Alivia & Birdie
Julie is absolutely fabulous! We worked with her on training our Havanese puppy and couldn’t be happier to have found her. She delivered a ton of value starting from just our introductory call! Our dog loved working with her just as much as we did. It was the best investment we have made for training to date. Julie is very responsive, punctual, professional and enjoyable to be around. Her follow up resources and recommendations are thorough and easy to implement. She has transformed the way we look at training and we plan to continue to use her as a resource as our dog matures!
December 24
Dason & Dipsy
Julie is an amazing trainer! My little Dipsy is so neurotic, but he always listened *really* well to Julie. She gave me amazing resources and exercises to do with Dipsy that helped outside of training! She was very patient, attentive, and supportive the entire time! I really recommended working with Julie!
November 24
Chelsea & Wasabi
We reached out to Julie about our 1-year-old Staffy mix. He had leash pulling issues, reactivity towards dogs, etc… My partner and I were not sure how to help him through these things. After our first lesson, our dog, Wasabi quickly learned how to loose leash walk and we, as his owners, learned how to analyze his behavior and help him through his triggers. We did two more sessions with Julie, and Wasabi’s reactivity has much decreased, and my partner and I understand him so much better. She is also very flexible and met up with us at our neighborhood park each session which we greatly appreciated. I will continue to reach out to Julie if I ever need more help as well as recommend her to anyone who needs training for their dogs.
October 24
Sarah & Marley
Julie bonded with my Springer Spaniel, Marley, instantly which instilled great confidence at the start of our work together. She was highly effective at training me which is what it’s all about! After 3 sessions, I had mastered loose leash walking, significantly improved Marley’s recall and felt proficient in several other key commands. Julie made herself available between trainings and after to answer questions and provide additional coaching. I am most appreciative and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend her services to others.
September 24
Ann & Abby
I had a great experience working with Julie. It is evident Julie always has the dog’s best interest in mind, which is what we were looking for in a trainer. She supports the owner in understanding how to support the dog.
August 24
Shelly & Dexter
I looked long and hard before we met Julie, I was not going to send my dog away to “camp” for 2-4 weeks, or use the electrical options, as wanted to figure out as a family how we can be better dog owners. Finding a dog trainer that would listen to how we interact with our dog, and the dynamics of the household is a huge win. Julie not only listened, provided recommendations on how we could change the protective behavior and a lot of other things that we would never have thought of to assist our Cattle Lab with. Thank you Julie! We see so much improvement and will continue to work on the things you taught us. I would highly recommend Julie to anyone that wants to improve their relationship with your loved canine.
August 24
Walter & Jony
We couldn’t be happier about the 3 sessions we’ve had with Julie so far! She is a patient and knowledgeable expert, and she quickly taught us the basics of counter conditioning. Reading online is helpful, but having Julie there to show you the nuance and timing involved with training techniques is essential!
July 24
Nick & Willow
Julie was a huge help as my partner, and I work to help out dog feel more comfortable in surprise situations. She is unwaveringly kind and approached our needs with care.
July 2024
Jennifer & Indigo
We cannot recommend Julie enough! My husband and I joke that Julie trained us as well as the dog – we have never had a dog and were starting from scratch on how to train and manage having a dog as part of our family. She was amazing with our golden retriever puppy, very patient and responsive, and she clearly knows her stuff. Highly recommend her! She’s great. We will hire her again!
July 24
Barbara & Ellie
Julie and I are still working together with my dog. She is great with her suggestions to help me to continue to work with my dog. My dog loves her! She is amazing!
July 24
Nimira & Luna
We had a wonderful experience with Julie. I would highly recommend her to anyone looking for support with dog training. Her expertise, patience, and gentle approach was a game changer for us. She tackled all the training priorities we wanted help with.
June 24
Sandra & Shelby
Julie is amazing and really helps us with our Lab Mix puppy! She is invested in her clients and their fur babies. She goes above and beyond by replying right away, not putting a time limit on our sessions (for the same price), and sending an email to recap what we need to review and work on. We are also free to text and call her as other problems arise. She is a God Send and the best investment you can make for your family.
April 24
Debbie & Oliver
I would highly recommend Julie for any issues you have with your dog. She is very knowledgeable of dog behaviors and how to specifically address each and every one of them. Excellent communication with client and always an e-mail follow-up of the days training. She comes to you, which is a plus.
March 24
Angela & Koji
Great experience to work with Julie! She is very knowledgeable and easy to work with. Demonstrates what she is teaching and then has you try to replicate it. Follows up with clear detailed email of written overview of lesson. Easy to understand and patient to explain anything you need help with. Takes her time and never rushes through session. Overall we were very happy and much more confident pet owners after working with her.
February 24
Tom & Sebastian
Julie was a great help with training our seven year old Westie who was recently introduced to living with a new baby. Our dog was feeling stressed about coping with a new family member and Julie worked with us on counter conditioning some of his behaviors. Perhaps even more importantly, she put our minds at ease as parents with her coaching and education. We now feel more informed about our dog’s behaviors and can better anticipate what to do moving forward.
February 24
Charlotte & Saoirse
We were looking for an introductory obedience/beginner’s manners class for a spirited “older puppy” that we had recently acquired but there just couldn’t find any in Seattle. (Most classes were limited to pups 6 months and younger.) We finally found Julie through the AKC website, and she was right in our neighborhood! Not only did she respond quickly to our initial e-mail but also called us to find out more about our pup and what kind of training we were interested in. She asked a lot of questions while also providing us with a lot of information to get started on our training. We eventually scheduled 3 sessions and couldn’t have been more pleased with the quality and level of training both dog & owners received. Julie is very knowledgeable, patient, and professional. She provided us with a personalized plan with our specific training goals in mind and tailored to our pup’s temperament. After every session, she provided us with a summary of what we learned so that we could practice correctly and build upon those skills. Our spirited, independent terrier is gradually learning to be better behaved and to follow commands. So glad we found Julie! We highly recommend her services and will definitely continue working with her as necessary. Definitely worth it!
January 2024
Gail & Buca
Dog Training for $100-200 a session was amazing for the great service we got. If I could have picked all give, I would have!
Dumanshu & Izzy
Very skilled and knowledgeable at what she does! Our family had 6 full sessions and all of them made a significant difference to our puppy training. She even got our 3 year old child training and getting comfortable with our dog! Simply amazing!! Strongly recommended.
October 23
Alessandra & Cima
I came to Julie with a series of concerns about my pup’s behavior and she addressed each one of them with a lot of patience and useful advice. Cima is doing great and certainly has all the tools to unlearn problematic behaviors after Julie’s training sessions, they’ve been very effective. She was always available to talk and worked with my schedule to make sure Cima could receive the lessons he needed. She was very understanding from the start and was open to hearing any feedback on how pup was doing and how we could tweak lessons to fit his needs specifically. Overall 10/10.
September 23
Loleena & Mango
Julie has been wonderful to work with. After a few sessions with Julie, I can see major improvements in my dog’s aggressive behavior. My small dog was very anxious and always barked at strangers for a long time, now he calms down significantly faster and much more trainable. She would also spend extra time answering all of my questions without charging us. We’ve brought my dog to board a dog training school before, but they weren’t as helpful as compared to Julie’s sessions because they actually addressed most of my dogs problems. I was really surprised that my dog actually got better even after the first session. I highly recommend to try at least 1 session to see for yourself. Totally worth it!
August 23
Mariah & Taro
I was glad Julie took in exactly what I wanted to work on with my dog. I feel like she got me setup for a lot of good things I can work on with my dog in the future. She used the time efficiently and made sure I didn’t do more sessions than I needed and was very accommodating. Thank you Julie!
August 2023
Miranda & Roney
Excellent trainer – gave a lot of helpful insight into training my dog to be less reactive with other dogs.
August 2023
Joan & Luna
Julie was incredible! Knowledgeable, communicative, thoughtful, and kind, her ability to coach us to better communicate and train our corgi was amazing. We had three sessions with her to work on our dog’s reactivity at the fence of our home but also recall back to us in various circumstances where barking and reactivity were issues. Our dog’s ability to recall and for us to use the positive rewards and counter conditioning worked tremendously well across the weeks we worked together. So grateful to have worked with Julie. She did a consultation with us, was always prompt and ready, and always sent us detailed summaries that helped us stay on track. 15/10 stars and would work with again in a heartbeat. Can’t wait for our dog to take more classes with her in the future!!
July 2023
Celia & Zoie
Julie is such a pleasure to work with. She’s very flexible and willing to customize our training based on my pup’s needs. We covered a lot of the behavioral issues that needed to be addressed in a short span of time. She’s very thorough and explains things extremely well, being a first-time dog mom, that was super helpful. Julie is indeed a dog whisperer and was able to train Zoie and (me!) like no other. Glad I found her on here and would highly recommend her services to anyone who wants the best training for their fur baby!
June 2023
Kathy D & Daisy
We asked Julie to work with us and our 3 1/2-year-old Great Pyrenees mix on a few issues. We had a first meeting at which we learned how to work on door manners, including sit and stay. She just dove right in with the teaching! After our meeting, she sent an email with reminders of what we learned and tips on some other things to work on. We decided to go with three lessons in total, so the next time we met at a park for some meet and greet lessons, and the following time again at home. She also brought her dog to one of the lessons to work on meeting other dogs (the main reason we wanted some training). Julie was always prompt and on time for our sessions. She is really knowledgeable and is a great teacher. Our dog loved her, and I really like her style of working with dogs. It’s also nice to know that she is available even after our classes to chat with, if we have more questions or issues. I know we will appreciate having her knowledge and experience to call on if we need it!
May 2023
Liz & Angie
Julie is awesome! She is a great communicator, and her training is both thorough and clear. She also follows up with a lengthy summary email after each session, which is so helpful since a lot gets covered in a 90-minute session and it’s hard to memorize it all right off the bat! In our six sessions so far, she has always been on time and super responsive and has been an endless font of new and helpful information as my dog has grown from a puppy to a “teenager” (2yo). I would highly recommend Julie!
April 2023
Iryna & Austin
We had 7 training sessions with Julie. She is amazing. Her tips helped us from our puppy’s first days in our home – we were overwhelmed, and Julie’s recommendations helped us to feel more confident with the training and behavior. Later we met with her to address puppy’s jumping on the countertop and biting. With her tips he stopped doing it in a couple of days. We’ll definitely reach out to Julie again to address other issues. Our dogs loves her when she comes and he listens to Julie perfectly.
March 23
Angela & Romeo
Julie is a great trainer. We have worked with her several times with Romeo our 3 year old Maltese and plan to work with her with our puppy Rosie. She gives great instruction and praises and loves on the dog as she works with them as well. I would recommend Julie as a trainer to all friend and family as well as others we don’t know.
Feb 23
Kay & Tilly
Julie has helped my small dog with overcoming some of her biggest fears! Julie has been great at observing my dog in real time and is very good at coming up with realistic methods of helping my dog. My pup has been improving a lot with Julie’s recommendations and I have always felt that the training tasks that we were given to practice were manageable and realistic. Julie is knowledgeable and has a good sense of dog personalities as well as how to separate those traits from bad behaviors. I highly recommend her for all your doggy needs! Tilly says thank you!
Jan 23
Jill & Honey
Julie loves dogs and it shows. She seemed to understand my rescue dog right away and after a few sessions, Julie was able to understand what scares my dog and what makes her want to please her owner. She is a keen observer of dog behavior and this shows up in how she works with the dog owner. She also provides lengthy written feedback via email which helps me as I continue to work with my dog. I really enjoy working with Julie.
Nov 22
Megan & Penelope
We have a goldendoodle puppy and started working with Julie right off the bat once we brought our puppy home (10 weeks old) to instill good training, habits and obedience. Julie has been fantastic working with us and our puppy thus far, we’ve done weekly sessions and every time we’re given a short list of simple and understandable things to work on with our puppy and have seen great improvements and understanding on puppy’s end. EASH session is followed up with notes and actions which I very much appreciate (for reference after the session). She also has helped us with proper rewarding, do’s and dont’s, corrections and overall given us direction on any “puppy questions” we have. We continue to see progress each week and it’s entirely doable. We most appreciate her flexibly and availability to come to our home and work in our space with our concerns directly. We will continue to work with Julie as our puppy gets older to maintain and grow her obedience and training. Highly recommend !!
October 22
Peter & Arrow
Julie is knowledgeable about what motivates dogs and how they think. She demonstrates what she talks about and is great with our dog, Arrow. She also comes to you. I highly recommend her.
September 22
KB A
We got a pre-pandemic puppy but our puppy classes were canceled due to Covid. Our pup was a fun member of the family but hard to walk and she didn’t know any commands. We wanted to bring her to new places, parks, and restaurants but had some frustrating experiences so we stopped. We feel very fortunate to have found Julie! She helped us train our dog on the basics using only dog-friendly training methods. We now feel comfortable and confident bringing our dog with us!
August 22
Cathrine & Alta
Julie really understands different dog personalities and how to work with them. She is great about listening to questions, and has practical solutions for different strategies to try.
August 22
Christie P & Lomba
Julie is a wealth of information and worked with me and my family to set a baseline we could develop and grow our year-and-a-half old pup. We had let some training go and didn’t know where to start on some established behavioral issues. Julie met us where we were and gave us tools to address our specific challenges. I look forward to continuing to work with her as we advance in training.
July 22
Sandy & Arrow
Julie was magic with our traumatized and very timid dog. Gave us lots of things to work on. Is very responsive to questions and concerns . We’ve given her name to our neighbor who observed her in action. Very compassionate to dogs and people.
May 22
Meg M.
Julie is a calm, patient, and compassionate dog trainer. Her approach and methods are excellent for the people and the dogs. We found her training tips and ideas to be refreshing and assuring for how we need to work with our dog on some of his issues. I would highly recommend her without hesitation for any situation that you have.
May 22
Susan M & Shyanne
I got my little 11 lbs. dog from PAWS in June. She had come from 3 foster homes and picked up many bad habits including barking and jumping on all dogs, people and bikes. She had a bad rep. in the neighborhood. Julie took her on and in 3 classes she is a changed dog. Julie also taught me many tips as a dog owner. She is the very best of any trainer out there.
April 2022
Anna C.
Julie was a great teacher for my very energetic puppy and I. Howie responded well to her and was able to pick up skills once he settled down. I could almost see him thinking. We still have lots of work and practice to do but have gotten great tips and a calmer pup. I would definitely recommend Julie to anyone who needs help with their dog.
April 22
Sue L & Milo
When my corgi, Milo, was only 2 years old, he and I were almost attacked by an off leash dog that was walking only feet from my home. It was a traumatic event for both of us, and continued to affect how we interacted (or rather avoided) encounters with other dogs. Milo is now 11 and his lack of socialism was a concern of ours when we wanted him to meet my sister’s new labradoodle. Her high energy and playfulness were the very traits that could set off Milo, so we knew the best strategy for a successful meet up between the two was enlisting a dog trainer. My sister suggested Julie, from Learning 4 Life Dog Training, and it truly was the best decision. Julie was able to tailor her training for Milo’s socialization with two 1:1 sessions and 3 joint sessions with my sister and her dog. Truthfully, the training was as much for me as it was for Milo, because I had reinforced his snappy, unpredictable behavior with my anxiety. Julie was attuned to this, and worked so patiently with both of us. I had confidence in her experience, and I felt at ease knowing she was close by to intervene if Milo was overly aggressive. My sister and I just had our very first doggie playdate today since completing our last lesson with Julie on Thursday, and it really couldn’t have been possible without all that we learned in our dog (and people) training. I am more than thrilled at the incredible progress Milo has made, and proud, too, that we both have come so far in our anxiety with other dogs.
Feb 22
Tina J & Nester
Given Julie’s background as an educational leader, it is clear that she is gifted in training: coaching, correcting, and encouraging. My sister and I loved working with Julie who helped us introduce our dogs together, one an older more reactive senior dog and the other a rambunctious and jumpy puppy. Julie’s skills and reassurance ensured that the dogs had a fabulous intro and they are now comfortable with each other. Thank you!
Jan 22
Lilyan K.
Julie is amazing! She is not only skilled at training dogs and their people, but also explains the motivations behind doggie behaviors. We’ve had good experiences with other trainers, but she takes it to a higher level.
Dec 21
Sue & Joey
Julie’s instruction was invaluable. As new pet owners we had no idea how to effectively train our dog. I highly recommend the full 3 sessions because after the first you have the time to realize how much more support you need! Julie helped us to learn about dog behaviors and motivations. She helped us in using effective, timely and consistent rewards. Our dog didn’t know how to behave around other dogs. On leash he barked aggressively and pulled when encountering any dog. This made walking him quite an unpleasant experience. With Julie’s help, our dog Joey, has become a charmer who is fun to take on walks, hikes and camping! We were on the road camping and hiking for the entire month of August and Joey was pure joy. Thank you Julie!
Nov 21
Uzam & Disco
Julie at Learning 4 Life Dog Training is highly knowledgeable. She took us (a first-time dog owner family, who had already spoilt their fur baby) from a badly behaved dog to being a well-trained dog. We love our dog and would it have broken us if we had to give him away. But with Julie’s training, we just don’t have to. We are back to being a happy family. Highly recommend.
October 21
Cynthia & Woody
From the moment Julie met my dog, she had his attention. She taught both of us how to behave and set boundaries. In addition to our in-person sessions, she emailed me recaps of the lessons and was always available for follow up questions. The best testimonial I can give is that people are always complementing me on how well behaved my dog is.
September 21
Justine & Rooney
Julie is an amazing trainer. My puppy had serious separation anxiety when I got her from the humane society where she couldn’t be alone ten seconds without barking. From day one on training with Julie, she gave me great tips for crate training and separation anxiety. I did the three-session package and my puppy learned so much from Julie in that time. We got a lot of the basics covered along with working on increasing the time my puppy was comfortable being left alone. I could not recommend Julie more.
August 21
Toni, Lily & Luna
Julie did an outstanding job with our 2 rescue dogs and offered us professional, easy to follow tips. Our dogs are both Great Pyr mixes which are notoriously stubborn. She worked wonders with them. She was a pleasure to work with and we would recommend her highly.
August 21
Mark & Milo
Julie was really great to work with. I recently got a new puppy and needed some help trying to get him to behave better. Julie did an excellent job of helping me teach him basic commands, teaching him to listen to me. She also provided tips and tricks for when he was doing excessive puppy teething (biting) and generally being a wild puppy. Her approach really allowed her to tailor what was needed specifically for him and I and deal with issues both anticipated or happening in the moment. I would highly recommend working with her for any behavioral training you need for you dog.
August 21
Justine & Rooney
Julie is an amazing trainer. My puppy had serious separation anxiety when I got her from the humane society where she couldn’t be alone ten seconds without barking. From day one on training with Julie, she gave me great tips for crate training and separation anxiety. I did the three session package and my puppy learned so much from Julie in that time. We got a lot of the basics covered along with working on increasing the time my puppy was comfortable being left alone. I could not recommend Julie more.
July 21
Whitney & Teddy
Julie is a true dog whisperer. She was able to help our family with several training challenges with our year old Bernedoodle puppy. She gave us clear instructions on how to build on the training techniques we practiced with her and how to continue to train our pup after our sessions. Julie’s calm and authority with our dog really helped us to see what was possible. I really appreciated that Julie was willing to meet us at our house, which allowed the whole family to participate and allowed for situational training; things not possible when going to a training facility. Overall, I would recommend Julie to anyone who needs help with large or small dog training challenges.
July 21
John & Bailey
Julie was terrific in teaching my children and myself some basic commands for our new puppy. She commanded immediate respect from my new puppy and was terrific at showing us repeatedly how to accomplish each task successfully and all commands were part of a broader cohesive program that was consistent throughout that my children and I easily grasped and are following through on. We have made huge advancements in getting our puppy to learn come commands, sit, down, wait and leave it, which are all a great foundation for us to continue to train her as she grows. I highly recommend Julie and her plan!
July 2021
Isabella G & Chief
Julie is great! She can tailor training to your dogs specific needs and will give easy and clear demos/explanations along the way. She has helped us understand our puppy better and build a stronger bond with them!
June 2021
Miriana & Maya
We had 3 sessions with Julie to help us address our “Pandemic puppy’s” separation anxiety and correcting negative behavior (biting while playing) towards our daughters. Since lesson #1, we felt like we made a lot of progress addressing these issues. Now we feel fully armed with skills to continue our path as dog parents.
Apr 2021
Cynthia H & Reims
Julie is AMAZING!!! We were having a few issues (like separation anxiety) with our Havanese puppy Reims, and after not having any success with a virtual class or any of the training methods we had read about- Julie came to the rescue! She is incredible with him and he instantly took to her during her very first visit. We have learned SO many valuable lessons from her that make life much easier for us and our dog. We will continue to hire Julie as we need help and highly recommend her. She also follows up her training sessions with valuable information via email to go over what you learned that day and is always available for questions. She shows you the “why” to the best methods for training your dog, which makes it much easier to remember and understand their behavior and responses. If you want a happy puppy/dog and to know you are doing the right things that are best for their well-being and your sanity- HIRE JULIE!!! 🙂
Feb 21
Qihao & Taro
We booked three training sessions with Julie for our Shiba puppy Taro. Julie is very professional and shared with us a lot of knowledge on how to train Taro properly. Julie always sent us emails with detailed tips on what we learnt in the session and what should be focus for Taro specifically. We will definitely recommend Julie to anyone who needs a professional private trainer.
Jan 21
Jennifer H & Sadie.
Julie helped us so much with training our dog. She was very clear on how we could improve Sadie’s behavior. She helped us increase our confidence and brought out the best in Sadie. She is firm with the dog and has clear expectations. Having a one-on-one trainer (vs a class) gave us the opportunity to address Sadie’s specific issues, saving us time and money. We really enjoyed working with her and love the results of a better-behaved dog. I would definitely recommend her.
Dec 20
Francis & Kuma
Julie is a diligent and knowledgeable trainer. She provides a concrete path to grow with your dog and guides through example, practical use, and review. As a new and learning owner I have more confidence in my ability to train my dog because of Julie’s guidance.
Nov 20
Heather & Linus
Julie was really great to work with. We adopted a young rescue dog this summer and Julie helped us to make significant strides with regards to his leash skills (he’s now an amazing hiking buddy that stays by my side) and several basic and important commands. Our sweet pup is now on the right rack and we are super grateful for the help, direction and advice Julie provided. Her rates are also reasonable and she was engaged with us and our dog for the full lesson, making the most of every minute. Highly recommend.
October 20
Bhavana & Chewy
Julie is a God-send. We needed an experienced trainer for our recently rehomed 4-year-old Malamute Chewy. Julie was recommended by WAMAL, a rescue where we adopted our malamute. Malamutes are known for their selective hearing. Chewy had prior history of aggression towards dogs, would not walk properly leash – always pulling, lunge at dogs, and would not listen to us when on walks. Julie came in and helped us with Chewy. With her help, we were able to teach Chewy and along the way, we were able to build trust with our newly adopted dog. Julie made us realize that we were overfeeding Chewy and that he needed to lose a little bit of weight. She was always prompt in replying to texts and emails. She was always on time for the training sessions. Her follow-up emails were very detailed and helped a lot. She has great knowledge about dogs and their behaviors. Even before we started our training sessions, she was pouring in advice as to what to do when a particular problem arose with Chewy’s behavior. With the great foundation that she has given us, we have gained great confidence in continuing training our dog.
October 2020
Abby L.
We had a great experience with Julie! She was easy to work with and very knowledgeable. She was very hands on provided us with resources we needed to succeed! Highly recommend.
Oct 2020
Joanna M & Chewy
My husband and I had a great experience with Julie. She worked really well with our dog Chewy and I felt like she was really invested in helping us. Julie was on time, thorough and answered all of our questions. She also sent us a summary of her visit and thanks to her help Chewy is a lot better behaved. I would highly recommend Julie for any dog training needs.
October 20
Heather, Brooks & Skyler
I enjoyed working with Julie. She was in tune with our dogs and showed us how to ask our dogs for good behaviors with positive reinforcement.
September 2020
Kelly & Archie
Working with Julie has been great! She helped my dog (and me) gain confidence and improve his behavior from the first session. Walking my dog used to be stressful and challenging, but after our sessions, I can enjoy pleasant outings with him. I could not recommend her more!
September 20
Aubrey & Luna
Julie was excellent! I just adopted a 4 year old rescue and Julie was knowledgeable with what to teach my dog and how to help me. She came in right away and immediately started working with the both of us. I highly recommend.
August 20
Heidi & Mokona
Working with Julie was exactly what my family and new pup needed. She taught us all everything we needed to know with customized tips for our puppy’s personality, gave us things to work on between each session and made the training experience truly enjoyable for all. I highly recommend her for all levels of training. – Heidi
July 20
Deborah C & Remy
Of the 5 choices offered for this recommendation – Work Quality, Professionalism, Responsiveness, Value and Punctuality, I am allowed to select only 3 for the purpose of this review. The truth is, all 5 fit Julie’s character and training style. She exceeded my expectations as a trainer. We invited her to our home the day after we brought home our 8 week old golden retriever. After 3 sessions, we hired Julie for another 3. Remy learned ‘come’ and ‘sit’ the very first session. Julie’s motto of teaching the dog and educating the owner is absolutely true. Julie is very knowledgeable and willingly answered my million questions. Remy loved when Julie came. Remy was so eager to please, and Julie so eager to teach, that she was able to learn more difficult commands earlier than expected. Julie took command of the session within the first few minutes of arriving and Remy sensed that. Julie instructed with enthusiasm and positive rewards. You are in wonderful hands with Julie as your trainer. She’s awesome!!!
July 2020
Cassandra & Finley
Julie has been great for my baby-girl Finley! One thing I didn’t know was how much training I personally needed in order to get the responses I wanted from Fin. Only after three sessions she is so well behaved! Listens so well and knows her commands. Julie also came to to place of business in order to work with my puppy there. So awesome! Will be continuing to use her in the future.
July 2020
Alexandra & Luna
Julie was so knowledgeable and helpful! When I was confused about a behavior, I could send her videos and she would give me direction on how to correct it and we’d include it in the next session. She let us know exactly what we needed to succeed, and Luna has been doing so great since her training!! I would definitely recommend her services!
Diann & Schotie
Working with Julie was a pleasure. She related well with our dog Schotie and also with me. We were both at ease with her right away, and we both learned a lot from her.
May 2020
Michelle & Luna
Julie was very helpful in getting my 1-year old reactive rescue German Shepard to stop lunging and barking. She stayed with me as I developed trust with my dog. Taught her to calm down, walk on leash calmly, basic commands. We now enjoy working on agility training. Julie is wonderful at assessing the strengths and weaknesses of the owner and the dog. Then helping the two to grow together. I now have a fabulous member of my family.
April 2020
Meriann, Derek, Huck & Sawyer
Working with Julie has been the best decision we have made in regards to bringing our little pups home to us, their Forever Family. I’m a pretty critical person, having very high expectations, especially when hiring a professional. Julie exceeded all of my expectations with her professionalism, patience and most importantly her knowledge of dogs and their behavior. We have two puppies, which she has trained with us, simultaneously. We saw results after the first session! Not only did she teach them and us together, she always left us with “homework” and tools to work on and use between sessions. Because of her, our puppies are growing into obedient, well adjusted and loving dogs. Time and money well spent!
April 20
David & Bourbon
We are so grateful to have had Julie help training our dog Bourbon. Bourbon is a Shiba Inu breed and is very stubborn. Julie very patiently guided him, trained him and rewarded him on his achievement. Julie was very punctual on each appointment and very responsive for any follow up questions even after class. She wrote down the training summaries and emailed us after each class so that we can follow and improve Bourbon’s skill. Bourbon behaves very well now and we enjoy every second to be with him.
Mar 7, 2020
Charles, Ines & Lucas
Julie was wonderful and Lukas loved her. Not only did she quickly whip his labradoodle exuberance into obedience with kindness (and a few treats), she helped his family (me and my wife) understand him a little bit better. Best of all, Julie trained us to train Lukas by giving us tools we can use in the years to come. Paws down, Julie’s service is the best value we found and we are thrilled with the results. We intend to continue working with Julie as needed until Lukas packs up and goes off to college.
December 2019
Patrick, Megan & Dino
Our experience with Julie was outstanding. We added a rescue dog to our family and needed help integrating the new pup with our lifestyle and current dog. Julie exceeded our expectations and I highly recommend her to anyone looking for guidance in dog training. Thanks Julie!!
November 19
Xan & Chowder
Julie was such a dream to work with!! We had rescued Chowder from the humane society and had him for 2 weeks and were at a loss on how to understand his behaviors and why he would lunge/pull us towards other dogs or inanimate objects. We needed more refining of our commands and were nervous about him meeting other dogs because he became fixated and/or he was insatiably curious and always wanted explore everything. Julie helped us when we were stuck and frustrated. Almost immediately there was a change in Chowder and he started understanding more of our expectations of him. Learning how to build our confidence exponentially helped Chowder become more laid back and allow us to be better dog owners. In the 3 short sessions working with her, Chowder has done a complete 180 and has gotten so many compliments from other dog owners about his obedience and recall. We’re proud to say that our good boy is even better!! All the praise to Julie and thank the stars for her and her passion in helping people and their dogs!
September 2019
Jeremy & Rhodes
Julie is fantastic. She is so knowledgeable about anything and everything we threw at her. She also has great connections in the Seattle area for most things dogs related. Highly recommend working with Julie, really enjoyed our time together and will be working with her again in the future.
August 2019
Kara & Roxy
Julie worked with our family to help Roxy, our 2 year old, to stop jumping up and to reintroduce basic commands. We noticed a difference after the first session and continued to see improvements as we practiced what she taught us and had more sessions. It was evident from the start that Julie was knowledgeable and knows how to get results! My kids loved being a part of the training sessions as well. I would highly recommend Julie’s dog training services!
April 2019
Brenna & Piper
I don’t know why we waited so long to find a trainer, for our rescue dog (and problem child) Piper, but I am so glad that when we did we found Julie! Piper has come so far in the time we worked with Julie and while her issues with dogs and leash-manners are not completely erased yet, she’s finally becoming more manageable all thanks to Julie and what she taught us. My partner and I both agreed that Julie’s lessons have helped us to become better trainers for Piper. Throughout the process we were impressed with Julie’s prompt responses to any questions, sharing of resources, and patience for all three of us as we learned -and she always had an alternative approach when our stubborn pup was refusing to listen. If you’re looking for a trainer, don’t hesitate, Julie is so gifted at what she does and we are forever grateful for all her help!
March 2019
KA. A & Olive
I appreciated Julie’s expertise on helping me teach basic commands to my pup. During the process, she patiently answered my numerous questions and helped me feel confident in my ability to train my dog. My pup clearly enjoyed working with Julie as well!
March 2019
Melissa & Benny
Julie has been amazing in training us on how to train our rescue. She has been very responsive via email/text/phone, and shows up early or on time. She is focused and does not waste time working on the basics and moving onto higher level stuff when our dog was ready. She tailored her teachings to things specific to our dog. For example he was afraid of our dark apartment stairwell that has a lot of sound echo, and would bark and lunge at our neighbors. She quickly identified specific ways to reinforce positive behaviors and now he is fine. She also helped him do better on walks without pulling on the leash and learning manners for meeting other dogs. He had resource guarding problems and she helped us with that too. We have had him for over two months now and he is getting socialized at the dog park regularly. We even went on our first hike together and he was a champ. We’ve only had two sessions so far and are so pleased with all of the progress he has made. We are so grateful for Julie and her expertise.
Feb 2019
Andrea R.
I contacted Julie to help with a few of my puppy, Reilley’s, behavioral issues and some basic training. Julie was so helpful in assisting and providing some wonderful techniques and tools to help with Reilley’s attachment issues, while also providing some great help, tools and techniques, including her own dog’s Wizard and Pyra, in teaching Reilley basic socialization, as well as, commands such as; leave it, come, sit, and extended sit, down, extended down. Julie’s love of dogs, and commitment to assist in training her clients to train and work with their dogs in a fun and productive way is apparent, genuine and successful! By the end of our three sessions with Julie, Reilley was successfully trained in the basic commands of come, sit, extended sit (even with distraction), stay, and leave it. He also has become much better with his attachment issues, and socialization. So happy and thankful to have Julie as an amazing resource for continued training for Reilley.
Dec 2018
Kelsey H.
Working with Julie was the best decision I made. Scout, a heeler-border collie mix, was exceedingly possessive and lacked basic commands. We initially lived in a rural area where being off leash was not an issue, but with moving to a city crowded with other people and dogs, training became a necessity. After working with Julie, Scout now responds positively to commands and understands what I want from her. Now she is much more approachable when it comes to strangers and other dogs. I highly recommend working with Julie. The overall experience was exceedingly reassuring and insightful.
Nov 2018
Sarah L.
I just recently moved to the city with my 4-year-old Shepherd/Retriever Mix and turns out being a city dog is a lot different than being a country dog! I was having issues with leash pulling and her barking/reacting to other dogs when I would walk her around the city. I would constantly be apologizing to other dog owners “I’m sorry she’s nice I swear!!” as Oakley was barking at other dogs and dragging me down the sidewalk. Julie was seriously a Godsend. She was so easy to work with, knew great spots to take Oakley for her training sessions and most of all helped me to learn how to manage Oakley in these situations. I couldn’t believe after only 3 sessions I have seen such a HUGE difference. Her pricing is extremely reasonable and she continues to give me advice even though our sessions are complete! I’ve already recommended her to friends!
Leonard R.
Julie is amazing. We couldn’t be more happy with our initial consultation with her….our dog Soju has some aggression issues due to past abuse, and Julie was able to give us some real, hands-on, practical advice to help control his attitude and improve our relationship with him. In the short time since our visit, we’ve already noticed significant change in his attitude. We’re excited to keep working with Julie, knowing our dog will be better off because of it.
Yvonne H.
“We were this close to rehoming our bulldog, or worse. In just one session, we have hope that Julie‘s skills will help us be better educated at teaching our dog to be the best he can be. Thank you Julie and we look forward to our next session with you!”
Zack & dog Rowley
“We came to Julie after a strong recommendation from the shelter where we adopted our Doberman/lab puppy, Rowley. Rowley loves other dogs and people, though has a lot of energy and is very easily distracted, especially by other dogs. He already knew quite a few commands when we signed up for this class, but after discussing things with Julie, she gave us a lot of confidence that the Basic Training Course would be the best place for him to burn some energy, learn to fight distraction, and solidify the strong base of commands that he knew. The price was very reasonable for the quality of instruction, and Julie clearly has a strong connection to dogs. Rowley still has more energy than most, but with her coaching we learned how to channel his energy into focus, and when he does get distracted, how to re-establish his focus to keep him safe while keeping things fun and interesting. Julie’s patience and attention to each dog’s unique learning style stood out, and we would not hesitate to take another class with her in a few months!“
Luke Pauley & Lila
“We have a 4 year old German Shepherd Dog, Lila, that is a perpetual puppy–extremely high energy and playful. We were having a lot of issues while out walking or hiking with her because of constant pulling and leash reactivity around other dogs. We found Julie and were immediately impressed with her resume of handling large dogs (Malamutes) and training them through positive reinforcement. Julie has been full of valuable tips and strategies that have focused on positive reinforcement, repetition, and the gradual increase of distractions when training. After several sessions and lots of practice in the neighborhood, we are really starting to see results. Taking Lila out for a stroll is now much more pleasant and manageable. We have thoroughly enjoyed working with Julie and would absolutely recommend her!”
John L & Koda
Julie’s knowledge and expertise were evident from the clear instructions she provided to me and the way she interacted with my Husky-Mal mix, Koda. Koda would go crazy whenever she encountered other dogs when we took our walks, so I sought Julie’s help in finding ways to deal with those situations, as well as ways to help introduce her to known friendly dogs. She brought her dogs (Malamutes) to assess Koda’s reactivity and we worked on exercises to divert her attention and to gradually approach and greet her dog in a more controlled manner. She also showed me how to prevent Koda from jumping up when greeting people and tips on training her to greet people politely. I’ve been practicing what I learned with Koda and her behavior has definitely improved. I’d recommend Julie/Learning 4 Life Dog Training to anyone looking for training and practical advice using positive reinforcement.
Jeff Tinsley (Sound Animals Owner & trainer)
Julie is great with the clients, both human and canine. An experienced teacher, she makes dog training simple to understand.
Danya Jablon & June
Julie helped me with my foster dog on her aggression towards other dogs and her resource guarding. She showed me how to be the leader and how redirect her in different situations. I was eventually able to walk her in dog crowded places!
Rickie Anderson & Kitana
Julie is amazing! She trained me how to handle and socialize the “big dogs” as a volunteer with WAMAL dog rescue. She also helped me with my own rescue pup, who was very shy and fearful. She is a wealth of knowledge and experience and was able to suggest multiple practical ways of dealing with different behavioral issues.