Puppy Foundations

MJ is a dog whisperer! Quincy had so much trouble walking on a leash and settling in the house before we started training. He is a different dog now! MJ helped so much with commands and explained why certain things work and don’t work with training a dog. She is the best!

We had a great experience with MJ at her Reactive Rover class with our Brittany Cooper. MJ has a great teaching ability of how to handle dogs. She is very knowledgeable, patient and kind. She has a great way of explaining how dogs think and why the act the way they do. We highly recommend MJ as a dog trainer.

My dog and I had a wonderful experience with MJ! She is patient, understands doggos, and their humor! She was always available for questions and willing to work on anything we needed help with. Levi and I would highly recommend her! (I think Levi secretly had a crush on her too - or maybe it was just her treatos!) 4 paws up!

MJ is an amazing trainer! She is clear and communicative not only about what she is teaching, but about WHY this addresses our dogs needs and how our dogs may be interpreting our behavior. It was a “reactive dog class”, and she made us all feel safe and able to engage in every activity. I’ve been to many trainers with many dogs. She is the best!

MJ was unbelievable with our young corgi!! We had tried everything to get him to not explode when someone left the house but in one session it was greatly improved. She was so in tuned with why our guy was going mad and gave us a plan to coach him through it greatly improving our everyday life. She is amazing!

MJ was patient, knowledgeable and knew how to reach my abused dog, Jazzie. She is not food motivated, so training was a challenge. MJ simplified the process through leash training and building Jazzie's confidence to get in the car and take short walks. Much progress in only 4 hrs of training. In my view, Jazzie's achievement was well worth the cost! Recommend highly!

MJ was great. We did the reactive dog class for my hyperactive, over excited about everything one year old pointer. I trusted her process and really saw immediate results once we started practicing. She had excellent recommendations along the way the more she observed and got to know the dogs.

I adopted a rescue from Texas in mid-March. We had multiple challenges, especially separation anxiety. But after 2 lessons with MJ, Sofia is now walking great on leash and I can leave her safely on her own in the house for up to 6 hours. MJ is so knowledgeable and a very good teacher--I would highly recommend her services. She also is very responsive to texts and email if you have questions/concerns between lessons. Dont hesitate to consult with her!

MJ is awesome!. She is always watching and giving tips if you and your dog are struggling with a task. She also notices when Nikko would need a rest because he was over his threshold. She took time with everyone as a group and individual . I was Very nervous my first class as Nikko is a strong large dog but MJ was very understanding and helpful. We can't wait to start phase two of her distracted dog class. I would definately recommend MJ to anyone who needs help with there dog.

Peaches and I just completed Distracted Dog training. Classes were fun and informative. MJ was very prepared for class and had alternatives for each of the 4 dogs in our class. While we will need to continue practicing what we learned, I feel we made considerable progress in the 6 weeks we attended. Looking forward to our next classes.

MJ is a wonderful positive dog positive trainer.

Her approach is supportive and behavior oriented, which is in my experience with my pups the kindest method and improves a much deeper bond with my dog. My standard poodle gained flexibility, self confidence, important training on a suitable-safe-humane-leash MJ recommended for him among other positive things.

I strongly recommend her for your dog no matter what. Additionally she’s fun, with a balanced easy going creative style that suited me and my dog.

MJ and Cape Canine have been a God send to me and my rescue dog Eddie. I was at my wits end when I reached out to MJ and today I can say that Eddie and I are on our way to a respectful relationship. I now have the tools and an understanding of dog behavior to enable me to be a good dog mom. MJs techniques are not complicated they just must be repetitive and you must be ready to put the training time in each day. I finished my first series of classes and now we are moving on with the Distractive Dog Training course MJ has created. I am Team Cape Canine all the way!

MJ is a great trainer! She listened to all my concerns with my dog and didnt try to fit us into a cookie cutter program. She was very attentive, as well as very responsive to emails and texts. Her methods really helped my dog gain loads of confidence. I could tell that her expertise was based on great education and lots of expereince. I highly recommend MJ for all your doggy's needs!

MJ has been an incredible resource for our German Shepard and Dutchie (and occasional rescue). She pairs knowledge & skill with experience in an effective real world way that makes training dynamic for each dog’s unique needs. We love her balanced approach, and value her sincere commitment to her work.

MJ has been a beyond wonderful trainer who we have worked with since our pup was only a few months old. She is communicative, kind, and super knowledgeable. She always answers our questions and explains everything she does or suggests. Our pup is now 2 years old and has beautiful manners and such a great set of skills that he uses everyday. Training is always a work in progress and we can’t explain how grateful we are for MJ on our journey!

We contacted MJ after our 6mo old coonhound/beagle mix puppy, Goose, started exhibiting reactive behaviors around new people/dogs. We were at a point where just walking around our busy apartment complex seemed overwhelming. Throughout our 8 week program we learned how to work through our pups issues, how to interpret his body language and change our handling of him accordingly. MJ not only teaches you what to do but thoroughly explains the reasons behind each of her instructions. She is an extremely knowledgeable behaviorist who has given us (and our pup) the confidence and freedom we were looking for. She not only addressed Goose’s reactivity but also leash pulling, prey drive/impulse control, and overall manners. We can now enjoy everything we wanted to as dog owners, safely introducing him to friends and family, taking him to new places and parks, and even having him enjoy the company of our closest friends dogs. We could not recommend Cape Canine Academy more!

We are very grateful to MJ and her excellent program for giving our pup Annabelle the skills she needed to get off to a great start with our family. MJ does an excellent job explaining the puppy mind and the why behind her method. She helped our pup not only with listening and obedience skills but helped give her confidence too. We wish MJ all the best in her now location!

MJ stands for miraculous jewel! This girl is a TREASURE who truly cares about animals. Her extensive knowledge in dog training and endless patience, not to mention her enjoyable personality, have helped both me and my husband feel more confident and better equipped to handle an energetic goldendoodle puppy, whose zest for life is matched only by her fondness for treats and chasing rabbits. MJ is professional, prompt for appointments and so very pleasant to be around, I can’t recommend this trainer strongly enough!

Amazing pet photography! MJ was so patient and kind working with our goofy dogs; she made the whole experience easy and fun while showcasing their personalities on camera! You can tell she really loves dogs and we're so thankful she captured these memories for us.

Thank you Instinctual Canine. I honestly do not know what we would have done without MJ. We adopted our first rescue puppy last year - Jasper. Jasper is a very bright pup but he needed guidance and needed to learn basic commands. We signed up for the perfect puppy package and not only has Jasper learned a great deal, but as pet owners we have learned a great deal as well. MJ is extremely knowledgable, patient, professional and we really enjoyed her training style. I highly recommend MJ!

We adopted two dogs from the shelter that became very aggressive to one another when food was involved. They had attacked each other on more than one occasion and I didn't know if we'd be able to keep them both. Thanks to MJ with Instinctual Canine we can give these dogs a happy, safe home. Both dogs learned many new skills, and we learned how to manage and understand their behavior.

Working with MJ was a great experience for my dog, Demi, and me. She is both patient and firm at the same time. MJ took the time to answer all my questions—and I ask a lot of questions. We needed help with front door scenarios and getting Demi to be calm around a toddler. Our walks are much more enjoyable now that Demi looks to me for direction. It now falls to me to practice the lessons MJ taught us. I look forward to attending some of her pack walks and other events.

I would like to let you MJ know what was said to me at the groomers. She has been grooming Lola since she 3 months old and she told me that she has seen a great improvement in Lola (now 1 year) since we have been using your company. Lola did not like crates I never trained her with one. Then MJ told me it would be beneficial for her to have the training. I have to say that it has worked out great, the groomer sees a improvement and so do I. I am looking forward to future training to make Lola a fun dog to be around. Thank you MJ for the time you have given me and Lola in you training.

MJ was a delight to work with! She helped us get our dog ready for the Canine Good Citizens test. She was knowledgeable, reliable, and great at communicating with us. I wouldn't hesitate to reach out to her again if we ever needed help with training! Thank you so much for your help.

MJ has been wonderful to work with. The lessons are structured in a way that both you and your pet succeed. She has a way of explaining things that makes the process simple to understand, which I greatly appreciated!

My scared rescue quickly warmed up to MJ and, thru the lessons, has gained more confidence in herself and is learning that the world isn’t so terrifying. We are a much happier family thanks to MJ and recommend her to everyone!

Mj is absolutely amazing! I love working with her and my dog! She has helped me understand him better and has helped me gain confidence with him! He was extremely dog reactive when I met her! He would bark at every single dog he passed without stopping! He’s a big blackGerman Shepherd that can be very intimidating! She helped me Divert his attention and change the behavior! She has so much Knowledge not only on dog training and behavior but food and lifestyle things as well! I would recommend her 1000 times over to anyone!!!

MJ was fantastic to work with. She helped us with a very sensitive German Shepherd puppy and we really appreciated her knowledge of the breed and reactive/sensitive dogs. She taught me so many things about working with dogs as well as super useful training methods. I appreciate the way she uses a variety of tools and tips and does not fall into only using one technique. I highly recommend working with her.

We could not have had a better experience with MJ! She is a talented trainer who very effectively leverages behavioral psychology to optimize training. She does a wonderful job of explaining both the "why" and the "how" as relates to the training. Both of our dogs have different personalities and training levels and she was able to tailor each lesson to fit their individual needs and educations. MJ is so pleasant and professional to work with, and we look forward to working with her in the future!

MJ was fantastic!! I went to MJ with a 5 year old very reactive dog and a 8 month old puppy. Her lessons were so easy and so informative! I’ve seen a huge improvement in my dogs and I have so much more confidence walking both of them together. I cant say enough great things about MJ and her work. Thank you so much for everything!

We absolutely loved working with MJ! She was clear and concise with her instructions and she helped us with not only making our walks soooo much better with our pupper but also with super reactivity to the doorbell/front door. We would absolutely work with MJ again and tell anyone who needs some instruction for their dog to call her!