Achieving the Essence of Take, Hold, and Give

Throughout the years, the SQUIRREL!® Dog Training courses have helped me and my dogs with the building blocks and higher level skills we need for water rescue, obedience and draft work. Deanna goes the extra mile to provide helpful resources (like an amazing water rescue caller audio track) and personalized assistance when facing challenges (hello dreaded Take a Line).

Deanna has built a community of positive and incredibly supportive dog people, and has honed her materials so courses are well thought out, broken down into very detailed and manageable steps for easy and successful learning at all stages.

I feel like anyone who takes a course will improve their relationship with their dog and learn a lot along the way.

I have a very heartfelt and deep appreciation for the exceptional training provided by the SQUIRREL!® Dog Training online classes. These classes were a complete game changer for Kuiper and me and by far are the best training classes we have ever taken. Deanna’s love of dogs, passion for training, expertise, and dedication shine through in every aspect of the courses. And they are a lot of fun!

The systematic, extremely positive, and gentle approach to training was perfectly suited to both Kuiper and me and the impact it has had on our relationship is truly remarkable. Although we never competed in water rescue, we were able to apply the skills and training methods learned in this class to a variety of dog sports (including tricks, rally, nosework, and agility), in addition to everyday life obedience training.

The emphasis on short productive training sessions made it easy to fit training into the day and was well suited for dogs with short attention spans. Video and written instructions were very clear, informative, and engaging. The video critiques are extremely detailed, helpful, and encouraging and specifically tailored to you and your dog. I was amazed at how much time Deanna spent reviewing each video and her extremely detailed step-by-step guidance helped transform Kuiper into a skilled and confident worker and me into a clear and confident trainer.

Deanna fosters a positive and encouraging learning environment and her enthusiasm for her students’ progress and achievements creates a real  sense of community among participants. I found the online interactions among students to be not only very informative but also fun. I made numerous new friends in these classes and greatly enjoy seeing the numerous achievements of my fellow classmates.

I see Deanna as not just a dog trainer, but a mentor genuinely invested in the success and well-being of both dogs and owners. The training courses are truly amazing and participating in them has been a transformative experience for both Kuiper and me. In conclusion, I wholeheartedly recommend these classes to anyone seeking to not only improve the training skills of both you and your dog but also to anyone wanting to deepen the bond with their dog and learn to Take, Hold, & Give (Take the opportunity, Hold the bond sacred, & Give praise and love liberally).

SQUIRREL!® Dog Training online THG Courses are one of the greatest gifts you can give yourself and your dog. While the focus of the classes is on water rescue training, the principles taught – and the skills you learn – can be applied to virtually all dog sports, including obedience, tricks, rally, and draft. In other words, Deanna’s classes provide a wonderful foundation for anyone seeking a better working relationship with their dog. 

The thoughtful organization of the THG Courses and the method of teaching set students up to succeed. Each week’s lesson is presented in multiple formats, from diagrams and prose to videos and voice recordings, which means you can choose the presentation that most resonates with your learning style. Within the lessons, Deanna shows her students how to take large, complicated tasks that may, at first, seem impossible and break them down into smaller, more accessible components that can be tried right away. Deanna’s personalized guidance and feedback then helps the students grow the components incrementally until the original end goal is achieved. 

The online nature of the classes enhances the entire experience, allowing for collaborative learning with people from all over the world and from profoundly different backgrounds in life and in dog training. A true “team” feeling develops as everyone works toward a weekly shared goal and posts training videos for classmates to watch. A lot is learned by following the progress of others. 

The real power of Deanna’s courses, though, comes not only from how she teaches but also from who she is as an instructor. Deanna is personally invested in the success of each dog and its handler. Her unwavering positivity and encouragement inspires students to become better handlers and to believe in themselves and their fellow students. With her can-do attitude and depth of experience, Deanna is able to help students identify common mistakes and gently offer suggestions on how to avoid them. Both handlers and dogs finish the THG Courses with more knowledge, confidence, and inspiration than they had when they began.