We were given a recommendation for a "great dog trainer" from a friend. We needed help with our wonderful but extremely energetic Australian Shepherd/Poodle Mix puppy, Finlee. She is now 10 months old. It was evident during our first phone conversation how knowledgeable and caring Annie is. She takes so much time to become familiar with your family dynamics, routines, problem areas, and hopes for you and your dog. Then you meet her.....WOW! What an amazing person with so much experience and knowledge. Not only do we love her and her methods of teaching, but Finlee absolutely loves her (as well as our other dog and cat!) Her work with her search and rescue dogs is unbelievable, yet she will simply work with you on the things you want for your dog. After a few weeks, everything started to come together....all the homework we were given began to make sense and we were able to enjoy our time with Finlee so much more.

I would not hesitate to recommend Annie for anything dog related....from behavior issues to simply finding new ways to entertain your furry friends.

I have a 3-year-old German Shepherd, Kimber. She was out of control and running the house. She would whine constantly and bark crazily anytime there was anything or anyone outside. She had dog aggression issues that I don’t even know where they came from since she’s been socialized and to obedience classes. Annie was recommended to me and I am so grateful that I found her! She has helped me through so many issues with Kimber and in a matter of a few weeks I can’t even believe the difference! Kimber has become so much more confident and well behaved. I was at my breaking point with this dog and Annie has given me hope and shown me that by changing a few simple things I can have a great relationship with an amazing dog! I highly recommend Annie and will continue to work with her in the future.

Referred by: Jeff Rynearson, former Commander/Trainer SBPD K9 Unit

Annie is an extraordinary person and dog trainer. Annie’s years of service and dedication to helping people and dogs thrive through training is unmatched. Her experience and passion for training search and rescue dogs, as well as, training service dogs, set her apart from all of the rest.

My husband and I have a very energetic, spirited, impulsive, stubborn and loving Chocolate Lab, Colt. Throughout Colt's first two years we participated in a variety of small group trainings and one-on-one. We were becoming frustrated with the lack of progress Colt was making. Finally, we contacted Annie after Colt swallowed not one but two socks in a matter of minutes while being directed to drop them. This was the last straw for my husband and I so we reached out for help through our vet, Dr. Payton, who gave us Annie’s number.

Annie is knowledgeable, thorough, practical, genuine and truly listens to your concerns. Together you create obtainable and measurable goals for your fur baby. I appreciate her ability to work in your home environment where she can see in real time you and your pup in action. She has helped us see that while we were running and exercising Colt his need for mental stimulation was huge and that he had his mom and dad well trained. She has given us a variety of activities to practice that challenge Colt physically, stimulate him mentally and at the same time work on our basic training goals. Annie is very patient and gives you constructive feedback on what you need to do to help you/family and your dog bring out the best in each other… and live happily ever after! We are grateful for Annie!!

Referred by: Dr Payton, Western Veterinary Clinic

Annie Schaffer is amazing. I connected with Annie last August when my husband and I needed help with our rescue Coonhound/Boxer mix, Paisley. Paisley was 2-1/2 when we adopted her. She had spent four months in foster care immediately before we rescued her from the Pet Refuge in South Bend. It was clear to us (and the volunteers at the Refuge as well as Paisley's foster mom) that Paisley had not been properly socialized during her time with her first family. She was skittish of many things, including, but not limited to: walking on grass, going outside after dark, walking on sidewalks, cars and trucks passing by, and meeting strangers. We knew we loved Paisley, and we wanted to give her a wonderful forever home. We also knew we needed some help in order to do just that. Enter Annie. Annie was recommended to us by Pet Refuge. From the moment we first spoke on the phone, it was an easy relationship. Annie listened to my concerns and we quickly set a date for her to come to the house to meet Paisley. For the past year, Annie has been helping us build trust with Paisley. Annie has given us the ability to step back from the entire list of issues, and instead focus on exercises designed to build trust between us and Paisley. As the trust has increased, the fearful behaviors have diminished, and in most cases disappeared altogether. Annie stayed in touch during the spring quarantine, calling periodically to see how things were going and to offer suggestions as needed. She is someone who truly has a passion for working with animals. She sees the animal as an individual and customizes the sessions based on individual needs. Our timeline progressed quickly as we worked on the exercises she gave us. Annie also worked as an accountability partner for us. She would know if Paisley hadn't made any improvements since our last session, so it incentivized us to keep working with Paisley. We have been amazed at how quickly Paisley has progressed in the past year. We wouldn't have come nearly as far without Annie's excellent, knowledgeable guidance.

Annie has acquired a vast knowledge of behavioral training methods and trains dogs for many different purposes. She is insightful and her calm demeanor promotes trust in both the humans and dogs she works closely with. Her passion for training and insuring we were satisfied and enjoyed our dog to the fullest was evident in her thoroughness upon meeting her for the first time. Annie talked in depth with us to familiarize herself with our family dynamics and previous training experience so she could help us train our Saint Bernard puppy to become a valued member of our household. Groot, our Saint Bernard, loves Annie. He is a well behaved, loving dog and an important member of our family.