Happy Graduates | Nancy Harms Dog Coach

Jackie, Ron & Rex

I wanted to thank you for speaking with Ron and myself about Rex! I’m afraid we were giving him way too much freedom. I nap him when he starts patrolling or doesn’t listen to commands and he generally needs a nap. He accepts it without an issue and still goes in his kennel on his own so I know it isn’t a bad thing to do. He’s rarely without a leash and therefore doesn’t get in as much trouble wanting to play rough or not coming when he’s told. He really does well with his commands even on a walk.

Samantha

Nancy did a very nice job with our overly enthusiastic Aussie. We contacted Nancy so our Aussie would relax a little quicker when guests arrive and also to get her to listen a little better overall. Nancy has a presence with the dogs that definitely demands their immediate respect. It was great to get all of her tips and tricks for our own everyday use with our two babies. I have and will continue to recommend her to anyone looking for some training with their furry babies!

Laurie

Thank you for all your ideas and techniques. My children and I really enjoyed your class and we were sad for it to end. The kids felt so good about being a part of the training process!

Puppy Class Oct. '11

Sandi, Larry & Chester

I give you all the credit for everything he knows!

Scott Dickman

Nancy, I just want to thank you for helping me with my dog, Opie. He is so much better behaved, and I think it is because you helped me change my behavior. I’m glad I called you, my dog and I are both happier now. I highly recommend your service to anyone who has a dog who is out of control.

Margot and Bob

Although we’ve had dogs for many years it’s been about 30 years since we had a puppy. Nancy was a tremendous help giving us a context about how dogs think and behave ……their brains never really progress beyond two years of age so no matter how well they are trained we have to keep an eye on them and not give them too much freedom. That was the best advice we could have gotten as new parents to our little puppy Oliver Fuzzball.

Jodi Werner

I really enjoyed the class and we have seen a great change with Barkley’s behavior since he has been going to classes.

Holli B. Johnson

Thank you for the wonderful class! “Thank you for teaching me to sit! Mom said it made our holiday photos a lot easier.” Abby – 5 months with her role model, Pepper.

Karen Resch

Thank you for your guidance with dog training. At two years old, I though Jack might be too old to break bad habits but we both came out of class a happier dog and thus a happier human. The biggest learning moments for me were understanding dog behavior, learning what dogs need, how they need to socialize and how their breeds influence their behavior. I am sorry to say but before class I was letting a “two year old” run the house. Jack loved the class, he really is a social dog and loves to play and the off leash time was just what he needed to burn off his energy so he could focus during training. I think it would be beneficial to us both to continue with training.

Shelby & Bob

Thanks for the great class. Although Shelby’s favorite part was the playtime, she still learned to be a well-behaved dog who understands her start commands. Also, I became a smart pack leader who now understands how to communicate with her. I am sure over the years we will become an outstanding pack with many joyful and exciting adventures.

Cheryl, Madeline and Lily Kuhn

I am so glad to have been involved in the dog obedience class. I learned alot and it made me appreciate Lily more than I thought possible. She is a good dog and I love her. Thanks for the class. Keep up the good work.

Cathy and Kent Espe

We were grateful to find your class. We learned that what we thought was aggression, was really anxiety or fear. We were fearful to have her around many dogs thinking she might try to hurt them. So we need to work on her getting over her fear of other dogs. The best way is to get her around other nice dogs. She can learn how they play and interact. We enjoyed the other dogs and their humans and it is so good for Thunder to see us relaxed with other dogs. Thank you for the great ideas..

Marvel and Larry Betchwars

Thank you for all your help with Pepper and Gordy,- the guys are doing very well.

Bill, Shelly, Nick, and Maeby Theisen

We adopted Maeby in June 2010 from the Winona Humane Society. Great dog…just had a few issues. Socializing and jumping were BIG issues. After your class, her socializing skills are MUCH improved. The commands you helped us teach her (and us) are working very well. Overall, a very helpful and enjoyable class to take. Thanks again!

Alice

Thank you for being such a great teacher. Your guided instruction and the rich experience that you brought to the class was very helpful. . Keep up the good work!

Ashley and Harley

Thanks for the great class Nancy! I took Harley to work with me at the nursing home this past week, and had lots of compliments on “how well he behaves for a 7 month old…” I guess I am a proud mama! I think he learned “sit” a little too well, because every time he sits he looks at me like, “where is my treat…?” I think the class was great, and we learned a lot! He has not had any accidents lately, and has been getting lots of exercize! Coral and I are setting up a play date for Guss and Harley this weekend, so I am sure that will go well!

Sue

We all (Jenny, Tallie and I) enjoyed the class and learned many useful tips!! I really liked the combination of learning and play time for the dogs. You do a wonderful job!! Thanks so much!

Denise and Terry

We enjoyed the class very much and she gets better at responding to the commands all the time. Thanks for the guidance!!

Laurie J. Becker MSN, RN

I found the class very helpful. You answered individual questions and spent time with each participant. You have a very calm voice and demeanor, which was helpful to me as a new dog owner. I was so embarrassed after the first class when Iris barked and barked,- your response took away my stress. Thanks for the help. I do feel much more competent now..

Pixie

I was noting after you left what a great energy you offer to dogs. Sadie is so at peace with you in her presence. I’m sure you bring that everywhere. You ought to write the stories- for your benefit and to share with others. Thanks for all you offered us. Sadie should have a good life here.

Sue Lee Ringwelski

Nessa and I both really enjoyed the puppy class. You do a wonderful job for new puppy owners. You also have great reminders, tips and advise for owners who have had pups before. It’s just a great, all round class that gives the pups and the owners just what they need. Thank you for providing this service for people and pets in this area. I’ll be referring any new puppy/dog owners that I come in contact with to you also.

Richmond McCluer

Although I have known Nancy Harms for a number of years, I first became acquainted with her as a dog trainer when I adopted my Labrador retriever, Chuck. At 11 months old, he was a beautiful and muscular dog — full of energy and totally untrained. When I picked him up, the volunteer asked if I was still lifting weights regularly, commenting,“You will need lots of muscle.” It quickly turned out that I would need something!

I started trying to “train” Chuck who would just run in the fields and woods around my home at Holler Hill. For most of that time, our training sessions began the same way. Chuck would bolt into the field, ignore me, and race off to chase rabbits or roll in deer dung while I yelled at him to stop, alternately pleading or screaming. “No,” “Come now!” or my favorite, “You’re not listening to me!” The same with recall – I tried a pinch collar and an electronic shock collar. I tried bellowing “Come!” and “Come here!” and built up to “You better come right now!” Then I started the basic dog obedience class that Nancy Harms founded for the Humane Society, to work with volunteers who foster puppies and young dogs, help dogs to adjust to the routine of basic training, provide more advanced training related to the dog’s future home, matching dogs to owners and training dogs and owners together and providing aftercare and support for owner-dog partnerships. She watched me briefly working with Chuck. “If you want to have a better dog,” she told me, “you will just have to be a better human.” It was a surprising but obvious truth, and it began to change almost everything about the way I perceived and treated my dog. It was so simple. It was all about me, not the dog. It was about my not stopping to think, about my frustration. We went through the class, and now he sticks by my side and comes galloping when I call. Nancy Harms has good communication skill with both dogs and people, and understands that training involves a partnership. She understands both canine and human behavior, and her training focuses on building the partnership between human and dog to produce good canine citizens.

Anne

Thank you so much for the class!

For me, watching you interact with the dogs – how you handle them is so instructive! There is a real focused attention and intentionality that you bring to your dog relationships that I am missing! It makes me realize that all of my dog’s “bad behaviors” are simply a reflection of my lack of knowledge and practice in training him. I need to remember to interact daily with the new patterns I have learned rather than the older patterns I established that are not effective. You are an excellent teacher! You are very communicative, responsive to individuals’ needs/questions, and knowledgeable. You did a great job handling the wide array of situations that came with the class, including involving the kids who came. You focused on repetition – always helpful – and had an appropriate range of exercises to help us develop skills. I guess the thing I hadn’t realized is that we are ALWAYS training our dogs, and we need to constantly set the agenda for our interactions. Thanks again for the excellent class!

The Kulas

I thought your class was very helpful for me as a dog owner. You were a great instructor and I was appreciative that you kept trying with Toby and his trust issue. I thought you did a great job with the helpful handouts that were sent home each week.

Lance and Jidge

Nancy walked my dog Jidge for several weeks when I had an injury. She did an excellent job and Jidge became more well behaved as well. She was able to raise concerns about any behavior and health issues. Now Jidge gladly greets her when they meet as he very much bonded with her. 20200621_181822_2

Christine

I wanted to take a few moments to sincerely thank you for your time and advice on socializing Mae–and really any other dog. Your love for animals shines through. I look forward to seeing other classes posted in the future.

Barbara Wynn

Wrigley and I loved having our time together on Tuesday evenings… We are using the down/stay command alot – especially when she is anxious to play and I am trying to get dressed in the mornings (Wrigley loves to steal my socks, shoes or whatever which slows the process unless I give her something to think about.)Thanks for the structure and help in understanding how to communicate with my perpetual 2 year old… as a preschool teacher, that realization really made sense to me. I better understand that my dear furry companion needs me to remember that she is in a constant state of toddlerhood!

Julie, John, Ashlynn and Sadie Jane Kalmes

Nancy Harms ‘ one- on- one coaching is the best! She was able to point out some of Sadie Jane’s needs which we have put into action resulting in much improved behavior.

Christie McConville

I do have a great success story to share with you. We have all been working with Tiki with the leash, the clapping and spending less free time outside and more constructive time with us. It is working. She is truly a quick study and loving every minute of this training. We did take her ice fishing on Sunday. There were dogs outside running loose. She chose to pay attention to us and since she was doing so well, I didn’t want to push it. I took her into the shack and gave her treats, rubbed her tummy and got her interested in what we were catching. She never gave those dogs a second thought. I thought that was a terrific success as just a week ago, that would not have been the case. Another success we had was on Sunday as well. We went over to check our houseboat and as there is not a single soul at the marina this time of the year, we let her run loose with us. She jumped up on the houseboat and looked in the sliding door and saw a perfect reflection of herself in the next sliding glass door. Looking at it from a human perspective, it really looked like there was another dog there. She started to bark, I clapped at her, and she sat down right next to me, her hair still stood up but she quit barking. I believe she is going to get this. Thank you again for your wisdom, all of us really appreciate you and your help.

Shari Jarvis

As always, we DO enjoy bringing our dogs to your classes. Thank you again for all your help. The parts of the class that I appreciated the most were learning how to keep things simple (remembering the “2-yr-old” idea) and the exercise we had during the last couple of classes where we called each other’s dogs. We have an idea of how to approach the “stay” & “come” commands….thanks to you. Thanks for all you do!

Tina Schmoker

Thank you very much, I thought you did a wonderful job with all the dogs. Charlie is going to be a much better dog from what he has learned in your class… sometimes it may not seem like it now, LOL because he is still a puppy, but I am positive he is going to get better. We started him on the right track to being a good dog. Charlie really enjoyed socializing with the other dogs… he would have never gotten that experience had we not taken this class, I thought that was great. You did a great job!! Thank you very much!!

Mary Kaye Staudacher

Thanks for all your patience and information we received.

Celeste Lea

The class was wonderful. I’ve noticed Ella’s behavior has dramatically improved since she has taken your class. Thanks for everything.

Tom and Barb Kohner

Thank you for giving us so much insight into our puppies. Your classes were excellent and we learned so much.

Betty and Dick Rusert

My husband and I had a very good time in your class, met some great people and their dogs and I know we learned a great deal on how to help our puppy become as loving to others as he is to us through better behavior. DSCN2232