Testimonials

for

Selina McIntyre, Dog Behaviourist, Trainer & Author N.Z.

Firstly, here is a link to see my Google reviews https://g.co/kgs/Dd97UGm Then ~ Hi Selina, I wanted to take the time to thank you for the work you put into helping myself, Pip, McKinley and Early.We had been worried about McKinley being leash reactive since she was attacked by another dog whilst she was on leash some months ago and her propensity for attacking other dogs she perceives as weaker than she is. Early coming into our home brought our concerns to a head as she took on the role of protector of the puppy. You spent considerable time with us, passing on information and valuable skills, leading us to a place where we could confidently become pack leaders who McKinley trusts to take care of her and the puppy. It took less time than we anticipated but the change has been stunning with no coercion or dominance skills needed. McKinley is a changed husky, she is more relaxed, happier and confident, she's great on lead and reports from day care are that she is willing to listen to and obey her leaders there when her instinct is to go into protect mode. She isn't confused as to who is in charge, she's willing to allow humans to take the lead in protecting her and Early and she obeys commands instantly, whereas before she would consider and debate commands as only a husky can. Thank you for giving us skills and techniques that we can use for the rest of our dogs lives that are simple, yet totally effective in every wayMaureen (and Pip) Stewart with Mackinley and Early. Leadership and dominance are different. Dogs seek guidance from a leader and they do not require physicality in their training.
Hi Selina, On behalf of the Martin household we wish to thank you (especially the three dogs!) for helping us create a more harmonious home environment. Before you came to us, we had three dogs all competing to be top dog. We struggled to gain control when visitors came to the house. We couldn’t take all three dogs for a walk together and we would never have considered introducing our dogs to other dogs. We often found items around the house chewed. The dogs squabbled with each other daily. We didn’t realize how stressed we all were.Now we can take the dogs out to the dog park, off lead, and they socialize well with other dogs. We don’t have issues with them running away from us while off lead. Visitors aren’t bothered by the dogs and the destruction around house has stopped. We don’t have the constant battle with squabbling – the dogs know who the pack leader is. The dogs seem more relaxed, more balanced. We are all a lot less stressed. I would recommend your services to all dog owners who need to get in tune with their dogs.Thank you.John & Brie Martin.
To whom it may concern, Working with Selina was the best decision we could have made for our family. At first we were nervous about what was going to happen and what she was going to recommend, but that quickly faded! Selina is so patient and really listens to you and your dog's story, it's like having a friend over once you get over the weirdness of being observed..We had a fairly complex history with our 7year old dog Remus, and really didn't have high expectations for the outcome of working with a trainer. But following Selina's recommendations has completely changed our lives. It's only been about six weeks since our first assessment with Selina and Remus is now a much happier, fairly confident boy, who is truly living his best life. He's much less reactive, more easily calmed, obedient, and less clingy. We're more knowledgeable and because of that we're able to be better parents to him, all thanks to Selina. Could not recommend working with her enough. Alice Moore.
We want to thank Selina so much for helping us with our furbaby JD. The past experiences of asking for support and help with our pooch didn’t have a lasting or even positive impact on him and Selina has changed that for us completely. The time she took to get to know us and our little whanau went so far, we can see it in just how content JD is now and the changes in him were almost instant. There is still a journey ahead to make sure we keep on top of things but the impact Selina has had on all of us has been amazing and I’m so glad we’ve got her support for any future challenges we may come across. Thank you so much! Rowaina, Mathew and JD x
To whom it may concern, I had heard of Selina from a local vet clinic. They were impressed by her and felt that she may be able to help me with our sweet natured but determined Dachshunds! Nearly 3 years old.We have found Selina free of good advice and we liked her firm ideas on using non- physical means, ever.Selina has shown us how to teach them, quite firmly, who are the “leaders of the pack” and it’s not them!Dachshunds are known to be barkers and ours were quite extreme. They are now less anxious and easier to be calmed at these times.Selina gave us lots of helpful hints, some around feeding time. We know now to get them to wait, till we have finished our food before we feed them.Overall we feel Selina has helped us to manage the dogs more calmly. They are happy and relaxed, easier to manage generally and we feel the whole exercise has been well worthwhile.Thankyou Selina,J Wright.
Hi Selina, I just wanted to drop you a note to thank you for your wonderful help with training Jet, our black Labrador, which we 'inherited' at 9 months. Jet is now 14 months and doing so well. We were thrilled with your wise and practical suggestions and training tips. We worked on those in conjunction with your training and he has proved to be a quick learner! Thank you again for your expertise and good, practical training help. Kind regards, The Valentine Family.
To whom it may concern, The greatest gift Selina left us after she came to see us, was an improved relationship with our dog. We have been able to relax and enjoy him more since her visit. Throughout the consultation she spoke confidently, keen to share as much of her knowledge about dogs as she could, without judging us. From the moment she arrived she was able to correctly identify things we were doing incorrectly and she gave us helpful, practical suggestions that could be easily and immediately implemented. Her professional manner instilled confidence in us to deal with our dog positively. Even though at first we were a little bit skeptical, we followed her directions carefully. We noticed change/improvement within a few days. Over time - much sooner than we expected in fact - her advice and insight proved sound and we are all living a lot happier together (and so are any guests). It just goes to show, a little knowledge goes along way :-) Bonnie M.
Check out a review of my book, 'Big Dog, Small Dog' https://www.nzbooklovers.co.nz/post/big-dog-small-dog-make-your-dog-happier-by-being-understood-by-selina-mcintyre 'Big Dog, Small Dog is easy-to-read, well laid-out and a testimony to Selina’s deep understanding of dogs. I recommend it as an invaluable resource for any dog owner.' Selina from Dogs Best Friend has been working with our family to have a more harmonious household with our Great Dane Duke and Labrador Ralph. Even though we have had dogs as part of our family over a lifetime, our boys (and us) were needing a bit of expert advice around correcting some negative behaviours. It has been an incredible relief and such an easy process to make simple and effective changes which are showing great results and a much calmer and happier situation for us all. I would thoroughly recommend Selina, Rochelle Bolt.
A heartfelt thank you to Selina for her help with our two dogs (and the humans..) Our girls had taken over the house, couches, beds and lives. Loud and in the face of visitors (pity the poor pizza guy ), a not so regular drag around the park due to sheer frustration and fear as both would get in the face of other dogs off leash but the more timid one would turn into psycho dog on leash flinging herself skyward, snarling. When at home she would be always at my heels 24x7, to the point I would turn to do something and fall over her. She was constantly stressed, awake and on guard. We now have two calm dogs who let us know when we have visitors but then go back to what they were doing. Our girl is not on guard and timid, she sleeps deeply and when I move opens one eye and then goes back to sleep. Walks are becoming a pleasure and a time to look forward to - today we walked past two dogs and the girls looked at me and just walked on. Happy, relaxed and calm are now how I would describe our household for both dogs and humans. Thank you! Sheryl Smith.
Selina McIntyre, a Dog Behaviourist & Dog Trainer in the Hamilton - Waikato, Tauranga - Western Bay of Plenty and Rotorua areas of N.Z. © Dogs Best Friend Limited N.Z. 2025.