My family and I can not thank Shannon enough for coming to our rescue!! Our two pugs were fighting all the time and were just plain unruly! Shannon came in and told me that I had to put rules in place for my dogs! I had spoiled my dogs by letting them have the run of the house and sleep in our bed. Shannon taught us how to keep the dogs off the furniture, stop jumping up on people and stay off our bed! The most important thing she taught us, however, is how to stop all the fighting. The rules were so easy to implement that even my six year-old could help me with them and the dogs did so great! They listen so much better! After a few days of following the rules the dogs are wonderful! They are happy, fun to be around and our house is so much less stressful! We are so thankful to Shannon and would recommend Polite Paws to everyone! She is a wonderful lady with a wealth of knowledge!!
Shannon of ‘Polite Paws’ helped my family immensely. We had four dogs who separately were terrific, but together they were a nightmare. Literally, on Shannon’s first visit, she had me walking all four dogs together, with no fighting! I would not have believed it if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes. I had been living with daily fights, and I had to keep the dogs separated which was a constant challenge. It was not fun and I couldn’t enjoy my dogs. Now, after three visits with Shannon, my dogs are best friends and there are never any fights at all. They are a joy to be around. If you have any canine problems, Shannon will come to your rescue and you can enjoy your dogs as they should be enjoyed. She truly is the Dog Whisperer of Downingtown!
Shannon is ABSOLUTELY the best and has made literally a world of difference in our once uncontrollable Sheltie, Haley. From the very first few minutes of our first meeting, we immediately learned some basic things that WE were doing wrong as “pack leaders” which are tactics we still use on a daily basis. Haley used to be very unresponsive to our direction, nudging our hands for attention, jumping on everything, running around uncontrollably, dragging us on walks, etc. Our other big obstacle was that she was extremely afraid of other dogs and people. Through both one on one classes with Shannon as well as her Puppy Kindergarten, Haley is now a completely different dog who listens to everything we say, she knows a solid 10 tricks and does them all on command, and she has made ‘leaps and bounds’ with her fear issues towards other dogs and people. We NEVER thought Haley would be anywhere NEAR the great, loving, smart controllable sweetie that she is now…we are SO grateful for Shannon – thank you “Miss Shannon!” (Haley runs to the door when we say that!)
I am so grateful to have met Shannon Sumner, certified trainer and owner of Polite Paws. When I brought our Old English Sheep Dog, Max , home from the breeder, I was truly apprehensive on how I was going to manage his training. When he first got home, he demonstrated some aggressive tendencies. Shannon has taken a dog that all of my family loved, but were worried about because of what we were told, and turned him into a mellow, well-trained ,socially-conscious pet that we can be proud of. Because of Shannon, we have a truly loving puppy that adores being around people, children, and now other dogs. Most importantly, we understand that we, as owners, have the responsibility to make sure that Max gets exercise, love, and is rewarded for good behavior. We were the ones who needed to be trained.
Myself and my family can’t thank Shannon and Polite Paws enough for giving us the gift of a great dog that obeys commands, behaves well in all situations, and is a loving member of our family. I would recommend Polite Paws to anyone who wanted an edge on training a dog the right way.
We adopted not one, but two Australian Cattle Dog/Collie mix sisters. They were very high energy and very tightly bonded to one another. Before we met Shannon, we tried a fancy dog training facility where we had a horrible experience. We were basically told not to come back.. As you can imagine, we thought we had bit off more than we could chew and were pretty despondent. Shannon was recommended to us and we were intrigued by the notion that she would come to our house and work with us, so we thought we’d give her a try. Well, the first meeting couldn’t have gone better. Shannon was so positive and assured us that our dogs were not lost causes and could absolutely be helped. We were so relieved! Within 3 sessions, she showed us the way to better behaved pups. We enjoyed the sessions so much, we signed up for her 6 week puppy training class. That was a blast too and we learned so much. My husband summed up Shannon the best- ‘she’s freakin’ awesome!
My dog Jake has so much energy that our daily walks used to consist of him walking me. As I struggled to teach him how to heel and walk properly, I found myself more and more frustrated. Fortunately I found Polite PawsTM, and Jake and I worked with Shannon for one session. She had such a “magic touch” with him and she helped me understand the proper techniques of walking Jake. Shannon taught me how to read Jake’s body language and what my body language was telling him. She helped me to change my outlook on dog walking and gave me confidence to try the skills at home. After this one session, I felt more knowledgeable and was excited to teach the rest of my family what I learned. Since then, Jake’s behavior has improved greatly. Shannon is the “Dog Whisperer” of Downingtown!
We can’t thank Shannon enough for all the wonderful help she has given to our family. I can’t believe it’s only been 2 lessons, as I feel like I have been given a wealth of information and even have incorporated all I’ve learned with the dogs into the parenting of our children. The feeling of gaining control, earning respect and having a calm and happy household is what we are accomplishing by using all the skills we’ve learned.
Shannon, of Polite PawsTM, is a life saver! She scheduled a visit with us the day after we called her! She was so enthusiastic and kind and our dog really responded to her. We definitely recommend Shannon to help with any problems your dog may have!
Our dog, Marley, has been a challenge from early on. He was adopted under the premise that he was a beagle, but ended up having a mixed background of mainly working dogs. We knew we needed help and that’s when a friend recommended Shannon from Polite PawsTM.
Shannon spent time with Marley and finally figured out our complex dog for us. She helped us find different ways to exercise him, helped us deal with his niping, and really helped us understand our little guy. Shannon came to our house and helped us with issues specific to Marley and that helped a lot too. We could not be happier with the results. Shannon was generous with her time, energy, and knowledge and still helps us to this day.
Marley is a better dog for us and we are happier owners.
I have had to go out of town a few times in the past few months and was apprehensive about putting my golden retriever, Piper in a kennel. Fortunately, a friend had recommended that I call Shannon from Polite PawsTM. It was the best phone call I have ever made for Piper.
Shannon treated her like one of the family. Every day Piper would go for walks and run in the huge backyard with Shannon’s dog Cheerio. Needless to say, Piper got plenty of exercise that she would not have gotten in a kennel. At night time, she would sleep with Cheerio in her dog bed. It is a comforting feeling know that while you’re away your dog is being well taken care of. I highly recommend Shannon for overnight stays and training
Shannon is great with dogs! She really helped us with Buddy and we feel so comfortable leaving Buddy for “Dog-cation” at Shannon’s house.
Working with you, Shannon, is fun- your enthusiasm and passion made it easy to learn and to want to be there. Meeting others who also have the same doals and issues helped. It was great to meet people and their dogs- not only for us but for Augie.
I wanted to learn more obedience and get my two mix dogs trained. It was nice to have other dogs around so I could work on Sophie’s social issues in a controlled environment. Both dogs learned so much! The class helped Sophie tremendously and my confidence also. I liked that the class was small enough so that Shannon could work with all of us indivually. I can’t say how much Shannon has halped me and the pups!
Shannon, thank you for a great puppy class! Your enthusiasm is catching!! You definitely a way with dogs and we like that all of the enforcing of commands, etc. is done in a favorable, positive and consistent way. Your advice has truly helped us with Gunther and we look forward to putting all of your advice to good use.
Sugar Bear was your typical pampered and spoiled small lap dog. She had several bad habits, developed & reinforced by me (I was an uninformed pet mommy during her early puppy days). I learned so much from Shannon and how my interactions were not healthy for Sugar Bear.
At Polite Paws, Sugar Bear flourished in the nurturing environment and resolved many of her poor habits. The entire Sumner family helped to mold Sugar Bear into a well behaved and happier dog! Shannon also provided me with detailed instructions on how to continue Sugar Bear’s training at home. Furthermore, Shannon was available after the training sessions for additional support & advice.
Thank you Shannon & Polite Paws for helping Sugar Bear reach her potential!