Animal Behavior Specialists, Inc.s

Carleen clearly cares about dogs and their well-being. I am so thankful for her help. She is extremely knowledgeable and very friendly. She was patient, punctual, and really helped us sort out what the issues were. At no point did I feel like she was rushing us. I look forward to working with her more to make Calvin and Hobbes 2 happy, well-behaved dogs..

Karlene came twice for private consultation to assist me with my One year old Labrador jumping and wild behaviors when someone comes to the door. Karlene gave me so much insight as to why my dog displayed the behaviors and how to prevent them. I cannot thank her enough, and I highly recommend her to others! I was so impressed with her that I have signed up for classes. Karlene is truly An expert with dog knowledge and truly cares about the well-being of our pets.

Our 1yr old rescue had to survive on his own most of his puppyhood, didnt know how to play without nipping and struggled with dominating any male figures. Being first-time dog owners, we didnt hesitate and reached out to Karlene. Through a couple of one-on-one classes she helped us turn Tars a complete 180. She evaluates whats right for your dog at the start of each session and walks you through each exercise. Not once did we feel like she was going through a checklist or rushing us through an appointment. Working with her was invaluable and gave us the tools to ensure Tars lives a long and happy life with us.

Karlene has helped me with my dogs over the past 12 years. Ive done both classes and private appointments. With her expertise, I have learned how to modify many different behaviors. When I adopted my 5th dog, Gracie, (a 5 month old rescue), the trouble began several months later. Daily I had multiple fights sometimes involving all 5 dogs. It was a nightmare. Nine years later, I still have Gracie and she is a registered therapy dog. Theres no way I could have worked through this without Karlene. She helped me to see what was going on and how to address the specific behaviors that were leading to the fights. Shes helped with other aggression issues that some of my other dogs have had as well. Ive learned a ton from her about dog development and behavior and it has helped my household tremendously. I also want to add that I read a negative comment about her dog biting a puppy. Ive learned that dogs correct other dogs for inappropriate behaviors and Ive been to dozens of classes and have witnessed this. Her dogs are good at helping to teach other dogs appropriate social skills.

Our Labrador Retriever, Murphy, has made big improvements with the help of Karlene and her team. We have attended Puppy class and Basic obedience twice. We plan to continue with additional classes. He has also attended daycare a few times.They foster a friendly environment in their classes. I found myself rooting for progress with all of the dogs and owners, not just my own.I read a review that was very discouraging, and although I have sympathy for that owner and her dog, my experience has not been similar. We started with a different trainer using positive reinforcement mainly in the form of food treats and that didn’t work well for us. In the ABS classes, we were taught that it was okay to grab the dogs by the scruff of the neck to direct them away from an unwanted behavior. This is how their dog mother would have taught them. ABS never would have accepted hurting or mistreating the dog, but instead emphasized a relationship of love and respect where your guidance is helpful to your dog. I am very thankful for them. Instead of treats, we reward our dog with praise and love.Murphy is a puppy - full of energy, love and curiosity and Animal Behavior Specialists has helped to make him more manageable and enjoyable for our family.

Karlene is so knowledgeable. She is truly an expert on dog behaviors. Both of our dogs have attended training with her. I highly recommend Animal Behavior Specialists!

First and foremost, it was a pleasant surprise and great conversation in the assistance Lori Mumford provided for me to sign up with our new addition to our family that we rescued from “Unconditional Love Pet Rescue, in Green Forest, AK! Gus! He’s only 5months and 5 days old now. Great Pyrenees/Redbone coonhound mix. We met Karlene Bonnes who gave a great informative introduction (she’s trained my grand dog Moose, Catahoula leopard that was rescued by my son) and the other parents/trainers for basic obedience the Saturday before our classes beginning this Thursday evening! I have confidence that everything is going to go well. I just wish we had more time to have had a personal conversation. I know that they’re very busy with classes. Perhaps, some other time. For now it’s 100% Gus! ~Sheila G.

I cant speak highly enough of the care ABS has provided. They took a neglected aggressive animal in for the board and train protocol. I was hopeful of some improvement but the change was incredible. They supported me through the rehabilitation process. They helped me see the world through Her eyes and gave me my best friend. 4 years later and she is still a handful, but joyful and is realizing her potential far beyond what i could have ever hoped. The services of ABS are easily worth twice what I paid.

Out of words to explain the amazing wonders she has done for my dog. We rescued him when he was 4, he has fear based aggression and struggles to read people and dogs. I started working with her soon after I got him and he started exhibiting these behaviors, it’s now been 2 years ago and my dog is unrecognizable. He went from reacting to everything, like even if a dog was all the way down the street, growling at people in the street to being able to smell another dog’s but, walk past them in the street, and be able to be pet by a stranger.I am in tears of joy to see the progress he has made and it is all thanks for ABS.If you have the pleasure of working with her her work speaks for itself. Thank you so much!

Very unprofessional on many levels. Instructor brought her aggressive dog to a puppy class and did absolutely nothing when her dog bit a puppy student. Never even apologized. Thankfully the business that held her class, apologized on her behalf and refunded me. Dont waste your money!

Karlene is an amazing trainer. We have been going to her for 18 years with all of our dogs.

I learned alot about training my dog gypsy moon. They were great people and i plan on taking the next step in my training , i would recommend this class to everyone thank you so much🐾✌🌻🌼☮🦋

Wonderful Business! Very Professional, Kind, Compassionate, Knowledgeable. I cant say enough good things. Very likely saved our dogs life.

We have been training with Karlene for almost 2yrs. It started when we needed reinforcements with one of our service dogs that was not fully trained. We were referred to Karlene by our atty. fast forward, we had to retire that dog because of the kids at my daughter’s school. I literally called Karlene in tears. She said I have the perfect SD for your daughter (Karlene was fostering him and was going to keep him as her SD. Karlene said she was willing to let us try him as my daughter needed him more than she did) we met the dog and decided to give him a chance. We have been through all the classes and have been told in public what a well trained dog he is. I drive over an hour for him to be professionally trained for my daughter. Karlene and her staff are amazing to work with. They are teenage friendly as my daughter was 14 when we started and now 16. It takes my daughter a long time to warm up to people. It only took a few weeks and my daughter absolutely looks forward to training even if it is at 8:00am. I highly recommend ABS to train your fur babies.

Not positive reinforcement training. Great way to break the bond between you and your dog as well as lead to further issues down the road.

I should’ve posted this a long time ago. I made a reservation to board my dog at her kennel. I wanted a tour of the kennel and to see where my dog would stay. She kept making excuses as to why I couldn’t see the inside of the kennel, saying they were renovating. Two days before Christmas we showed up to drop my dog off. The single staff person came running out to my car to take my dog. I insisted again on seeing where my dog would be staying. She kept refusing to even let me in the building. I finally just walked around her and went in. I was appalled by what I saw! The place was very run down and dirty. There were 16 dogs crowed into a single room with a couch and a chair. The absolute worst was seeing a poor German Shepherd crammed into a tiny cage that was too small him to stand, sit, turn around or turn over. He looked horribly miserable. I walked out. I was going to cancel my Christmas plans rather than leaving my dog in that nightmare. I did report her to the ASPCA. I will never use her services for anything.

These classes are punishment based, with no positive reinforcement being given to the dog besides the occasional verbal good dog. They are preaching outdated methods that were in vogue in the 50s. A class participant mentioned at one point that their dog was being dragged around like a stuffed animal on a leash. This is not what learning should look like. If a dog is being forced into positions, they are not learning how to get *themselves* into the position you want. This is why teaching sit traditionally involves more cookies, and less shoving of the dogs hips.In our first lecture class, we were instructed to scruff the dog until they calmed down. When someone asked how long this would continue, the instructor responded that he has personally needed to restrain his dog like this for over an hour before. This is ludicrous, confusing for the dog, and bordering on abusive. Restraining them wont teach them anything besides the fact that humans can be unpredictably violent and scary! These dogs will later fight restraint at their vets offices and groomers. An hour would be much better spent taking your puppy for a hike in the woods, so they dont have that extra energy :)When a five month old Aussie wouldnt down-stay in class for ten minutes, the clip of his leash (connected to a head halter, which was connected to a prong collar) was held to the floor by a foot so he complied for minutes on end. He was left flopping like a fish on a line, it was nauseating to watch. This was not a reasonable expectation for such a young active dog!I was the only one with a treat pouch in class, and (coincidentally) had the best behaved dog in the class. Food-based training has been around since the 80s, and Guide Dogs for the Blind started training service dogs using only food since 2006. Time for this trainer to brush up on their skills and get with the modern era of training before they do any more damage. To have a name like Animal Behavior Specialists and only use outdated debunked dominance theory is a disservice to both dogs and their owners.

She has helped me so much through the years! From stopping dog biting and dog fighting/aggression to dog training, She is a animal behaviorist guru/ dog whisperer

Admin makes it clear she isn’t there to help you. Interrupts when trying to ask questions & understand what the process is and talks over you. Not at all clear in describing the services, just tells you to go to the website. Expects you to book an appointment for a doctor to come to your house with NO information and refers you to the website (which didn’t answer my questions). I told her I was confused and she told me to call back if I changed my mind???? Its sad that I’m trying to help my pet and my pet now suffers longer because of poor customer service. Maybe the doctor is good, but since she isn’t the one you deal with, it doesn’t matter. If you want to be talked down to and made to feel stupid & like a burden, the staff here can definitely help.

The most unprofessional individual I’ve ever had the misfortune of speaking to. If you are seeking professional and compassionate assistance for you pet I strongly recommend you find a more qualified Specialist.

Great daycare. Really likethe people that work with the animals.

The BESY Trailer for dogs in Rochester bar none

Excellent instruction on how to work with your dog.

Karlene is an amazing trainer!

Lucy loves everyone here

Good, consistent training methods.

Peaceful!

Awesome experience!