink of re-surrendering him, a member of the Minnesota Boxer Rescue referred me to Tiffany and AQK9. They said that she specializes in trouble dogs and would be able to help us through the challenges. Boy were they right!

I met with Tiffany for a 10-week private lesson program. I started those sessions feeling powerless and with little confidence we would be able to work through Rex’s problems. It was honestly a dark time in my life. Tiffany’s very tough love approach was what it took to reshape both Rex and me. Week by week Rex learned to pay attention to me and rely on me for direction. At the same time, I learned to be a confident dog handler and how to work through uncomfortable situations. Our journey was not a linear one. There were many weeks that felt overwhelming and as if we were reverting. But when we took a step back to view the big picture, we were making massive strides.

After our private lessons ended, we joined Koehler Club. Entering a class with multiple other dogs was terrifying, but once again Tiffany guided us through. Her mix of humor, discipline, accountability, support, and friendship have kept us coming back weekly for over two years now. She has built AQK9 into much more than a dog training facility; it is a family of dog-centric people from all walks of life that love obedience training. The amount of support that AQK9 students provide each other is amazing, well beyond my expectations.

The end result is that what started as a simple 10-week dog training class evolved into a lifetime hobby and passion. I have gained personal confidence and dog handling skills under Tiffany’s guidance. Rex has grown into the best dog I have ever owned and my true companion. Rex and I have made countless friends of fellow students that provide us unconditional support. Thank you, Tiffany, and AQK9. You have truly changed our lives.

My name is Emily and my dog is Bass. Our training journey with Tiffany started in 2017 and the results we have achieved have far exceeded my expectations. Our dog was not able to “hold his sit together” in almost any situation. I thought I knew the basics and just needed a 6-8 week course to accomplish respectful behavior and have a “good dog”. Now, six and a half years later we have surpassed that goal way beyond what I imagined possible. We entered the dog show world and have earned multiple obedience titles from AKC and UKC. The biggest challenge we faced was consistency and prioritizing the work. It took dedication to train daily, read recommended materials, watch Tiffs videos and analyze where I needed to improve. Tiffany’s up front and direct leadership style helped me to follow-through on the promise I made to my dog. I learned from Tiffany how to be a strong handler for my dog, rather than learning “how to teach my fur baby to be good”. The bonus is becoming part of the wonderful community at AQK9!

Ellie and I have been training for almost 4 years with Tiff at AQK9! We started about 4 months after I adopted her from a rescue. Ellie came to me extremely fearful and reactive (to people and dogs) which is what brought me to Tiff. I wanted a dog that wouldn’t want to attack every person she saw but more importantly, I wanted a reliable, obedient dog. That is just what I’ve gotten through my years at AQK9! While we still are and will always be a work in progress, through the training process, I now have a dog who has passed her CGC test and who is obedient. She has made LEAPS AND BOUNDS since training with Tiffany and I feel I have too. Tiffany not only trains the dog, but trains the owner and teaches us how to be responsible dog owners. My life with Ellie is forever changed in the best way possible thanks to Tiffany and everyone at AQK9!

Maisie and I started training with Tiff 2.5 years ago. At only 4 months old she had a lot of issues, some were due to a lack of boundaries and too many freedoms. Some issues were much larger, she was highly reactive, anxious, and she was going to bite one of my kids or someone else if we didn’t make some changes. We started in privates and progressed to group class, it was a big time commitment along with my 7 kids at home but it was 100% worth it.

Tiff is a great teacher, she holds us accountable and there is no sugar coating. I so appreciate her for this and it’s something you won’t find elsewhere. Maisie is now a solid family dog, but as it turns out that was not where our story ended. With the support of an incredible teacher/friend and the best teammates we could ask for, Maisie and I entered the obedience ring. She now holds multiple titles in UKC and AKC, with more to come.

My advice to anyone reading this, start training early with your puppy- it will make a huge difference. And never give up, with work things can and will get better. Maisie and I did not have an easy road but we kept at it- she turned out to be an amazing dog.

I’ve known about AQK9 for years, but just started there a few weeks ago.

My previous experience in dog training was getting lucky by having a good and calm dog, so I thought if you just let a dog be a dog, they would know what to do.

Then I got another dog (now 5 years old) that was a little harder to manage, but used my same method of doing nothing, and it sort of worked.

Our first really good dog passed away, and we decided to add a puppy to our family. I was nervous that our current dog (the 5 year old) wouldn’t be as accepting as our first one was, so I decided right away that I needed help.

We started with Tiffany when our puppy was 8 weeks old. I quickly realized how important structure and management is. I regret not getting our older dog trained, but I’m using my newly learned techniques on my puppy and older dog and it seems to be working.

My biggest goal is to not regret this puppy! And to have a home that is calm and everyone gets along. So far, so good.

I like that Tiffany is no nonsense type of person and gets to the point. So far everything I’ve learned is valuable and not just fluff.

I’m committed to following through on training and realizing that it’s really fun and I actually see results! I’m very thankful for AQK9.