Testimonials

“We cannot say enough wonderful things about Susan. She has a profound knowledge of dog behavior and a gentle, caring manner to which our dogs eagerly responded. We are so thankful for you Susan!”

Kerri Price

“When I first came to you years ago, I thought that my dog Sophie was exhibiting ‘bad’ behavior. I was somewhat mortified to learn that it was me that needed the training, as I wasn’t giving her the leadership and guidance that she needed! Since then I have brought countless dogs – both my own and fosters – to attend Purely Positive classes. And each time, I learn even more. I have a house full of rescued dogs of all ages and backgrounds, and it is such a delight to have a balanced healthy ‘pack’! I used to think that all I had to do was love these incredible creatures, but now I know how to be a responsible pack leader so each member of my family – and our visiting fosters – can thrive and be happy! I can never thank you enough for all you’ve taught me and for all you do to help so many animal lovers in our community!”

Melissa Gray

“Susan changed our lives. After a terrible experience with another trainer that sent our fearful dog into a spiral of aggression and dangerous behavior, we thought we were going to be facing a lawsuit soon and might be forced to put him down (he’d bit several of my friends and some strangers). As a behaviorist myself, I thought I would be able to turn him around without the help of another professional. I was wrong. It helped tremendously having an unbiased, third party who could advise our training and supplement our work with the latest techniques and methods designed specifically for fearful dogs. Her knowledge and experience was indispensable. We can finally have friends over again. We can take our dog on walks where he actually ENJOYS being outside instead of cowering in fear and attacking anyone who walks by. We can even take him into stores with us! He’s like a whole new dog and we couldn’t be happier.”

Kelsey Burnette

“I cannot say enough about Susan and her training methods. Early on in our dog’s life, we encountered an unfriendly off leash dog that ended up attacking our dog. From that moment on, our dog had fear based leash aggression. We spent years trying to find a trainer to help us through this situation and then we finally found Susan’s growl class. Unlike every other training we had done, Susan used positive reinforcement and time to help our dog feel more comfortable while on leash. She gave us tools to help our dog when we were put in a situation that required immediate action. She used the group to her advantage, simulating real-life scenarios and setting up training opportunities. She taught us about the importance of space and a dog’s body language. She recommended reading material and gave us skills to work on outside the class. Most importantly she gave us an understanding of what was going on with our dog and taught us how to better communicate with our dog. Without Susan’s training, we would still be using scare tactics and prong collars to “correct” our dog. Now we know when we see another dog on our walks, we don’t need to panic. Susan taught us how to interpret our dog’s body language and how to respond. We have a better relationship with our dog because of Susan. We cannot say thank you enough!!”

Crystal Greenwood

“Susan Marett is an amazing trainer. Her teaching ability is why I am a successful trainer today. I apprenticed under Susan and she gave me the confidence, education, skill, and encouragement I needed to become a trainer. She has been my role model for the last 19 years!”

Heather Moore

“We cannot thank Susan and the Purely Positive method enough for the training and guidance we have received. We first began with the kinder puppy classes teaching US and Ella the basics. Susan’s approach and demeanor were exactly what she teaches- positive! We decided at 2 years old that Ella and Ourselves needed a “refresher course”. We were blown away by the education we ALL received at the “Good Citizen” training course. We have a dog that is an absolute pleasure; no jumping, walks on a loose leash without pulling and is an absolute joy. Susan, we cannot thank you enough!!!”

Ella, Brent, and Ella Jones

“Susan and I met when I signed up for one of her beginner courses in 1999 for my 8 month old Aussie mix rescue (Baxter) and I. He had obviously been abused and was very fearful. We attended multiple classes taught by Susan after that time. Now he’s obtained his Good Citizens Certification and we’ve worked as a therapy team.

Now, with 3 rescues (how did that happen?) I again reached out to Susan after struggling for months and quite frustrated with training my yellow lab (Riley). The same techniques used on Baxter were not working for Riley…who knew! Taking private lessons and continually working with Riley daily, we’ve come a long way with Susan’s guidance. Our walks are now not only manageable, but I enjoy them. I would not have said that 2 months ago. This is a work in progress, but I’m so pleased with the results.

All of this is possible due to Susan’s expertise and insight to issues I could not recognize on my own. Susan is a true professional. She returns calls and emails in a timely manner and plans our outings efficiently, making the most of my dime and our time together. Thank you Susan!”

Lynn Williams

“We flew home late yesterday. Bailey was amazing! Every day she would “wait” at the bottom of the stairs while someone would go up with Jack to the nursery. She would literally lay down at the bottom of the stairs and wait for that person to come down. Every morning she would lay at my feet while I fed Jack his morning bottle. “Leave it” was amazing. She would literally stand and wait until Jesse’s dog Layla ate her meal. It would only take one command. She was a joy to be around. She flew like a champ. Again, “leave it, wait and sit” were commands that she obeyed. Thank you so much for equipping us with the tools that helped Bailey be the Scottie that she is. A really big thank you!”

Jessica Flowers

“After 6 months with our new adoptee Ginger, I thought she was not only a nightmare on a leash, but that I was destined for a shoulder injury! My husband said she was “un-trainable!” I was short on time and on patience, so I set up 10 day-training classes with Susan. Wow! What an amazing difference! Susan helped us to realize that Ginger didn’t have a behavior problem, but an anxiety problem when out of the house on a leash. She was literally so scared and unhappy that she was bolting forward in an effort to reach safety. Susan worked with us to teach Ginger to be calmer outdoors, to find areas to walk that were more relaxed for her, to find the proper leash length that gave us the best and most comfortable results, and how to properly correct her when necessary.

While a walk with Ginger is still work (corrections, praise and constant communication between us), I have not had an uncomfortable or miserable walk with Ginger since we started training 3 weeks ago! Susan also taught us that running Ginger in park areas on a long leash not only gives us a break from the “work” we do on each walk, but it also gives Ginger positive outdoor experiences to further her relaxation, command practice, and extra exercise, all of which help facilitate her ability to relax more when on walks. I cannot thank Susan enough for what she has accomplished with Ginger! We are looking forward to continued improvements! I highly recommend Susan and Purely Positive to anyone who thinks they’ve got an un-trainable dog!”

Ellen McCarthy

“I’ve been blessed enough to have a dog who is excellent at cuddling, a great listener in multiple obedience classes, interested in learning all about agility, and a dog who is playful and nice with other dogs. He’s a saint in the house (most of the time) and an all-around amazing dog. He just so happened to be terrified of kids. Terrified. And his reaction resulted in kids being terrified of him. Really terrified. Where we lived in Ohio we were saturated with excellent and wonderful dog trainers, but no one seemed to be able to turn his fear around. We weren’t even looking for a dog who loved kids. We just wanted a dog who didn’t send kids running. But we kept striking out and his behavior seemed to be getting worse. We ended up relocating from Ohio and got lucky enough to stumble upon Susan. We booked five private sessions “to start” because – let’s be honest – he was horrible around kids and this was going to take forever. Or not. Susan’s approach was unlike anything we had ever used and built upon the skills that he had and used the things he loved to learn. After the first session we were able to walk around, use our skills, and be near kids without growling and barking and pulling and freaking out. After the third session, he had met the most important kids in our lives – our 8- and 9-year-old cousins. We spent one more session with Susan and the kids “just to be sure” this wasn’t some insane fluke (my suggestion, not hers). It wasn’t. His comfort level has grown tremendously because of what we’ve learned from Susan. It was easy to mix her training into our everyday lives. Because of this, Renegade gets to spend weekends with his (now favorite) people.”

Chelsea Crofford

“I have worked in Rescue with both Pembroke Corgis and Cardigan Corgis for 12 years and our group is sanctioned by the Pembroke Welsh Corgi Association of America, www.pwcca.org. I have used Susan Marett with Purely Positive exclusively for the past 10 years. Susan is a true professional, knows dogs and animal behavior, and has done a phenomenal job for our group. I would recommend her without reservation. I wouldn’t use anyone else and trust her explicitly. Thank you Susan for all you have done for our Pems in Rescue- outstanding job!!! We love you.”

Ms. Walton Salley – Chairperson

“Thrilled with the progress so far with our rescue Oliver. Susan has helped our family discover some hidden training he had as well as giving me the tools to help him be a better dog. There is still work needed, but when the neighbors comment that he’s getting better when he sees other dogs you know it’s working. We’ve only had 2 sessions and the progress is amazing.”

Kara Spivey Crowell

“Susan has a gentle and yet direct approach to training. She helped several different members of our family get on the same page with our commands. In just a few weeks, our dog has come (and we have come) a long way. Yay!”

Reggie Fairchild

“I had reached the point where I didn’t know what to do with my 14 month old Havanese puppy. Personal training seemed the only option, I needed someone who would come to my house, with my dog, witness my family dynamic and provide training tips that would work for us. As a busy mom I needed realistic solutions with fast results.

Susan with Purely Positive achieved in three weeks ALL the goals I wanted and more, she helped eliminate the challenges we were having with Kona and has taught us all so much. She is patient, kind, straightforward and does an amazing job of providing training techniques that are doable. Susan answered all my concerns, was so helpful & real. Susan really is a genius with animals and I would trust no one else with dog training.”

Julie Chalupsky

“This past summer we adopted a collie puppy. After mentioning my trainer search to a neighbor who has two dogs, I received a glowing review of Susan Marett. Let me just say, if you have a dog who could use some training (puppy, adult, tween, whatever,) Susan is amazing. I purchased an in-home training session. Susan came out (on time!) and sat down with me for about an hour and discussed what exactly I wanted to address. I had sent her an email before our visit with a list of my concerns and what I would like to train our puppy to do. She was patient and thoughtful and explained what goals were realistic. Before she left, he understood “sit” and “leave it.” She even had our preschooler giving him commands. The whole visit was informative and we were so comfortable with Susan–it was like we had known her for years. If you have a dog or are thinking about getting a dog, I can’t recommend contacting Susan enough. It will make your life and your dog’s life so much more enjoyable.”

Georgeanne Cheung

“Susan, anyone who thinks a well-trained dog is not a happier dog should come and see my two since your training. Walking them now is now a pleasure; I routinely even take them downtown Charleston without a problem and we go for long walks because they are so well behaved. When we leave the house I no longer get yanked down the stairs. I put them on “stay” at the top of the stairs, as I close and lock the door, on command, they go down the stairs, then “stay” again, waiting for me so I can descend the stairs carefully. What a change from their pre-lesson behavior! I no longer have to tie them to their food dishes to avoid dinner time disagreements, a “leave it” when one or the other roams too close to the others dish assures peace and over-eating by my ‘chowhound.’

As you know, I have had dogs all my life, but thanks to your help, I have never had two such well-behaved dogs, without trauma, to them or me. It is obvious that as they know what is expected of them and know they are pleasing me they are happy guys; their tails are wagging constantly. We are all grateful and thank you.”

Kathy Heikes

“Susan has worked with all five of my dogs at one time or another and the results we see are amazing! She is very patient and adjusts her training to the individual needs of her client and their dog. We have done group classes as well as private lessons and both were beneficial.”

Leigh Anne Duchene

“We have had a great experience. We opted for some private lessons and then enrolled in Kinderpuppy Class. Our hound puppy Kate’s progress was amazing. Susan’s knowledge and gentle training was excellent. I am sure we learned much more than Kate did…. I would highly recommend for both dogs and owners.”

Skip Evans