Training Tips - Fingers and Paws Dog Training

Finding Time to Train Your Dog

Finding time to train your dog can seem hard, but getting creative makes it easier Technology is amazing, but I’m still waiting for someone to figure out how to manufacture time. Now THAT inventor I’d bow down to. Everyone today has too many ways to fill their time, and technology is actually one of the […]

Fear Factor – a dog’s reality, an obstacle to training

Training Fearful Dogs With Patience and Compassion “Fear Factor is the competition reality series in which contestants must decide if they have the guts and determination to face their fears while outpacing the competition.” – NBC.com/fear-factor Eliminate that last part about competition, and you could be describing how some dogs feel on a regular basis. […]

Baby (Puppy) It’s Cold Outside! How to Keep Your Dog Active In Winter

How to Handle the Bathroom Issue and How to Keep Your Dog Active in Winter Sparky delicately lifts a rear paw, holding it up close to his body. You glance back to see why he has stopped walking, in time to see him tenderly place that paw down and lift and hold another. Is the cold […]

We signed up for private lessons with Lisa when we first adopted our dog Sandy, a somewhat fearful adult dog. Lisa was great to work with, she taught us the theory behind how to teach Sandy using positive reinforcement. She was very flexible with times for the lessons and they were tailored to our specific

Tyngsborough Couple

Considering the nuttiness of the week, Cali did well. She's still stealing (it became apparent to me yesterday I am not as aware as I should be so I can work on the 'leave it') but she is getting much better about drop it (even with her ball so playing fetch is much more fun!).

Rachel Ward-Sullivan

Lisa Bert has completed 5 presentations to our 3-5 year old children at Westford Preschool at St. Mark’s. I would highly recommend this program for all young children. Her presentation was interactive and kept the children’s attention and interest. She was able to adapt to the different age groups. The feedback from parents and teachers

Anne Deardon Director

I knew you would appreciate this story. Yesterday I took Miranda to meet her brother to a puppy play time… They hadn't seen each other since they were adopted and his mom recently found me on Facebook. I thought it would be cute for her to play with a dog with her play style! So

Rachael Mead

Most helpful? “Signs to look for in dog when they aren’t comfortable.” Program? “Excellent. Presentation provided useful info to help adjust our dogs to baby. Slides were informative. Video clips were helpful.”

Expectant couple with male and female Puggles

Most helpful? “Understanding dog’s signals, techniques to make it a positive experience bringing baby home.” “Yes” would recommend to others

Expectant couple with anxious 8 year old English Bulldog

Our English Bulldog Gussy began acting aggressively a little after our daughter turned one. My wife and I tried to correct this behavior as best as we could, but as nothing worked and as we heard/read about horror stories of dogs biting/attacking their "siblings" we got more and more concerned. We were very scared before

The Cudmore family

“The class was very informative and my dog and I learned a great deal.” Would you recommend this class to others? “Yes, because of the relaxed atmosphere and knowledge of the instructor… Lisa is great.” Other classes you would be interested in attending? “Level 2”

Mother of 2 older teens, “failed” animal foster family (who kept the dog)

We adopted our dog at seven years old from Buddy Dog in 2011. When we brought our newborn son home from the hospital 3yrs later, the dog had a difficult time adjusting to the shift in attention. He became very mopey and started whining and barking a lot more. We hired Lisa to help us

Marianne Carlisle, MA

Rocky now rides calmly in the car. Your suggestions were spot on and now he just lays on seat - no treats needed. It's so awesome. ???????????????????? and he's better at meeting people and walking without pulling much. I really liked the class even though I have trouble juggling the clicker treats and leash!! I'm

Alison Diaz

We recently rescued a dog. While we love him and he is the right dog for us, he also has some significant behavioral issues as he was a stray for an unknown period of time. We hired Lisa to help us with these issues. Lisa has deep knowledge about animal behavior and how to change

Jackie and William

“Loved the class, it has been very helpful. Good training techniques. Would love a Level 2.” Would you recommend this class to others? “Yes, helps set up training outside of class.”

Family with elementary school children, adolescent puppy

You were great not only with puppy info but also with working with our kids. Thank you! Info was very valuable.

Social Puppy class, December 2016 evaluation form

Most helpful? “Subtle behavior cues.” Overall feeling about the program? “Excellent”, “Yes” would recommend to others

Expectant mom/rescue worker, 3 large dogs at home

I enjoyed every part of the class! First family dog so any and all training information is very helpful. What was least helpful and/or enjoyable, if anything? The only comment I have is that since this is the beginner class, it is often difficult to focus on the instruction or discussion while trying to manage

Kim DiFranco & Chewie

Our family has had such a wonderful experience working with Lisa! We saw many positive reviews about her classes at Westford's Roudenbush Center and wanted to sign our puppy up for socialization classes right away. We were able to speak with Lisa on the phone prior to bringing our puppy home and she was so

The Babineau family

Most helpful? “How to interpret dog behaviors. Associating positive things for dog with baby.” Overall feeling, comments: “Excellent. Very good info, very well presented, definitely worth the price. Thank you!”

Expectant couple/veterinary technician

My puppy Frankie is doing amazing. The classes are so well run and fun (despite the hard work for both puppy and myself)! It was helpful to be educated on how dogs learn as well as the basic training commands. Lisa is an excellent trainer/teacher. You can tell she is passionate about what she does.

Smart Puppy class, March 2017 evaluation form

We bought our dog from a reputable breeder with a long list of credentials. We read all the recommended books, and thought we were on the right track to have the perfect, well-behaved, well-trained dog for us and our three young children. Everything was great for the first couple weeks. We felt we were doing

The Spenglers

We contacted Lisa to help us introduce a new puppy to our 2 adult dogs - 11 year old female lab and 8 year old male lab. We had a feeling that our oldest dog was not going to embrace a new puppy so wanted to do it the right way. Lisa was awesome -

Katie & Tanner Dinning Chelmsford, MA

Greetings from me and my happy, upbeat, confident beautiful boy. He is doing outstanding. We have had some episodes of going into the woods and trying to hide out on the trail, but I stay calm, love him and fill his face with treats and he comes out after a few minutes and we go

Tom Doyle and Chester Brown