Maya, the German Shepherd Dog

Mike Hogan
State College, PA 

Kris Hopkins has a remarkable talent with dogs, and I would recommend her to anybody. We have a high spirited German Shepherd, Maya, who comes from champion Schutzhund bloodlines. At a very early age, Maya developed an obsessive/compulsive tail-chasing problem. Our initial efforts to correct the behavior only made things worse, as Maya became withdrawn and would run away when called. Kris taught us ways to channel Maya’s energy in more positive directions, and while Maya still occasionally "spins" she rarely chases or bites at her tail obsessively. She also is much more responsive, staying close by and coming when called. As a bonus, Kris taught us how to train Maya not to pull on leach and not be so reactive toward other dogs. The transformation in Maya’s behavior has been remarkable, and Kris Hopkins deserves all the credit.