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Our dog was almost 6 months old and needed some training that we didn’t know how to provide. We didn’t go into this with high expectations because we didn’t want to get our hopes up. We sent our pup to the weeklong boarding/training and Heather did an amazing job! When our dog came home, he was completely different. He actually listens. She taught us how to work with him and keep up what he has been taught. She sent videos the whole week and we can reference those if needed. I can’t say enough great things. I would highly recommend her. 11/2023
Heather is very calm and has always listened so well to whatever issue we have had. She doesn’t have a one size fits all approach at all… and really learns about your individual dog and issues in order to provide the best method. We have had great results with her training techniques… even when I was sure there wasn’t any hope. We definitely value the one-on-one appointments we have had with our puppy… and still continue to call on her for the post puppy teenager issues that arise. 12/2023
Heather is wonderful with our Goldendoodle. She is very patient in her teaching and I enjoy getting the lesson summaries as they are very helpful at home. I highly recommend her. 10/2022
Heather has so much patience and knowledge it has been great working with her! I adopted a dog from the Humane Society not aware of his anxiety until after he settled into my apartment. He is reactive to dogs and has redirected aggression. With Heather we have learned so much and Riggi has made GREAT progress all thanks to our sessions! 5/2022
Heather was recommended by our vet. She is incredibly good with dogs. Under her direction I am learning to communicate with my dog and it has helped a lot. I highly recommend her!
Heather was recommended by our vet. She is incredibly good with dogs. Under her direction I am learning to communicate with my dog and it has helped a lot. I highly recommend her!
Heather is an amazing trainer! In our very first lesson Lewie was following commands. Heather’s calm and encouraging demeanor is just what Lewie and I needed. She does a great job of explaining things. I am so thankful to have found her!
Heather has been great working with both of my dogs. She is extremely patient and has helped them both grow and have a better relationship with one another.
1/2023
Focused Choice Dog Training helped us train our 2 labs that are a little over 4 years old. We did individual private sessions as well as a week of stay and train. Their manners are 100% improved. Heather guided us through what harness to buy and how to use a gentle leader. I can’t recommend Heather enough. We chose her because she offers “non shock” training and she really knows how to individualize training per the dogs needs. We continue to use her for standard boarding as well.
October 3, 2022
Heather worked great with my dog and my dog really enjoyed his training and responded well to commands. He didn’t want Heather to leave and kept looking for her over 30 minutes after she left. I would highly recommend Heather for command training and leash walking.
Heather arrived promptly and immediately began to bond with our dogs. She gave us numerous suggestions as to how to control Perry’s aggressive behavior when strangers come to our house, as well as demonstrating how to get both dogs to come when called. She took a great deal of time getting to know the dogs and Perry, our dog that is usually very wary of strangers, simply adored her-he has never immediately taken to another person the way he took to her. We have started implementing her suggestions already and will continue to do so, and hopefully Perry will learn not to nip at strangers. After a few weeks of using her training suggestions, we hope to have her come back to view positive results. We would definitely recommend Heather for dog training. She is quite knowledgeable, patient, and professional, and most importantly, relates very well to the dogs she is training.
Heather is wonderful. She was very good with my Violet and very thorough with explaining what training she needed. I would highly recommend.
Heather worked great with my dog and my dog really enjoyed his training and responded well to c
Heather shared techniques with us on addressing the issues we were having with our two dogs. As we begin to use these techniques, we have seen improvements in several areas. I highly recommend Heathers services.
August 25, 2021
Heather is amazing! She is patient and kind. She took the time to explain everything to me and encouraged me to ask tons of questions. My dog and I learned so much!
Heather was very professional and continues to stay in contact to check on my dog’s progress. She cares about your dog.
April 20, 2021
Heather worked great with my dog and my dog really enjoyed his training and responded well to c
Heather is awesome to work with!! Took both of my pups in stride and worked with them individually and together! It was so nice for them to be able to stay at their own home and feel comfortable while training. 10/10!
January 17, 2021
We adopted a large and exuberant 3 year old lab/pit bull mix. After a couple of days walking with her pulling me along the path, I asked friends for a dog trainer recommendation, and thank goodness I did. Heather Royer, the owner of Focused Choice Dog Training, was reasonably priced and came to my home. She brought a training harness with her for my dog to try out, along with treats. She immediately bonded with my dog, who is now a changed animal after our first one hour lesson. We practiced walking on a loose leash, and the commands sit, come and “leave it.” Heather emailed me instructions for practicing daily at home. I signed up for an 8-class course and am looking forward to lesson number 2. My husband and I have done dog training classes in the past and found them to be both militaristic and boring. Working with Heather was like chatting with a friend and getting my dog involved at the same time. I also wanted to have my dog walk on a loose leash and not necessarily heel at my side, because the trails around us are uneven and narrow. Heather was able to easily teach me how to do both. I strongly recommend this dog trainer!
As a foster for the Lynchburg Humane Society I feel pretty skilled at managing a variety of dog behaviors, but our current foster dog, our 34th dog since we started fostering, has been a handful. Heather was great at guiding us through some options to try to give him boundaries and to make leash walking more manageable and fun for both of us. Our dog does not usually warm up to people initially, but after a 1 hour session he was trying to go home with her! Heather has a nice, easy going style and I would not hesitate to recommend her!
We highly recommend Heather for dog training. In just a few weeks our dog has learned so much. Additionally, she has the utmost patience with our small children.
Heather has helped out so much in the training of our puppy. She sent us a very informative list of information that was our “homework” in the training process. When we boarded our puppy she got to see his behavior and sent us pictures throughout the time so we could see what he was up to. Highly recommend Focused Choice Dog Training!
Focused Choice Dog Training was Personalized and personable involvement with student and owner. Commander is more than a little energetic & personally opposed to focus. Heather is patient and calming–Commander took to her right away, and we made progress from the first few minutes. I am very glad that we were taken into her busy schedule and you will be too. You will get individualized tips and ‘tricks’ that you likely had never considered, advice on hardware, and training instructions to use between sessions. As well as a wide variety of hours to suit your schedule.