Customer Reviews & Testimonials

Natalie Ake
December 23, 2020
"Our family adopted Louie (the Potcake pup) in early March 2020 just before we went into lock down. He was rescued from an abandoned house in the Bahamas when he was only two months old. While Louie is the sweetest pup, when we first got him he was also very anxious. He missed out on some key socialization prior to his rescue and in his first months with us during quarantine. With every month that passed, Louie became more attached to our family and more fearful of the outside world.
By the time he was 8 months old, he refused to go for walks and barked at everyone outside of our immediate family. Chitra started working with Louie a few months ago and has literally transformed our pup into a much more confident and friendly dog. While we still have a lot of work to do, we can now take Louie for walks all around our neighborhood, he is much more disciplined in our home, and has even welcomed family members over for dinner with licks and nuzzles. Louie loves every session with Chitra and he especially looks forward to the agility work she has introduced to him to build his confidence. Louie has improved in his basic manners and impulse control. Chitra was the first person Louie allowed into our home and is by far one of his favorite human beings! We are so thankful for Chitra and all that she has taught Louie (and us)!" |

Terry Nearhos
December 9, 2020
"I have recently finished a course with Chitra Walmsley and my 18 month old German Shepard. I was referred by the amazing Lisa's at Pet Cabaret in Roslindale and I could not be more happy with the results. Chitra is a delightful trainer who is a fully in tune communicator with dogs and their owners alike. Her calm and obviously dog oriented personality suited our needs for just fine tuning our gorgeous rescue from good to great has been a game changer. Shelby was always devoted but needed a little more attention to not being so needy in my attention to her at all times. She now sits and waits for meals, stays while I leave and knows I'll come back, can be distracted from other dogs and people on now lovely walks, can walk away from distracting elements such as our cats or trash on the sidewalk, is much more attentive to me calling her back to look at me and sit, lay or come. We are still working on perfecting these things, but I am feeling much more confident in making Shelby confident as my best buddy.
After every session (once a week), Chitra sends me a plan for the week for reinforcing my dogs newly learned accomplishments. The most important thing I can mention in this time of pandemic is Chitra's professionalism and very strict adherence to Covid guidelines which, as a nurse, I am extremely impressed and reassured by. The night before our sessions, I have to attest to a number of questions regarding exposure, symptoms, travel and working responsibilities during our sessions.
I cannot recommend Chitra enough. Her attention to every interaction between my dog and myself is so keen and introspective to give just the right advice. Just little cues to make the experience better have led to an amazing, yet subtle, change in my Shelby's behavior.
Do this! Chitra is the best!"
After every session (once a week), Chitra sends me a plan for the week for reinforcing my dogs newly learned accomplishments. The most important thing I can mention in this time of pandemic is Chitra's professionalism and very strict adherence to Covid guidelines which, as a nurse, I am extremely impressed and reassured by. The night before our sessions, I have to attest to a number of questions regarding exposure, symptoms, travel and working responsibilities during our sessions.
I cannot recommend Chitra enough. Her attention to every interaction between my dog and myself is so keen and introspective to give just the right advice. Just little cues to make the experience better have led to an amazing, yet subtle, change in my Shelby's behavior.
Do this! Chitra is the best!"
"Chitra Walmsley is a dog whisperer! From the moment I spoke with her on the phone, I felt comfortable and confident that she was the right dog trainer for us. We were first time puppy parents to a mini Australian Labradoodle named Bella. Chitra helped guide us calmly and lovingly in our training beginning day one.
Chitra exudes such warmth and charisma in all that she does. Her cheerful smile shines through even when she is wearing a mask (during The Pandemic). Chitra is devoted to the overall wellbeing of our dog; she is well versed in all areas of Bella's physical and emotional development. Chitra has taught us how to read Bella's cues in order to meet her needs. Chitra strives to make sure our puppy is healthy and happy. We are grateful to work with her and know you will be too!" ~ Debbie and Jeff |
"As an adult rescue, our dog missed out on important socialization when he was a puppy and instead developed a host of maladaptive behaviors. Chitra has given us great insight into his mindset and the tools to bring out the best in him. She is equally knowledgeable and personable. We're so grateful to have found her!"
~ J. Seaman |
"Chitra is a life saver! Three weeks after we brought Pepper home from the shelter, she started growling and biting our family. She came to our house and worked with my husband, our two daughters and me to train our puppy. Over time Chitra has helped us to develop positive behavior based strategies to address Pepper’s guarding issues … Chitra is very patient, optimistic and always comes prepared."
~ H. St. Clair |
"My husband and I have enjoyed working with Chitra as we continue to learn more about working with our two pups. Her training methodology has been very successful for us. She’s great about not only the importance of training consistency for the dogs, but also the humans! And the dogs love working with her as well."
~ A. Florczak |
"I am so grateful to Chitra for her guidance in getting me started with training my Wheaten Terrier, Bonnie! I had not had a new puppy in over 20 years so was a little overwhelmed. Chitra put me and Bonnie completely at ease. The best part was that she gave lessons in my home so we could get started before Bonnie was even eligible for typical obedience classes!"
~ L. Denekamp |
"We had just adopted our 12 week Pitbull mix who was full of energy and a good spirit so we knew we needed someone knowledgeable to come in and guide us. That is exactly what Chitra has done over the past 6 weeks; guided us with her positive reinforcement training that we can apply daily into our lives. Her passion for dogs was instantly recognizable."
~ K. Phelan |
"Our now two-year-old golden retriever, Mia, was quite the spirited little pup, so at age 4 months I took her to puppy obedience … It was remarkable to see Mia’s reaction and response to Chitra. There's nothing better than walking into our private training sessions and being greeted with a warm smile and hug from Chitra. She provides a high-touch, personalized approach that works! Chitra’s number one priority for her clients is to provide behavior modification to ensure the safety and well-being of our dog."
~ K. Holman |
"Chitra played a key role in helping us prepare our male Labrador Retriever for search and rescue dog training by providing us with the obedience and dog handler training required by the California Rescue Dog Association (CARDA). Chitra took the CARDA requirements and developed a customized obedience training for our dog that was a great success. With Chitra's help, we now know that our dog has what it takes to become a search and rescue dog..."
~ R. Reed |
"In the three weeks we have worked with Chitra, Cara has shown appreciable improvement. We know the steps will be small ones, but each week we have moved forward. We look forward to continuing our work with Chitra. We are certain that with her help, we will have a happy and confident dog."
~ S. Sweetgall |
"Chitra helped me and my 2 dogs (ages 8 years old & 5 months old) with so many things. Her vast knowledge of dogs assured me that my dogs had the temperaments to learn to get along, helped me recognize their signals, and above all has given me the skills and confidence to train my dogs!"
~ A. Rounseville |