Training Testimonials

"Malki came to us as a 6-month old rescue puppy who had already been returned once to the shelter because she barked nonstop while her owners, who lived in an apartment, worked. She was shy but loving and we fell in love with her. Because of Covid, she was with us 24-7 – rarely alone or with other people. We soon learned she was very protective of us and she started lunging when people (usually, but not always, men) came near. Walking her on a crowded street was not possible. She barked at cars, walkers, bikes, kids in our neighborhood. We really got worried when she lunged at a dinner guest who got too close, ripping his shirt. This was not the only time we had to replace clothing because of her. She nipped several people. We knew we had a problem and had to find help.

Before Blue Dog we had done some COVID zoom training which was basically “feed ‘em treats.” This did nothing to change her bad behavior. From our daughter we had heard about Brooke and Blue Dog, but they were full and we got on the wait list. We were thrilled when we got the call that we could start with her in July 2022.

The first time we me Brooke and Katie we learned our problem with Malki was how we managed her. They laid out the issues and we realized right away that we would need to learn and work at a whole new way of being dog owners. They inspired confidence in us and put us on that path.

Working with Brooke and Katie has been great, and the results, in five months, have been remarkable and amazing. Their approach is very systematic and builds in steps, without relying on treats. Malki moved to the next stage only after she mastered specific abilities: like walking in a certain way, staying, sitting, avoiding distractions—it all builds. And Malki loved them right away.  They are so good with dogs! And the training is as much training us to lead and correct Malki as it is training our dog. Brooke is very patient and completely understands this. She explains the details to owners and shows us the precise way to give commands, and to make corrections so Malki remembers. She sends excellent Youtube videos so you can see at home what to do, and recall what you did with her in class. There is specific homework. We are slowly getting it—but more importantly, Malki is now a totally different dog. 

So, what improvement have we seen in the 5 months? The constant barking at every perceived danger is basically gone. She is very good at heeling, sitting when stopped, doing sit/down stays. Her impulse control is way better from a baseline of zero. She can pass most (but not all dogs) without leaping at them. Walking with her is unbelievably better.  We can take her through the busiest parts of the LL Bean campus, pass right next to large men, and she walks right by and focuses on us. Busy sidewalks are no longer a frightening experience. She even does recall almost all the time, which was unimaginable before. And we reached a new big milestone at Blue Dog when a strange man came up to her and touched her and she did not react at all. She still has a ways to go to translate that same behavior in our house, but she is definitely getting there. We are so grateful to Brooke and Katie who helped us get to this point in a relatively short time. They are very special people and gifted dog trainers with a real method. They made our lives with Malki so much better and we are so lucky that we found them." 

-Dave and Karen, Freeport

“Fergus, our Irish Setter pup passed his AKC Canine Good Citizen  award at 7 months.  Brooke takes enormous credit, in our view for this  achievement, having been training him regularly over the past few  months. We have been so impressed by the way  Brooke combines great clarity of commands, verbal and gesture, with  incentives and praise to maintain a highly affectionate as well as  precise response from Fergus.

We have also been  subjected to Brooke’s training, very necessarily, in order to maintain  and value the benefits of an obedient and calm companion.  In this  respect Brooke has been as clear with us while also forgiving which we  have thoroughly appreciated.We look forward to the occasional ’top up’ as Fergus grows into adulthood to continue his good behavior.. 

We recommend Blue Dog and Brooke thoroughly.”
-Robin and Donna Ladkin

"Thanks  to Brooke Pizzolato, Tula, my excitable, easily distracted young “whoodle,” is well on her way to becoming the  responsive, obedient, and happy companion we hoped for. Brooke has a clear plan and high expectations that she patiently brought to training both Tula and me.   Not an easy assignment.  She does much more than just instruct the human at the other end of the leash, but I especially appreciate her  many helpful written reports, observations, and suggestions as we went  along.  Five stars!"

-Bill Taylor, Brunswick, February 2022

 “We’ve dealt with several dog trainers over the past 50 plus years with seven different dogs but none were nearly as effective as Brooke.  In very short order, our Chloe got her basic commands down pat, got her canine good citizens diploma and obviously enjoyed the whole enterprise.  Now, when we take her to daycare, she can hardly contain herself.  She NEEDS to get to Brooke!!  Wonderful service all round!!” 

-Linda and Paul Wilson   

"We are more confident dog owners and Bergie is more trusting of our leadership after attending Blue Dog School. Brooke's skill with dog training is evident from the first session. We love that she brings in the family to go over areas for improvement so we know we're working on the right things at home. You can tell Brooke really cares for Bergie and treats her like her own." 

-Heather & Charles Fear

 "Our two dogs, 8-month-old Eddy Mercyx and 8-year-old Holly, are the  odd couple of canines. Holly has suffered from anxiety and insecurity  around other dogs all her life, while Eddy is a wiggly, frisky force of  nature who loves to play with friends of all species. So both had  boundary issues, but in the completely opposite direction, and we were  at a loss about what to do to help them. Thank goodness for Brooke. She  didn't merely train Holly and Eddy to become the dogs they were always  meant to be, but she also helped us better understand what they needed  from their humans. Using daily email, videos and an online guide, we  were able to support Brooke's in-school work with at-home practice  sessions. Holly is still anxious around other dogs and Eddy remains  super-friendly, but they are better equipped to deal with their impulses  and understand our expectations around behavior. It's been a five-star  experience all the way!

-Jack & Fay Beaudoin

"Brooke is truly outstanding in her ability to not only provide consistent and great training, but helps owners, like me, to reinforce good behavior with specific instructions.  My dog's behavior with strangers is now completely different than it used to be.  He is more confident and willing to do the things I ask of him.  For me, it is now a pleasure to take him places where he will meet people. The staff at Blue Dog have been wonderful.  I am very grateful for the care that he receives.  The training is awesome.  He has made progress over a short period of time and in a way that I can participate in, and know that when he goes to training, I can expect results, and I am very pleased with those results."

-Mary Demers

 “We have been so happy with the results of Blue Dog Day School.  We adopted our dog, Moe, at the end of May 2018.  When he arrived at our home was lacking confidence and was very fearful.  We wanted to provide Moe with a place where he could interact with other dogs and humans while also getting some structure and focus on good behavior.

 Moe is our first small dog.  I was doing a lot of reading on how to properly train and discipline a small dog.  Everything I was reading was completely opposite of what I was familiar with in my large dog interactions.  I didn't want to "harm" Moe in any way and further impact his confidence in a negative way, but on the other hand the methods I was trying were not working.  I spoke with Brooke on the phone and she talked about the importance of being a leader to your dog.  Everything she talked about made sense to me and felt intuitive.   
 Moe started attending classes with Brooke while at Blue Dog Daycare.  He quickly developed a positive relationship with her and other members of the day care staff.  He is always happy to go to Blue Dog and his time there has made a remarkable impact on his overall socialization and comfort level in interacting with people in general.   In terms of his training, I noticed changes in his confidence and overall demeanor within the first few classes.  It was also helpful for me to learn how to be a better leader for Moe and give him the confidence that I have his back when he's in situations that are fearful for him.  Brooke provided informative reports on his progress, and the lessons that we were assigned to do at home were clearly presented and  easy to follow.  Moe was responsive to the home assignments after being introduced to the concepts by Brooke and we were able to confidently reinforce the lessons at home.
 We couldn't be happier with the whole experience working with Brooke and highly recommend her services for your dog.” 

-Allison & Eric Hopkins Harpswell, ME 

 “I grew up with dogs. I knew I wanted a dog in my life always.  But I never understood my dog until I met Brooke.  My dog, Charlie, was rescued from a kill shelter in the south.  A woman I worked with adopted him, but soon found out she was pregnant with her second child.  2 dogs, 2 cars, a husband and 2 kids was overwhelming for her.  I had just lost my dogs, and was feeling empty. Brooke showed me how to communicate with Charlie in a way I never had with ANY of my dogs.  The “calm freeze” she taught me has been priceless.   Private lessons worked best for me, as I was the one who needed the most learning, but Charlie has grown more confident with lessons at daycare and the socialization with other dogs.  I feel so much more bonded with Charlie, and he has become my best dog.  I believe this is from Blue Dog Daycare and their excellent staff, especially Brooke.  Thank you!”
-Susy Tribbet 

 
“I have nothing but great things to say about Brooke and the training program she provides at Blue Dog.  We had just moved to Maine and our dogs, needless to say, were feeling a bit adrift and in need of some structure and guidance. Brooke helped us get them settled and into a more familiar pattern when walking on a lead, waiting by the door, and just general manners.  The online tools and report cards are wonderful and give us an incentive to keep practicing at home. A terrific program!”
-Barbara Sawhill   

“I am the mom of a mini golden doodle named Barney. Barney is still a puppy and gets so excited when he meets anyone.  To my amazement, Brooke, the Blue Dog trainer in one session managed to get Barney to sit and stay while she introduced several distractions. Barney just followed Brooke with his eyes but he remained sitting. That evening, I received a video of Brooke’s training session. Not only was I impressed with her efforts but I thought the video was very thoughtful and caring. Still I remained skeptical that Barney would continue to sit and stay. The next day, I repeated Brooke’s instructions to Barney and once again Barney remained sitting.  
 I am very pleased with Barney’s progress and the care he receives from the staff and his trainer, Brooke.”
-Sharon Nichols 

“Blue Dog is the best....
With a true dog loving staff that cares, highly recommend!
Excellent training, play and socializing, baths and nails-one stop shop! Highly recommended by our family and our Peppah!” 

-Katie Winglass 

“Can't say enough about the Blue Dog Day School program!  Brooke worked with our rescue Lucy at both private lessons and at school. With Brooke's patience and training, Lucy went from being very attached and scared to a proud school graduate and a pretty confident little dog.  She loves going to Blue Dog every week to see all her friends, dog and human.  It's a great place for training and fun.”
 -Joan Knight 

“Do I have a Naughty Dog or a Untrained Dog? I'm so thankful for Brooke's training, education and support to have a better dog!”
 -Karen Wolfe 

“We adopted Snoopy from far away and as soon as he arrived and had all the proper paperwork, we took him to Blue Dog for day care. Everyone was so positive and caring:  Big shout out to Doreen whom immediately gave him lots of love, reassurance, and attention.     After a period of time, it became obvious that he was untrained in thought and actions.   We enrolled him in day school with Brooke as his mentor and teacher.   She has taken this wild child and taught him so many, many behaviors.   Brooke is loving and positive as she trains him in more and more subtle behaviors.  He can go almost anywhere now, as he can be an absolute gentleman in public places. Thank you everyone at Blue Dog Daycare for being an awesome resource for  all of us dog owners!”
-Rebecca Loiselle 

"Brooke completely transformed our dog. We have a whole new dog. She's a different dog now. In all the best ways."

-Cheyenne Adams

“We cannot thank Blue Dog Daycare and Brooke enough! Our little Fig graduated day school and is now a well-behaved and polite little pup. Brooke truly loves what she does and it shows. We always received thorough report cards and updates on Fig’s training. We continue to send Fig to daycare weekly because she loves it and has so much fun. I love the personal connection the staff makes with her. I can tell she is well cared for and loved at Blue Dog.”
-Kimberly Buonaiuto
 
 
“Finny LOVES his days at Blue Dog!  He comes home happy and thoroughly exhausted. The staff is very caring and it’s obvious they love dogs and truly enjoy their jobs. Brooke is an amazing trainer. Finny learned lots of positive behaviors and earned his Canine Good Citizen certificate. We highly recommend Blue Dog!”
-Kimberley Balzanelli
 

 “We love Brooke and the Blue Dog's training program. She's helped our lab become a well behaved pup and helped us eliminate his annoying habits. The communication and support was outstanding.”
-Jenn Gray