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Testimonial for Steve, the Dogfather                        August 9,
2009

When I was referred to my dog’s first trainer, I didn’t realize that
she was totally of the ‘break the spirit’ training mentality. I was a
quick study on that one as I watched her work with my German
shepherd dog, Timber. It was horrible. After only two sessions w/
her, Timber, got terrible anxiety attacks as soon as we pulled into
her parking lot, so for almost two years, needless to say, he didn’t
have a trainer and lost extremely valuable training time.

Then, we heard about Steve from Deborah at Cyber Dog USA in
Kitty Hawk. Actually, he sounded too good to be true. Then, we
met Steve. Timber fell in love. We registered for an obedience
course, and the change in Timber’s attitude and performance was
remarkable. Now, when we pull into the parking lot of the Kitty
Hawk location where Timber trains w/ Steve, Timber gets so
excited that I have to calm him to put him on his lead. He
absolutely loves going to class and working with Steve.

I love the way Steve incorporates sign language into the training
commands. That’s just one example of the useful training tidbits,
extra perks, and bonus knowledge for the dogs and handlers alike
that he constantly drops throughout his courses. What’s even
more amazing is Steve’s uncanny ability to communicate with and
train dogs. Almost immediately, he is able to get them to follow
his commands / instruction.

I can’t help but think about Riley, a female Golden Retriever, in the
obedience course Timber just finished. This young pup was
having none of it, howling, barking, rolling on the floor, jerking on
her lead, basically throwing rebellious little fits and refusing to
follow the owner / handler’s commands at all during class. You just
wouldn’t believe it! By the end of just a few sessions, she was
performing as well as many of the other students in the class. It
was awesome and at the same time precious to watch Steve
work his magic and to observe her transformation from an unruly
pup to an admirably well-mannered one.

We have a couple of skills that Timber just doesn’t want to follow
command for me. I’m still working on those at home with him. I
practice and practice and practice. Then, I get totally frustrated,
wondering what I’m doing wrong or have forgotten from class. I
take him over to see Steve. He barely even looks at the dog and
he performs the skill perfectly. Perfectly! Of course, Steve just
smiles that special smile of his and reinforces to me that he trains
humans to be calm, assertive, and consistent, that it’s not the
dog. The dog knows. Timber thrives on learning and thinking and
working, and we both are looking forward to Steve’s next
challenge for him.

It really is a human thing, you know. The dogs are the brilliant
ones; we humans have to be trained. Steve’s not finished with me
yet. I’m still learning, but Timber, even with his 2-year old,
adolescent mentality, learned his lessons and knows his skills well,
thanks to Steve’s awesome style and knowledge base. It’s not just
one thing; it’s the whole package.

Steve is a kind, compassionate, humble, down-to-earth, patient,
and extremely skilled dog trainer. I could go on and on about him,
but I think you get the idea. I’ve never worked with anyone who
remotely compares to him ~ the Dogfather has arrived! This is
just a besotted owner / handler’s humble opinion, but I think Cesar
Milan, as much as I admire him, has some really tough
competition heading his way. I hope Timber and I are there to see
it!

Deb D. Sauls
Proud to be dog blessed!



"Steve's class is great.  I was nervous the first day because I
knew my dog would be bad, and she was.  But, Steve noticed
right away, and he was able to make her act right with him right
away.  Then he showed me during the weeks of the class how I
could make her behave."

Anita Johnson


Subject: Steve Canady

Hi Jackie,
Your name was given to me by Steve Canady as a reference for
his dog training. Did you like Steve’s methods and would you
recommend him?
Thank you,
Marcha Thompson

Absolutely.  I have taken many dogs through many obedience
classes and he is the best that I have ever trained with. He is very
low key, gentle and extremely thorough.  It is truly amazing to
watch him work with dogs with problems. He seems very
experienced and has a suggestion for every problem.  His
suggestions work.  You will be truly impressed and pleased with
your dogs behavior. You have to practice what he preaches.
Jackie Orsulak ( my dog is a 4 month old newfoundland pup)

I recently took one of Steve's basic dog training course for myself
and my male Yorkshire Terrier puppy and Steve was great! He
understands both dog and human behavior and is able to clearly
explain and demonstrate the skills needed to be a successful pet
owner with a well behaved pet.  I feel I learned a great deal and
think everyone with a dog young or old would benefit from Steve's
classes.---Beverly Moors, Edenton

At only 4 weeks and about 8 pounds, some of our rescued lab
puppy's naughty behaviors were cute when she first arrived.  That
quickly changed as she seemed to get bigger and stronger every
day.  Pulling on clothes turned into tearing our shirt tales.  We
realized basic obedience was a must!  I found Steve through an
internet search; read articles about him and testimonials.  Katie
and I started basic class when she was 4 months old.  We
immediately saw a difference and began to understand all the
things we were doing wrong.  Books are a great resource, but
there's no substitute for a great trainer.  You'll be surprised how
much is about your behavior!  Now at 7 months and 70 pounds,
Katie is happy to follow the pack leader, me!  -  The Goodwin
Family

Thanks for all your help!
Traci Goodwin and Katie

It has been an amazing experience to watch my 4 lb Chihuahua
puppy go from not knowing any commands to being able to Heel,
Place, Wait, Stay, Front, Release, Walk, Leave it, in what seems
like a very short time . We are so proud of him and thrilled at his
eagerness to learn. Steve is a Great teacher, he is wonderful with
the dogs which you can tell he loves. But he is training us humans
to train our dogs with compassion, understanding and patience.
He says there is no such thing as a bad dog and we never use
that word in our house. Only Good and No. Earl is so friendly and
confident in any situation. I think his training has helped him
around other dogs and people and he is a total joy and Love at
home. Thank You, Steve we look forward to the Intermediate
Class!
Wes and Rhonda Bates
Testimonials