Jasper is ridiculously smart, has lots of anxious energy, and, as a herder, needs a job. Nose work, and specifically Ann’s classes, were recommended to us as a way for him to focus his energy. We began on Zoom during pandemic lockdown and continued signing up for all the offered classes. Jasper LOVES nose work. He is focused, he has fun, and he is always tired afterward. I can’t recommend Ann’s nose work classes highly enough. She is kind, incredibly knowledgeable, and patient–particularly with her clients’ human companions. Watching Jasper solve ever more difficult problems has been a real joy and I’m so glad we found Ann.
Simon is a three year old miniature Australian Shepherd. He came to us at 8 weeks old. Simon has some pretty extreme anxiety/fear issues. We started to notice the issues around six months of age and they have progressively gotten worse as he’s gotten older. We reached out to Ann for help as she was highly recommended by someone in the dog world that we trust. We have been working with Ann for just under two months now and we are already seeing Simon’s confidence and independence improve significantly! Watching our boy “come out of his shell” is an incredible sight and feeling! I am excited to continue the work with Simon and Ann so that he can be the happy, brave boy I know he is. Thank you Ann!
We adopted Ziggy in April 2020 as a puppy. He came with a lot of issues., because of being a rescue, and they became more apparent as he grew older. We discovered Ann through the recommendation of our vet and started basic training, then quickly added in nose work. Ziggy’s confidence in himself (and in me!!) has grown and he is becoming the dog he was meant to be. We will be continuing on with his training, and we are so happy to have been put into contact with Ann.
When we contacted Ann we were so overwhelmed by our labradoodle puppy. She helped us understand him and what he needed. After 2 zoom sessions things got so much better! She has been an email or call away when we had questions. I don’t know what we would have done without her.
Ann has helped me work with my high drive dog, Z. I can’t believe after 2 sessions we have so many tools we can use to maintain his focus or use his energy positively. She has helped us build a positive relationship between our 1.5 year old Miniature Schnauzer and our 8 month old Giant Schnauzer, which means more than anything. I was skeptical about virtual training, but it has worked out way better than I could have expected! I highly recommend working with Ann.
We added a visit with Ann to our Washington trip and are now working with her remotely because she is so knowledgeable about animal behavior. She has been extremely helpful with our reactive dog, Lark, who is reactive and difficult to manage around other dogs and strangers. Ann helps me get to the root of her problem and identify the steps we need to take to help her live in the real world. I am very grateful to Ann for her help and understanding of behavior and science.
All of our dogs have been trained by Ann! We opted to do virtual training via zoom for our new 1 yr old rescue ! It was amazing! She taught him cues to stop his jumping and how to break up bitey face with our 5 yr old. I’d highly recommend Ann and her virtual training as she can see them in their usual surroundings without having an additional new person in the mix. We were not sure at first about virtual training but am a firm believer now. We accomplished many milestones in an hour♥️ Janet and Jeff with Panda
Our newly adopted rescue dog Maggie, has several things we need to work on, e.g. chasing cars, reactivity toward other dogs and coming when she’s called. After our first online consultation with Ann via Zoom, I feel confident we have the information to get started in helping Maggie overcome her behavior challenges. Looking forward to our future in person meetings. Thank you Ann!
Ann has been a blessing! Our 15 month old Labrador Retriever would fall apart during vet visits. Uncontrollable barking, peeing, jumping, and biting the staff’s arms. A successful vet visit was out of the question.
Ann saw through the ‘crazy’ and immediately helped Sebastian focus his energy into positive behaviors. She set up a series of ‘happy visits’ with our vet to help him practice new, good patterns in a quiet, low-stress environment. The results have been amazing. Yesterday Sebastian had his first full exam with lots of handling (even ear swabbing!) and he did great. The vet staff said that they’ve never seen such a remarkable turnaround in such a short time.
We’re so grateful for Ann’s help. She gave us tools to bring out the best in Sebastian. And she gave us an unexpected gift: a new appreciation for Sebastian’s thinking, skills, and personality. Thank you!
We worked with Ann while she was running her business in Tampa, FL. Five years ago we adopted Roscoe, a 4 year old stray with a lot of leash reactivity and aggression. Ann gave us the tools and games we needed to help boost Roscoe’s confidence around other dogs and react calmer to these situations.
Five years later, we’re still working with him using the same techniques Ann gave us. Since then he’s mellowed out enough around other dogs to be able to do small, supervised play groups at daycare! Which is more than I ever thought we’d get with Roscoe. He still doesn’t want to meet other dogs on a leash, but that’s okay. We’re able to do calm walks, letting other dogs pass us while we “leave it” and “wait” and things are good. We’re so grateful Ann was able to help us out! Thank you!
Ann has given Harley and our family a beautiful gift! From the time Harley was a puppy loud unexpected noises and fast unexpected movements would scare him and make him run away and then bark at whatever it was. At about 12 mos of age he began to react to every human and every dog while we were in the car, out for a walk and especially around our home. It got so bad that we worried he might bite someone which was so hard for us because he was so sweet and cuddly with us! While I was able to make a little progress with him, things were still escalating and I was beginning to feel frustrated and hopeless so I called Ann. Upon her first visit Harley did his usual crazy routine of barking, jumping and escalating his behavior to an uncontrollable level. With her extensive knowledge and patience she was able to assess his behavior and work out an easy to follow training plan that included positive reinforcement, behavior modification, and management of his environment. She also suggested that to build his confidence we should consider trying her K9 Nose Work classes. After 6 weeks of classes and implementing her suggestions for Harley, I can see a huge difference in him. He is calmer and has begun to redirect himself or look to me for direction when he becomes unsure or scared. While we still have work ahead of us especially where other dogs are involved, he loves the K9 Nose work classes, we can now go on walks with minimal to no reactivity , and we’ve slowly been able to have people over without the ensuing craziness. Ann has given us hope and confidence through helping us to understand what was driving Harley’s behavior and how to work with him in order to bring out the best in him!
Testimonial: Almost a year ago we adopted a 10 week old neglected and abused puppy we named Bella. As she grew, we noticed her fears did, too. While never afraid of dogs, or other animals, her fear of strangers quickly became debilitating. She would do shut down if a stranger approached her on-leash, and would run if approached off-leash. We tried everything we could, but knew it just wasn’t enough. We didn’t know what to do.
We were referred to Ann from a family member who saw the struggle to help our sweet girl. Our first session was nothing short of amazing. I couldn’t believe the breakthroughs and bravery we were seeing in Bella just halfway through that first session! Ann was so gentle; so patient. Her energy was inviting and kind and Bella really began to respond. In fact, on the car ride home following our first session, Bella hung her head out the window and enjoyed the breeze. That was something she had been too afraid to do even just the day before!
We left with a clear and concise plan moving forward on just what it was going to take to help our sweet girl start to live her best life free of fear. Ann isn’t teaching Bella. Ann is teaching US so that WE can teach Bella and that is a huge difference from how many trainers work. I can implement the things Ann is teaching me in real time, here at home and that is making a world of difference!
Bella means the world to us and I can wholeheartedly say we wouldn’t trust her confidence, happiness and future with anyone but Ann and Sound Dog Connection!!
Dogs Name: Punky
Breed: mixed miniature poodle
Testimonial: Our lives and Punky’s have been changed forever by working with Ann. She provides science based information about the personalities and behaviors of the problems both dog and owners are having. Punky is a rescue from a high kill shelter. He came to us at age 3 going on 4 and we have had him for nearly a year. All went well with this precious little guy the first six months or so and then he developed behavior issues that were alarming and could eventually be dangerous. He began charging those who came and went in our home. Too, he became possessive of his leash and halter and wouldn’t let us take them off, showing bared teeth and growling. In just one session at our home she quickly analyzed Punky’s personality and behaviors and taught us the science-based techniques dogs understand to change and manage his fears and aggression. She is totally amazing! We have had many dogs but this training opened our minds and hearts on a new way to understand “dog talk” vs people talk. We can hardly wait to work with her again. As promised, we have been practicing and using the education Ann gave us and he is responding so well. Thank you doesn’t begin to express our appreciation for Ann.
I first reached out to Ann after adopting a dog that was extremely fearful and dog reactive. Through training sessions, we learned how to help manage Leroy’s reactivity and give him better behavior options. Nose Work classes were truly life-changing for Leroy – he developed confidence and focus that have made him a much happier dog. Ann has been wonderful to work with and we’ve learned so much over the years! I really enjoyed her two-day nose work seminar – it was a great opportunity to continue to learn from Ann.
Ann is a fantastic trainer! She knows how to speak dog and is kind and caring to both dog and human. She does not push dogs past what they can handle and uses science-based training methods to help dogs feel confident and secure in the world.
Two years ago I adopted a rescue who was quite a bit larger than previous pups who had been part of my life. I wanted to start her out on the right paw in the obedience department. My vet recommended Ann! He was spot on. What I love about Ann and her approach to working with your dog is the positivity. She not only introduced Cinder (and me) to the basics of good dog citizenship but we now have branched out to K9 nose work, and odor recognition. Small class sizes and large amounts of positive reinforcement. Florida’s loss is Washington state’s gain!
Ann ran a two-day nose work workshop that was incredible. I love that it was long on working and short on lecture. She’s extremely knowledgeable and very helpful with her coaching. She packed a lot in in just two short days. I will be watching carefully for the next time she’s in Florida, Georgia, one of the Carolinas… Heck, I might even go to Kansas for Ann!
Ann is the best. My dog, Sasha, is a 2 year old rescue. Female Lhasa Apso. I got her about 6 months ago. She had very little socialization previous and was very fearful. She participated in a nose work class. First day her legs were visibly shaking in fear. But she loved the class and it gave her so much confidence. We’ve also done a few private behavior classes with Ann. It’s made a huge difference in Sasha’s happiness. I highly recommend Ann and Sound Dog Connection. She’s extremely knowledgeable and a lot of fun to work with. We’ve had great results…and fun. Did I mention fun?
I first began working with Ann about 7 years ago. The first nose work sessions were for a foster dog that had significant fear issues that resulted in fear biting. Nose work turned out to be a very good addition to the plan for him. It helped him build confidence and learn to work through some times of frustration by solving the “puzzles” nose work provided for him. In the years that followed Ann assisted our rescue group in many ways with the dogs in our care. She educated our foster team as well in better ways of communicating with their fosters. I also participated in nose work and training with my own dogs. Ann is highly skilled and takes great care in the services she provides to her clients.
Ann is an outstanding instructor. We received all our levels of Nose Work training from her and her team. She is very knowledgeable, professional, patient & encouraging. Her approach with dogs is very positive & engaging, making her a sought out favorite as they entered the building. Our Golden Retriever progressed from novice through all the training levels, ultimately working in an advanced class offering various challenging & unique searching environments. He went on to title in Nose Work with NACSW. I highly recommend her!!
A few years ago, I began searching for a behaviorist to help with my very reactive Golden retriever, Noah. Noah was so overcome with fear and anxiety that he wasn’t enjoying life to the fullest – even walking through our neighborhood was sometimes traumatic, if someone rolled by on a skateboard, or someone parked a big scary boat in their driveway, he’d simply shut down. He was fearful of meeting new people and aggressive toward other dogs to the point that I was afraid of what we might encounter simply going for a walk. That’s when I met Ann. Ann is absolutely remarkable in her ability to understand dogs – and they know it and adore her for it! Not only did she help me to understand Noah’s reactivity, she taught me how to help him overcome his fears. Today, he is pure happiness and joy, a total goofball that loves people and even has wonderful relationships and play-dates with other dogs. And while we do face the occasional scary moment, he recovers quickly and isn’t tormented by the world around him. To further build his confidence, Ann introduced us to Nosework, something for which I will always be thankful, and will participate in with every dog I have the joy of sharing my life with moving forward. (Noah’s big sister, Olive started Nosework, too!) Through Nosework, Noah learned to just be a dog and enjoy life. His confidence has grown by leaps and bounds, and he even seems proud of himself when he finds a hide and is rewarded for something that comes so naturally to him. I owe so much to Ann and to the sport of Nosework for helping my sweet boy come out of his shell and love life again.
Ann is a wonderful, kind, and skilled trainer. She fosters trust with positive, science based training and helps handlers know why things work. We started with K9 Nosework to give my senior an activity to keep her engaged and it turned out to be the best idea, giving her a new outlook and teaching us a sport she can do forever. She still plays at 16 and so does her 12 year old sister!
A few years ago, I started having behavior issues with my Chesapeake Bay Retriever, Cory. Though obedience trained and working as my service dog, she was reacting negatively to other dogs and in some cases to men. I took her to see Ann Waterbury who, to my surprise, identified that Cory was anxious and afraid. She seemed happy to me, but when Ann helped me see our situation through Cory’s eyes, I understood what was affecting her. We started Nosework training under Ann’s guidance and the change in Cory’s attitude and demeanor has been significant. She is so much more confident and relaxed. We are getting ready to compete in a Nosework trial. As I see other dogs working in that sport, I can’t help but compare how they work with Cory. Ann taught us to go slow, to build a solid foundation and to let Cory lead. Now, I understand how much that foundation will benefit us in not only the sport of Nosework, but in life. I also took our son’s dog to see Ann. Sai is a Cardigan Welsh Corgi who I incorrectly thought was having dominance issues. Again, Ann helped me identify his fears and once we worked through those and built his confidence through Nosework, Sai is also a different dog. I highly recommend Ann Waterbury’s training methods. I can attest that she can transform your dog’s, and your own, life if you work with her.
Ann is very knowledgeable and can assist with a variety of issues, manners, reactivity and behavior modification. She is a wonderful K9 Nose Work instructor as well, and can help your dog become a nose work rockstar! She has really helped me problem solve some confidence issues my dog and I were having in K9 Nose Work. I highly recommend Ann to anyone!
