About Us

TESTIMONIALS: A FEW THINGS CURRENT AND FORMER CLIENTS ARE SAYING:

Everyone  has heard about the Horse Whisperer, well Lori is definitely a Dog  Whisperer. She loves dogs, understands them and is absolutely amazing  training them. We took my son’s 9 month old female Dobie (Piper) to  spend ten days of training with Lori while we were on vacation. From the  moment Piper walked into my son’s home as a puppy, she was the pack  leader. She looked around at everyone and decided—these people are mine  to rule and I will do as I please. When Piper walked into Lori’s home,  she had never socialized with another dog or cat, she was a beautiful  unruly queen. Unruly did not last long at Lori’s. Before we left, Piper  was already changing. She knew that Lori was her “pack leader”. Upon our  return, Piper was like a different dog. She walked on or off the lease  at my son’s side, she obeyed a whole set of commands (come, stay, drop,  kennel up, place, free etc.) She played with Lori’s dogs, knew her bed,  her play toy, her chew toy and tolerated the cats, did not climb on  furniture, steal food off the table, etc. Wow, life with Piper was going  to be bearable. Lori accomplished a miracle in ten days. I can only  sing this girl’s praise. She definitely has a gift as a dog trainer. She  loved Piper as her own, bathed her, cut her nails. We definitely will  board Piper with Lori the next time we are gone. We plan on continuing  training classes with Lori. It’s not so much that Piper needs the  training but her parents need to learn the commands etc. that Piper has  learned. (For instance, Piper does not “go to her bed” but, willingly,  “goes to her place” which is her bed.) Joyce Haden and Piper (Doberman) 

Before  I went to see Lori and Dogs and Their Companions, I didn’t really know  much about collars and was a little afraid of them and thought that they  might hurt my dog. But after training with Lori and learning the proper  techniques for using the collar, I believe it is the best training aid  out there. The collar does not hurt the dog and makes training so much  more effective. Lori is a great resource and once you train with her you  will have a friend for life as well as a support for anything you  encounter. People often comment to me how well behaved Sully is. The  training techniques have also helped me deal with Sully’s fear of other  dogs. It gives me the power to know that I can control him in any  situation. If you are in need of help with your dog, don’t hesitate to  call Dogs and Their Companions. Susan McCreary and Sully 

Daisy  is a different dog - she goes and come with no leash. I take her for  walks around the back pasture with no leash. All I need is the remote,  and I rarely have to use it. She isn't barking and going after people at  the doors anymore when they try to leave. She goes to her place when  asked and stays there till released. She goes in and out of her crate  with no chasing around the home. Thank you for everything. Frances Baker  and Daisy (the above testimonial was taken from a Holiday card and  emails sent to me from Frances sharing how wonderful Daisy is doing and  her desire to continue training) 

Hi Lori, This is Nellie's  "father". We are in Florida right now and enjoying our Nellie. Thanks to  you she has become the dog that Nancy wished for. She is a joy to be  around (about 95% of the time). She comes, stays, sits, retrieves, and  goes to place on command. On occasion we have to remind her with the  "zapper". Recently we have been working with her off leash and she has  done very well. She knows when she is wearing the collar or when she  sees the remote that she has to respond. Many of our friends are  astonished how well she behaves. Last week we had a couple over for  dinner who are not dog fanciers. When it was time for dinner Nellie  usually lies at my feet, but I thought that our guests would be  uncomfortable so I told Nellie to go to place. She did and as usual she  just lay there staring at me. Our guests observed the staring but I  didn't care because they have a house full of large dolls that all stare  at you wherever you go. A weird feeling to say the least. She repairs  and sells dolls all over the country. Her ability to obey commands  hasn't affected her personality. She loves to surprise us with something  that she shouldn't have like the TV remote, a pillow, unfortunately eye  glasses or anything else that she seems to think will get a rise out of  us. Those episodes usually occur when she feels ignored. Thank you for  the excellent job that you did with our dog. We got through Sandy  without any damage and we hope that you were as fortunate. Enjoy the  holidays.........the Weinberg's and Nellie (golden retriever with red  bow) 

Having two big dogs and only two hands is no easy task –  especially when one is a 75 lb., 15-month old golden doodle puppy, aptly  named “Tug.” I knew I had to find someone who could help him learn some  manners...and can’t tell you how happy I was when the great folks at  Neverland Kennel introduced me to Lori. She has made a big difference in  such a short period of time! Lori’s approach is firm, but patient and  kind. Tug is smart and wants to please – but has a mind of his own.  Lori’s training approach incorporates repetition and consistency with  “play” activities, like the agility course. Like all great teachers, she  manages to make learning fun. I am so pleased with the changes in Tug’s  behavior since he started working with Lori. He has mastered the art of  “sit and stay,” can walk beside me leash-free (no tugging and  yanking!), and is a champion at fetching and returning a tennis ball  when we go to the beach now. I am trying hard to reiterate what he’s  learned and continue to push him a little more – adding new distractions  and tougher challenges – but feel confident that he will continue to  learn, thanks to Lori’s techniques. My daughters are getting in on the  training, too, and we all plan to attend some of the group classes she  offers. Thanks so much for all your help, Lori. I can’t recommend you  highly enough! Sincerely, Peg Kates (and Tug, the goldendoodle, too!)

Lori,  we just want to thank you for your help with our Dog Buddy. Buddy is a 1  year old golden doodle and he was completely out of control, he was  training us. After only 4 lessons he now walks on leash great, he  responds to our commands and we can leave him off leash in our yard  without a fence. He is still learning and we keep trying to put him in  different situations that will help him learn good behaviors. Lori has  definitely changed our lives; we now enjoy having Buddy in our life.  Buddy is so much happier; he gets to do so many more things, like more  walks, going to the park, short and long car trips. He is loving life.  Thank you Lori, we recommend you to everyone. The Kline’s David, Elaine  and Buddy (goldendoodle) 

I just want to say how much Lori has  done to help my dogs and I. Niko is a bit head strong and is doing so  much better. Charo was very shy and now is much more social. My new guy  Marlo is too young but has met and loves Lori. Yes, my dogs love Lori.  They are always so eager to greet her! Thanks for all that you done and  do!! :) Robin West, owner of Coastal Pawz, along with Niko, Charo,  Marlo, and Poncho 

Rufus is a 75-pound golden retriever that we  were having a very difficult time controlling. He was unruly, very  strong, would not walk nicely on a leash (he pulled, jumped at cars, and  it was just not a pleasant experience), jumped on people, begged during  mealtimes, and seemed to think that he was the boss. We called Lori  Rossi-Downs thanks to hearing about her through a friend, and after an  initial phone consultation, decided that she should come give us an  assessment of Rufus. Within 10 minutes of working with Rufus and using  the DogTra collar, Rufus was a new dog. He immediately began walking  nicely on a leash, was well-mannered, and an all-around nice dog. He is  now very well-behaved, extremely pleasant to be around, and he is  obedient. We can have guests come to the door and into our home without  worrying that Rufus will bother them or knock them down because we are  now in control of his behavior. Wiping wet paws has always been a  challenge since Rufus thought that a towel was a pull toy, but that  problem was short-lived thanks to Lori as well. By far, one of the best  things that Lori trained Rufus to do is the "place" command, which means  that Rufus must go to his bed whenever we need him to, and he stays  there until he is released. It has made mealtimes with our family  enjoyable again since we can eat without Rufus begging at the table for  food. Contacting Lori and having her train Rufus was the best thing that  we've done in a long time. Rufus has become a cherished member of our  family and we're proud that he's so well-behaved. He's a joy to have  around. We couldn't have trained him this well (and this quickly)  without Lori's help. Sarah Grady and Rufus (golden retriever) 

An  Off-Leash trained dog is what every dog owner wishes for ...and that is  what I wanted too. Not only does it look cool, when you can take you  dog to the park and let him run off leash without worries, but it also  makes it safe. Twice, my dog Marshmallow broke loose after the leash  disconnected from the collar. Obviously, Marshmallow had no intention to  stop walking, no he even picked up speed. Unfortunately, I was walking  him on Mainstreet in Manayunk. For anybody who doesn't know, this can be  a very busy street. Marshi took off running and he seemed to enjoy the  "you can't catch me" game. Those were very scary moments. At the end, I  was lucky and my dog did not get hurt. I was even luckier when I found  Lori and Dogs and their Companions shortly after those incidents. I was  skeptical at first, not about Lori's training methodology but that I was  told that Marshmallow is going to learn just with a few training  sessions. Marshi was 3 1/2 years old at that time. I was trying to teach  him stuff for the past three years - how was he going to learn in a  short period of time? I was proven wrong, Lori was able to teach  Marshmallow very quickly and successfully. After the first three  sessions, I noticed that Marshmallow had made huge improvements. From  there on it was a pleasure to watch him learn. I don't know who was  happier about his accomplishments - Marshi himself or me. Thanks Lori  Marshmallow (bichon frise) and Juliane 

Thanks to Lori and Dogs  and Their Companions, Inc., I have two wonderfully trained and obedient  dogs. My dogs always come when I call them, no matter what. I am amazed  at how well they can heel off leash and sit quietly in place when people  visit. I am often told that I have two of the best trained dogs and I  have Lori to thank. I recommend Lori to anyone who wants a well-trained  dog, not only because she gets results, but also because she continues  to support your training efforts even after the formal sessions are  completed. Diane Hagy, Baxter and Dusty (smooth collies) 

In just  a few short months we have seen a tremendous improvement in our dog’s  behavior. As a young puppy, Laila was so excited all the time that she  would not listen to basic commands (even though she knew exactly what  they meant). After meeting with Lori and working through some of our  particular issues, the difference was clear. She sits, goes into her  crate, lies down and even walks with us when give the command. We are  still in training and find that there is even more improvement with each  class. Last class we were actually able to work with her “off leash” in  a park, which was something we never thought we would be able to do  (especially at 7 months old). Thank you Dogs and Their Companions! Cori  and Jeff Green, and Laila (boxer)