When we first adopted our beagle Gordie in June, he would constantly fight with our other dog, snap at us, and could not be housebroken. With Lesley’s help, we learned how our actions directly affect how Gordie behaves. Sticking to the training she provided, he is now a well-adjusted dog, who loves his brother Max. He loves to snuggle, and is fully housebroken! We couldn’t have done it alone; Lesley’s training allowed us to give Gordie a happy home!
— J. C., Canton
We had a great experience with Lesley! She took time to get to know our quirky dog, and was extremely patient and gentle with him. She helped us modify our behavior and thinking, too, so we can work more effectively with our furry child. She provides notes after every visit, as well as practice exercises. Definitely give her a strong recommendation!
— Lonnie R. K., Novi
We hired Lesley to help us, once we brought home our new puppy. From our initial consultation and throughout training, she was always prompt, professional, knowledgeable, and trustworthy. During both the day-training and owner-coached sessions, Lesley was thoroughly well-prepared, and always provided detailed, written feedback. She is dedicated to her work and truly loves what she does. Her focus on the positive has made for a happier dog in our home. We would recommend Lesley and her training methods without hesitation!
— M.W., Novi
We started working with Lesley shortly after we decided to adopt and add a second dog to our home. Gus is full of energy, with a “party boy” attitude, and we realized pretty quickly we were going to need some help. We weren’t disappointed; almost immediately, we started to notice positive changes in our dogs. Lesley has a natural ability to work with dogs and it gave us hope that if we practiced, and did what she told us, we could do the same! Thanks so much for everything!
— B. & J., Sterling Heights
Our experience with Leslie was amazing! We had recently rescued a large mix-breed dog, Bertha, who had some behavior issues. Leslie taught us not only commands for Bertha, but showed us the signs, signals, and roots of certain behaviors. Bertha loved Leslie, and so did we. Bertha has been a happier, better understood dog since we worked with Leslie. We cannot thank her enough!
— M. P., Detroit
We started working with Lesley a few years ago, with our first terrier, Mr. Bojangles. We called her again when we brought Winston into our home. She was honestly a lifesaver for us. Lesley showed us great ways to get our pups’ attention, keep it, and even more, taught us a thing or two about ourselves as proud puppy parents!
— J.D. & E.J. of Auburn Hills
I highly recommend The Understood Dog. Working with Lesley was a pleasure. She is professional, friendly, and compassionate. She truly cares about helping the dogs and the owners. Lesley presents the material and the lessons in an easy to understand and and easy to implement manner. Her handouts are wonderful. Her approach is both positive and effective. I am grateful to have found such a wonderful dog trainer!
— Kelly from Northville
Brittanys are full of energy and vinegar! We were worried, because this was our first dog in many years and ‘Doc’ was showing signs of unruliness and misbehavior–we were unsure of our own training abilities. During our first session, we were amazed at the uncanny and natural ability that she had with dogs; they seemed to do whatever she requested of them…to our surprise we realized it wasn’t dog training, it was People training!
— D.M., Commerce
Raising two sibling puppies is no easy task, but with Lesley’s expert training and advice, we are enjoying our well-trained puppies! I don’t know what we would have done without her…it’s definitely money well-spent; you’ll be so glad you hired her!
— R. M., A Happy Pet Owner (Commerce Twp)
Lesley was a fantastic trainer for our Shit-Tzu Charlie! Under Lesley’s tutelage, we now understand our pup much better. The reference tools that she created and left with us, will allow us to maintain the level of training that she demonstrated.
— Tara and Patrick, Novi
We were skeptical at first, because our dog is a 3-year-old Rottweiler; and from contacting other dog trainers before we met with Lesley, they made it seem like it would be very difficult to train him because of his age and breed. After meeting with Lesley, we felt confident in ourselves and her training methods. She made it very exciting and fun for him, so he was always willing to participate in training. We are proud to say that he has overcome his anxiety with new people. Lesley treated us and our dog like family, and we are beyond satisfied and pleased with the results.
— Armani E., Livonia
Lesley’s ability to accommodate my schedule, plus training sessions being at my home, were a HUGE help for Boomer! I loved how Lesley didn’t follow a “one-method-solves-all-dogs” approach. I could tell she was tailoring each session for Boomer and me. Friends and family are impressed with his improvement! Thanks again, Lesley!
— K.R., Wolverine Lake
Thank you so much for equipping Justin, Lucy, and me with the tools to last a lifetime! We appreciate you helping us understand our sweet girl better, so much. We can’t wait to continue working (and playing) using everything you’ve taught us. Thank you for your time, care, and attention!
— Chelsie, Justin, & Lucy, Livonia
Lesley provided excellent customized training in our home for our 4-year old, one-eyed, rescue Pug. We appreciated all the supporting handout materials she provided us, as well. We would highly recommend her to others looking to train their dogs at any age. Even at 4 yrs. old we learned that our pug was still trainable. Thank you again!
— K. O., Novi
Louie was just 6 months old and had developed some serious fear aggression. Lesley taught us so much about how and why he acted aggressively, and ways to effectively handle it. We did a 180 on how we approached life with Louie, and he made HUGE strides because of it. Thank you, Lesley, you are amazing; and any dog/family that is lucky enough to work with you will understand why!
— W. A., Milford
We began with Lesley several months ago, when our young dog was having difficulty with separation anxiety and potty training. Lesley takes home the feedback from each session and creates a plan moving forward at the next session, all the while keeping our goals in mind. She has helped us out tremendously, not only with our dog’s mindset, but ours, too! She goes above and beyond for her clients, and makes it her mission to help. We would recommend Lesley to anyone who is having difficulty with their dog!
— Ben and Erica, Farmington
“We hired Lesley to help us get reacquainted with training a puppy because we hadn’t been through that process in a while.
While skeptical at times, her relentless (in a good way) positive approach to teaching our puppy basic obedience has paid off tremendously. We have a five month old Golden Retriever that trusts us, loves us and actually is developing in to a polite and well behaved dog. Lesley’s use of language, tone and body movement really work!”
— Libby Smith, Northville
Lesley was great for our 9-month-old German Shepherd/Husky mix puppy, Molly. Molly was able to quickly learn many obedience skills; and has become a much more attentive dog! We learned how to better communicate with Molly; and feel confident we can continue to improve on the skills she’s learned. Lesley also went above and beyond and helped us improve Molly’s experience at her doggy daycare Thank you, Lesley!
— R.M. & K.M., Novi
Lesley helped us understand how our dog, Riley, learns. Then, she showed us how to transfer that knowledge into the best way to train him. We appreciated her approach, and loved working with her!
— C.L., Livonia
We are more confident dog owners.
Our first and only dog had difficulty staying focused on walks and was easily triggered by cars. We were frustrated and needed direction as owners. Lesley introduced us to new markers and Pattern Games* to strengthen our communication with our dog. Now when triggers occur, we know how to redirect our dog in a positive manner.
As owners, we learned how to read our dog’s body language, understand how reinforcement works, and new obedience skills to navigate the world around us. From our dog’s point of view, our walks have been longer, he gets to go more places with us, and he fell in love with Lesley. The relationship with our dog has never been better!
*Pattern Games are from Leslie McDevitt’s Control Unleashed(c) program
— Brett and Katie-Dog parents to an active and curious 2 yr.-old male Labradoodle