Digman Canine Academy — Local services in Halfmoon Township

I was drawn to Digman Canine Academy from its consistently glowing reviews and testimonials provided by pet parents whose dogs had made great strides with Claire. We signed up for at home training and we’re so glad that we did. My Sebastian came to our family having been recently surrendered to a city shelter. He’d been badly neglected and traumatized in his past. In his first weeks with us Sebastian was highly anxious, impulsive, confrontational, and aggressive. I could not have a conversation with neighbors while on a walk with Sebastian due to his relentless snarling, barking, lunging, and yipping. He also lunged and nipped at guests in our home making it impossible for visitors to enter and feel safe. An experienced owner of his breed (schnauzer), I felt confident in my ability to manage my dogs’ behavior. Sebastian, however, required more than I knew how to give, and we needed help from Claire and Digman Canine Academy. Claire provided Sebastian with the discipline he needed to feel secure in his own skin, and she provided me with the skills I need to maintain that discipline according to his needs. Within a few weeks of at home training, Sebastian noticeably became calm and demonstrated an ability to control his impulses. Now guests can enter our home whilst Sebastian stays quietly in his “Place,” and on a leash Sebastian walks at a steady and relaxed “Heel” position even when encountering passers by. Thanks to eight short weeks of training with Digman Canine Academy, I can now talk to my neighbors with my boy quietly waiting beside me, and I can invite guests into our home confident in their comfort and safety during their visit. Thanks to Claire, today, our Sebastian is calmer, happier, and much more secure today. Working with Digman Canine Academy was the best decision for Sebastian’s health and wellness, and it was a great experience for us. Those testimonials that drew my attention were right on the money, and Digman Canine Academy did not disappoint....

We enlisted the help of Claire and Kelsey with our 1yr old pup who was becoming more and more destructive when left alone. After going through 2 doors, door frames and a few kennels, we decided to give these guys a try. We really wanted to address his separation anxiety (-like?) issues because he would just scream in his kennel when left alone, but would be happy to go in if we hung out in the room with him.

Anyways, these guys had us get an e-collar which was used for training. It was quite expensive, but has been a huge help. We started with basics and progressed in the weekly sessions. Basically these guys showed us what WE were doing wrong with training and habits and helping us to set a structure for our pup in the home as well as how to properly use the e-collar. We did not address the separation issues as much as we would have liked, but we did walk away with a "toolbox" of things to use in training that we still continue to use.

Finally, we had pet-insurance for our pup and we asked our vet for a referral for behavior training related to his anxiety and asked Claire for the other letter stating he finished the training along with the invoice. The insurance wasn't the easiest to work with and Claire was GREAT following up and making sure the claim was submitted okay. We really did appreciate all this extra help.

My only recommendation would be to orient the weekly sessions to cater to each individual dog (ie, in our case, how to leave the house with an anxious dog).

Additionally, I'm really surprised at some of the negative feedback when people see us using an e-collar. I hadn't expected this, especially after the way Claire recommended it for training. I love that we can let him off-leash and (although he best when he's wearing the collar) he comes when called. I think this is a necessary trade off to help keep him safe (ie, running into the road, off-trail or giving chase, etc). But I don't think I was prepared for some of the...

We defiantly recommend Claire and her team for dog training! We have a 3 year old deaf boxer that has a bite record. We struggled trying to find a trainer that would help us help Barrett. After being turned down once for his deafness and once for his aggression, we found Digman Canine Academy. Claire wasn’t afraid of his “issues” and she agreed to take on our case. Barrett is still our fun goofy boy...but he is also completely different—it’s like he grew up! He is calmer and dare I say “respectful”. She opened up a line of communication between us with hand singles and stimulation that honestly allows me worry less. He walks like a dream and now and I feel confident walking him around the neighborhood, rather than embarrassed that I had no control over my dog. Place is Barrett’s safe zone. Our 1 year is being taught not to touch puppy when he is on place...Barrett can sleep and not get startled this way. I’ve used place with Barrett at my parents house and my grandparents house successfully. My grandparents have a dog and the dog didn’t even phase Barrett, he stayed calm and on place as I instructed him. We also use place when guests come over. This stopped the out of control jumping at the door in excitement and the annoying struggle of an over-bearing 65lb dog trying to play with the toddler and the grandparent on our floor! Our son is copying everything we do right now...so he has picked up on the hand signals and has successfully put Barrett on place himself (under close supervision I assure you) ...but think about this...my previously crazy out-of-control boxer puppy is allowing my toddler to walk him over to his bed and he “listens” to him when he signals to him to stay—I wouldn’t have ever believed that would be possible before Claire. The obedience that Barrett has been taught by Claire has changed our lives. Now we can enjoy things together with Barrett included...our family is whole again! We cannot thank Claire and Digman Canine...