What our clients are saying.
Richmond, Virginia Dog Training Testimonials
“My dog Jovi has always been anxious. Her papa passed away in October and we moved to Virginia for some healing. I found Pat through a friend and I was able to do board and train right away.
Jovi has excelled since. The training has been so great. She walks amazingly and listens immediately. She still has anxiety when I leave but calms down pretty quickly. Learning place is awesome. She goes directly to place when told....maybe have to say it twice...but she goes. :) Now that we are back home I have the tools to keep her in line!
Pat cares about her like she’s her own. I really hope that we can see again soon! Thank you Miss Pat for everything.”
— Jill
“So sincerely grateful to know you and for all that you've done to help us with Gus. Our lives with him are so much better than they already were, and we have you to thank for it!”
— Sarah & Patrick
“Pat gave us a fresh start with our almost 5 year old cockapoo, Ollie! Our family just had our second child and with that came even less attention for Ollie than he had after our first child. Ollie was following us around the house, whining, barking, and was full of anxiety. We had lost the sweet loving, fun, playful dog we used to have. That is when we decided our only hope was to send him to “Pat’s Bootcamp” for 3 weeks.
We were a little skeptical, you know the saying, “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks,” but Pat assured us that he was teachable. Ollie stayed with Pat for 3 weeks, giving him love, training, new skills to learn, social interaction with her dogs, and patience that we didn’t have.
When Ollie returned home after just 3 short weeks the change was amazing! We truly had a new dog, or the dog we once loved! Now don’t get me wrong, we have to work with him everyday to keep up his newfound skills, but he enjoys it and it doesn’t feel like work.
Pat gave us the skills we needed to reduce Ollie’s anxiety, find his new role in a house of 2 children, and get back our loving dog we once knew.
Pat says that it takes 3 months to really implement these skills so we still have some time. Ollie has been home for 2 weeks and he hardly whines, he doesn’t follow us, he is content, he listens, and is enjoying our family again. We can’t thank Pat enough for saving our family and giving us our Ollie back!”
— Heather & Sam
“When I moved here from the west coast, I found myself for the first time without family or friends to watch my beloved Labrador while I traveled. I refused to board my very sensitive senior pup and after trying multiple in-home pet sitters a co-worker recommended I call Pat. Pat immediately recognized my anxiety about leaving my trusted companion and she did everything to assure me he would get the best care. He absolutely did. She recognized his sweet and amazing soul and they formed an unbreakable bond. She treated him like her own and would drop by occasionally just to say hi or give him a scratch. Although it was always hard to leave, I was 100% comfortable leaving him in her care for longer trips and holidays. I’m certain she took better care of him than I did, and that’s saying a lot.
She has since cared for all of my dogs, including a territorial but sweet German Shepard. She even met me at the airport to help me with my new rambunctious Labrador. When I had to travel for work a few weeks later, she crate trained and boarded him when he was only 10 weeks old. I have recommended her to all of my friends and they all agree that she is the absolute best. She is truly excellent with puppy through senior care and will go above and beyond to make your fur baby happy and healthy while you’re away.
Pat Princiotto is hands down the most attentive and reliable pet sitter (and pet lover). It takes a lot for me to write a recommendation, but her services are worth the time and effort. If you have a pup that needs extra care, a daily walk, training, or boarding, she’s the person you should call.”
— Joanne
“Our family is so grateful to have found you and to have gotten your help with training our Golden Retriever, Rainey. Rainey is our family's first dog. We got him as a puppy at 8 weeks old in February, 2000. Rainey demonstrated food guarding at his first vet check-up at 10 weeks. Our vet recommended training him immediately as this is not a typical Golden behavior. We had a wonderful positive training experience and worked hard to socialize him during Covid quarantine. However, Rainey continued to guard sticks, treats and even me. He intermittently attempted to dominate the kids and frankly scared them. Upon returning from his 12 days of board and train with you, Rainey is an obedient pup who clearly needed more boundaries than we had given him. Everyone in the family has been able to walk him happily and we are able to enjoy our family life without Rainey dictating our plans.
Thank you so much for helping us train Rainey to be the family dog we always dreamed of!”
— Carin & Seth
“Pat’s training program has given Leo just the start he needs to be a wonderful furry addition to our family! He’s come home confident, knowing his commands, and ready to take on the challenges of the world….my kids. I thought it would be tough adding a pet in our home especially with young rambunctious children running around. It’s no walk in the park but Pat has shared her knowledge and genuine love with us and showed me how it can be done.
In this photo, Leo stayed right in place as my kids came running in the room.
If there is any testament to her program, that alone says it all.
We have a long road ahead but I’m confident that with Pat by our side we are going to be just fine!”
“After only working with Pat for a few days, my wife and already see a marked improvement in Mustard’s obedience and pulling when walking. Pat taught us great techniques for turning her to being her back and allowing me to control the walk
We recognize this is a marathon and not a sprint but we already feel more confident as owners and Mustard definitely feels less scared of loud noises. She learned to love her crate time and very quickly learned “place”.
We are so excited to continue on the journey with Pat so that my wife and I can be better owners and Mustard can lead her best dog life.
Thank you from the bottom of our hearts. ”
— Mary
“So excited to be bringing Ellie home after her wonderful board and train stay with Pat. Same sweet Ellie… just more calm and tuned in to cues and direction. Can’t wait to continue to learn with her.
Big thanks to Pat for your TLC
(Teaching, Loving, Caring)!
And thank you for continuing to be available to answer questions as we return home and settle in with new, best habits!”
“Sending Luna to Pat was the best decision I have ever made.
While she was away during training, Pat kept us updated and min the loop on a regular basis giving us a sense of comfort and allowed us to watch Luna’s progress. Since we have brought her home, Pay has been there every step of the way, answering any questions we have.
Training with Pat has completely changed our home dynamic and improved our quality of life.
We have another dog who is pretty anxious and now Luna respects his personal space but they still have fun together. It’s been beautiful to see.
I can work from home, cook, take a shower, etc., with Luna out of the crate now that she has learned to be calm on place. I can take her on long walks and hikes now that she is calm on the leash. I would recommend Pat to anyone who has a dog, whether they have serious issues or not. She has been an absolute pleasure to work with. Thank you Pat!”
— Josh