Paws Forward Dog Training and Boarding - Alvinston, Ontario

Elizabeth Srebot

What a transformation! Sarah took our 3 y/o Australian Shepherd and and 10 month Husky mix in for a 3 week training session. I think the most we got out of it was peace of mind. We now have the tools to continue training them at home and in new environments. We took them home to my parents property on the water and they were very responsive even with geese as distractions. We no longer have stress and anxiety when taking them with us to new places which is priceless. Thank you so much !!

Ruth L

Sarah was accommodating to take our 18 month Giant for her board and train program when our travel dates unexpectedly changed. Our pup is drastically more well behaved and seems happier himself. We sent him to Sarah with a somewhat rather long list of things to work on and he is amazing now in all aspects. His behaviour and etiquette has been noticed by everyone from other family members to random people out on our walks. Thank you, Sarah!

Rachel Kilroy

Sarah is a fabulous trainer! I had contacted her about my rescue pup, Indie, as he is nervous/timid in nature and needed some help building his confidence in new environments and with meeting new people.
Sarah was very responsive and, based on the information I had given her about Indie, she determined that private training sessions would be most beneficial for him. We have now completed three private training sessions and from here I am able to work with him on my own using all of the techniques, tools, and information Sarah provided to continue his progress. Indie and I now have a better relationship and I can see his confidence growing with every passing day - we could not be more grateful for Sarah's help in getting Indie to this place in his life.
I cannot recommend Sarah enough and feel anyone who is looking for an effective and balanced approach to dog training should not hesitate to contact her.

Conrad Wrobel

We sent our dog Chapek for training with Sarah, We couldnt be happier with the results. Our biggest goal was leash walking with him and it was IMPOSSIBLE to do without his halty before. He is 130 pounds and a hard puller. I can now walk him with a short leash and just his collar no issues at all! His "placing" is excellent which was our second biggest goal so that while our kids are eating hes not right there with his head beside the table and while we are at work we can have him at the office while us while our workers walk around. If I could give ten stars I would!!

Jennifer S

We are experienced dog owners and we were struggling with our 20 month old miniature poodle. His barking was out of control and he was starting to become very leash reactive. We had been through two different styles of trainers with no sustainable success. After researching carefully, we chose to board and train our pup with Sarah. We were astonished by the videos sent to us and the progress we witnessed. Our dog was working through reactivity to dogs, people knocking at doors and staying in a down position with chickens wandering around! Every video showed clear progress and a very happy dog. When we picked up our dog he was calm, relaxed and a different dog. Sarah spent time with us to make sure we could continue to build on the great work she had accomplished. Our dog no longer barks at people walking by the house, when we are walking and he sees a dog he looks to us and does not react and door bell ringing is met with only a single bark. An amazing transformation! Sarah is a credentialed trainer who has a gentle fair style that creates sustainable results. We highly recommend her if you need help with your pup.

Angela Powers

We had an amazing experience with Paws Forward when our Dog Ollie visited for the Board and Train. When we first arrived Ollie jumped up and snatched the toast right out of Sarah’s hand and in that moment it was completely understood why we were there lol We loved the experience we had and the level of support we got from Sarah after. I always recommend Paws Forward when asked why my dog is so well behaved (which was not always the case). Thank you Paws Forward!!!

Tracey Baute

Our Zoey has stayed with Sarah a couple of times now for boarding and training and we are always happy with the results. It is nice to know she is safe, learning and having fun while we are away. Highly recommend.

Megan Manning

I brought my 3.5 year old Golden Retriever mix, Penny, to Paws Forward for the three week board/train program at the end of February of this year. Penny had severe jumping issues that I struggled with greatly since she was a pup, plus problems with over excitability and separation/all-around anxiety — “She just doesn’t know how to relax,” as Sarah put it.

Although Penny has always been a well-behaved dog at home alone with me, I dealt with my own anxiety/stress due to Penny’s extreme behaviour in other scenarios. She made it incredibly difficult (more like impossible) to have company over or bring her places without being completely disruptive, imposing, and demanding of attention at all times. I struggled with boarding her due to her anxiety and disruptive/difficult to handle behaviour. Plus, Penny had a history of self-harming if kennelled/left unattended somewhere other than at home with me, which resulted in an expensive post-boarding trip to the vet on multiple occasions. At times, I struggled with getting others to respect/adhere to the rules that I was trying to enforce when interacting with Penny, so she would get away with behaving poorly and lacked consistency. Sometimes she was able to calm down after an hour or so, but many times she was never able to get there. Neither her nor I could ever just relax and enjoy ourselves in the company of others, which was unfortunate and sad.

During Penny’s stay, Sarah kept me updated with pictures and videos of her progress and promptly responded anytime that I contacted her. Penny suffers from allergies with severely adverse effects and Sarah administered her meds and followed my laundry-list of special instructions with zero complaints or issues.

On pick-up day, Sarah gave me the rundown of Penny’s training, instructed on how to use the e-collar, commands, etc. We did some training exercises both inside and out and went for a walk together to practice heeling. Upon my arrival and Sarah handing over the reigns, Penny began testing me and displaying some of the bad habits that she had long given up on during her stay. Sarah immediately addressed this and gave me prompt, clear, and helpful instructions on how/when to properly correct her and nip it in the bud. By the end of our session, Penny began to fall back in line after realizing that I was aligned with the rules and expectations that she had became accustomed to working with Sarah. After only a day or two of being diligent with corrections and faithfully adhering to her training regimen, Penny gave up on occasionally testing me/seeing what she could get away with and accepted her new normal with me.

It has been four months since Penny returned home and she has continued to prove that she is a COMPLETELY different dog — which I do not say lightly. I have been able to have company over/bring her places and have her remain in place until given the break command. Entrances/introductions with both people and other dogs go over much more smoothly and she rarely ever tries to jump up. She calms down much quicker (she will always be an excitable dog, but is no longer completely disruptive/imposing) and is able to entertain herself or just relax in the presence of others. She’s doesn’t get anxious if I leave her sight and I have been able to board her at a dog sitter’s without any issues or self-harming (or unexpected vet bills $$).

Taking Penny to Paws Forward truly changed both mine and Penny’s lives. I am no longer burdened by the stress and anxiety that I once was, and both Penny and I are able to just relax and enjoy ourselves regardless of where we are or who we are with. I can confidently say that it was the best money that I have EVER spent (as reinforced countless times by my father) and I will continue to reap the benefits from this training for years to come. I have referred several friends/colleagues to Paws Forward (who have also found great success) and will continue to bring Penny and any dogs that I get in the future back to see Sarah.

Eternally grateful,
Megan & Penny ?❤️