Testimonials

Here's what dog owners are saying about Lillian and their training results:

I am a very dedicated pet owner but I was guilty of disciplining my dog with a rolled up newspaper or a swat on his rear for barking. He would receive a severe reprimand for his infrequent accidents in the house. I thought I was training him.

Due to my ignorance of pet training I had no control and this led to his tragic death. He dashed out the front door before I could grab him, encountered my neighbor's aggressive pit bull and was mutilated and killed.

Months later I acquired a Norfolk terrier puppy named Alex. This time I wanted to be a knowledgeable trainer so I proceeded to research various trainers and their methods. A friend suggested I contact Lillian because she had heard excellent reports of her positive training methods.

I arranged for Lillian to meet with Alex and learned it was also my training session. Lillian arrived at the appointed time and within a few minutes, Alex was happily responding to the clicker she had introduced. Harsh words, shock collars, choke collars were no where in sight, only gentle, patient training.

Two of the most important behaviors Alex and I learned were "Touch" and "Leave it". Alex learned to touch a bell beside the back door when he needed to go outside by placing his paw gently on the bell. To our amazement and amusement this behavior led to Alex playing a small piano.

The cue "Leave it" came in handy for a variety of uses, but most beneficial when we go on walks. We have approached dead birds, dead squirrels and discarded KFC lunches, not to mention other dangerous articles for Alex to consume. By utilizing "leave it", we enjoy a much safer walk.
Through Lillian's clicker training method, I now know there is not a need for abusive or cruel training methods. Lillian is very dedicated to her profession and understands dogs by observing their body language and is sensitive to the relationship between an owner and their pet. Due to Lillian, we have a wonderful dog that is a family member who gives us great joy and much love.
Anita Phelps

We adopted a dog from San Antonio in November 2009. We had never adopted a dog before so we were new to acclimating a dog with "issues". After the second night with us, we were ready to bring him back. We totally did not understand the process of giving our new family member the time he needed to get used to his new surroundings and to realize that this is "home".

Lillian came in and immediately made a difference. She educated us on the process of adoption and gave us home work that truly made a world of difference. Lillian's calming approach was perfect for us and for Brady. We also have a special needs son who needed some help with how to interact with a rescue dog and Lillian was perfect.

Brady (our dog) is now a quite confident little guy who rules the neighborhood. He is still distrusting of strangers but has made many friends in our community and is a wonderful addition to our family.
Donna Gordon

We have been dog owners most of our lives - always 'outside' dogs, and we never had any training for our dogs. Dogs were dogs, and they were supposed to be outside (that's what we USED to think). When we rescued GG after the death of our long-time pet, we wanted to do things a little differently.

We are so impressed with Lillian's style and ability to talk to our puppy and to teach US. We quickly learned that our dog is brilliant - WE were the ones who needed the training! GG is so responsive now that we have the tools to work with her - and she is a beautiful, well-behaved 'inside' dog. The best thing we ever did was rescue GG. The second best thing we did was to hire Lillian.
Tammie and Tracy Shelton

When I first saw the ad for "Speak Dog" I thought it was a catchy name, but not sure what it meant. Now after several training sessions with our dog Mazie, I know exactly what it means.

Brodie came to our home at the end of December 2009. He was very aggressive with the 3 cats who where living here. So much that I worried that he might seriously harm them. They became very terrified of him.

When we adopted a Chocolate Lab puppy, the Orvis store in Rockport recommended Lillian as a trainer. We were specifically looking for a kind trainer who did not use any type of negative reinforcement while training. Lillian's philosophy is to use 100% positive reinforcement.

We spent many sessions together doing basic training with our 2 dogs- the new puppy and a slightly older retriever we had rescued. Lillian worked hard with our pups and now they have learned the basics very well; they sit, lay down, stay, fetch and come. They learned to go on walks and socialize with other dogs . We worked on swimming skills with our Lab who learned to fetch different colored bumpers. He is rewarded with floating on a pool raft which he learned to step onto from the poolside.

It was great having Lillian help us get through puppyhood. She addressed each issue that came up and was always available for questions so we never became frustrated or felt like giving up on our puppy. The best part of our investment in the training with Lillian is that our family now has two very happy dogs who love life.

Through getting to know Lillian, we enjoyed seeing her late Golden Retriever, Cisco perform to a packed house at the Orvis store as well as a huge classroom of sixth graders at Incarnate Word Academy. Her Golden Retriever Cabo has become a good buddy of our pups and shows them many tricks they might learn one day. Lillian goes far beyond being a dog trainer. She writes books about the dogs she loves, helps teach children the valuable lessons we can learn from animals and is active in the community organizing dog walks in the park. She's also involved in Rockport's future dog park.

Lillian teaches adults what is possible when you spend time and give love, ultimately teaching us to Speak Dog.
Wendy, Corpus Christi