“I can't say enough good things about Lydia's dog training. Her knowledge, experience, and instincts make her one-of-a-kind -- and worth every penny you invest. Having a dog is one of the greatest joys in life, and she has helped my 2-year-old golden retriever (Remy) and me experience that joy to the fullest.

Before getting Remy as a puppy, I watched YouTube videos by various dog trainers and read books about how to train and care for puppies. That helped me survive the first few phases of puppyhood, but once Remy was fully grown and entering her teenage years, things got much harder. I felt like I had a pushy 80lb toddler in the house. I was still using puppy training techniques on an adult dog and that was making matters worse. I had no effective way to communicate with her -- and for her worst behaviors, there was no "off switch" which left me feeling defeated and on many days, in tears.

After talking to Lydia, she helped me understand how and why the Thrive Program would help Remy and me. It wasn't as simple as addressing a few bad behaviors here or there. We needed an entire language to communicate with one another. Remy needed to learn and respect me as a leader -- which would translate into all ways we interacted and lived our lives.

After two weeks of working with Lydia, Remy was a brand new dog. Her obedience and impulse control blew me away. Lydia took the time to teach me how to speak this new language too, as she patiently explained everything in our human training sessions. She coached me on the e-collar and commands until I felt confident I could continue on my own.

Six months later, I still have a way to manage my pup in all kinds of situations that used to be stressful: friends coming to the front door, elderly grandparents or a new baby in the room, hiking off-leash.

It's true freedom with my best bud!”

- Julie

“We hired Lydia to train our 11 month old, very stubborn, Golden Retriever, Brady. We cannot think of another word to describe Lydia‘s efforts other than miracle-worker.

Lydia is professional, knowledgeable, thoughtful and a fantastic educator. Not only did she effectively train our puppy, but she also took the time to train us and build our confidence in being dog owners. She creates meaningful bonds with the dogs she trains and Brady was so excited every day that he got to spend with her.

Lydia spent several days building the foundation with Brady, including enrichment opportunities and building his confidence in different environments. Once she finished building the foundation, we set up training opportunities for us where she spent as much time as we needed making sure we were comfortable with the use of the e-collar and how to demonstrate the commands. We have now spent some time training Brady ourselves and keeping up with the tools she gave us and have seen a complete 180 in his behavior.

Prior to training with Lydia, we had trouble with our dog only respecting one of us, not being polite on walks, trouble with impulse control and just overall behavior. At one point, my husband was the only one who could walk him due to his size and pushing boundaries with me. Now, I can confidently walk him, take him to dog parks alone and have trust in his behavior and responsiveness to me. We can’t say enough great things about our experience with Lydia and highly recommend her.”

- Taylor

“I came to Lydia looking for some help with my 2 1/2 year old Aussiedoodle, Dottie. My goals were to work on her general obedience, nervousness around kids, and to teach her to settle down in the house. After going through Lydia's program, Dottie has made huge strides!

She is well behaved on walks (on leash and off) and she is able to settle quietly at home and in busy places (even with kids running around!). She is less reactive to passing dogs and to people coming to the door. After our joint lessons, I feel more confident and prepared to guide her and hold her accountable. I can already feel an improvement in our relationship. She listens to me more intently and enjoys the guidance. This is going to hugely impact both of our lives.

Lydia also makes training a fun experience for both dog and owner! Dottie ran to the door every morning upon her arrival, and even got excited when I mentioned Lydia's name. Lydia is timely, communicates well, and welcomes questions. She is a wealth of knowledge. I learned so much about my dog and general canine behavior that will help me be a better dog owner. I highly recommend Lydia as a trainer and can't thank her enough!”

- Liza

“Lydia is an incredibly talented dog trainer and I cannot recommend her training enough. Its honestly one of the best decisions I’ve made for my rescue husky.

I assumed I could train my dog myself, I had read a dog training book and was making some progress, but decided to try out a professional trainer after receiving a local recommendation for her dog training and seeing it in action.

Her training involves a thoughtful training regime where Lydia would work directly with my puppy for about 5 hours. Everyday I’d see the transformation my husky was going through, her techniques are thoughtful and effective, and my husky is still the dog he was but so much more obedient! He knows around 15 words but the most impressive piece is the owner training, I now have the techniques needed to help train my dog anything new!

And the training has stuck with him 2 months later! 5 stars, highly recommended!”

-Bryson

“Both Annie and I will be continuing to thank our friend Lydia for helping us connect to each other in a deeper way! She is definitely doing what she is meant to be doing! It’s very relaxing and a comfort to know that above all else Annie will respond to what I am asking of her. We now play “hide and seek” while hiking with no worries. Great fun!!”

-Kathy

“We were impressed by the exceptional behavior of our friend's dog, which led them to introduce us to Lydia. As first-time puppy owners, our energetic pup Darcy was a handful for us to manage. However, with Lydia's training, we are now confident in Darcy's behavior. We are now a few weeks out from having completed training, and we couldn't be happier with the results! Whenever someone compliments Darcy's behavior, we always give credit to Lydia. Thanks to her training, we feel comfortable taking Darcy to crowded areas, busy streets, and letting her play with other dogs. Lydia kept us informed daily about Darcy's progress and spent time ensuring we understood the commands and training system. This approach helped Darcy recognize us as her authority figure. We appreciate that Lydia's training model provides structure while still allowing Darcy's personality to shine through. We feel lucky to have had the opportunity to work with Lydia!”

- Joe and Stephanie

“Lydia is the absolute best!!! She trained both of our golden retrievers. She kept us updated throughout the entire process with in depth training videos which were super helpful! She explained the E-collar so well and made us feel so comfortable with it. Most dog trainers are board and train, so you drop your dog off for 2 weeks without seeing them until the end, but Lydia picks them up each morning and drops them back off at home with you in the evening! We are so happy to have peace of mind and feel comfortable taking them everywhere now! Highly recommend to anyone looking for a great dog trainer in Charlotte.”

- Nick and Alex

“We drove and dropped off our 2yo lab mix rescue for some confidence building. He also was a bit of a runner (puppy ADD?) and was afraid of the kennel. Lydia took the time with him and us to show us how training and obedience is also about confidence. She helped us give our dog the ability to calm himself, feel that we weren't abandoning him every time we leave the house or lock him up. It seemed a bit silly but it made a huge difference in his demeanor. Her love of dogs and animals in general really shows through and she's patient, respectful, and an advocate for what the dog needs in order to be apart of your family. Her flexibility with our long distance was a huge relief and she was very accommodating and understanding with payment, food, and the whole process. Her recommendations and little tidbits of knowledge make the "human training" process priceless. Lydia also has a background in photography and takes lovely pictures of pets with various silly and loveable faces with excellent lighting. A great keepsake for any home. Thank you Lydia!”

- Shira

“Lydia is a fantastic trainer and achieves truly impressive results, both with dogs and with their owners. Our fluffy, bouncy, overly friendly 6-month-old puppy was transformed during her Thrive Program with Lydia into a calmer, disciplined, confident dog, still retaining the goofy, affectionate personality we love in her. Equally important to Lydia’s incredible work with Tilly was her coaching sessions to train us so we can do what’s needed to maintain Tilly's training and allow us to have an even better relationship with our pup.

The things that set Lydia above other dog trainers are many. Her training is fully customized and one-on-one, both with the dog and with the dog’s humans. This is not a cookie-cutter approach, and Lydia is a master at adjusting to everyone’s needs with a fun, positive approach that helps her clients learn quickly and at their own paces. Her approach is so far beyond traditional training sessions or “puppy training classes,” it’s hard to convey. Lydia's extensive knowledge of dog behavior anchors her approach, so whether your dog is friendly or aggressive, timid or confident, obedient or stubborn – or even if you're some of those, too – she knows how to help. You'll be amazed at how she can turn your home into a "peaceable kingdom" where people and dogs live comfortably and happily together. That's what we have now with Tilly, thanks to Lydia. I would never even consider trying another approach. Thank you, Lydia!”

- David & Nancy

"Words cannot fully express our gratitude for Lydia. She is not only exceptional at her craft but also a wonderful person to work with. From our first consultation to our mini dachshund’s post-graduation call, Lydia has been nothing short of extraordinary and has truly transformed our lives. We struggled with our dog Pippa’s reactivity towards people, dogs, and kids, which made us anxious about taking her out in public. With no obedience or recall skills, we feared she would never be able to change even after working with several trainers in our area.

Finally, we found Lydia.

We were so impressed by her knowledge and approach after our consultation that we flew from New York City to Charlotte to ensure Pippa could train with her.

She succesfully taught our Pippa all of the essential skills in a gentle yet effective way while being in constant communication with us. Lydia is a miracle worker, and her genuine care for her clients was evident from the very first call we had with her. Neighbors, friends, and family have all noticed the remarkable difference in our dog after training with her.

We feel incredibly fortunate to have found such a talented and caring person to work with Pippa (and us!) she is the best of the best.

Her results speak volumes, and our only regret is not finding her sooner."

- Mellisa