Welcome to our new page dedicated to our students and their comments!
Betsy,
My dog, Patrick, and I are students in your Machias Wednesday class. I have been thinking about you and the class a lot lately (obviously) and just wanted to drop you a note to let you know how much this class has meant to me.
First of all, your teaching technique is superb. I mean, obviously
you've been doing this for ages. But you've got every lesson broken down
to its absolute essence and have made it perfectly understandable,
which is incredibly helpful to those new to the land of obedience
training (like me!). Not only do we understand what we're doing, but
why. I feel I've gained a lot of insight into how my dog thinks.
The thing that I am maybe most surprised and pleased about is the
deepening bond I am feeling with my dog. I mean, I thought I was pretty
in love with Patrick before the class. But working together on these
lessons has absolutely deepened my appreciation for Patrick's abilities
and the trust that is necessary for us to work together and accomplish
goals.
Your incredible knowledge and talent, your sense of humor, and your
obvious adoration for the dogs is making a big impact in our household.
And for that we are very grateful.
With thanks,
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Hi Betsy ,
Dakotah did excellent at the show this weekend not bad for his
first show . the first day he placed 2nd place in Rally novice a with a
score of 88 earning his first leg. In beginners novice a he placed 2nd
again with a score of 188 that was 9/24/11 on Sunday 9/25/11 We got
really distracted by all the commotion in the other ring but we placed
4th earning our 2nd leg in rally novice a with a score of 78. i am
sending you some pictures for the web site. i was very proud of him this
weekend but i do need to practice with a little more distractions on
him and get him a little more focused on me he tends to associate dogs
and play time when its not.
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Hi Betsy- Just a note to thank you for teaching Spirit (and me) how to
“survive her puppyhood” and for helping her to become a really great
dog. You must remember meeting her the first time at ten or twelve
weeks of age ... in short a “little monster”. You explained to me that
we had several problems ... she’s a “Doodle, she is very smart, and
she is very high energy and needs to be in class the day before
yesterday!” We enrolled right away and the “trip” began. “Trip” in many
ways, as we travelled every Monday night from Lewiston to Newport and
later Pitttsfield all through the winter of 09 and finished Advanced II
on June 22 of 09. We started in Basic and went straight through
Advanced Advanced. the changes were remarkable, even though at times
this stubborn handler couldn’t see it. It was difficult for me to
forget her at times downright embarrassing “fruit loopy”
behavior (even in class, when you taught me what I later named “the
BETSY manuever” where Spirit had to be brought back to reality by being
physically picked up off the floor by her scruff and held in mid air
until she settled)! We’d be wealthy people right now if we had $5.00
for every conversation Betty and I had about “should we call Sue
(Spirit’s breeder) and tell her we can’t handle her. Fortunately, I
inherited my fathers stubborn (persistent) Swiss genes! She’s now
almost 31 months old ... you and Sue both kept telling us she needed to
mature, now we believe. Between our 5 mile nearly daily walks, frisbee,
tennis balls and entry into the world of Agility, successfully
completing her AKC-CGC last month and getting certified as a Therapy Dog
(with VERY complementary comments on her application form buy her
evaluator) Spirit is a constant source of joy and pride ... I had a
Lewiston Police officer
stop in the middle of traffic a couple of weeks ago to comment on how
good she looked and how well behaved she is! For quite awhile Betty
didn’t believe that I constantly get these kinds of comments on our
walks around town ... until she was with me one day and someone pulled
to the side of the road and made a similar comment! I’ve attached one
of my favorite pictures of her as its proves that she can really be
walked off lead in public! (Taken over on the Bates College Campus). A
huge thanks! Ernie & Betty
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Betsy,
I wanted to send you some pics of Rhiley, as well as our deep appreciation for you and your techniques. Rhiley has brought such joy to our lives and it has been such an experience learning how to train her. Darin and I married last June and his daughter, Mary was our junior bridesmaid. She walked Rhiley, our ring bearer down the isle. We had not yet started our beginner obedience class and Rhiley sort of ping-ponged her way down the isle, sniffing everyone as she went. Mary did a great job intercepting as much as she could and made a great impression on our guests. Rhiley has come a long way since then. She retrieved her first goose in the Harrington River this fall. Graduating recently from Advanced I has also been a great accomplishment, and I want to thank you so much for being such a wonderful teacher.
Sincerely,
Jasmine Hammond
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I wanted to send you some pics of Rhiley, as well as our deep appreciation for you and your techniques. Rhiley has brought such joy to our lives and it has been such an experience learning how to train her. Darin and I married last June and his daughter, Mary was our junior bridesmaid. She walked Rhiley, our ring bearer down the isle. We had not yet started our beginner obedience class and Rhiley sort of ping-ponged her way down the isle, sniffing everyone as she went. Mary did a great job intercepting as much as she could and made a great impression on our guests. Rhiley has come a long way since then. She retrieved her first goose in the Harrington River this fall. Graduating recently from Advanced I has also been a great accomplishment, and I want to thank you so much for being such a wonderful teacher.
Sincerely,
Jasmine Hammond
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Betsy,
I loved reading the student comments on your site, so I wrote one and included pics as proof.
I
thought I knew a lot about handling dogs, and so did everyone who knew
me. Then I got Sydney (a Standard Poodle), and realized with horror
that I wasn't so great - I had just had really great dogs!
So I
enrolled in Back to Basics, and my life changed. So did Sydney's.
Through Betsy, I have learned patience, persistence, creativity, joy in
playing with my dogs, peace in living with them. I have learned what it
means to be a good trainer - my dogs (four of them now) look to me at
all times for direction, and I have to be paying attention at all times.
That took a while to master, but the results have been phenomenal. I
still have a long way to go, but now I know that I am the key. When
something goes wrong, it's not the dog's fault, but the trainer. A
humbling experience, but one that has changed so many things in my
life.
My daughter and her infant moved in last spring with
another big dog and a cat. Without the time and attention that Betsy
taught me to use, this could have been an impossible - not to say
downright dangerous - situation. These two pictures show what can be
accomplished by a determined and patient student. The first shows SEVEN
dogs (2 are my sister's) sitting patiently with full food bowls on the
floor, and I am across the room taking the picture! the second
picture shows six of those dogs sitting with good manners after the
meal, waiting for the poodle to finish his dinner.
My daughter is moving to her new place this weekend. Because of
Betsy, we managed, with five big dogs in a small house, to raise a baby
from two months old to a crawling nine months without a single scary
incident. Thank you, Betsy.
Sarah
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Betsy,
Christine and I had to rush our little pup into her first obedience
training about this time last year, because our little granddaughters
were too small to deal with her jumping all over them. You did such a
great job on her (or maybe us) that they are no longer afraid of her. It
may have now gone the other direction.
Thanks,
John & Christine Carey
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Betsy, I can hardly believe that Libby is a year old. What fun we have had with her....even though there have been some days I wondered what in the world I was thinking of when I decided to get a puppy. She is becoming a great dog and has given us so much enjoyment. She has been well worth all the work.
I want to thank you once again
for coming all the way to Machias to give us the opportunity learn from
you. It has been a lot of fun and I look forward to continuing on with
more classes.
I would love for you to post my comment. Your service to our community is so much appreciated and I personally want you to know it. You make the class fun with your sense of humor and we learn at the same time. Doesn't get much better than that!
I would love for you to post my comment. Your service to our community is so much appreciated and I personally want you to know it. You make the class fun with your sense of humor and we learn at the same time. Doesn't get much better than that!
Kathy and Libby
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"Hey Betsy,
.... We have learned
a lot in your classes and Mogy is handling himself much better.
We went to Oakland for a 5K and half marathon race the kids were
entered in yesterday and we received several comments about how well
behaved Mogy was sitting beside us in the shade. He let 3 new people
pat him after a time adjusting. My husband was quite impressed with
his manners, he did need some correcting when a stranger would
first approach us, but with a couple quick [corrections] he would sit and let
us chat with them. I never thought we would be able to take him out
publicly without a muzzle. I thank you for all your help and attention
in classes.
Mogy and I will continue to work. I know he is still a work in progress; I mean we are a work in progress!
Thank you for sharing your expertise with us. You truly are a special animal person and dog lover.
Grateful Student,
Mogy's mom- Lisa McClintock"
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I have had dogs all of my life. I have taken formal obedience training in the past but never with the positive results that I have had from “Back to Basics”. I live on a main thoroughfare with a supermarket parking lot right next door. Because I have been able to establish the “obedient control” that Betsy refers to (knowing that regardless of the distractions I will be able to call my dogs to me and they will respond) my dogs can enjoy being off lead in my side yard. I do not have to rely on treats or any other form of rewards. Just my voice and the proper command are all that I need. Thank you Betsy for teaching me how to establish the trust and respect between dog and handler that I now enjoy with my dogs. From Grace and Storm's Dad, Scott Trowbridge.
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Happy Valentine's Day from Hailey, Henry, Paige, and Dory (Machias)
