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Our evaluators can help with:

  • Dogs who are fearful or aggressive toward other dogs

  • Dogs who are fearful or aggressive toward strangers or family members

  • Dogs who lunge, bark, and growl on-leash

  • Dogs who have trouble with other pets in the home

  • Dogs who resource guard toys, food, or other items

  • Dogs who need confidence building in the home or on walks

  • Dogs who display separation anxiety

  • Dogs who have trouble with veterinary exams or grooming visits

  • Owner directed aggression

  • Aggression towards children

  • Bite/History evaluation (Dunbar Bite Scale)

  • Husbandry Training 

  • And lots more!

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Your dog is so much more than their behavior. You know it, and so do we. Meet with one of our evaluators to discuss your dog's behavioral needs and we will formulate a plan to change their behavior. From confidence building to behavior management, we will  help you and your dog get to neutral behavior. 

Reactivity and Aggression in Dogs 

The Evaluators

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Amy

Amy Bieri, the owner of Happy Tails Ranch, started her dog training journey when she adopted Rex, her first boxer. Amy became passionate about boxers and started breeding them in 1998. She has shown and competed with boxers in obedience, agility and conformation, putting hundreds of AKC titles on her dogs throughout the years. 

 

Amy’s first boxer, Rex, had severe anxiety and was extremely aggressive towards people. Rex bit four trainers throughout the course of his rehabilitation.

 

Amy didn’t give up on Rex; Because of her persistence, she rehabilitated him into a wonderful family pet. Rex motivated Amy to learn more about behavior modification so that she could continue to assist other dogs with severe issues. 

 

Amy has years of experience with dogs prior to opening her establishment, Happy Tails Ranch, in 2000: She worked as a veterinarian technician and ran the practice, she owned a pet-sitting company and she taught and trained at one of her local dog kennel/training facilities for multiple years.

 

Amy has rehabilitated hundreds of dogs of all breeds, shapes and sizes. To this day, she continues to use her skills as a well-practiced veterinary technician and her experience of over 20 years as a trainer to rehabilitate dogs. She continues to work with all dogs from a variety of backgrounds like those in rescue situations or those with home companionship problems. Amy’s methodology includes positive reinforcement, confidence building, earning trust and establishing rules and boundaries in order to create an affirmative relationship between you and your dog.

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Kristina

Kristina has mentored under Michael Shikashio, Kamal Fernandez, Susanne Clothier regarding dog behavior. Kristina utilizes positive methods to build a dogs confidence, with proper balance and education. Kristina focuses on successful threshold training rather then continuing to create inappropriate habits. Kristina is a big advocate for proper muzzle training learned through games. Muzzle training helps with safety management even for dogs who are not a bite risk. Kristina will assist in proper education on sizing, styles and proper fit do that the dog can fully pant. Kristina is a licensed Mental Health Counselor/ Social Worker who understands the emotional struggles, challenges and judgements that people close to you and the community maybe influencing on you with owning a dog who exhibits inappropriate behaviors.

 

Kristina is also the owner of a Reactive German Shepherd Dog who has had many successes in the obedience, rally and nosework ring with continuous management. Kristina looks forward in helping you identify and improve your dogs inappropriate behaviors to have a much more successful relaxing life for you and them. 

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chloe

Chloe has been a client at Happy Tails since 2020 and began working as a trainer in 2021. In 2020, Chloe adopted a dog, Flora, that was found as a stray. Not only was Flora extremely under-socialized because of her prior living conditions, but she was brought home during a pandemic. 

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The first facility Chloe brought Flora to believed only in correcting behavior. Although Flora was obedient, this caused a lack of confidence and fear-based reactivity and aggression. Chloe wanted a more positive way to interact and support her dog. 

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When she found Happy Tails, she immediately began mentoring under Kristina and Amy. They both taught Chloe strategies for management, as well as positive reinforcement to recondition Flora’s association with triggers. Chloe also completed her “Aggression in Dogs” master course, studying under Michael Shikashio.

 

As a teacher, Chloe is passionate about helping handlers work with the dog in front of them, and talk through “the why” for behavior and training strategies. Each dog has a different set of needs and will respond differently to training. Taking experience, genetics, and previous training methods into consideration, Chloe will help you work with your dog for behavior modification and management. Whether your dog is showing mild signs of reactivity, like barking lunging and growling or has a bite history, Chloe is ready to help support you and your companion. 

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