Diamond in the Ruff Inc.

Thirteen years ago, Colleen taught my family the importance of training our then 10 week old golden retriever the emergency recall. The training was like a game with amazing treats for our puppy, so it was fun for her. Over the years, we had to use the emergency recall twice, in very different situations and it worked perfectly both times. To say we were so grateful to Colleen is an understatement. We had 12 and a half wonderful years with our golden and we now have another golden retriever puppy. The emergency recall training was first on our list to start training her. That, and to reach out to Colleen again for more of her puppy training wisdom. We are enjoying reconnecting with Colleen, it's just over Zoom this time!

Colleen & team with Diamond in the Ruff have given us such a wonderful positive puppy training experience! It is clear that Colleen is passionate about training & animals - she is incredibly knowledgeable. She was always available when we had questions and everything she taught us made perfect sense. We get comments all the time at how well behaved Kona is, and we owe it all to Colleen. Her classes are paced well & cover a wide variety of valuable information. I’m not sure what we would have done without you Colleen, thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

Colleen and her team are amazing! My pup Sasha and I bonded during the classes, and Sasha learned good behavior through positive reinforcement! She loves being a good dog and I love being with her! Sasha will now provide lots of loving healing through her pet therapy.

Hiring Diamond in the Ruff was the best decision I have ever made. We started with private training at my home for some behavioral concerns I had regarding him losing his mind going through doorways. Her training had him waiting nicely and listening attentively for his commands. He was exiting the door in silence without announcing his presence to the neighborhood lol. He still requires guidance with treats but we've noticed such a big difference in him after just a couple weeks. Even his general demeanor was more calm just from the little bits of regular training. We had some credits leftover and DITR let us use them towards therapy dog group classes. We are about halfway through and so far they have been fantastic. He's learning lots of new tricks, he's been desensitized to crutches, wheelchairs, crowds and other distractions. We're very excited to continue working with our pup so hopefully he can bring others as much joy as he brings us ❤️

My dog and I were way out of our depth when we started the dog therapy training course with Diamond in the Ruff. I have a very friendly and enthusiastic dog who kept pulling on the leash to go meet all the other people and dogs in the room, when she was supposed to be sitting nicely beside me. When we did get close to the other people, my dog would often jump up on them. I love my dog's enthusiasm but I did not have a good handle on her behaviour. I thought to myself, it's going to take more than 7 weeks to change these pulling on the leash and jumping up on people habits.Over the 7-week course, the trainer, Colleen led classroom activities designed specifically to address the needs of the dogs and humans in the course. I learned so much from Colleen's demonstrations and guidance. By the end of the course, my dog was able to sit still at my side, loose-leash walk by my side, stay and come on command, not jump up on people, plus a number of other tricks we learned.This course has enriched my relationship with my dog and made going for walks and visiting with people so much more enjoyable for both of us. And we graduated as a certified dog therapy team! I'm so glad I took this course and I'm so proud of my sweet dog. I look forward to volunteering in the community as a dog therapy team.

Colleen loves dogs and uses fear and force free methods to help dogs and their humans learn and to establish positive, life-long friendships.She doesn't just train companion animals (pets). She also has programs for emotional support animals, therapy animals, and service dogs.She has a soft heart for all creatures, is well educated and has the experience to help families who want the best start for their new family member or who need help to help an anxious pup feel more comfortable and at ease.

Boba and I really enjoyed our time at DITR. All of the staff we worked with were positive, encouraging and worked with us to make Boba the best she could be. Colleen and Don were accommodating and offered good advice on how to bring out the best in Boba. Boba is working as an on-site therapy dog at a school:)

When I came to Diamond in the Ruff I had a very fearful puppy. I grew up walking dogs with a choke chain and until I met Colleen and her team I didn't know any different. Despite my dog running out the door on the first class, I was reassured this behavior can be resolved. Using positive reinforcement, my dog Becky has overcome so many obstacles related to anxiety, overall fear of the world, resource guarding and allowing me to cut her nails.I recommend DITR to anyone that genuinely loves their dog and those who can understand that animals have feelings too. In order to get the most out of this training you must put yourself in the pets shoes.Colleen and her team care about their clients. Despite your frustration and anger towards your pets behaviors, they will walk you through it and give you tools for success.

I took my dog to puppy classes and then to therapy classes, I can’t even tell you how amazing the experience was. Colleen has a wealth of experience and knowledge and is so supportive. The whole experience was so very helpful and I am grateful. I have my new puppy enrolled and can’t wait to get him started. The emergency recall is truly a lifesaver!ThanksLianne

Best dog trainer I've ever had!We have a reactive dog (Sam) and was starting to feel hopeless when we started with Colleen. Just the first session made me feel confident that we could change Sam's behaviour.Colleen gives clear, actionable, step by step instructions, and works with you to make sure you get it right before you leave. She also motivated us by settings expectations correctly so we knew what type of 'signs' meant Sam was doing better.4 sessions in (over the course of a few months), and Sam can now walk past people on the sidewalk without snapping and jumping. Before, we would have to cross streets to avoid people, and every walk was stressful.It's easy to see that Colleen just loves the animals and their carers, and she's a great translator for us and Sam.