"For the past several years, I have sent my clients to Sarah Mullen when their dogs needed training, or had behavioral issues. I had been looking for a trainer I felt I could recommend to my clients for quite some time before meeting Sarah. As owner/proprietor of Pet Cottage, the natural pet store, for more than 25 years, my clients count on me to give them the best advice. I'm very picky about who I recommend, and will only do so when absolutely confident about their abilities. Seeing Sarah's interaction with her own dogs, I felt she was the ideal candidate - and I was not disappointed. My customers aren't just happy; they rave about how wonderful she is!

I have had the opportunity to watch Sarah interact with a number of customers and their dogs in my store, sometimes fitting harnesses, or just talking with them about their dogs. I have seen how well she reads the dogs and how gentle and patient she is with them, as well as the care with which she communicates with their owners.

I also experienced Sarah's work from a client's perspective when she worked with our Jack Russell Terrier "Jazzy". Jazzy had a very difficult start in life, resulting in serious fear issues. We had tried another trainer previously, and Jazzy had taken an immediate dislike to her. Sarah gained Jazzy's trust easily, and by the end of the session we were able to take Jazzy for a walk in the neighborhood without her barking or acting stressed. Sarah also helped us resolve our concerns over the interactions between Jazzy and our cats. I have since recommended Sarah to other customers who have previously had unsuccessful experiences with trainers, and they have also been happy with Sarah's ability to gently and effectively teach their dogs where others had failed.

Over the last few years, I've spent many hours talking with Sarah about dogs and training. She clearly thinks deeply about her work; she is continually striving to improve her knowledge and skills and invests her time and resources in continuing education to stay on the leading edge of her field.

I recommend Sarah wholeheartedly to anyone who is looking for someone to achieve positive results with any type of dog."

- Sandie Verdos
Owner, Pet Cottage
San Anselmo, CA

"I am a long time dog owner and have been involved with canine rescue for the past several years. Currently, I live with four dogs who have come tome from the pound and rescue system. Because my dogs all brought with them various issues (aggression, fear, anxiety), I have been to various dog trainers and for many years adopted their philosophies especially, the "pack leader" idea and having the dogs listen to me "just because". Initially, these methods seemed to work for the most part but I still noticed aggression in my dogs especially with other dogs and even towards the dogs in their own pack. I also know that I carried a lot of stress in my body as I would await their next potential explosion.

Recently, my dog Rudy was charged by another off leash dog as we were going for a walk. In his fear state he displaced his aggression with a bite to my thigh. I had had enough and contacted Sarah Mullen who had come recommended by two different sources. After our initial consultation, I realized that her methods of positive reinforcement were completely alien to me. Using treats went quite against the dog training education that I had followed for years. I remember thinking this was going to be a lot of work to completely change my methods and besides, what guarantee did I have that it would work? Well my answer came in pretty short order. Within two sessions I noticed a vast improvement in my dogs. Not only were they growing nicer towards other dogs but seemed much more relaxed with each other. I also noticed that my stress level was reduced to nearly nothing as I could go out in the world and my dogs instead of attacking other dogs would defer to me. As a "pack leader' there was a certain emotional distance that I was keeping from my dogs but now I feel a greater understanding is occuring between us and a lot more love.

I am extremely grateful to Sarah for coming into our lives and helping me see what I was unable to see before."

- Carlyn Montes De Oca

"This letter will recognize and recommend Sarah Mullen as a dog trainer of exceptional ability, who obtained remarkable and lasting positive changes in behavior in our toy Papillons, Bailey and Ella.

The out-of-control behavior of our four-year old male Papillon, Bailey, was the reason we first contacted, and subsequently hired, Sarah. We could not encounter other folks on the trail, especially those with dogs, without excessive barking and other protective behavior. I will tell you that Sarah had Bailey waiting politely at the door to go outside after one session, and after four or five he was able to stroll by unfamiliar dogs without so much as glancing at them. The thing I learned about dog training from Sarah is that what she really does is not [just] dog training at all, it is dog AND owner training!

As a result of the huge positive shift in Bailey's behavior, Allison was inspired to enroll Bailey in a Therapy Dog program and now, just a year after we hired Sarah, Bailey regularly visits a nearby retirement home, where he tenderly interacts with the folks there and just makes us so proud to be his owners. Amazing!

Ella, Bailey's sister, had a similar set of problems. Sarah moved on to some sessions with her after we had achieved our goals with Bailey. Results with Ella have been equally substantial, and she too passed the Therapy Dog program and is adored at the retirement home.

Allison and I strongly recommend Sarah Mullen as a dynamic and effective dog trainer."

- Michael and Allison Farey, Novato, CA

"I was not ever going to have a dog as large as Sammy. He came to me as an abandoned puppy and I was left to take care of him the best that I could. After puppy kindergarten, subsequent training programs, and many readings of training books, I found myself alone and disappointed. Just into his fifth year, Sammy was a good dog, but had his shortcomings. Sarah was a godsend. Her patience and methods were so fruitful, I think that all of the previous years of advice and so-called expertise were a waste of time and emotions.

Sarah taught me to see my dog as the smart and willing student that he is. Her understanding of both my Sammy's intellect and mine took us to a new level of relationship and companionship. Her training, depth of understanding, and her insight into who Sammy and I are led us to a better relationship and made the world a better place for both of us.

I would like to see the same experience happen for more people. Trainers like Sarah should be more common, but they are few and far between. I write this in the hope that it may be the testimonial that puts proper methods and care into others' lives. Sarah is the best influence we have ever had. If I could make you engage her as your trainer, I would, but since I can’t make you do that, I will ask instead. Give her your faith and your time. You will not regret it."

- Jade J. Schulz, La Jolla CA

"Daisy was a severely traumatized dog when I got her at age 9 months. She would not let any human approach her and quivered uncontrollably if cornered. I tried using a trainer who had been extremely successful in training my previous Wheaten, and it was an utter disaster; Daisy started shaking uncontrollably and urinated on the carpet and the trainer was frustrated and humiliated.

At the urging of our beloved vet, Pam Bouchard, I tried again with Sarah. Sarah immediately understood how to gain Daisy's trust. She worked with a clicker and small food rewards and adapted her training to Daisy's needs and speed. The results have been wonderful. All of Sarah's work with Daisy was accomplished by loving use of positive reinforcement, without any harsh words or punishment. Sarah obviously adores dogs, understands them very well, and works with them lovingly. She is very current with academic and training research literature and integrates that well into her training. I can think of no better trainer for any animal and recommend her enthusiastically.

- Carl Diehl, Fairfax CA

"If I hadn't started training lessons with Sarah, it is very possible that my dog Uli would be in very serious trouble. Uli has a history of biting a few people and [Sarah] has made a huge impact in teaching me how to work with Uli. I have worked with three other trainers, and nobody else has had as much success with both me and my dog. Sarah knows the best books to read on understanding dog behavior and she really cares about Uli. She is patient and has great instincts with my dog. Where other trainers are inflexible in their methods, Sarah adjusts as she gets to know the dogs and I have seen a huge improvement in my ability to work with my pup."

- Anna Cornell, Sausalito CA

"I have experienced Sarah as a trainer both in private sessions at my home and as class teacher at [the] Marin Humane Society. She has an excellent ability to explain clearly the method and purpose of what she is training and is remarkable in her ability to get an immediate and successful response from dogs. She has a broad range of education and experience, from dog health and nutrition to a variety of training techniques that give her the knowledge and skill to handle every situation with success. She has extraordinary skill working with challenging problems such as excessive shyness in one of our pups and strong spirit and drive in the other pup. Dogs love her. And she's a great trainer of owners as well. We love her too. Her talent as trainer is exceptional."

- Catlyn Fendler, Corte Madera CA

"Thank you very much! My dog is completely changed (for the better!) since her first day at school. Sarah is a very knowledgeable instructor. She really gets dog psychology and makes it easy to understand what works and why - and what doesn't. Sarah really cares about her dog-students. She has taken her own personal time outside of class to offer me advice on [my dog] Syzeza's behaviors - advice that has led to some amazing results. She has e-mailed me several times just to check in on how Syzeza is doing during the week. That's on Sarah's own time - and I am so grateful for the commitment and care she shows in taking that extra step."

- Kirsten Michener, Corte Madera CA