Every Dog Has Something Extra-Ordinary Inside
Sometimes it just needs the right support to shine
Life with your dog should feel connected, calm, and enjoyable—for both of you. And when it doesn’t, it can feel confusing or frustrating.
Walks become stressful. Communication feels unclear. Or you’re not sure how to support your dog in the way they need.
Whether you’re navigating reactivity on walks, adjusting to life with a new puppy, or helping a rescue settle in, you’re not alone in it.
Take a breath.
Your dog isn’t giving you a hard time—they’re having a hard time.
Sometimes a dog’s brilliance gets buried under stress, fear, or uncertainty.
My work is rooted in positive reinforcement—helping that brilliance shine.
When dogs clearly understand what’s being asked of them, they have the chance to get it right—and that’s what builds real confidence.
Every dog needs something a little different to get there—and the right kind of support makes all the difference.
Some dogs need purposeful exercise and enrichment.
Others need more structured support to build skills and confidence.
That’s why I offer two levels of support through Pawsome Pets—each designed to meet your dog where they are.
As a Certified Professional Dog Trainer (CPDT-KA), I help dogs and their people move forward together through positive reinforcement dog training and enrichment-focused walks that build confidence, clarity, and real-life skills throughout Fort Collins and Northern Colorado.
Enrichment Walks
Engaging walks that provide movement, mental stimulation, and reinforce everyday manners.
Paws Forward™ Confidence Method
Structured, skill-building walks that help dogs and their humans move forward together—with clarity and confidence.
“Thank you for being so pawsome with my dog—we’re both happier together now.”
Trusted by dogs and their people in Fort Collins and across Northern Colorado
All reviews
TrustindexPosted on Google
Kate Ross60 days agoTrustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google.
Dana has been working with our dog Ollie for over a year. He is a rescue dog and was quite protective of the house around when we first got him. He wouldn't let strangers in the house without us there - difficult situation for dog walking and other care arrangements! Dana worked to slowly get to know him and build trust with him, and they now have the sweetest friendship. She is one of his favorite people who comes to the house - he has a special bark/whine that he gives when he knows it's a friend, and she gets it each time. :) Ollie is a very smart dog and benefits from enrichment. She does a great job providing that to him on their walks. She comes up with new games to do with him that keep him engaged and having fun. He loves it, and I love knowing he's working that big brain of his and not getting bored waiting for me to be able to take him out when I'm working. Dana is also really accommodating and can often switch her schedule around to help us out. Last but certainly not least, she is a very knowledgeable and kind person - she has been a great source of doggie information for us. We love her service and highly recommend it!Posted on Google
JR Tomasovic87 days agoDana has done wonders with our lab Stella. She went from being a "pull you down hard" girl to one who makes good choices. Dana's patient positive reinforcement training works. Really works. We recommend her highly.Posted on Google
Cheryl Spencer118 days agoI have 2 heelers with reactivity and confidence issues that have had a great response to Dana's positive and confidence building techniques. Walks are less stressful more fun and their manners and impulse control are continuing to improve! The girls adore Dana, she has been a great addition to the pack!Posted on Google
Corynne Hilbert120 days agoI can't recommend Dana highly enough--I'd give her more than 5 stars if I could! She worked wonders with my 5 year-old Golden Retriever, Sadie, while I was out of town. She both walked and trained Sadie, and it made such a difference in Sadie's polite greetings. Knowing that Sadie was in such competent and gifted hands provided much peace of mind to me while I was away. Dana worked magic with Sadie, and Sadie loves her! I have trusted Dana with Sadie the last two years and will continue as long as I can. I highly recommend Dana for training and pet care!Posted on Google
Kimberly Gray134 days agoI've had such a wonderful experience working with Dana! She has been incredibly patient and knowledgeable, helping both my puppy and me navigate the challenges of training. Thanks to her guidance, he's improved so much in his house manners, perimeter training, recall and even agility for fun. She's also been fantastic at socializing him (setting up play dates with other clients both current and past for us) and taking him on fun adventures to play and learn at parks and on river walks. I highly recommend her to anyone looking for a caring and effective dog trainer. My puppy and I are so grateful for her support! Dana’s forever our bonus pup mom !Posted on Google
Teresa Finnerty211 days agoDana did an amazing job working with my Lab mix Jasper! I had a recent injury to my foot and was on crutches unable to walk Jasper. He is an older dog (13 years) and was a anxious about leaving me. Dana took her time to gain his trust and was so professional and patient. She has such good knowledge of dog behavior and total respect for them. She was flexible and understanding taking the time to get to know Jasper. I have also watched her walking a group of pekingese in my neighborhood. They used to bark and pull when walking past other dogs. After working with Dana the pekingese were completely calm and sitting quietly when passing other dogs. Great work Dana!Posted on Trustindex
Judy P.314 days agoTrustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Trustindex.
Champ loves Dana! I recently fractured my elbow and was under doctor's order not to walk my dog, who is a 90+ pound Great Pyrenees/Border Collie mix, especially as he is reactive to other dogs. Over the course of 2 months, Dana was a regular part of the team that made sure Champ got his daily exercise. She was flexible about days and times, and did some training with him, as well as stayed on an extra week to do some training with me, once I was cleared to walk him again. Dana always texted when she was on her way and Champ started to associate her text with her arrival and would get very excited and pace until she arrived. We recommend Dana to anyone!! She's patient and kind and really enjoys what she does.Posted on Google
Alexei Gaidarzhy595 days agoDana had very good reviews and we needed someone competent to train and spend quality time with our Frenchy puppy Benny while we were at work. Dana has proven a wonderful resource and it seems it was love at first sight with Benny. Dana has a wide range of fun games and positive training techniques, she has brought Benny new toys, and we get texts and pictures from every visit, showing a happy puppy playing with his friend and mentor . We highly recommend her!Posted on Google
Karen OShea674 days agoI have a very stubborn great pyr/golden mix. I had no control over her till we signed up for training with Dana. She is amazing and definitely a dog whisperer! I can’t thank her enough for turning my stubborn girl into an absolute angel! Thank you so much Dana 💜Posted on Trustindex
Holly Sheppard715 days agoI recently moved to the Fort Collins area and Dana was recommended to me by a friend. I'm so happy to have quickly found such a reliable and knowledgeable dog helper! She knew exactly how to handle my dog who is a bit reactive. Surprisingly my pup took to her right away and is always excited to see her which is unusual given she growls at everyone else. Can't recommend her enough!Posted on Trustindex
Lexis Goodale(2026.03.06)Dana and our dog, June, have developed a great bond! It is obvious that Dana truly cares about June's well-being. Dana has supported June with reactivity issues and loose-leash walking, and June has made great progress. Dana uses positive reinforcement strategies, which we really appreciate as owners. She is readily available to collaborate with us so that we can provide consistent support for June while Dana isn't here. And she is willing to troubleshoot issues as they arise. We highly recommend Dana!Posted on Trustindex
jennifer mcmanamee777 days agoDana has been working with us and our dog Cody. Her walk and train program was the perfect option for our challenges. Cody is quite reactive during walks yet surprisingly receptive to Dana's training. She has worked with him solely as well as with us. She has taught us how to decrease pulling and he has successfully become attentive to these cues. He is very reactive to skateboards, bicycles and other dogs. We have seen a positive change including being less reactive to these triggers. He has gained more confidence and control when addressing his reactive tendencies. He has shown great improvement overall but especially with maintaining a loose leash. We are all grateful for the skills we have acquired from Dana's walk and train program.Posted on TrustindexJR Tomasovic780 days agoSince we started dog walking and training with Dana, our 4 year old lab is a different girl. The improvement in her reactivity to other dogs was almost immediate. Her attention to commands, calmness and general demeanor has improved significantly. We can’t say enough good things about Dana. Our life and Stella’s life is so much better!Posted on Google
Timothy Osgood994 days agoDana has done wonders with our anxious reactive dog. She knows how to handle a reactive dog and get the desired response. Dana is also great at helping the owner learn how to be a better handler. Most importantly, our dog enjoys working with her.Posted on Google
Melissa Powell1192 days agoDana is an amazing dog trainer. She is gentle, patient and hopeful. My anxious, fearful rescue pup has calmed due to her help and compassion. She is just the best. She’s good with owners, too ;)Posted on Google
Shelley Rhoades1193 days agoDana is a great dog handler, uses positive reinforcement and engages your dog for good learning. Extremely dedicated and lives the animal and is reliable, trustworthy, talented. I would highly recommend her services to anyone.Posted on Google
nina gesell1193 days agoDana is such a special person! She has a gentle and beautiful heart for dogs. She was able to teach our rescue anxiety ridden pit bull to sit and to enjoy long walks. Walks have been so difficult for us because she is fearful, constantly on high alert and defensive. Teaching her to sit was a milestone because our dog is distrustful of any expectations. This has been a journey of understanding how to gain the trust of an abused animal and Dana’s care has been a key element to our success. She’s family!Posted on Google
Elizabeth Millikan1416 days agoPawsome Pets and its owner Dana are absolutely awesome. Highly trained and professional the comprehensive care and attention to the needs of your your pets is guaranteed when you you employ her services. She is the ultimate "Dog Whisperer" Liz MPosted on Google
Anna Renken1435 days agoWe love Pawsome! Pets! We have been using Pawsome! Pets for our recently adopted dog, to help teach her some manners and leash skills. Pawsome! Pets has helped our dog in so many ways - increased her self control and confidence, taught her to be comfortable around new people (using time and positive reinforcement), and encouraged her to be her own dog self...becoming an all around wonderful dog. Pawsome! Pets is so good at meeting dogs where they are and coaching them to be wonderful animals. I can't wait to continue our training with Pawsome! Pets.Posted on Google
Melinda Maddox1486 days agoDana from Pawesome Pets is the best. She’s attentive, cares about our dog and is reliable. We’ve used her for two of our dogs and the dogs end up loving her as much as us, she’s become a part of our pack. She has even worked with our new pup on off leash recall and it’s working!Posted on Google
Shelby J1880 days agoDana is amazing! We have a dog that is very nervous and reactive to humans that he doesn't know. We explained our situation to her and she was willing to work with our reactive dog with the guidance of us and our trainer. She won our sweet Memphis over if just 5 visits. We are so impressed with her! She is extremely knowledgable about dogs and how to take care of them. She truly cares about dogs and does a lot of positive reinforcement training and exercises during her walks. He comes back a better pup from every visit. In just a month, she has taken a dog that couldn't be touched by her and turned him into a dog that is now literally giving her kisses. She is definitely a dog whisperer of some kind. We are lucky to have found her!Posted on Google
elizabeth munson2057 days agoDana is exceptional. I feel so lucky our paths have crossed, and I know Dana cares so much for our girl. As our dog ages, Dana has played and will continue to play an essential part in her care and is a support for both her and for us too! Do not hesitate in making Dana a part of your pet’s life!Posted on Google
Chris Danforth2229 days agoDana is incredible! She’s very professional, communicative, reliable and treats our 10yo pittie as if he were her own. Her services are highly recommended!Posted on Google
Lea Angell2455 days agoDana has taken care of our pets while we were on vacation a couple times. She is very conscientious and does a great job! Thanks Dana!Posted on Google
Alison Finnman2675 days agoI recently went on a week long trip and used Dana's services for my 1 1/2 year old dog. Not only did she come over to walk my dog, but spent extra time with her working on good leash and walking behavior. She had several helpful recommendations for me as far as what harness works best for pulling and which treats work well for training. She left a detailed log of my dogs' behavior each day and sent me lots of cute pictures to ease my mind. I was very happy with Dana and would absolutely recommend her services to any fellow dog owner, she treated my dog like her own!Posted on Google
Kara M2712 days agoDana was a wonderful sitter for my puppy and cat. She made being out of the home worry free! She is reliable and has lots of good information to share. Always kept me posted as to how they were doing.Posted on Google
Dave Rose2751 days agoAbsolutely great experience. My wife and I left for a week and had Dana stay at our house and watch the dog. It was perfect. When we got home our dog had no questions about where we'd been for the last 7 days, he was just happy to see us. Added bonus; while we were away the house had a water issue which Dana was able to resolve for us over the phone. All around great experience and we will be using Pawsome Pets from here on out for our house sitting / pet sitting needs. Thanks again Dana.Posted on Google
Amy Hahn2752 days agoIt's hard (with cats) to determine whether your cat sitter is "loved" by the recipients, but I would say that Dana got the big "paws up" from ours. We had her look after one of ours who was sick on two occasions while we had to be out of town. She looked after every detail, double checked that she understood what was needed as far as meds, and kept our "cat station" in the kitchen neat. The cats were clearly very comfortable with her. We will use her again.Posted on Google
Greg Dickinson2761 days agoDana is a dog whisperer! Our dog always barks ferociously at strangers, and instead she immediately cuddled up to Dana and asked to be petted! I can’t say enough good things about Dana and the care she takes with Panda! She is prompt, caring, and always watches out for Panda’s well-being.Posted on Google
Molly Borman2766 days agoI've had Pawsome Pet care for awhile now and what I appreciate the most is the consistency of high quality care for my furry kids. I know my pets are treated extremely well because of Dana's love for animals combined with her credentials. I notice her attention to details and how she goes above and beyond with her care taking. I highly reccommend Pawsome Pets!Load more
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