Testimonials

I would highly recommend K-9 Perfection. Their smaller class sizes are great as Mary is able to give individual attention to each dog and handler. Mary is very patient and eager to share her vast canine knowledge with her clients. Over the years we have taken all our German shepherds to classes with Mary, and I still learn something new with every class. Most recently we adopted a fearful puppy who is making remarkable progress with both Mary’s group classes and a private confidence building class. We are so grateful for Mary’s guidance in helping our puppy, and all our dogs, realize their inner awesomeness.
—Christine Glaser

K-9 Perfection has been a life saver for our 9 year old little Bogey. He has severe separation anxiety which got worse when I started working from home. So much so that he would hurt himself by trying to escape his kennel. Our vet suggested we contact Mary to see if she could help. We didn’t want to put him on medication. We did some classes with Mary where she taught us how to boost Bogey’s confidence by playing various games with him. Truth be told, I wasn’t sure it would work. We started playing the games at our classes and at home everyday. Bogey loves the games! And they’re so fun for us too! We got a camera to put on his kennel when we had to leave. The first time was about 4 weeks into his training and I couldn’t believe it. There he was laying down in his kennel! We were so relieved and happy! We will keep going to classes as Bogey has other issues we need to deal with but I can definitely say “You CAN teach and old dog new tricks!” Thank you Mary for all you do for the pups! We couldn’t have done this without you. And Bogey is so much more well adjusted and happy.

Mary, I could go on and on. We can’t thank you enough and we look forward to more classes with you.
–Renee’ Wegner

Are you looking for a good Obedience/Training school for your dog? Well, look no further. Just call Mary Jackson at K-9 Perfection. I was referred to Mary from others who had gone to her. I was assured that Mary was a great teacher and treated all dogs with compassion. They were not wrong. From my first phone call, I could tell that her love for dogs was not just a business, but a genuine part of her. At the sessions, Mary’s concern for each animal is obvious. DJ, my little Yorkie, learned how to get along with other dogs, follow my commands and walk on a leash. He was not leash-trained. The games we played all had a purpose. We even had picture day!! Also, being right in the city, it is easy to get to. Just call K-9 Perfection. You will not be disappointed. I sure was not, and neither was DJ, as he became so excited as we turned onto Reed Avenue.
—Dorothy Boutin

I went to Mary because my 7 yr. old rescue dog suddenly had trust issues with other people. In one session she showed me tools that I could use to help Rudy with other people. They worked. My neighbor can now give Rudy his shot when I am gone. I feel comfortable taking Rudy out again.
—Mary Liermann

We rescued Tator at 7years old, he had a lot of serious issues along with a broken soul. I contacted Mary for a home visit and she connected with Tator right away. She knew exactly what he needed.

Now Tator goes to group classes and he can’t wait to get out of the car once we get there. Tator has come a long way with Mary’s help, teaching him games to build his confidence. With the commands he learned in class he loves to play “hide and seek” at home, which is a very beneficial game for him.

I am so thankful I learned about Mary at k9 Perfection, she understands Tator and then she helps me understand him, and that makes both of us happier!
—Lori Jacques

Thank you, Mary—-K-9 Perfection—- for the awesome experience PhoeBe and I had learning puppy basics with you! Using kindness and making training a learning game makes for a rewarding experience for dogs and owners as well– learning that patience and persistence makes for a happy relationship! And playtime after class is perfect…seeing PhoeBe develop socially was so much fun to watch!

For those owners seeking guidance in training their dog, I recommend K-9 Perfection! Mary’s expertise in communicating with the animals is evident… who doesn’t want a better connection with their dog??

—Mary Hassemer & PhoeBe

This is Emma, our 5 yr old “Golden Girl”.  She’s been enjoying socialization and training at K-9 PERFECTION with Mary for several years. She has conquered Basic & Advanced levels of obedience, Good Citizen certifications and is working toward Therapy certification.  Mary is an excellent, positive reinforcement trainer who is very knowledgeable, respectful and friendly. All the dogs love her and we do too!!! She continually finds new and exciting ways to bring challenge, encouragement and fun to her training sessions.
We give her a Rating of ***** 5 Stars + treats!!!

—Denise Davidson

Tesla has been working with Mary on and off again for several years now.  In that time she has gone from a uncooperative puppy chewing on walls to a wonderful family dog who is extremely tolerant of our 2 young boys. We have enjoyed all of our classes including our current “Out and About” class which as exposed her to new community experiences.  Over her training she was able to achieve K9 Good Citizen and Urban K9 Good Citizen achievements.

—Luke Kiel

Mary is awesome ! My German shepherd had been locked in a cage a lot for the last year for the most part while my ex had her.. I got her back and she had anxiety issues and was going after people. Mary had worked with her for a little over an hour… I took her around the people she had tried to go after and they pet her like they were best friends ! She had showed me how to socialize her with people and how to train her and play some games.
Thank you Mary, you are the best !!

—Adam Janco

Mary Jackson , with K- 9 Perfection, is just that!! K- 9 Perfection !!!
She has done so much to help us with our dog. Mary’s knowledge and ability is so evident in the success of all the dogs and owners she has helped through the years!! Our dog is not the same dog as before we started our training with her. Talk about a night and day difference.!! All because we had the privilege of using K-9 Perfection!!!

I would and I have recommended K-9 Perfection to friends that needed some help with the training of their dog! Working with Mary was certainly money well spent! She is a miracle worker…..so are her dogs!!!!

—Therese McCarty Schmitt‎

Just wanted to send a quick note to let you know that Jax has been doing fantastic!
We are so grateful that you helped us with the needed commands to keep him in the yard, safe and sound. With our busy street, we now feel better that he will listen and come back when we call him.
The collar you suggested from Don Sullivan was a life saver!! We would definitely suggest that collar to anyone!! Thank you for showing us how to train him for walking . . . what a change!! He walks so nice alongside of us now 🙂

We are so happy and want to thank you over and over for everything!
You are fantastic!

—Dan and Patrice Fischer

I didn’t have one out-of-control dog, I had two! My very sweet but naughty golden doodles. Rainy Day, 8 and Harvest Moon, 3 would bark uncontrollably, scramble and dive across the floor when someone came to the door. They would not walk on a leash or come when called. I couldn’t imagine them sitting and staying. I did the in- home training with Mary and now they do it all. I actually feel in control of my home and it’s a peaceful place again. Mary works wonders!

—Wendy Beffel

I just wanted to thank you and note how much I appreciate your training efforts and what they have taught Nikki. Bringing her to your facility for training and socialization just 2 months after her birth was a great decision. Nikki took a liking to your warm and friendly training techniques and she has made weekly improvements.

Nikki has responded very well and I would recommend your knowledge and skills in training to anyone.

Nikki will continue to be a part of your program, as well as myself.

—Greg

When I brought Kango to K9 Perfection, I had no idea why he behaved the way he did. But, thanks to Mary, I found out that he was just scared of other dogs. Through her guidance and lots of repetition, he has come full circle. He now goes to the dog park in Two Rivers and plays with other dogs with no problem. He will now go up to other dogs to say “Hello.” The best thing for me is the fact that he won’t bark at other dogs while I’m in the car driving. Granted, he has some obedience issues yet, but he is still a puppy. I’m glad I can still call Mary if I have any questions for her.

I’m sure going to miss Thursday’s classes with the training dogs, too. Maddie, the treat beggar, Ellie, the attention getter, Phoebe, the trickster, Zoey, the sort of shy one, and Katie, the scared one. I hope I can visit with Kango from time to time. I would recommend K9 Perfection to anyone that wants some dog training.

—Scott Walotkiewicz

We are retired and decided to get ourselves a companion. We picked up CJ in May of 2012. She was an 8 week old miniature goldendoodle. Later that summer we heard of Mary and K9 Perfection and enrolled CJ. She went through and passed beginning obedience. Later in 2012 we enrolled her in advanced obedience. With the guidance of Mary, she aced the class. This year, 2013, we asked about the Canine Good Citizen class. Mary agreed to work with us along with the advanced class. We had high hopes for CJ (and ourselves) and with Mary’s patience and encouragement, along with lots of practice, we all passed!! My husband and I both have to thank Mary for helping us train our dog CJ to become, as we call her, the best dog in the world!
Thank You Mary, it is so rewarding to have an obedient, loving dog. We are blessed!!

—Chuck and Joanne Hynek

Our rescue dog, Senny, was afraid of everything (noises, dogs, people, etc.), had never been leash trained, and couldn’t interact with other dogs. She was a great family dog so we weren’t about to give up on her! With Mary’s training we were able to see a whole new side to our dog emerge. Senny now makes “friends” easily, listens readily, and is the best dog we could ever ask for. Thank you K-9 Perfection!

—Amity Hoenisch

Our dog Ellie has responded so well to training with Mary. Ellie had a good grasp of basic obedience because of her classes with K-9 Perfection, but she needed a little work on her manners (reacting to strangers, jumping on people, over-enthusiastic play). Mary worked patiently with Ellie and us, teaching us how to handle her and encourage good behavior. Even after one session we noticed changes in Ellie’s demeanor. After six weeks, she is well on her way to becoming a polite pup! She will now approach strangers nicely on walks, sit and wait for her Frisbee, and enthusiastically greet familiar people without jumping. Almost daily we compliments on how well-behaved Ellie is. We can honestly say that this would not have happened if we had not gone to Mary. The change in our dog has been fantastic, and we have Mary to thank for that!

—Justin Meyer & Erin Otte-Meyer

If you are looking for someone who can not only train your dog in obedience, but also fix behavior problems, then you are looking in the right place. I use to watch “It’s me or the dog” on Animal Planet and wished there was someone around here that could fix my problems.  I have 2 Chihuahuas’ and all they did was bark at everything they saw. I tried everything to shut them up and nothing worked. I also wanted to be able to walk them together. They can be very aggressive when they are together.

I found Mary through my Veterinary’s Office. I called Mary and had her come for a consultation and the 2 dogs barked at her for 15 minutes straight. Mary’s ears were ringing by that time. In 15-20 minutes she had them listening to me when I told them quiet. I signed up for private lessons on the spot. Before she left, both of the dogs were her buddies. Peanut was even sitting on her lap.
I just finished taking them to obedience training and plan on taking them again only separate this time to socialize them more with other dogs and people. They met Mary’s dogs and got along with them great.

I call Mary my miracle worker. I was at my wits end and didn’t know what to do any more. I felt like the people on the show “It’s Me or the Dog”. Now I have two sweet dogs. I can’t thank Mary enough.

—Lois Lackershire,
Peanut and Casper

Thank you so much for all your help with Milo and Lucky!  You are so kind and gentle with the dogs, yet you have a way of also commanding respect from them. You helped us to understand how to control Lucky’s aggression, which was a power thing when he was on the bed or the couch. Thank you!! It was a treat for all of us to spend time learning the proper way to train Milo. He is still such a crazy puppy but we have a better understanding of how to work with him. And thank you for all you help on potty training him…it worked!! Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!!

—Jackie Brennan

K-9 Perfection has been a wonderful experience for our collie, Murphy, and also our family. Classes are smaller which enable Mary, the instructor, to give more one-on-one instruction. She understands how each person/animal’s needs can be so personal and different. Mary has helped us to change Murphy’s bad behaviors for more acceptable ones with her training techniques, patience, persistence and positive reinforcement. Murphy has changed from a barking, jumping, chasing, just crazy puppy to a more calm grown-up puppy. Murphy absolutely loves Mary and her dogs and looks forward to “play time” at the end of each lesson. If you ever see Mary walking her four dogs together you can clearly understand that she is a truly gifted dog trainer.

—Brenda and Jeff McLaughlin

I highly recommend Mary’s as animal behaviorist trainer. Mary provided obedience training to our adult dog Houdini. Reinforcing you are never to old to learn. Our Izabella was a food aggressive and social fear aggressive puppy. Mary’s expertize gave us hope when other dog savvy people had none. Izabella is on her way to being a healthy and happy adult dog because of Mary’s ability to not only obedience train but provide individualized instructions for the dog and owners. Mary’s gentle but firm approach provided us with a solution for having a healthy pack.

—Monica Strong and Michael Kronschnabel

Mary’s patience and professional skills helped our dog become the greatest companion we could ever ask for! Her approaches toward obedience were gentle, and exactly what we would expect and needed when trying to train Bella. We like to call Mary “The Dog Whisperer” because she has a special ability when it comes to dogs and will do whatever it takes to help you feel comfortable and confident with training obedience. Again we couldn’t be happier with the results of having Bella in her class!”

—Val and Bill Durocher

We were so impressed by Mary and K9 Perfection. She not only trained our puppies – Blitz and Scruffy – but she helped to train our entire family about how best to work with and take care of them. Mary is so patient, kind and thoughtful and we really
appreciate her dedication. THANKS for everything!

—Kathy Jacoby

Mary was our life-saver! When I called Mary I was at the end of my rope. We had gotten a sweet little puppy in November who had turned into what I thought was a lost cause. I wasn’t sure where to turn. It was now February and we were trying to attend puppy classes at a local training facility. It was not working. Sparky had become fear aggressive and barked and growled at everyone and everything. At home he was good. However out in public he literally frightened people and other dogs. I left class one night in tears.

The next day I frantically searched the internet for behavior trainers. Along came Mary. I saw her site and dialed the number. From the moment she picked up the phone I sensed her calm and caring presence. I explained what Sparky’s behavior problems were and she assured me she could help. It was not maybe, or we’ll see what we can do, it was we can turn this around if you are willing to do the work. She was our angel. She came that week to do a consult and meet our family and from the moment she stepped in the door I knew it would be ok. She had an instant connection with Sparky and he sensed her calm yet assertive demeanor. We began private classes and it wasn’t long before Sparky was able to puppy play with Mary’s dogs and soon began a puppy class with many other dogs. There aren’t words to express how thankful we are for all her help and encouragement through this process. We are now able to use the tools and techniques that we learned to help Sparky to be the best dog he can be!

—Heidi Simonar

What a difference in our dog Boomer. We have been working with Mary to help Boomer overcome his tendency to snap at other dogs who get too close to him. After a few weeks of class, Boomer is relaxed enough to sit quietly beside other dogs.

Mary showed me how to handle Boomer so he would respond to to her dogs in a friendly manner. She had lots of suggestions to help both of us be successful, as I was worried about Boomer meeting other dogs. Her calm demeanor was an asset when working with both of us. She helped build confidence in Boomer and me to ensure success.

I also brought our other dog, Rocky, to Mary’s beginning obedience class to help build his confidence and sharpen his skills. He received plenty of individualized instruction based on his needs. Mary had varied the activities to keep the dogs interested and motivated.

Thanks Mary, for all you have done to help our dogs become happier and better trained pets. I highly recommend you to others who are looking to strengthen the bond they have with their dogs through positive training.

—Mary Larson, Boomer and Rocky

K-9 Perfection has done wonders for my dogs. Blossom and Roscoe both attended Mary’s class, and I was pleasantly surprised to find that both of them learned many new things. Mary is very patient and her coaching techniques are easy to follow. I liked the fact that we were in a class environment, so the dogs got to socialize with others, but the classes were not too big. Mary was able to give individual attention to everyone in the group. I would definitely recommend her class to anyone who is considering getting classes for their dog or puppy.

—Eddie Longoria

We have had our puppies for six weeks now and the training with Mary is going very well! Siku and Nanuq have learned the basics and have graduated from Puppy Kindergarten. We all look forward to continuing their weekly training as there is no such thing as an over-trained dog. As a result of this training, we feel we are becoming better pet owners. You are a wonderful trainer!  Thank you!

—The Katz Family

Thank you Mary! Finally we have more control over our dogs Maya and Missy. It feels good knowing that they won’t endanger themselves and others. They seem much calmer and friendlier as well.

—Jan and Christine Ettrich

Mary is a joy to work with and I would highly recommend her as a competent dog trainer. Sarah is a very social and loving golden-doodle. She has been in training with Mary along with her sister Star. Mary has a very calm, gentle, yet firm demeanor which was good for Sarah and me. Sarah picked up the basic commands quickly and was eager to go to Mary’s training facility when we got out of the car. Mary uses positive reinforcement and patiently works with each puppy until the command is understood, then mastered. Mary is very knowledgeable and organized. I appreciate her flexibility. I was not able to attend a class because I had a golden-doodle giving birth to a litter of puppies. She rescheduled at my convenience. The puppies are ready for adoption and I recommended Mary to all the puppies that are being adopted locally.

—Karen Morrow

We will always be so very grateful to Mary for all she did with Chauncy to make him a happy dog once again. He was having behavior problems and even though I had taken him to beginner classes, he didn’t get the one on one training and love Mary gave him. She also worked with us to show us what we were doing wrong and how to correct it. Chauncy loved her and looked forward to her visits – tail wagging. I would highly recommend (and have) to everyone, Mary and her loving methods of dog training.

Thanks again for all you help,

—Judy & Chris Eiles

Mary Kalista-Jackson at K9 Perfection is the “perfect” trainer for any dog. Her enthusiasm, love, and compassion for dogs appears in everything she does. Mary trained our puppy for three months. People simply cannot believe what a well-behaved dog we have. Thanks to Mary, we can take our pet anywhere and know she will be welcomed and never a pest. Mary knows dogs; that is evident in her prepared instructions and everyday training methods.

—Laurie

I was very happy with K-9 Perfection Dog Training. Mary made us feel very welcome and she was very flexible with scheduling. Mary worked with my 12 year old son, Sam, to show him how to handle his new yellow lab pup, Rose. We started training classes when she was 10 weeks old and she was able to not only get the the special attention and training that a pup requires, but she was able to socialize with Mary’s 3 dogs which was an extra treat for her. Rose has done well with her first class and we plan to continue a training plan. Mary has a great environment for training, professional yet relaxed and private.

I would recommend K-9 Perfection for anyone that is looking for a personalized dog training program.

—Patricia Schneider, Sam and Rose, Manitowoc WI

I chose Mary at K9 Perfection, which is an hour’s drive from my house and she is well worth the drive. My puppy Otis immediately loved her as did I. I also like the fact that she has a large out door as well as indoor training area. Mary’s 4 dogs are trained to handle puppies. The larger dogs were so gentle with Otis and he now knows how to puppy play with other dogs.

I chose private lessons and after just 6 sessions with Mary, Otis can come, sit, heal, stay, fetch and lay down at 13 weeks of age. He is well socialized and can now play with other dogs.

I am so impressed with Mary that I plan on having her help Otis become a successful Therapy Dog.

Thank you Mary,

—Linda Esposito
Appleton W