What Our Clients Are Saying

My husband and I loved our new puppy, Lucy, but we just could not control her energy. We called Karen in a moment of desperation. She swooped in like a superhero and worked her magic! We did eight individual sessions with Karen and we also participated in group training. She taught Lucy all kinds of different tricks and skills, and she taught us how to manage her hyper-excitability. The thing that we loved the most was how positive and gentle Karen was in training our dog. Lucy is almost 2 now, and she has turned into the dog that we were hoping for. We are very appreciative of New Beginnings K-9 Training and all that Karen did for us!

~ Maura and Sam-Cold Spring, KY

New Beginnings K-9 Training's positive reinforcement approach is wonderful and most effective. Karen has helped Summer do a complete turn around. She is not nearly as fearful as she was. We are still working on some issues but would never have gotten this far without Karen's help. I highly recommend her and her dog training program.

I cannot stress enough the importance of socialization in the new puppy. Our older mastiff was in the house most of the time and as a result suffers from fear aggression. Before training she was afraid of everyone and everything outside the house walls and mastiffs are usually very friendly. We have recently gotten an new male puppy and have made a point of taking him everywhere we can. He is a joyful, happy and very friendly puppy. It is sad to see that Summer is not experiencing this and I will be the first to tell you that it much easier to deal with the well socialized dog than the fearful one. It is however an on going process and cannot be dropped after one trip to Krogers! It must be continuous and they must be exposed to people, places and things.

Thank you so much. Karen.

~ Paula Clore-Edgewood, KY

My husband and I own a 5-year-old Labradoodle, Lucy. We love Lucy and consider her part of our family. Lucy is extremely affectionate and smart, but we couldn't make her understand what we wanted her to do: Obey.

The two biggest areas of concern were Lucy's leash walks and her relationship with our 4-year-old granddaughter. Walking Lucy in the neighborhood was a challenge. She pulled on the leash to sniff every bush, tree, and leaf. Around our granddaughter, the trouble was Lucy's high energy level. Our granddaughter was scared of Lucy.

Karen taught us how to communicate with Lucy through positive reinforcement techniques. Thanks to Karen and New Beginning K-9 Training Lucy now responds to our commands. She is a pleasure to walk and our granddaughter is comfortable with her, too. Having learned how to communicate with Lucy has given our granddaughter great confidence. Karen's help has been nothing short of a miracle in our relationship with Lucy.

~ Art & Ginger Ranz

Karen helped us train our new puppy. We had two 8-week sessions, which turned out to be a tremendous help. We incorporate everything we've learned from Karen in our daily lives. She really knows the nature and behavior of the animals. We highly recommend Karen's training classes.

~ Susan Isler and Jenny

We feel so lucky our vet recommended Karen to us. We needed help training our newly adopted rescue puppy, Gracie. It was love at first sight when we saw Gracie and we wanted to raise her in the best possible way. Well, Karen helped us train her—and in the process trained us, too. Her approach was consistent, positive reinforcement, which meant that Gracie always looked forward to her visits. Karen's methods have worked beautifully for Gracie and for us. We have a happy, healthy, well-adjusted dog, and we intend to continue using a positive approach when working with her.

Finally, we want to share a story. Before a recent vacation, we had arranged for a family member to take care of Gracie, but at the last minute, the family member had to cancel. Unable to bear the idea of Gracie being with strangers, we called the only other person we trusted to look after her: Karen. Karen not only took great care of Gracie, she sent us pictures and videos so we didn't miss our little girl too much. Karen obviously loves Gracie as much as we do. She cares deeply for animals, and she understands how to bring out the best in them.

Thank you, Karen, for everything.

~ Jeanne and Chuck Pettit

Karen Abell is a wonderful resource for me and my dog, Harry Truman. Karen's knowledge of canine behavior have helped Harry Truman and me make a new beginning. No more problem pup, no more disobedient dog, no more misguided owner.

Karen has taught Harry great manners using techniques similar to those used at Sea World to train dolphins. Harry likes our sessions with Karen because with positive reinforcement training, learning is fun. I like sessions with Karen because positive reinforcement training produces results humanely.

Three qualities distinguish New Beginnings K-9 Training:

Results. In our very first session, Karen taught Harry ‘down', ‘come', and ‘sit' in about 15 minutes. An impressive accomplishment, considering that after 10 weeks in a forced training class Harry could not—or would not—cooperate with my down command. I have been so pleased with Harry's progress I enrolled in a third class package with Karen Abell. In these sessions Harry has learned about 20 behaviors and eliminated several undesirable behaviors too. My goal is to have Harry work as a therapy dog.

Flexibility. At the beginning of each class package, Karen and I discuss my training goals for Harry. Weekly sessions are spent working with Harry on those behaviors. Each week Karen develops a lesson plan for Harry's session and we progress at his pace. Some behaviors take a long time to master; others only a few minutes.

Convenience. Weekly sessions are held at a mutually convenient time—out ‘on the road' if that week's behavior calls for it. For example, to help Harry prepare for his Canine Good Citizen test, Karen arranged for us to visit residents at a rehabilitation hospital. She arranged the visit, went with us to the facility, and then coached Harry and me through his interaction with several patients.

In my opinion, enrolling in positive reinforcement training with Karen and New Beginnings K-9 Training is the single most important thing I have done to build a life-long bond with Harry Truman, my wonder pup. I highly recommend it.

~ Karen Butler, Union, Kentucky

I met Karen Abell one summer night when she was walking her three dogs in perfect harmony, while our 6-month-old Labrador-mix Cally (first family dog) was pulling and barking, and acting generally out of control. After a brief conversation, she told me about New Beginnings K-9 Training.

We had previously completed a group class at a local pet store, and learned the basic commands, i.e. sit, down, stay. My concern with the group class had been the lack of opportunity to discuss Cally's individual issues. Cally is smart and gentle, but very energetic, and as a rescue from the shelter came with some established fears and submissive behaviors.

The New Beginnings program turned out to be even better than I expected. Karen immediately ‘read' Cally and determined ways to address our key problem areas. She is an effective and encouraging teacher, communicating without judgment or criticism (great for novice dog owners like me!). She involved all family members with age-appropriate tasks and communication.

Cally has greatly improved door manners, is better at loose-leash walking, knows lots of new tricks, and has more self-confidence.

Karen's compassion for dogs and genuine passion for her work is evidenced in all she does as a trainer. Her desire to see improvement in Cally (and her encouragement) motivated us to work hard with the training. I highly recommend Karen Abell and New Beginnings K-9 Training.

~ Nancy Costello, Union, Kentucky

I met Karen in 2006 when I hired her to help me train my newly adopted beagle mix, who was rescued from New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.

Karen taught me positive training techniques. Now I can successfully change my dog's behavior, and communicate with and train her using a clicker. I have recommended Karen to people in my dog club who needed help with their dog's behavior, and I have used the training techniques she taught me to compete and earn titles in obedience and Rally-O with both my dogs. I strongly recommend Karen—she's knowledgeable, effective, and compassionate.

~ Ann Robins

New Beginnings K-9 Training was amazing with Annie, our new chocolate lab puppy. We have learned so much from them and everything was and is invaluable. They taught us how to reinforce desirable behaviors in our puppy and ignore the unwanted ones. New Beginnings explained that a puppy is much like a two-year-old, crying to get attention and throwing fits to get what she wants. Giving in just perpetuates the behavior. Well, Annie was exactly like that, barking and jumping on people to get attention, but when we began rewarding her for sitting and being quiet, her behavior changed. Every training session was beneficial and astounding. I left each session with great information, which I still use every day. Annie is now a joy to be around thanks to New
Beginnings!

~ Cheri Griffin

I wish I'd met Karen before buying our dog, Thor. We were first-time pet owners and there was so much we didn't know. Thor had many fears, but with Karen's help we learned how to help him overcome them. He's a much happier dog since working with her. Karen was patient with us yet firm in her training. She also spent a lot of time teaching our children. I love that she uses positive reinforcement and I could not recommend Karen more highly. She made a huge difference to our family.

~ Ann Wittmer

Professional in every way, New Beginnings sets goals, makes plans, measures success, and achieves results… all with a personal touch that pleases both owner and pet.

~ Sharon Bellan, Union, Kentucky

We began working with Karen in May, 2007, after we rescued our two Golden Retriever Mixes from a pretty bad situation. Both dogs had issues we needed to work on. Teddy was a nervous and excitable dog, leery of children and strangers. His sister, Cleo, loved everyone, but with too much enthusiasm. Quite a diverse handful!

Karen taught us to train with positive reinforcement, and it has given us the tools and confidence to manage both dogs in and outside of our home. Karen set up real-life situations to teach our dogs new and better behaviors in place of the not-so-desirable ones. Now we can take a pleasant walk with both dogs, and have guests over without worrying about how our dogs will behave. The best part of using positive reinforcement training is that it becomes a game for the dogs. Seeing results takes hard work, but getting there can be fun!

~ Lauren McDole

After rescuing my second dog, Suki, and taking in a housemate who also had a dog, I needed some guidance. Suki was very anxious and guarded her food against the other dogs in the home. Karen's not only a dog trainer; she's a biologist and a teacher. Working with her, I learned how to reduce Suki's anxiety and how to reward desirable behavior in ways that helped my dog bond with me.

During our sessions, Karen was always patient and made sure I was precise and consistent when I trained, so all the dogs in the household could benefit from our work. Her training sessions and homework assignments were tailored around Suki's needs and the situation in our household. Thanks to our work with Karen, Suki has made clear progress. She's much calmer than she was nine months ago, and I've learned reinforcement skills I can use with all my dogs.

~ Lynn Angus

Hello,

My name is Dolly, and I have just been adopted by my forever friend, Cindy. I am a 2+ year-old white standard poodle who needed a home at the same time Cindy realized she needed a forever friend.

Several years ago Cindy learned positive reinforcement methods from Karen Abell and now Cindy is sold on this method of training canine best friends. She says it's so good, and the results are so quick and the whole thing reinforces the bond between the two of you.

Late last summer, Cindy called Karen and asked if she could help her find a dog to live with and love. Karen sent Cindy a questionnaire to complete before they had a "New Adoption Educational Consult" meeting. Those questions made Cindy think long and hard about what she would like: age, sex, breed, hair length, color, disposition, temperament, and a lot of other things that are really important when two individuals decide they're going to live together. The questions, and the meeting, confirmed this was a serious matter, not just a case of going out and finding a companion. It made Cindy realize she was not ready for a puppy… that she really wanted an adult dog, one who was well-mannered, easy-going, and had a sweet face. Guess what? That's me to a tee!

Cindy says I am almost perfect, but I do have a tendency to pull when we go on walks, and we work on that every day. We have made sure I know how to "Come!" I'll tell you a secret: I don't want to be very far from her anyway, so it's easy for me to come when I'm called.

I look forward to going to Karen's new facility in Erlanger, and I hope to see you all there.

~ Dolly and her human Cindy

Karen is a wonderful trainer! She loves to help your dog and she is always willing to learn what we want to learn. She is also very funny. My dog has improved a lot because of her training. She cares so much about you and will work hard to make you satisfied with your dog. I have had an awesome experience with Karen as a dog trainer, and I hope you will too!

~ Emma Costello, 4th grade

We came across Dewey, a Black and Tan Coon Hound/Jack Russell Terrier mix, by chance. He was on his third home when we got him via an allergic child, an abusive hunter, and a kindly nun. We took him in and knew right away this was a dog beyond our experience. We'd had every kind of animal, dogs included, but this one was so hurt we couldn't and didn't know how to reach him. He was terrified of men, growled and barked at my husband, sneaked around the house and hid, and urinated when you touched him. When he was off the leash, he ran and wouldn't come back, only returning hours later.

I contacted Karen Abell and told her our situation. She asked a thousand questions in that initial conversation from where the dog ate to where he slept and how we reacted to the dog. She could tell from what she heard that this dog had been abused. She first shared some insight into the behavior of abused dogs such as the submissive urination, for example, a type of behavior more related to fear than disobedience.

Within five minutes of Karen coming to our house, Dewey responded to her. She helped us narrow down the trigger for his aggressive behavior, which turned out to be not men but heavy coats, which my husband wore a lot.

Karen helped develop a ritual for Dewey and explained the many benefits of crating (safe haven, time-out area, etc.). With her positive reinforcement approach, she built confidence and trust in Dewey through kindness, treats and consistency. She clearly explained dog behavior and how to mold it for a better human-canine relationship. Karen got to the point quickly, treated us with great respect, and didn't mind the hundreds of questions or our inexperience with a dog of this caliber. She was adamant the dog should blend into our household (with a toddler and other animals) and not vice versa.

As a busy family, we did not have unlimited time or resources to deal with Dewey's behavior. Karen's training methods perfectly blended a patient approach with short sessions we could fit into our schedule, and Karen was readily available by telephone, e-mail or in person. When improvements came to slow and Dewey seemed hopeless, Karen was there with encouragement and an open ear.

 

Four months later, Dewey is a changed dog. He's happy, loves my husband and daughter, and is a special part of our family. Few people recognize him as the scared dog we took in almost a year ago. Dewey's success encouraged us to take in another abused stray dog, Dixie, a Siberian Husky mix. We now have a two dog household that runs smoothly because of positive reinforcement training, crating, and realistic goals. We thank our lucky stars to have had Karen as our trainer and
resource.

~ Michele and Neil Douglas, Kingston, Kentucky

Let me introduce myself.
My name is Lexi, a white haired lab.
My loving parents are Melissa and Brad.
They sent me to dog training because I was bad.
But with Karen's help my mommy was glad.
She taught me commands and tricks that I learned real quick.
To my favorite teacher here is a lick!
Thanks so much Karen, for your patience and time.
We encourage others to give her a try.
She will make a real difference you will see.

~ Brad, Melissa, and Lexi Stricker