How to Safely Leash Walk With Your Dog and Toddler
Many of you are both parents of dogs and children. Our Salt Lake City dog training company knows the importance of being able to walk both your dog on leash with your toddler. Of course there are many locations where your dog can run off leash while your toddler...Going on Hikes Safely with Your Toddler
These past few weeks, I have been hiking more with my dog and my two year old toddler. As a professional dog trainer with Four Legged Scholars Dog Training Salt Lake City, I want dog lovers to be able to easily hike with off leash dogs and their toddlers safely!...Quick Doggie Exercise Ideas for Busy Families
Many of you have read our past Salt Lake City dog training posts in regards to family life and your dog. This has been a hot topic for me, as I have definitely been focusing on how I can incorporate Seiki into my family life and still meet my daughters needs. ...Kids and Dogs
I know so many people who have children and dogs. Sometimes it is a good match and sometimes it can be a mess 🙂 Here are few tips. 1.) Never leave child unsupervised with a dog. A dog can at anytime bite a child and it doesn’t take too much for the bite to be...Reading Dog Behavior Week 4
This is the last week on the series of “Reading Dog Behavior.” I hope it has been helpful for you. This week I wanted to target other stress signs that your dog may show when he is out of alignment. These stress signs can be a result of fear (defensive...Reading Dog Behavior Week 3
This week I am going to focus on calming signals. Calming signals are signs that your dog demonstrates when he starting to get stressed and is wanting to calm himself down. If you see many calming signals then you know that your dog is pretty stressed. Remember...Reading Dog Behavior Week 2
Last week I gave some tips on determining if your dog is feeling fear (defensive behavior). This week I am going to focus on offensive behavior. Offensive behavior is when the dog wants to move forward and is generally more likely to want to attack immediately....Reading Dog Behavior
Realizing what a learning curve it was for me to become really good at reading behavior, I thought it would be beneficial to write consecutive tips on how to read your dog. Throughout the next few e-mails you will learn what your dog looks like when aroused verses...
Stacie Mills Laurence
2022-07-03T23:02:03+0000
Literally magical to train with them! Our Mattis and Echo are now thriving and we have learned so many skills. What... were BIG concerns are now no longer a challenge. This method works!!!!read more
Gary Teresi
2022-06-12T14:36:07+0000
I attended 4LS “How to be consistent to create loose leash walking” on June 9 with hopes of learning the skills needed... to stop my 8 year old 95 pound black lab from his constant pulling. In just a few days, his pulling has drastically decreased!
This zoom presentation was extremely well organized and comprehensive. Johanna skillfully navigated the zoom meeting that included teaching slides, photos, videos and participant interaction, questions and sharing of experiences.
With each aspect of the training, Johanna explained and demonstrated the steps to success, not only what works, but also why it works. This was a very positive and fun experience that I would highly recommend.read more
Cindy Reichelderfer Cale
2022-05-20T17:39:12+0000
I would highly recommend Four Legged Scholars training. Johanna Teresi was amazing and very patient with us. We have... not had a pet in our house for over 25 years. Hazel is a high energy terrier pup. We had issues with her jumping on ppl, barking a lot, distracted easily, crate training. These are the highlighted ones that we needed help with. After each session we had homework. We had our training online which worked out very well. Hazel was not distracted but this type of training and Johanna could walk us through each training with Hazel being non the wiser. With the homework came a training plan and videos and the instructions so if I forgot the process I could go back to the videos she took with us in it and review. This help many times and I have and will continue to refer to them. I am so glad we searched out and found Johanna as I am not sure where we would be today. Our training will always be on going but I know I have the lessons and Johanna to fall back on for refresher. Thank you again Johanna I loved the experience.read more
Sarah Sorensen
2021-12-05T00:24:33+0000
Johanna is absolutely amazing! I worked with her some years ago and the training has paid off time and time again. My... dog and I had been thru an abusive relationship and my dog no longer trusted people. She was aggressive and terrified and I wanted to help her. Johanna taught me how to recognize my dogs body language and how to react to what she is doing. I learned to realize when my dog was becoming overwhelmed so I could intervene and prevent something from happening. My dog hasn’t needed a muzzle for almost 4 years now. I live in high rise condo in the middle of Atlanta. She lets strangers love on her in the elevators and at the dog walk. Tail is always wagging! She has come such a long way from then and I am so grateful for Four Legged Scholars!! She also helped train my parents dogs even longer ago! Absolutely amazing! ♥️read more
Robyn Dawn Jones
2021-09-30T16:23:45+0000
Johanna is amazing trainer! You won’t regret using Four Legged Scholars!
Krista Schindler Nordholt
2021-02-09T23:47:50+0000
What a pleasure it was working with Joanna in live personalized online one on one training sessions. I have trained... dogs in puppy training classes at our local pet stores. This method of instruction was so much more personalized to our dog. We were struggling with our standard schnauzers barking during busy times in our household and having difficulties during hikes. Joanna watched videos of Damian during hikes and gave us ideas for training his difficult behaviors. After Joanna watched Damian barking during hectic times in our home she set up a training strategy. It truly took one week to reverse this negative behavior. We learned so much during our sessions. We would record his progress and then Joanna would build off Damian’s success. I would highly recommend this form of training.read more
Paul S. Chase
2020-02-26T15:00:35+0000
If you are looking for a trainer who will be your partner and educate you on the process and methodology/science of... your training as well as accountability on your part, Four Legged Scholars is the right place.read more
Angela Ferry Sewell
2020-02-22T23:32:45+0000
Working with Johanna was a great experience! She is so knowledgable and kind. Her approach is comprehensive and... positive and I am much more confident in regards to managing and improving my dog's behavior now that I have been through her course.read more
Charlie Wagner
2019-12-11T03:32:57+0000
I would like to thank Johanna of Four Legged Scholars for a job well done. She is very good at explaining the steps... that are needed to get the job done. I would highly recommend her.
Charlie..Mantuaread more
Linda Schulz Schupp
2019-09-05T21:53:39+0000
I would like to recommend Johanna at Four Legged Schlors!! We have a six year old German Shepherd that had never been... leash trained and had lots of anxiety. Johanna worked and encouraged us with good training tips that worked amazing for our dog. She is such a different dog at the end of eight weeks we could never have imagined.read more
Jodi Mann
2019-05-24T15:37:03+0000
We contacted Four Legged Scholars to help us with our two energetic year old German Shepherds. Joanna worked with us on... walking on leashes, how to settle when people came over to visit and to come on command. We saw a difference in their behaviors fairly quickly and look forward to their continued improvement as we continue to use the skills she taught us to help them reach their potential.read more
Alyssa Leigh Giles
2019-05-22T18:10:07+0000
Not only does Johanna know her dog stuff (she really does!), but she knows her people stuff, too! Johanna is a... compassionate person who will treat both you and your dog with respect and empathy. She will ease your worries and help you feel confident. You will not only see great results, but you will feel good about your training and relationship with your dog!read more
Jennifer Kristoff Miller
2019-03-08T20:55:13+0000
I contacted Johanna at Four Legged Scholars because our puppy was biting a lot more than any of us expected and I was... concerned. Johanna came and quickly reassured us that this was normal behavior and then proceded to come up with a plan that worked for our family to train our puppy. We immediately felt relieved. She gave us many tools and support. We have a well behaved puppy and people are very impressed at her behavior already. We are very grateful for Johannas professional guidance!read more
Anne Rubin
2018-10-15T00:25:27+0000
I would like to thank Johanna and The Four Legged Scholar dog training program. Through a positive outlook and... positive dog training, my little four month old Teddy is turning into a joy to be with. Johanna is a gifted trainer. She has a deep understanding of dogs and their view of the world, which helps us humans understand a lot about their behavior. Johanna understands the complexities of training and helps the trainer to maintain a calmness that transfers to the dog. When the dog misbehaves, Johanna teaches to redirect your own thinking and take action that promote the behavior you want to see in your dog. Johanna is there for you every step of the way. She is interested in your dog and eager to hear of your successes. She helps you re-frame “failure” as a learning experience so that you can continue to be positive and have only positive experiences with your dog. Teddy and I are both much happier now that The Four legged Scholar program has been in our life. Thanks, Johanna.read more
Stacey Schmidt Brazie
2018-07-26T00:27:19+0000
SO grateful to have found Johanna! We were having trouble with our 1 year old lab Laney. She was afraid of people,... jumped on us, walked horribly on a leash, ran to the door when someone was there and barked at everyone that walked by. We were given the tools to help us change Laney’s behavior. Johanna was wonderful and easy to work with. She is very knowledgeable and able to help us understand what she was doing and why. Highly recommend!!!read more
Dave McCoy
2018-06-21T03:00:04+0000
Four Legged Scholars provided our family with the expertise and guidance needed to train our new puppy Drew. Trainer... Johanna Teresi was the perfect person to help us! Johanna's calm demeanor, excellent knowledge, and organized approach allayed any fears that we had about training Drew. He responded well to her weekly visits. We learned wonderful techniques and Johanna clearly explained the best ways to employ these training tactics. My family wholeheartedly recommends Four Legged Scholars, and Johanna Teresi, as fantastic and caring solutions when one considers the best method to train your dog. Dave McCoy Ravenna, Ohioread more
Amanda Lynn
2018-03-11T12:27:13+0000
We are so grateful for Johanna! She helped us out tremendously with training our hyper active husky puppy, Shadow. Her... tips and training methods were just what we needed. Not only are her training methods something to use in the moment but something we will continue to in our everyday life. Our puppy's behavior has improved so much already, we know we made the right choice by going with Johanna as our trainer!💛read more
Megan Sarber Fogel
2018-01-18T01:14:51+0000
Johanna was wonderful with our new puppy, Frankie. After one day of crate training with her, he mastered it and gives... us no problem when it's time for him to go in! I would highly recommend her:)read more
Colleen O'Donnell Studzinski
2017-04-28T21:12:07+0000
As first time dog owners my husband and I needed some help training over energetic puppy! After a couple weeks, our... friends and my husband and I noticed a huge change for the better in our puppy! The training classes helped and changed our busy lives for the best!!!!read more
Trina Bodily
2016-10-07T21:06:16+0000
Ohio is so lucky to have you. Four Legged Scholars training is amazing. I've trained 2 Border Collies with Johanna and... we learned so much and still use the techniques we learned in class all the time. You are so missed in Salt Lake City!read more
Wendy Nighswonger
18:47 08 Jul 23
I have known Johanna for 13 years. She has helped me with several dogs, but she recently helped me train my new black lab puppy, Raven. I have moved to another state so all of my training with Raven was done online via Zoom. I believe that the one-on-one training I received through Zoom was more personalized and thorough, especially with the way Johanna placed every ounce of training and recommendation on a board through an app that I can refer back when I need. Johanna is very intuitive and knew when stress was on overload for me, therefore tailoring my training for that day around making Raven feel good while simultaneously taking my stress load down. Johanna has years of experience and while her knowledge is a gold mine, it is her gentle patience and love for her clients that make this training so perfect. I would hire her again and again. She is a true canine whisperer. Thank you Four Legged Scholars and thank you Johanna!Wendy N. ~ Oregon
Christina Richards
18:13 10 Feb 23
Johanna at Four Legged Scholars is great. She tailored my program to fit my needs and was easy to work with. My puppy responded very well to what she taught us together over Zoom. She's patient and understanding. We're still utilizing the things we learned and he's a well-behaved puppy. Thank you!
Karyl Bennion
19:49 05 Feb 23
I adopted Frida as a companion that I could travel, walk and hike with. She loves to hike and walk but pulled on the leash and jumped at distractions. I learned how to be calm and talk in a non threatening way to her. She responds to this much better than yelling at her. The click and treat method that I learned works so well in getting her attention as well as the "target" training. Frida has improved greatly with these methods. I will continue the knowledge I have learned with her. I did the live on-line training and it was very successful. I am so happy we signed up.
Rachel Giddings
02:57 12 Dec 22
My dog was abused in his previous home and has always been afraid of strangers. I wanted to train him and help him to be more confident, but I didn't know how to do that if he was afraid of his trainer.Doing online training with Joanna was perfect for both of us! Joanna helped me learn how to read my dog and understand his triggers. We then worked together on BAT training, which taught him self-soothing behaviors and showed him how to confidently and safely handle difficult situations. I never thought I would have fun doing homework with my dog, but he and I benefited from it tremendously. Working with Joanna via Zoom was perfect for my dog and me.
Shawn McMillen
02:09 24 Oct 22
My 2 year old doodle was struggling with people walking by the house, barking incessantly, tugging on walks, improving recall when off leash and , for me, how to be a better more engaging human for my buddy. The personalized, online sessions exceeded all my expectations. The review of video homework sessions was awesome. We saw improvement in each of the priority areas and I developed real, tangible, lasting skills/tools to be a better pet person. Thanks Johanna!
Courtney Daniels
19:59 12 Sep 22
12 years ago I got a puppy and quickly realized I was in over my head. I wanted to have a good, well trained dog, but I was overwhelmed by methods and my puppies behavior.I joined the four legged scholars puppy training with my little 4 month old puppy Bowie, and saw immediate understanding with the clicker work. It gave us this incredibly ability to communicate and she excelled.We went on to take several courses that established general obedience, helped me turn a STRONG leash puller into a loose leash master (I took that course twice because it was a huge issue for us and I NEEDED help and reassurance from Johanna that I could do it) as well as skill class, that helped solidify a beautiful relationship between us. Learning clicker shaping allowed me to confidently teach complex and unique commands on my own as well, like waving hello and closing kitchen cabinets.My Bowie has climbed to the top of mountains for me staying right by my side never pulling on her leash. I've targeted her off trails to protect her from startling a mama moose and her baby. She's loved on my kids without jumping on them and knocking them over. She's allowed the neighbor girl who has always had a fear of dogs to walk her without pulling at whatever pace she was comfortable with. She shows off with all her fun little tricks Johanna gave me the tools to train my dog into an amazing companion.I feel so lucky to have found your training program and to have the relationship I do with my Bowie girl. These courses have a profound and lasting impact on the lives of families and their pups, thank you for that gift.
Megan Pond-Maxwell
16:02 18 May 22
I am so grateful to have found Johanna. She was with us every step of the way as we tackled separation anxiety training and reactivity training with Daisy, my Mini Australian Shepherd. As a first time dog owner, I felt at a loss about how to manage my very vocal, scared, stressed, yet loveable dog. She had all of the typical puppy behavior, such as jumping, nipping/biting, leash pulling, as well as barking. On top of that, she was also not able to be alone without feeling terrified, as well as vocally and behaviorally reactive to other dogs, adults, and kids. I felt completely overwhelmed and Johanna created programs that felt manageable and doable. Each training session, I felt understood and empowered working with Johanna. Over the course of our programs, I felt that we accomplished the steps of the training process, strengthened the dog-human relationship, and increased my own awareness of my dog's emotional cues so that I could better work with her. My dog can now be on her own feeling relaxed and playful, her problematic puppy behaviors have significantly improved, she can walk on her leash loosely, listen to commands, and she can better tolerate other adults, dogs, and children as compared to where we first started. Our online experience was very positive. I look forward to continually implementing the tools and skills we have learned along the way to move forward in a positive direction that strengthens our human-animal bond and reduces distressing behaviors and emotional stress and overwhelm. Thank you Four Legged Scholars! I highly, highly recommend working with Johanna.
Emily Harward
03:36 24 Apr 22
Our rescue dog is sweet and playful with us, but her behavior around other dogs and people could be unpredictable. She would act aggressively around adults (lunging and barking), and would sometimes be aggressive toward other dogs. We chose to do online training with Johanna. I was skeptical that online training would work, but it ended up being very effective. Johanna taught me the skills I needed to train my dog, and provided resources that I could use throughout the week as I worked on the assigned tasks. I was also able to send her videos of me working with my dog, so she could provide feedback and help me improve. Johanna personalized the program and made changes as needed to ensure that I could meet my goals. Since working with Four Legged Scholars, neighbors have commented on how much better behaved my dog is, and I don't have to worry about her lunging and barking at people or other dogs when we are out for a walk anymore. We still have a lot of work to do with our dog, and I feel like doing the personalized online sessions with Johanna has given me the knowledge, and resources to continue training my dog.
Angel Lanoy
15:22 16 Jun 21
We have a large family, including three big dogs. So when our biggest dog Obi, the Rottweiler, started showing aggression we panicked. The vet suggested we put him down after an experience in the office. He then said we could also try training and gave us Johanna's business card. Just a phone call with her made us feel like there was hope. We signed up to do the online sessions with FourLeggedScholars. The process from the first contact to the last was well oiled and very helpful. Obi gets to stay with our family now and we feel like meting with her has given us the guidance and knowledge we need to keep our family, friends and him safe. I was a tad worried about doing the training online, but it really worked out great and we were able to fit such a big task into our busy schedules. I feel like she set us up for success from the very beginning. Thank you.
