INSTINCT TO HEEL

I have to say that this was the best decision I have made in regards to my Montana. Ellie is amazing! If you are on the fence as to who to use for your dog training, stop right here and call Ellie. From the first moment I spoke with Ellie, I knew that she was the one to help us with Montana's aggression. Ellie did not disappoint! Some back story. We got Montana from a reputable breeder at 2 months. She is a Boston Terrier/ French bull dog mix. There were no aggression issues till after she was fixed at the age of 1. Then it started. She became very protective of myself to the point where she wouldn't even let anyone talk with me. She bit my husband numerous times and bit my son on the foot and drew blood. He was so scared of her, that he would run from her once she started to bark at him. Even at the dog park, if a dog got to rambunctious with her, she would start to fight.Since spending her time with Ellie, she is a different dog. My son has his puppy back. She has not barked at him once and he plays with her and they cuddle together. He is over the moon happy to have her back. She respects us as the alpha and is now a submissive dog that listens well. We will be forever grateful to Ellie and her expertise. We still have to spend lots of time training with her but eventually it will be second nature for her. Thank You Ellie from the bottom of our hearts❤️The Brum Family

Doing a board and train with Ellie meant getting to keep my dog! I called Ellie as a last resort before rehoming my dog. She experienced significant separation anxiety, would panic bark non stop any time she was left alone, as well engage in escape behavior to get ‘to me’. It was unsafe to leave her unattended, and took over my whole life just caring for her. After 2 weeks of board and train, I took home a new dog! I was reserved about the use of an ecollar, but after 3 different trainers working with us, we gave it a try. My dog is even better behaved than I could have imagined! She has a great confidence about her now, follows all of her basic commands and is a true joy to be around. I can leave her alone and when we are out and about we get compliments regularly about how well trained she is. Ellie is absolutely worth the time and money and I have been recommending her ever since our stay. She continues to support us as needed and works well with both humans and the dogs! If you are questioning if Instinct to Heel is right for you, don’t hesitate! It has provided us a life we never imagined possible!

We took our newly adopted 1.5 year old pitbull/lab/husky/shepherd mix, Rexxi, to Ellie to help tackle some of her nervousness and need to take control in new situations.Ellie taught us in 2 hours how to be calm and confident leaders - as well as showing Rex the place and heel commands and giving us amazing tools to recognize her body language and respond to situations appropriately. We now feel after one session moving forward that we can more confidently handle our dog and advocate for her in situations that may make her more reactive - eventually with consistency leading to a more confident dog that won't feel the need to take control.Ellie is amazing at speaking dog as well as training the humans. Grateful for her help today as well as for the fact she has offered follow-up help should any questions arise. Highly recommend Ellie for anyone who may be struggling with some reactive behaviour in their pooch that they are not sure how to work on.

***Lives changed overnight***The results of a single two hour session with Ellie had me beyond thrilled. I brought my reactive rescue to Ellie after 6 months of trying to work with other trainers, wasting a lot of money, my time and getting no where. After one session, I took my dog for runs and walks and she stayed right by my side, didn't once try to pull and we enjoyed our time together it was amazing - I didn't think walks like that were going to be possible without months or maybe years of work, let alone a two hour lesson. She normally pulls like a freight train with neurotic sniffing and hyper vigilance and it's a constant battle, exhausting and frustrating. I used to get physically injured walking her because she was so out of control.She is dog reactive as well and in our session was able to calmly sit and sniff another dog and lay down with another dog in the room.It gave me so much confidence and more hope than I could imagine for my dog to live a happy, content life.Ellie does not mess around she really knows dogs and their people and gets right to business. She's not there to waste your time or take your money. She understands what you're going through and genuinely cares. She wants to help get you on the right path and help your dog live their best life!The change in my dogs behaviour was dramatic she is much calmer now and I am so grateful.

Our dog Mara (female, spayed, Australian Shepherd) is gorgeous, wicked smart, and generally a great girl. She has, however, been struggling with fear and reactivity from that fear and anxiety. This has made us stressed, embarrassed, and unsure at times on how to best support her to live her best life.We reached out to a couple different trainers and even had some turn us away because they didn't want to work with a reactive dog, and it was a bit disheartening. Then we came across Instinct to Heel (Ellie).Ellie reached out and set up a call, and took plenty of her own time to get to know me and our situation, before recommending some consult/training options.We booked a 2 hour session with her. She clearly demonstrated the importance of correction (not punishing with fear or abuse), and discussed a variety of tools she's found to be successful, depending on the dog and humans needs. Ultimately, it was US that needed training (which we knew, but man is it so much more obvious when someone's not afraid to be no-nonsense and tell you how it is in the moment).We walked away from that session feeling relief and confidence in our ability to lead and a clear path forward for our girl. Now it's on us. I can only imagine the work of wonders a full time board and train would do (as many other reviews have already touted the benefits of having signed on for that).Ellie offered for us to reach out with any questions we have and was great in both her demonstration, instruction, and engagement with our dog.Thanks Ellie!

Ellie has worked with my dogs. She’s extremely knowledgeable and was very patient with my boy Cash. She explained the signs and body language my shy and nervous boy was displaying. She’s always been a support with any issues I have had. I’ve been able to avoid further bite incidents with her guidance and for that I’m extremely grateful. Thank you!To anyone needing help and guidance with their dogs I highly recommend. Professional and a complete pro! She’s also super funny!

A close friend recommended Ellie ; I was in a bit of denial about a pupp I'd recently adopted. I thought I was experienced enough, I've owned large dominant breeds previously. My dog was very obedient, excellent/confident with other dogs. She just didnt trust" people. Ellie took the time and patience to train me to get my head out of my @##. I was missing subtle things in dog behavior that are huge things. I argued with her & she somehow managed to continue as my trainer. I've had 4 other trainers in Kelowna. Every dog is different. I know this dog needed Ellie to teach me..I can never thank her enough. She is honest & cuts thru the BS very quickly. She "speaks dog" and knows how to communicate it to us humans."

I have a corgi-mini poodle cross, Archie, who just turned 1yr old in December 2022. Archie is very reactive to other dogs and any big noises such as the garbage truck outside. He also has separation anxiety. I had taken Archie to a few different trainers, group and private training, before finding Ellie. I was always trying the reward methods only, not having good thoughts about pinch collars or e-collars but I was getting very frustrated and frankly, sad, at the thought of Archie being this way forever. I was introduced to Ellie by a friend who had taken her dog there and got amazing results. I was so nervous to hand over Archie for a 3 week board & train but decided it was worth a shot. I couldn’t be happier with the results! Archie was playing with other dogs at Ellie’s and when he came home at the weekend he was sleeping in his crate in a different room from me! And he only ended up needing to go for 2 weeks! I am still using the pinch collar, it DOES NOT HURT HIM, it is showing him that I am the leader here and he doesn’t need to be, he can just be a dog! I needed the training that Ellie gave me as much, or more than Archie did, and I’m so grateful for it! Thank you Ellie!

I came to Ellie with concerns about my Dutch Shepherd X Malinois. Mostly behavioural and reactivity challenges.Ellie is able to create such a close connection with yourself and your dog. She was able to help myself break down barriers and walls I had set up.This is so much more than training your dog. This is about taking control back, taking back your life!I cannot thank Ellie enough, she has shown me my true strength and potential.Forever grateful.- Brittany, Scott & Lady