Testimonials
Shaping the Dog of Your Dreams
Jo Ann Dimon
I cannot recommend HALO Dog Training enough. Heather Steiner is one of the founding Board Members of Big East Akita Rescue (BEAR), established in 2011. Heather is a one of a kind. Not only is she dedicated to the rehabilitation and rehoming of the Akita breed that are in need of rescue, she’s dedicated herself to dogs of all breeds in need of training to find their “furever” home. The Akita is a primitive breed, it is not a “starter” dog. Heather has taken on very difficult issues from reactivity, to aggression, to fear and anxiety, to separation anxiety in this breed. If she can keep our Akitas in their homes, you know she is skilled. Many people want to use prong collars, choke chains, or shock collars to train this breed. Not Heather. She uses positive reinforcement to train the toughest cases. I trust her with any dog who needs help.
Ashley Kraemer
I adopted my Pretzel during the pandemic so we were always together. As things began to open up, I had to start working outside my home. Pretzel was always the sweetest, most loving dog . . . until I left her alone in the house. She would break out of any crate, then the mischief would begin. She was very destructive and would have accidents all over the house. Knowing that Pretzel was so distraught when I left home, my heart would break every time I walked out the door. I was at my wit’s end. Enter Heather from HALO Dog Training who patiently taught me about separation anxiety and created a training plan to help Pretzel overcome it. I now have a dog who happily settles in her crate and remains there until I come home. I’ve regained my freedom and Pretzel is now free of her gripping fear and anxiety.
Allison Lamond
Heather Steiner has been a volunteer at PAWS for several years. Due to her handling skills, she has been able to work with dogs that have special requirements and never bats an eye at working with dogs that have challenging behaviors. She is also one of our mentor volunteers who is able to train brand new volunteers. The mentoring role is very important and is only open to volunteers who show that they have knowledge of our protocols, patience and enthusiasm for the work, and an understanding of dog body language and our safety protocols. Heather is an asset to our team and we are so lucky to have her as a volunteer!
Jen Kligman
Working with Heather at HALO Dog Training was the best decision we could have made for our beloved Ruby. As a rescue we had no idea what her history was and Heather really transformed our frightened, defensive little girl. She used positive reinforcement methods to help us get consistent results with Ruby. She no longer cowers or bites when we approach her, she doesn’t steal her brother’s food, and she is able to eat treats from our hands. Heather brought out the dog Ruby was meant to be and she is now all confidence and sass. She is living the life of her dreams and fulfilling all of ours. We can’t thank Heather enough for all the miracles she worked!
Cash
My work life is demanding. It leaves no time to train a puppy so I turned to Heather for Day Training. I just always knew her as Heather “the dog lady” who gets results. I didn’t realize she owns HALO Dog Training. Helping Animals Learn Obedience – HALO, how perfect. In just 4 weeks my Olde English Bulldog has learned to “Kennel Up”, “Go to Bed”, “Sit”, “Down”, “Stand”, “Stay”, “Leave It” , “Drop It”, and walk on a loose leash – “Heel”. I took a stack of her business cards and am recommending her everywhere!
Patricia Kaynaroglu
Heather is an exceptional dog trainer and possesses a deep love for dogs. She has demonstrated her dedication and knowledge of K9 training by becoming a Karen Pryor Academy Certified Training Partner. This is no easy task and requires a great deal of time, study, and passing a challenging exam.
You can trust Heather to work patiently with you and your dog as you move through learning sessions based on positive reinforcement methods. She is an excellent communicator and will listen to your questions and help you achieve the goals you have for your training sessions. Reliable, calm, warm, positive and dedicated are words that come to mind when I think of Heather and her work with dogs.
Kathy Dewees
I could tell you dozens of wonderful things about Heather, regale you with stories about her volunteer time with my organization ARWNY, Inc. because Heather spent well over a decade helping save/transport, assess, rehab and rehome Akitas with our group.
But I would rather focus on what makes her the best choice for a trainer to help your family canine and that is Heather's innate ability to understand your dog's behavior so that she can help that dog be the happiest, most productive pet it can be.
Even as a new volunteer, Heather was able to quickly assess why a dog was behaving in certain negative ways, so she could start helping to change that behavior for the better. That ability made her an invaluable help in assessments of shelter dogs, owner give-ups and strays. Often driving long distances to meet shelter dogs or owner give-ups, Heather never took any unnecessary risks or shortcuts in transporting. She spent long hours at our rescue kennel, working with individual Akitas in need of training and also worked with our vets when health issues were involved that caused behavioral problems.
Over time, Heather started more intensive studying to increase her knowledge of canine behavior along with health issues because a good trainer will always take a dog's health into consideration before embarking on any extensive behavior work. With her KPA-CTP (Karen Pryor Academy Certified Training Partner) Heather has become an invaluable resource for anyone needing help with their dog's behavior issues.
One of my favorite Heather memories is when she volunteered to foster, on a New Year's Eve, a newborn litter of Akita puppies from a NYC shelter in the middle of a snowstorm. With no experience in litter-raising, she used every possible resource available to educate herself in their expert raising. The ARWNY 7, as they were affectionately titled, were all properly placed in their forever homes after 8 weeks, all sound & stable pups due to Heather's care. I can't emphasize strongly enough how important proper socialization is to a litter before placement and Heather's dedication to doing her best at raising them is a testimony in itself.
I am proud to recommend Heather as your dog's trainer because I know firsthand her dedication to training, behavior and temperament issues and her willingness to do everything in her power to help your pet become the best family member it can be!
Jamie K.
I know Heather Steiner of HALO Dog Training as a dog trainer and animal lover so one day I told her about fear behaviors that my horse, Tye, was exhibiting. Tye was afraid to go through gates from one pasture to another. In fact, he was afraid to approach the gates at all. This meant that each time I needed to go through a gate as I rode Tye, I would have to dismount and lead my reluctant horse through the gate. I expressed the wish that there was somebody like her that could do for my horse what she does for dogs. Without hesitation, Heather told me that she could clicker train Tye and help him overcome his fear. She explained that any animal can be clicker trained. I was skeptical, but hopeful, so I decided to give her a shot. Heather started by training Tye to touch a target which was fascinating to watch. Once he had the behavior down, we headed out to the pasture. Heather had Tye follow the target straight to the gate. She did this all in steps that were manageable for my horse and used no force. The next thing I know, Heather attached the target to the gate. Not only did Heather get Tye to touch the target, she taught him to push the gate open. I couldn’t believe my eyes! The best part is that she was able to transfer this knowledge of positive reinforcement training to me so that I could get the same behavior from Tye. It was remarkable to see the change in his confidence! Our rides are a pure joy now and I don’t have to dismount until I’m back at the stable.
Mary-Rose Ziemba
I contacted Heather at HALO Dog Training as my last hope for my reactive 6-year old Akita, Prada. We had a recent move, three times in 4 months, and lifestyle changes. We recently settled in a dog friendly town home, and Prada acted like she was the guardian of the whole complex. She would react excessively when delivery people got close to the front door or back door, and when a neighbor came over to say hello. Because so many dogs are reactive to the breed, it became a real problem to walk her because the other dogs would start attacking, lunging, and some even got off leash. Of course, Prada would then react. She would lunge in the sky like a rocket. I have chronic Lyme Disease and found it nearly impossible to control her. Heather arrived and discussed my goals for Prada. She had a plan of action and began clicker training Prada as soon as I brought her outside. Prada responded well to the clicker and to Heather. Heather also walked me through learning to clicker train Prada. She had real life exercises for Prada and I to work on. Before I knew it, I was walking my dog instead of my dog walking me. It’s a day I never thought I’d see. I really recommend Heather because she uses positive reinforcement and behavior training and almost immediately, I have so much less stress on our daily walks with Prada. I want to work with Heather on more issues and everyone should remember, that it's up to the human to do the work when working with a trainer in order to make the dog a successful companion.