Karol Kennedy

Karol Kennedy has been around dogs her whole life. She traveled the world with dogs during her military career. Her love of dogs led her to become a Certified Professional Dog Trainer through the Council of Professional Dog Trainer's rigorous hands-on training and testing program. She has worked with shelter dogs, trained her own rescue dogs, and studied in multiple levels of dog training academies, seminars, and symposiums. She is the trainer for HOPE (Hounds of Prison Education) at Roxbury Correctional Institution, Hagerstown, MD. This organization places rescued dogs with inmate handlers who provide good manners training and help them to overcome fear and behavioral problems which have made them unadoptable. She is also a volunteer and training resource with the Humane Society of Washington County.

Training Philosophy

Karol Kennedy believes that training creates a partnership between a dog and his human, based on a shared "language" presented verbally or through signals conveyed through body motions. It establishes mutually understood expectations (behaviors) and consequences (food, play, petting) and ensures a life together based on friendship, loyalty, and respect.

Services

Karol Kennedy offers private, good manners dog and puppy training in your home. She also offers behavior modification training to address issues such as separation anxiety, house training, unwanted barking, and other behavior issues which negatively affect your dog's relationship with his world and with his family. She also offers small group puppy classes in a convenient, central Hagerstown location, as well as dog and puppy socialization hours in which orchestrated and supervised "play dates" among dogs and puppies of appropriate age, play style, and size provide an opportunity for safe play and positive interaction with other dogs. She also helps people with disabilities train their own dog to assist them as a service dog. She also offers phone consultations to help people select a dog for service work, an ESA, or learn about service dog training.

Certifications

• Certified Professional Dog Trainer through the Council of Professional Dog Trainer's

Specializations

• Obedience training, puppy training, behavior modification, service dog training, emotional support animal training

Training Methods

• Clicker training, positive reinforcement, force-free training

Customer Reviews

Rascal, Hagerstown:
A "high five" to you for helping my humans to communicate better! They used SO many words and bounced around, waving their hands. I couldn't figure out what the heck they wanted. Now their cues are clear and I get treats and tummy rubs for doing the right thing every time

JTJ, Hagerstown:
We got a good feeling about Karol from our phone conversations with her and when I met her in person, I knew she was the one. Karol taught us a lot about dog body language, the art of clicker training and got our 5 year old daughter involved. As Scotch's confidence steadily increased, so did ours. It is a joy to see our daughter and Scotch nestled together on the couch. Even though our formal training sessions are over, we still stay in touch with Karol. We know that working with a dog is a lifelong journey but we have no doubts about our ability to handle what comes along. After all, we know we have the best teacher on our side. We have recommended and will continue to recommend Karol whenever we see the opportunity.

i.mom, Chambersburg, PA:
I wanted to share that we just took another walk, the first one since you left today. She did great! We had a lovely walk. I praised her and fed her tiny pieces of chicken as we walked.

Judy Williams, Woodsboro:
Thank you for your excellent training help for "Lilly". She is big and strong and energetic and would quickly be more than we could handle. Lilly is a quick learner and anxious to please but must be reigned-in with commands that she understands. Karol you have made Lilly a delight to have and we couldn't have done it without your help. Best regards, Judy and Frank

Carolyn McCartney, Smithsburg:
Karol is the reason I am not alone anymore. My husband died six months ago. I have never lived alone and was having terrible time just existing. I got a little rescue Yorkie, named him WINSTON, as my husband admired Churchill. I never had a dog, never really wanted a dog. But, I was so lonely, and really broken. WINSTON drove me crazy for months, incessant barking, not house broken, I was crying every day. I was missing my husband, and could not control this little five pound dog. I was ready to let WINSTON go, but I had heard of Karol, and reached out to her to get help, actually to find him a home. Karol was amazing. She understood my needs, and never having had a dog, it was a real learning experience. Karol came to my home, and just turned everything around. Life still is not perfect, but I have learned from Karol that so much of this is about me and my responses and knowledge. It is a whole new world for me. Winston is a wonderful little friend to me now. I talk to him, I worry about him when I am away. It is not perfect for sure, but a work in progress. But, words cannot express my gratitude to Karol for her kindness and compassion. I do not know how I would have survived this time in my life without Karol and her showing me that WINSTON can fill the emptiness in my life. Karol is a kind, caring, thoughtful person, and just the most knowledgeable trainer. Anyone would be fortunate to have her assist them with their own dogs. Sincerely, Carolyn and Winston

Natalie & Paul Arias:
I called Karol when we were considering rescuing a 90pound Alaskan Shepherd. She gave us great advice over the phone. We adopted Timber and Karol not only gave us the confidence to be good parents to her, but she also helped us to give Timber confidence to be the best dog she has ever been. We are extremely grateful for your help in successfully adding her to our family. We strongly recommend Karol without any reservation.

The Skowronski Family, Hagerstown, MD:
Because of a particular incident, we thought we were going to have to either give Baxter up or put him down. Karol assessed Baxter, helped ease our fears, and provided invaluable knowledge and expertise. We have no doubt that without her, Baxter would no longer be with us. Thank you Karol!!

Tambra Reap, Inwood, WV:
I could tell from the website Karol would be a great trainer, and that was reinforced on the phone. Our training sessions with our newly rescued dog with several issues were superb. He was a challenge because he had a noise phobia and couldn't take the clicker, but Karol's calmness, patience, and problem solving skills got us through. Winston has come a long way, and Karol's enthusiasm has me wanting to go even further. She is simply THE BEST. Like others, even though our formal training sessions are over I plan to stay in touch and perhaps work with her again in the future. She definitely would be my choice when I need expert help!