I learned a lot working with Sharon, and highly recommend her as a consultant for trainers taking on service dog cases.

An invaluable resource, she’s highly experienced and very knowledgeable, and will help you avoid common pitfalls while exceeding your training expectations. Not only do I appreciate that she is a serious and skilled trainer steeped in evidence-based training methodology, but I loved that she’s aware, thoughtful and caring and has an eye out for the emotional and physical welfare of both the human and the dog.

I can’t say enough good things about my experience working with her, and am so glad I reached out for her expertise. I look forward to working again with her in the future, and am glad to know that I now have another fabulous resource to enhance the training experiences and outcomes of my clients.  

Sara Munro, CPDT-KA, KPA-CTP, CSAT

Karen and Jon contacted us for training with their two miniature poodles, Ziggy and Marley. Soon after we started, their daughter’s puppy, Luna, also joined the family. Due to COVID-19, all of our sessions, from the behavior consult through all the lessons, were online. Here’s an email update from Karen. 

Hi Sharon, 

Ziggy has responded beautifully to the tighter training off leash with Marley and has not had a single episode of lunging and barking ferociously at her since we started this new off leash method. 

Ziggy is also doing much better since we have Luna and him separated except for training when we reward him for looking her way or late at night when they are all cuddled into one of us.  He seems to enjoy looking at her for the most part now.  Marley is getting along great with Luna and is a peach. 

Ziggy does especially well with his thunder shirt and seems a lot calmer.  I have ordered the composure and its arriving today. We understand this will take time for Ziggy to adjust to all these changes and we are trying to take it slowly for him and Luna. 

We are so grateful for our work with you and our dogs.  The positive changes in their behavior are remarkable.  Thanks for everything you have done to help with this transition.  You do wonderful work.  We could not have asked for more from any dog trainer. See you this Friday. 

Carol and Finn were referred to At Your Service for service dog task training by their local pet dog trainer. They traveled from the Berkshires for their initial service dog consultation and owner lessons. Then the pandemic required us to transition to virtual lessons. Carol was so delighted with Finn’s first online lesson that she spontaneously shared her happiness with Sharon:

Finn and I thank you! You are a great instructor and trainer. You’re wonderful! The way you are so organized and provide immediate feedback and make yourself available.

Your notes are amazing. I don’t know how you manage to crystallize everything so perfectly. At the beginning of each week, I print them out and highlight them until I know how to do it.

This online process works wonderfully. I didn’t think it would work this well! I’m very pleased. I don’t think Finn or I would have gotten more out of seeing you in person. (Although of course it is nice to see you in person!)

Finn seems very proud of himself. Now he is tired and ready for a nap!

Kate, who lives in Connecticut, was unable to find an experienced service dog trainer in her area to complete training of her black Lab, Arvis. She traveled to Western Mass., every two weeks with Arvis, to do two days of training lessons with Sharon. Next, they enrolled in At Your Service Dog Training’s Public Access 2 class — training in public locations as a group. Recently, Kate emailed Sharon to update us on Arvis, who has completed his training and is working successfully as a service dog. Here is some of what Kate shared.

Thank you for your positive words and support regarding Arvis completing his service dog training. You gave us a great foundation and always made us feel like we were capable of becoming a successful working team.

Arvis has demonstrated his first task three times now. When I’m sleeping I do not hear the door bell. He came to get me each time and would not stop bumping my arm until I got out of bed. In addition, he has successfully signaled and led me out of stores when I had gone beyond my medical limitations. 

Arvis now accompanies me to the swimming pool where he will lay inches from the water for over an hour. Other pool patrons are totally amazed and some request to be next to my lane so that they can be closer to Arvis. Even with this extra attention Arvis never moves one inch. Arvis also has come on several bus trips with me, which have required him to ride on buses, ferries, trains, small commuter vans filled with people, etc. Last, he now accompanies me on tasks of daily living. I can’t even begin to put a number on how many compliments Arvis has received on his exemplary behavior.

Here’s what Kate wants people to know about working with At Your Service:

At Your Service Dog Training is a comprehensive program from start to finish. Sharon Wachsler is an experienced trainer with a solid foundation in dog behavior, psychology, and best training practices. I appreciated the in-depth evaluation of my dog and me as a handler before accepting us into the program. It was reassuring to see that she did not place every team at the same starting point and it was not a guarantee to be accepted into her program. I liked the standards she set for both the dog and handler to be considered for her program.

My dog and I had mastered most of his basic skills, through numerous training classes, prior to beginning Sharon’s program. I was very pleased that she did not hold our team back based on the progress other teams had made in the past or the present. She creates a strategic training plan for each client team, complete with copious training observation notes and a detailed homework assignment after each training session. Sharon wants to see her clients be successful but she is not the type of person who will accept payment from a client team that she knows is not going to be able to pass the very rigorous standards of The At Your Service Dog Training program.

Last, there are a few very special things that stick out to me when reviewing my time in Sharon’s program. First, she was very generous with her willingness to accommodate my schedule. Second, I appreciated how she provided training about the ADA laws surrounding service dogs in training (SDits) vs. Service Dogs and role-played how to deal with strangers coming up to my dog and me while we are working together in public.

Last, I enjoyed her creative approaches to training and how she packed so much learning into each session. I always felt she recognized how hard my dog and I were working between sessions and moved us through her program accordingly.Entering into and committing to self-training a service dog with At Your Service Dog Training is not for everyone. It is a significant commitment both financially and emotionally as it is not a guarantee that a dog-handler team will be a successful graduate. Sharon is not able to control her clients so that they devote the necessary time and energy into the extensive training required of a SDit. However, if she happens upon a motivated dog-handler team with all of the prerequisite behaviors and attributes she attributes to potential success, then there is no one better to propel them along towards becoming a fully functioning service dog team. 

In sum, Sharon is a caring trainer who not only has a solid foundation and understanding of training service dogs but also a compassion and dedication to helping those with mental and/or physical disabilities. I’m extremely happy with my entire experience with Sharon Wachsler, the owner of At Your Service Dog Training and would not hesitate to recommend her to other disabled individuals who wish to have assistance training their own service dog.

Hello Sharon,

Thank you so much for reaching out.

Deus continues to be Deus, but he also continues to make lot s of progress. He loves the relaxation protocol and that has become part of our everyday life. He sits around calmly while I cook and clean and he waits patiently while I do things in the kitchen and other parts of the house. He waits quietly and enjoys getting his treats.

He is doing a great job with fetching and dropping balls and other items.

He is now walking off leash when we go for walks and is doing an excellent job with the Here Here recall. It is amazing to see him running back when I say Here Here…He has been doing an excellent job with this except for yesterday when he went chasing a coyote. I was grateful that he came back was not hurt and that things ended well.

There is room for improvement for keeping him calm when strangers come. He is making progress in that area as well.

I actually was away for 4 days during the holiday and I had a new dog sitter come and stay and Deus did really well. He was really good with her on the walks and everything went well!!!!

So, he is growing and maturing and so am I. I am way more relaxed and we are trusting each other daily. I am more confident about everything and that is directly related to my work with you. Everything that you taught me comes into play regularly as I work and train Deus daily. I now leave him in the house while I am away…..

We still have a ways to go and so much to learn, but we are well on our way.I hope things are going well for you and your work.

Best,

Marjorie