“ I knew I was in trouble when Mia, my one year old Chinese Sharpei female, did not respond to any of the training methods I had utilized all my life. It seemed she did the opposite of anything I tried with her. Not wanting to face years of frustration with an unruly dog I sought outside help. I met and talked with Nancy, and she truly listened to my specific problems. Next she watched us walk and developed a custom plan using positive techniques. Within 3 sessions the honeymoon was back on with my growing puppy. Thank you Nancy! ”
Mike P. ~ Eugene, OR
“ Nancy guided us from being frustrated new puppy owners into confident and knowledgeable puppy owners. At first, we were both wary of only using positive motivation techniques, based on our previous experiences with dog training. However, we found the positive motivation philosophy to be effective for us and our puppy and non-disruptive to our lifestyle. What we liked most about Nancy was that she gave us both specific techniques and a philosophical approach for how to train our dog to do whatever we desire him to do in the future. We wouldn't be experiencing success in dog training today if not for her watchful observations and guidance during our three sessions. ”
Rachel and Micah ~ Eugene, OR
“ Just wanted to give you an update on Rocky and me. Our walks have been so very much better. He's had some real challenges lately and passed them with flying colors. Yesterday we ran into 5 deer about 30' away. He looked at them, but didn't lose his focus from his walking. We have two wild dogs behind pasture type fencing that have always caused me grief with him, but again, he looks, but doesn't budge. I'm sooo pleased. We got his 8 m/o 1/2 brother on Thursday, so the timing was amazing. This dog wasn't leash trained, so we're starting from the ground up with him and having Rocky as a role model is a great start. We'll be walking them on separate leashes for a while, and eventually on one leash with duel clips. I'm so grateful for your help, I can't express it. Thank you... ”
Carol M. ~ Veneta, OR
“ Nancy, I just wanted to take a minute to tell you how much I appreciate your help with Miko. She has become a completely different dog! We took her to the beach in Coos Bay and she actually ventured off on her own instead a trailing me like a baby duck. We caught her with her ears forward and looking for all the world like a puppy. Thanks again for all your help. ”
Vickie G. ~ Eugene, OR
“ I am truly impressed with Nancy's ample knowledge in TTouch and her kind heart and gentleness in connecting with my 13-year-old dog. Through her work he is now able to prance around the house again without stiffness, and also can now make it through the night without accidents. Thanks Nancy ”
Judy W. ~ Junction City, OR
“ Thank you Nancy, for helping me through some very frustrating issues with Oliver, when just a simple walk around the block was almost impossible. Your advice, and helping me to see things from a puppy's point of view made all the difference in my behavior as well as his, and the change was amazing. ”
Anne F. ~ Eugene, OR
“ "I am taking her back to LCAS" was how my husband, Joey, began every day for almost one year. Then we were fortunate to have had Nancy Yamin recommended to us and she has turned around our life with Sarah, our one year old rescue Rottie/Pitbull mix. Sarah was a handful and with Nancy's knowledge, skill and intuition we are enjoying our Sarah today! Nancy gave us a few simple things that began to make a difference in our life with Sarah. She told us Sarah needed more exercise and suggested that she needs more things to chew. Sarah is much calmer now as a result of making these two simple changes. Nancy also asked us to please stop saying "no" to her, which is the only thing we said! Nancy asked us to tell her what we want her to do and to use praise words often. I feel this has made her a lot less anxious and much more confident and secure. Nancy taught me simple TTouch movements that I do on Sarah daily. I believe this has been extremely helpful in overcoming her issues. Sarah favored my husband and doing TTouch has helped bond us in a very special way. Though Sarah is still a work in progress, Nancy is always available for us and with her guidance we now are enjoying the journey with our Sarah! ”
Joanie and Joey P. ~ Eugene, Oregon
“ Nancy Yamin is a wonder with dogs! Our Staffordshire has always been leary of people but he took immediately to Nancy. Ever since he was paralyzed from the waist back he has had what I call a "ballet stance" (standing on his hind tippy toes). Nancy suggested that we put a hair scrunchy on each hind leg so that "he knew just where his feet were". In seconds after putting them on he flattened his hind feet and was walking with more power and confidence. WOW He is happier and LOVES Nancy!!...........as do WE!! Any dog will feel happier after Nancy has trained "his" person to understand him ! Blessed Be & Walk in Beauty Susan and Bob ”
Susan and Bob ~ Cottage Grove, OR
“ Yesterday Gabe and I passed the Delta Society test to be Pet Partners! Whooppeeeee! All your guidance and training tips were tremendously helpful in allowing Gabe to respond well even in that stressful situation. We couldn't have done it without your skillful assistance. Thank you!!! In gratitude, Jai ”
Jai ~ Eugene, OR
“ We adopted a very exuberant two-year-old golden retriever who needed work on his walking-on-leash and people-greeting behaviors. We looked to Nancy for some instructional sessions and were extremely pleased with her positive training approach, an approach that is both fun and effective. Nancy is very skilled, communicates well, provides simple hands-on lessons, and offers plenty of friendly encouragement. I recommend her highly! ”
Ken N. ~ Eugene, OR
“ I am Jack's fourth person, so needless to say, he was pretty scattered and came with lots of issues. He is super sensitive and was terrified of any noise, especially indiscriminate overhead noise like airplanes, thunder and fireworks. I took Nancy's Tellington TTouch class and what I have learned from her has made such a difference. Using the methods she taught me, I have been able to help Jack tremendously. He is no longer afraid of overhead noise. It's just amazing. And our second Fourth of July together was so much better that the first. He was scared, but he didn't go "out of his head" with fear, and by using the TTouch methods, I was able to keep him from shaking. I no longer am dreading the holiday. Nancy is tremendously patient, very encouraging and uses only positive reinforcement. I very quickly learned not to say "NO" to Jack, but instead to show him what it is I want him to do. Every time I have a question, Nancy is always available to talk and help me out. With Nancy's help, Jack is so much more relaxed and content and he is actually more self-confident every day. Jack and I feel connected and have bonded. It wouldn't have happened without Nancy's help and encouragement and her expertise. ”
Sandy R. ~ Eugene, OR
“ Our Border Collie, Brit, was out of control when people came over to our house. Just having the UPS truck drive up sent her into fits of barking and wildness. She also started going down our 300 foot driveway and crossing our busy rural highway in front of our house to go checkout our neighbors sheep. In the country that behavior will get your dog shot very quickly. We called Nancy at our wits end. Amazingly just starting by putting Brit in a kid's t-shirt helped calm her down enough that she was able to absorb the training that Nancy designed for us for developing new greeting skills. And I won't even tell you what ingenious trick Nancy came up with to stop Brit running down the driveway other than to say it worked like a charm! If one of your pets has a behavior that's driving you nuts but that you've given up trying to fix, don't wait another minute! Call Nancy! Your pet will thank you! Lisa, Rachel and Julie ”
Lisa K. ~ Coburg, OR
“ My dog, Lola is 8 years old. Each year around and on the Fourth of July she becomes very stressed, anxious, agitated and scared. As the years pass she has more trouble with the holiday noise. On the Fourth previous to this one, Lola was so terrified I feared she was heading into shock and that I would have to rush her to the emergency vet. She was panting, shaking, her gums were getting paler and she responded less to my attempts to provide a safe comforting environment for her. That was a long sleepless night for me sitting watch over my sweet traumatized dog. Throughout the years I have tried many remedies to calm dogs during the holiday, everything from the liquids full of alcohol to homeopathic remedies she vomited up when her fear set in. Nothing made a significant difference. Wanting to avoid a repeat of last years episode, I decided to try something different this year. A friend mentioned Thundershirts to me and told me how they work. Soft cloth is wrapped tightly around your dog's torso and velcroed in place. Essentially, a compression shirt. I was skeptical if this would work for Lola as she hates wearing sweaters or jackets even in the bitter cold. She had wormed her way out of everything she had ever worn. Still, I decided it was worth a shot. Boy, am I glad I tried it! Lola didn't seem to mind wearing her Thundershirt, even when Nancy methodically showed us how to put the shirt on and when and how to use it for best effect. Lola stood calmly letting us practice putting the Thundershirt on and off. When the Fourth rolled around, I followed Nancy's instructions, putting Lola in her Thundershirt well before the fireworks and loud noises began. Lola behaved normally all day, not trying to escape from the new shirt once! The real test was the noise and fireworks. When they began she came and sat by me. She was not shaking or panting or crying, her gums looked ordinary. She looked a bit worried. I petted her and talked calmly to her. Before long she was sleeping! She slept through almost all of the Fourth celebrations. I can still scarcely believe it. The Thundershirt worked like a miracle! We have since also begun using it to help her with her dislike of riding in the car and with her moderate separation anxiety. As these are ongoing issues they have not resolved overnight as the acute trauma of the fireworks did, but they are making a significant improvement. For Instance: Lola jumps into the vehicle usually on the first request rather than the coaxing, bribing and occasionally simply picking her up and putting her in when she refused before! She also has reduced her distress vocalizations she has when we leave and come home. The Thundershirt has improved our lives, and Lola's life dramatically. I recommend it highly. And when paired with Nancy's gentle expertise with animals, willingness to answer questions and offer you the most and best information available to help you and your dog, you simply can't find a better solution for your dog's woes. ”
Davin ~ Eugene, OR
“ After working as a veterinary receptionist for almost 20 years, I thought I knew just about everything there was to know about pets. Then I met Nancy Yamin from Mutts Better who was talking to my Veterinary Assistant course through Lane Community College about TTouch. I had never heard about it, so was as interested as the class. I listened to Nancy talk and demonstrate TTouch. It sounded impossible that this simple technique could make such a big difference. I was skeptical. When I got home I grabbed up my 15 pound cat, Tut, and started using this circular movement on him, going from the top of this head down to the base of his tail. I finished by running my hand up the rest of the tail right to the tip. He seemed to enjoy this and I continued for several minutes. When he was done he let me know. He took off. He is a de-clawed rescue that has to be kept inside at all times. We also have a Siamese cat, Bert, that stops by long enough for food, vaccinations, and socialization. Bert and Tut have never gotten along. Tut always has laid his ears back and hissed at Bert. The very next time Bert came in, after I started using TTouch on Tut, the behavior of Tut was totally different. He lets Bert walk around him and eat and he just watches. I think it has made Tut more secure. He is totally a different cat since I started using TTouch on him. He is interested in Bert, and Tut is no longer nasty. ”
Lynn R. ~ Creswell, OR
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