Contented Canines offers dog training, people coaching, and relationship-based behavior modification. Led by a retired U.S. Army Colonel with extensive training experience, Contented Canines provides group classes and private sessions both at their studio and in clients’ homes. Clients praise the effectiveness of the training in resolving various dog behavior issues. One customer shared that after adopting a 2-year-old cattle dog, they faced challenges like pulling on walks, chasing squirrels, and reacting to other dogs on leashes. With help from Thomas Kelly, the owner, they learned to communicate better and connect with their dog. After initial assessments and ongoing classes, their dog now walks on a loose lead and is more relaxed. The training emphasizes teaching owners how to interact with their dogs to encourage desired behaviors, making both happy. Many clients find the lessons valuable for understanding and managing their relationships with their pets, especially for beginners. Contented Canines is known for its attentive support, personalized approach, and clear guidance to help dogs and owners live better lives together.
I have had countless dogs over my 60+ years of dog ownership and never felt I needed a trainer to help me. However, my present dog, Merry, began showing signs of reactivity toward dogs, people, noises, odors, and unfamiliar objects at 8 months of age, and these only got worse over time. I tried everything to get her under control, including a local trainer and a canine behaviorist, but got nowhere. By a strange coincidence Tom Kelly came into our lives a year ago (11/2021), and he has worked tirelessly with Merry and me. She has spent several weeks with him in his training facility, in addition to having had many hands-on training hours with him and me at home. To say Tom is excellent at what he does is an understatement. In my book he is nothing short of amazing. My dog positively adores him. As far as she’s concerned, he is #1. Tom’s training philosophy centers primarily upon teaching a dog to make its own good choices. He doesn’t believe in a lot of outright obedience training. Instead, he prefers to reward the dog when it makes a choice he likes or to disagree, in some form, if he’s unhappy with the choice. He puts great emphasis on getting anxious, overly reactive dogs to relax. This is a time-consuming proposition, but he patiently takes it on. He’s strict, but calm and consistent. He makes the dog understand that he’s the leader and assures the dog that he will take care of any uncomfortable situation that may arise. His focus is totally on what the dog is thinking and what he can do to help the dog get through stress-inducing encounters. I’ve heard other people call Tom “the dog whisperer.” He is certainly that, and then some. Merry, with her hang-ups, is a work in progress. She has made great strides forward under Tom’s direction, and so have I. We keep practicing what he has taught us day after day and are grateful to him for showing us how to make things better. Barbara Wright - Charlotte, NC
We are only a week in and I am already seeing some amazing changes. Since being attacked by another dog on leash my german shepherd had become leash aggressive and didnt trust other dogs. Through these new processes my dog is becoming more optimistic about the world and learning to trust that his owner has got him covered. Tom really concentrates on animal behavior rather then obedience, which to me is key. Opie already has the canine good citizen and obedience courses under his belt but that wasn't helping him, he needed a mental shift. Tom's processes allow the dog to make the right decisions under the owners leadership. It has completely opened up my mindset on dog behavior. Highly recommend!!!!
Working with Tom was one of the best things I did for my pup and me! We did the foundational course, and he really teaches you to understand how the dog thinks, and helped us shift Remi and my mindset so that he can live a happier life in a human world! Remi was a super anxious dog when we first started with Tom, but since our training he has learned to choose calmness in certain situations, learn that not all men are evil, and even have the courage to shimmy under the coffee table to grab his toy/treats. I am so impressed at how far we've come and super hopeful about how to navigate our relationship in the future using the tools that we've learned!