Pawfect Pups

I’ve had the pleasure of working with both Shera and Lara at Pawfect Pups. They patiently taught me the skills and fundamentals in helping my rescue pup who came to me as a stray with many issues. At the time he was extremely sweet but had several behavioral problems with anxiety, dog aggression, leash walking, etc.
Word to the wise… They aren’t going to come and magically change your dog instantly with a «whisper» despite what you might see on those TV shows. You really have to practice what they teach you consistently, do additional research and mix in some training daily. My little guy has come a really long way thanks to Pawfect Pups. (They honestly also helped me keep my sanity through the intense first crucial months of adoption.)
I highly recommend them as they genuinely care for the well being of your dog. You can tell they are both really sincere. My little guy absolutely loved them. Be sure to communicate your expectations and they will gladly tailor the training to your needs and schedule.

Shera (and her dog Breck) have truly made us much more confident and thoughtful dog owners even a year after she did about five behavior modification sessions with our German Shepherd. Our dog, Baloo, came to us from the Virginia German Shepherd Rescue and had been abused and was very fearful of most things in life, but particularly strangers and children. Her emphasis on positive reinforcement and association enabled me and my significant other to gain the skills to support Baloo and he is a completely changed dog now. Shera was the first stranger that Baloo ever took food from because of her calm and trusting nature. She went above and beyond to work with him and gain his trust to move forward in the training plan. We highly recommend her for your dog training needs!

Lara at Pawfect Pups is awesome! I adopted an adorable 1.5 year old Dachshund/​Beagle mix about 7 months ago. Soon after adopting her it became very obvious that her previous owners had almost never (if at all) walked her on a leash and so as a result she had some (what I considered major) leash reactivity and pulling issues. After 3 training classes, a private trainer, and several different walking «tools» I was at my wits end trying to figure out how to help my adorable pup, Lucy, stop freaking out at anything that moved while she was on a leash. Cue Pawfect Pups. After only one session with Lara I could tell that I had finally found someone who was going to be able to help me. Four sessions later I can proudly say that my dog can pretty easily get past any person, stroller or bike without so much as a whine and, while I’m still working with her on getting past dogs, she has shown remarkable improvement and, almost more importantly, I feel like I have the tools to handle any explosive situation and to get her to a point where she finally will be able to deal with other dogs while on leash. I honestly can’t say thank you enough, after many frustrating and exhausting walks with my dog I can finally actually enjoy taking her out and getting her some exercise and she can finally enjoy getting out in the world.

Shera at Pawfect Pups is the best!
We started training sessions for our dog Maggie when she was just 3 months old. I thought it was too early, but my husband convinced me that the earlier the better and he was right! We did a lot of research on Unilocal and other sources. The reviews we read about Pawfect Pups made us feel like there was something different about Pawfect Pups.
Shera did such a great job addressing our problem areas at each session and worked with all of us to teach Maggie commands. Before we started, Maggie was a pretty stubborn little puppy and she was biting on pant legs, socks, blankets, and even my hair, snatching up any food that was dropped on the floor. Shera helped us work with Maggie to fix those habits and even taught us a variety of commands. Each session was focused on Maggie’s concerns. I never felt like she was following a curriculum. Everything was very customized for our pup. We also really liked that we were an active part of each training session.
People always compliment us on how well behaved Maggie is. My husband and I tell each other over and over again that finding Pawfect Pups was the best thing. Thanks Shera!

My fiancé and I adopted a dog and quickly realized she had some special needs that we were not sure how to support. Lara and Shera were referred to us through the rescue organization and they are incredibly supportive and helpful. Lara took one look at our dog and had an understanding of her needs. We learned that our dog suffers from severe anxiety induced by fear. We also learned that basically everything we were doing was the opposite of what our dog needed. Lara straightened us out by providing simple strategies and exercises that we practiced with our dog. Let’s just say, Pawfect Pups knows their stuff.
Arguably more important than knowledge, they genuinely care about their dog and human clients. They have gone above and beyond to help including quick response to email and even helping us look for our dog when she decided to explore the neighborhood. I would recommend them to any dog owner and look forward to working with them again in the future.

We love Pawfect pups! Shera is amazing! We really don’t know what we would have done without her! You will learn so much about yourself and your pet through her training sessions. They have a very interesting approach to training, understanding, and bonding with your pet. We did a 6 week private training program where we learned sit, down, touch, leave it and many other commands along with rules of the house, potty training, etc. Highly recommend PawfectPups! One of the best investments we’ve made since we got our pup.

When I adopted my puppy Lola, I was going to enroll her in dog training classes but one of my neighbors referred me to Shera & Lara at Pawfect Pups instead and it was the best decision I could have made! We started private training when she was only 9 weeks old because she seemed to be showing some worrisome behaviors like nervousness around new people and children, and even a little aggression
I did 8 sessions, some with Shera and some with Lara and both of them were fantastic to work with! They really make training fun and easy for me to stay consistent with. They are very practical and we together came up with a realistic training plan and set realistic goals. They were able to come to my home to do sessions when I worked from home and sometimes on weeknights and on weekends which was super convenient. One time my dog freaked out at someone on the street so I called them and Lara came out the next day to do an emergency session with me which made me feel so much better. Now Lola is 9 months old and is doing so great! I get compliments on her all the time and the bond we have is super strong because of everything we have learned from Pawfect pups! I plan on continuing to do monthly sessions with Shera and Lara to make sure I’m still doing things right :) I’d recommend Shera and Lara as dog trainers to anyone and everyone!!!

Shera was great with my little mini dachshund. He was a rescue and had some pretty serious separation anxiety and dominance issues, which resulted in accidents when I came home almost every day. He was also not a big fan of the crate. We had just two sessions with Shera, but she worked wonders with him (and with me!). Unfortunately, he passed away unexpectedly, so we only had the two sessions, but from what I saw I wouldn’t hesitate to use her again if the need arose!

Having Shera and Pawfect Pups help with training our 6 month old English Bulldog puppy was everything we were looking for. The one-​on-​one time at home versus a group training environment made a huge difference with training at such a young age. We did the puppy head start training and would reach out for additional services without hesitation if needed.

Shera has been great to work with and we have really seen our dog progress with his fear issues. Many people have commented on his improvement. This is a much better choice than a big-​box store training program — especially for dogs with particular needs that require one-​on-​one attention.

First of all Shera is the only normal dog trainer I have ever met which is a HUGE bonus off the bat. She is very responsive, and helpful and helped me greatly with the transition from 1 dog to 2 dogs. In addition Shera really listens to what you want to accomplish and sets realistic goals for you and your pups. She’s really the best! So happy I found her !

I highly recommend Shera! My dog is a recovering street dog who recently developed the annoying and potentially dangerous habit of lunging/​biting at passersby, in an extremely unpredictable manner. Private lessons are pricey, but even after one session I noticed a tremendous improvement in my dog’s behavior– so in my sanity and stress level alone the investment has repaid itself in spades. In addition to being a great trainer, she was responsive, clear about what we could accomplish in a given amount of time. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend her to others (and will definitely look to her for helping teaching the pooch some advanced skills once we’ve mastered our current homework!)

Shera is incredible! A lover of all animals, she absolutely has a special kinship with dogs. She understands them and they listen to her. She has worked with every kind of dog, from newbie rescues to older house dogs, and she works wonders with all. When we first adopted our rescue pup, he had major anxiety issues and was extremely hard to disciple. After only a short time with Shera, our pup was like a whole new dog! He now plays extremely well with other dogs, has combat his anxiety, and is very very very well-​trained. In fact, Shera helped train me (!) since I needed some help learning how to manage my dog. She taught me about how to maintain her training strategies to keep my dog in great shape, both inside and outside the house. She is also full of helpful tricks and information you cannot find in a pet store, at the vet, or from a breeder. I implicitly trust her recommendations and referrals.
Shera has the biggest heart and you can tell she loves what she does. Dogs can sense that– and they respond so well to her. She is absolutely amazing amazing amazing!!! The best!!!

Shera was absolutely wonderful in every way. Our rescue, Angela, is generally well-​behaved but she has her moments. She joined our family with almost no training. With Shera’s help, she is starting to learn «come» and «leave it,» and she is well on her way to mastering «sit,» «down,» and «look.» Angela is making eye contact more and is being far more respectful. Even more importantly than specific commands, Shera has trained us to make Angela more attentive and respectful. Shera gave us great tips about how to teach Angela, keep her well-​behaved, break some of her bad habits, and correct some of her problem behaviors.
Meanwhile Shera is wonderfully sweet, punctual, and accommodating. She is full of great ideas and is always very attentive to our needs. We went in thinking we’ll try one session and reassess, and by the time it was done, we had already signed up for three more. And it was the best decision we’ve made for Angela thus far.

Highly recommend Shera. I hired her to work with me and my rescued dog after doing a ton of research on dog trainers in the DC area. My dog came from a very rural environment and has had a hard time getting acclimated. Shera was able to work him through a number of fears in a short period of time. We have made great progress solely due to Shera’s patience and knowledge. She definitely knows her field and is an easy person to communicate with. Five stars all the way.

Shera is a dog whisperer! My husband and I just moved to the DC area from Alaska at the end of July 2012. While we were running around the city during the day, to get acquainted with it, we took them to City Dogs for doggie daycare. On one of our visits, we noticed some business cards and information for obedience training from Pawfect Pups… we picked up a card to check out the website.
Our dogs, two Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, Maggie and Winston (come on, they’re English dogs that deserve good English names!) are very sweet but need to learn some manners. Or really, my husband and I need to learn how to manage them better :) Anyway, we called Shera and she was a dream from the start. She came over and immediately took charge of them and us. Inside our flat and out, she gave us tips on how easy it is to control undesired behaviors or get them to listen to our commands. Shera also answered all our questions, whether it be during a training session, by email or phone… we had a lot of questions and asked them often!
We absolutely recommend Shera! She has an amazing way with dogs!

Shera is amazing! She is a dedicated volunteer in her free time, she helps out City Dogs Rescue dogs. She is great with her clients and knows her stuff well. A truly amazing trainer!