Our Success Stories
The success of our clients is what drives our passion! We are dedicated to enhancing k9 ownership through fun and effective training, transforming dogs one paw and tail wag at a time.
I can't believe what Jess managed to do in 4-weeks. Our GSD Charlie always had ear infections, but would bite us if we even tried to look at them, cleaning them was impossible. He was very aggressive at vet offices and had to be sedated for routine nail trims. He was also extremely aggressive towards children, dogs, and any kind of prey animals. Jess worked on his body handling skills and he learned to be around her pack of huskies and even her cats! He is so much more confident now, and in return Jess helped build our confidence in handling him. Having kids seemed so long into the future having Charlie so I can't thank her enough.
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-Taylor W
My Molly was a scary resource guarder and she was at times aggressive towards other dogs. She had attatcked other houshold dogs several times, but when she bit a stranger's dogs I knew I needed help. I had tried a trainer before Jess. He offered no more insight than what I-as an experience dog owner- already possessed. When we called Jess, she talked through a lot of concerns and made an appointment to come evaluate Molly. We followed the tips she gave us during her consult, and for a year we good. But then a bad experience with another dog happened and we needed help. Jess took Molly for 4 weeks and introduced her to her several pack members. While she was gone we got so many updates and videos of what she was doing with Molly. She even aided us in fixing her skin and gut issues. Molly has been back home for over a month now. My other dog's are willing to sleep next to her now (they used to growl when she came around) She follows commands like a dream and I can walk her without her going nuts at other animals. She redirects easily and she recalls fabulously. We still have work to do and Jess will continue working with us and Molly for a few more sessions. Its not an exaggeration to say that Jess saved our family. My husband was done with Molly's unpredictable aggression. If training with Jess hadn't worked, Molly had to go. Hubs, not a dog lover has stopped complaining about her and is instead commenting on how smart she is; he couldn't see it before because she was so challenging. Perfect strangers even comment on how well behaved she is when out on walks. Heck, she dosn't even chew on shoes anymore. I know this is a long review, but Jess' impact in our home and family has been just that big. Hire her. You will be so happy you did. I am.
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-Debbie J
I work with Greatful Goldens of The Low Country, a rescue organization for golden retreivers. We sent one of our rescues to Jess for a three week board and train. He had several serious bites on his records. Sweet boy Ozzy was in our foster system for over a year, returned several times with additional bites on his record. After the three week board and train, Jess not only fostered him but also did several meet and greets to ensure the right home. I can't thank her enough for all her patience and guidance. Ozzy thrived like never before under her care.
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-George R
Jess is a great trainer! Our GSD Tango responds so well to her. We also get so much value out of our training sessions. Jess can cover a good amount of info clearly and efficiently. She did a great job helping us with leash reactivity training, and then a few months later, some new training to help our dog adjust to new babies in the house. She also always has good ideas for new tools and toys to help with training when she is gone. And she is great at training the owners, because we need it most of all!
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-Megan F
We recently had to take in our son's 9 month old, high energy, high strung, and hard to manage pit bull. We couldn't walk him, and our current dog of the household China our Shar Pei didn't take too kindly to bringing him in. We signed our son's dog up for her 3 week board and train in hopes that having him calmer would help China feel more relaxed around him. She did such a great job, we ended up doing a board and train with her too! She helped manage her dog aggression along with her resource guarding behaviors. Now we have two amazing dogs that can happily co-exist together. We can even walk them together without the stress of having our arms ripped off. We highly reccomend Jessica if you need help with your dog.
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-Jerry B.
I am an animal care attendant at Williamsburg County Animal Care and Control. We reached out to Run Free K9 asking if they could colunteer their services for a dog we had at our shelter for over a year. Though he was a great dog, he had been returned twice due to his lack of impulse control and his high energy. Jess came to us and did one session with Slim, when she realized that fostering him would be in his best intrest. Slim was training with her for 4 weeks untill today. Today, Slim found his forever home with a loving family due to the help of RFK9. We give all credit to them for finding Slim his foever home. Jessie is absolutley the best!
-Denise T
Jess is amazing to work with. Your pup is going to love her. She's knowledgeable, patient, and generous with owners and you can tell she loves working with dogs. We have done board and trains, training adventures, and half day bootcamps with Jess. She has helped us overcome scary resource guarding behaviors along with off leash reliability. Thanks to Jess, Daniel has become a loving, happy, playful part of our family who is a joy to live with.
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-Joyce H
I met Jess while she was working with a different company. She trained my very sassy, very over the top Shiba Inu. Two other trainers sent us away after meeting Luffy. He was defiently not an easy case and it took someone with a lot of patience to work on his challenging behaviors. Jess did such a great job, that we had to send our aussie puppy Sage to her. The results were equally as impressive. I am so glad we met Jess and spent the money to have well trained companions as a few months later we found out we were having a baby. It was money well worth spent.
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-Carrie J
Run Free K9 helped me through the puppy stages with my girl Pumpkin. Both Lauren and Jess were amazing trainers that were always there to answer any questions. Now she is a confident pup that is eager to please and has become the perfect companion for my houshold. I can't thank them enough!
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-Mary P
Jess is magic! We sent our 4 year old dog reactive border collie to a board and train for a little over a week and he came back totally changed! He responds so well to commands now and can even visit dog parks. We never thought he would make so many dog friends. We love working with her because she is so knowledgeable and helpful, she even offered us financing options. A million thank yous to a great trainer!
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-Robby O
Jess is an amazing trainer!! I met her at a pet convention and instantly know she would be a great fit. My pup isn't bad, he just needed a bit of help. Jess worked with him for a 3 week board and train. She sent me videos and pictures almost daily and we talked while he was away often. My fear was a trainer changing my pups silly personality. Jess didn't change anything about his personality, he is still crazy silly, but now I have much more control and now instead of running through the apartment complex when he would get out, now he is fully off leash trained which helps me keep him safe and provide more freedom. I will always recommend RFK9 to anyone who is looking for a trainer.
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-Calista C
Jess has worked with all three of my pups. She helped me with my senior dog and my anxious rescue pup that was terrified of life. Now she almost has too much confidence! Kali, though she didn't qualify for service work had natural abilities for medical alerts. Jess worked with Kali's scent training and now she is a great home assistant for my health. I had been on a waiting list for a service dog for over 3 years and when the VA said they lost my paperwork, I knew I couldn't wait any longer for aid. Jess helped me find the perfect rescue dog. We traveled to a bunch of rescues around SC and she evaluated the perfect match, my beloved Mr. Moose. I never wanted to self train my service dog as I didn't think I was capable but with Jess's guidence I knew exactly what to do. In just 6 months we turned my shelter pup into a magnificant mobility service dog. Im truly impressed with Jess' training knowledge and love for dogs and super thankful for her assistance. She even offers free pack walks that help me keep up with our training and socalization. I can't thank her enough!
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-Heather W.
Jess is a wonderful trainer with my dog Luna. Shes a very energetic dog but has a lot of anxiety especially around other animals and was becoming quite reactive on our daily walks. She learned so much during her 3 week stay and I can not believe the progress she made. Highly reccomend!
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-Erin H
We had such a great experience with Run Free K9! Jess did a board and train with our 5 month old very anixious, rambunctious beagle puppy, Penny. Her firm but patient approach with Penny helped her overcome incredible anxiety of people and other dogs, and she is an absolute lady now on a leash. Jess also helped us with tons of tips and tricks on everything from food choices to activities to commands. She has been very availile and supportive anytime we've had questions. We would highly recommend allowing Jess to help you and your dog!
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- Amber Puckett
We brought our GSD Kai to Run Free K9 after trying out two other trainers. While Kai was quite obedient, he struggled with unpredictable aggression towards our daughter and guests entering our home. Outside, however, he was an entirely different dog, displaying friendliness towards others. Our main challenge remained within the house. Jess provided both a board and train program, along with several in-home lessons to help us manage interactions with our daughter and guests. Although Kai will always require some level of management, she empowered us with the skills to handle him confidently and become stronger advocates, alleviating his drive to protect us. Since we travel frequently for work, we also sought a reliable caretaker for Kai, who spent a considerable amount of time with Jess over the two years. He essentially became part of her pack and genuinely enjoyed his stays with her. While we were sad to see her leave Virginia, we are incredibly grateful for all she has done for us and can’t thank her enough.
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-Mike M
​Jessica helped me with my pug Jamie and instead of having that "little dog syndrom" he is a well behaved gentleman and is the joy of the party. No more seperation anxiety, or being anxious out in public. He is a dream on the leash, and trusts me so much more now. Thanks to Jessica our relationship is better than ever! Jessica's Run Free K9 is the answer to any of your behavior problems I highly reccomend her!
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-Nancy F
Absolutely wonderful experience! We have Theo, a giant breed dog who is very stubborn. We struggled to walk him because he would sit or roll down in a ditch multiple times throughout the walk, and at 130+ lbs, it was hard to move him. Crate training was not working, and we needed a way to focus attention. Jess was fabulous! In the first consultation session, she had Theo into his crate willingly with no problems and had him understanding "place". By session 2, Theo was walking so much better on a leash, and we even got to walk past other dogs! Jess was a lifesaver, and I am so grateful for her! Highly recommend!
-Samantha L
I have know Jess since she was in High School. When I found out she had been training dogs for over ten years, I knew that I wanted her to work with my new Cane Corso, Titus. I started training very young and did a puppy board and train with her. He was already showing massive signs of resource guarding at 8 weeks of age. I wanted a large protective breed, but knew that training was important. Jess taught me how to overcome his insecurities around resources and he does much better with humans now. When he turned a year, we did another board and train with her to focus on his off leash obedience.
We have used her for vaction boarding several times as well and Titus always has a blast. When Jess moved to SC, we tried other boarding facilities and unfourtently Titus was kicked out of several of them as he started to develop room aggression, with men in particular. Because of his breed, many facilities didn't want to take him in. So now to go on vaction we travel from VA, to SC just to drop him off as Jess is the only person we trust to handle Titus. You can tell just how much he loves her. I never have to worry when he is in her care.
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-Thomas E
I have worked with Jess for a couple years now. My mobility service dog did fantastic as a puppy, but with age increased behavior problems. As a disabled veteran I started to struggle handling my 120lb malamute Kinchay at times. She became less reliable to consider as a service dog and I thought I would need to retire her early. I didn't keep up with her socialization as much as I should have with other dogs so she started showing aggression around larger dogs. Part of this was overarousal, part of this was her protective drive with me and her dominant nature. She then started becoming a massive resource-guarder with my little dog Toby. I did my best to manage the behavior by feeding her in the crate but this never helped with training away her aggression response. Jess was able to work with her resource guarding tendencies and integrated her into her pack of 3 huskies and 2 cats. I never thought she could be around cats, but Jess worked with her prey drive and taught me how to play with my dog in new, fun ways. She taught me the importance of mental and physical stimulation and helped come up with unique ways to provide these even with my disabilities.She helped me by taking her in for rehabilitation during a health crisis of mine and worked with Kinchay to get her back to where I desperately needed her to be. We were able to go back out in public together and enjoy many more adventures before she was diagnosed with cancer. I can't express how much Jess helped us during her last few months and I will forever be grateful for her amazing skills. If you're looking for the best, talk with Jess!
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-Janice R
