Veterinarian Referral
Dr. Sarah Kegel, DVM
I am a small animal emergency veterinarian in Texas, that adopted a rescue puppy six years ago. I truly used to believed that nurture will always win over nature, until my rescue pup taught me otherwise. When Jack started having behavior problems with humans, including my significant other, I finally decided to seek professional help, and Kathi came highly recommended to me by Veterinary behaviorist Dr Lore Haug in Houston.
Kathi has been instrumental this past 2 years in helping me train and manage my dogs behavior challenges . She is always very tactful and has a great bedside manner. This has really helped keep communication lines open between the human housemates, and the dog in question . I really appreciate her great obsevational skills and patience, not only with her canine but also human clients.
I really enjoyed all of Kathi’s great hand outs and reading materials she would provide after her visits to our home . She was very willing to follow up and stay in touch. Her love for animals really shines through when working with her. She tries to be very fair and set realistic expectations. I really liked that she gave us remote feedback when sending her videos of my training progress after our sessions together.
Kathi has a lot of great tools in her “trainer toolbox “ acquired through years of experience. She is very plugged into the dog trainer community, and it is obvious that she keeps up with new information and resources to help her clients and their dogs with a wide variety of excellent training solutions.
If you are looking for a very experienced and compassionate dog trainer, look no further and book an appointment with Kathi OMalley. She always takes a positive approach, and will help you and your pup get on track with your behavior modification and/or training goals in no time.
I feel grateful that I had the opportunity to work with her, and wish her the best of luck in Nashville.
Sarah Kegel, DVM
Professional Recommendations
Suzanne Clothier, dog trainer, lecturer and award winning author of “Bones Would Rain from the Sky: Deepening Our Relationships with Dogs”
Kathi O’Malley is a good choice, and one I can wholeheartedly recommend. I do know her, she’s here at my farm 1-2x yearly as well as at other seminars. I am in regular email correspondence with her, and she is one of a select handful of members of my by invitation only Thinking Trainers list. She is also got a good amount of experience with aggression and triggers.
Not only is Kathi a good thinking trainer, she’s relentless in trying to track down assistance and ideas from other professionals (one of the roles that the Thinking Trainer’s list serves to all members), and really cares deeply for dogs and people who love them.
Enlist Kathi’s help, and you’ve got a fierce and skilled advocate for what is best for your dog, for you, for your relationship in a humane, positive & professional way. Lucky you that she’s in your area!
Enjoy working with her – I surely do!
~Suzanne Clothier
www.suzanneclothier.com
How Kathi has helped others
My miniature Australian Shepherd, Buddy, developed fear-aggression problems with both people and other dogs early in life. I have had many dogs over the years, but never one like Buddy. Over the last three years, Kathi O’Malley has helped me learn how to help Buddy see people as neutral beings instead of scary beings and to see the world outside as a place where we go have fun instead of a terrifying experience. Kathi has provided me with literature sources and training opportunities with other professional dog trainers as well as working with me and Buddy directly. Kathi has taught me is that a positive relationship with my dog is of utmost importance. I had to learn to relax as we walked instead of tensing up because of my own fear. She taught me to repeat nursery rhymes to help me relax and even to “breathe”. I didn’t even realize how uptight I was before we worked together. Kathi has a way of being encouraging to both pets and people as we learn new lessons. I highly recommend Kathi as a compassionate, thorough, fun, and caring trainer of people and their dogs. Buddy and I truly love working with her. ~Linda and Buddy Greenman, Coppell, Texas
Hi Kathi,We owe a TON of credit to you. Before we talked to you the first time, we had no idea what to do. We were very much stressed because we love all three of these Rotty girls and wanted nothing to do with sending any of them out of our home. With your guidance and expertise, you made us more aware of the dogs, their interactions, and how they communicate. It cannot be said enough – we very much appreciate your help with this situation!!!Oh and I’ll have you know one more tidbit of information. The UPS man literally JUST came to the door and delivered a package. I currently have Athena, Shug and Daisy out with me and although Daisy barked a couple of times and was still a bit excited, they all sat down and waited while I got the package from outside! ~Rebecca and Scott Weisman Prosper, Tx.
Hi Kathi! Just wanted to say “Hi!” Cooper’s 1st birthday is today and I was thinking about how far he’s come over the last year and how appreciative we are for your help in turning him from a “wild man” as a puppy to a loving and well-behaved dog (well, older puppy). Cooper goes to doggy daycare a couple times a month when our housekeeper comes to clean. The other day I went to pick him up and the receptionist said to me “Did you have him obedience trained? I remember what he was like when he was a puppy and I couldn’t believe it was the same dog!” She said that when she took him out for his walks he would sit on command, etc. – I was so pleased that he was so obedient to someone other than just you, me and David!He’s done wonderfully, he’s still mischievous but he’s not as naughty as he used to be – he’ll steal socks out of the laundry but instead of running away with them he brings them to us. He’s really a wonderful dog and we love him so much!Hope that you are doing well.
~Kylie, David and Cooper, Dallas, Tx.
I cannot say enough good things about Kathi O’Malley. I certainly would not have my precious dog, Ruby, were it not for her vast knowledge, patience and recommendations for treating and training my dog. A little background here- Ruby was a rescue pup, half border collie, half coonhound and was adopted to be a playmate with my two-year-old boxer. They got along great; they loved each other. They played, never a problem. However, six months later my son, his family, and two large labs moved in with us while building a house. This was fine for a while, but being the only female things got ugly about a year later when she picked a fight with one of the labs and he fought back. Their other lab and my boxer got involved and I got injured. It was all very upsetting and scary! After that we had kept them separated until my son moved into his house next to my property.
Ruby and Baxter were back to being the only two dogs in my house. However, she began to resource guard her food and toys, and one day attacked my boxer when he went towards her food bowl after eating. In trying to break up the fight I got injured again and had to have surgery on my hand. So, I kept them separated until I could figure out what to do. I took Ruby to a trainer in Murfreesboro, which for me was an hour away, and learned I would be required to use an E-collar for training. I took her once and decided I didn’t want to do that with her. I researched behavior specialists and found Kathi O’Malley recommended online. The beauty of it all she comes to your home as she believes it is more effective to work with dogs where they live. The first time she came she listened to me, made no promises for such a serious situation, but offered a plan. My vet had put Ruby on trazodone. Kathi has worked with several Veterinary Behaviorists in the past and suggested since it was not working for Ruby we talk to my vet about trying an SSRI. It has made a huge difference along with Kathi’s behavior plan! She’s a force free trainer, which I love. She’s very patient, very kind and very aware that how a person interacts with their dog makes a huge difference. The beauty of her style is that she teaches not only your dog but you! I learned more from her than I ever imagined I could. I almost went to vet school, so I considered myself pretty knowledgeable about dog behavior. Well, I wasn’t. She came to my house for four months and now Ruby and Baxter are no longer being separated at all, not even for feeding times! The only thing that I still do is pick up Ruby‘s bowl after a meal so that she doesn’t feel the need to resource guard it. I learned a lot about nutrition, medication, how to train, what treats to use that are healthy for your dog – All from my time with Kathi. I recommend her highly without any reservations as she is extremely experienced, kind, patient and reasonably priced. She always demonstrates so you can see your dog interact appropriately. Both my dogs learned from her how to be more disciplined. This makes your dog feel better too! I learned to be a better, more patient dog parent! If you need a proven, amazing Dog Behavior Specialist and Trainer call Kathi O’Malley
~Rita Gregory, Lynnville TN
Dear Kathi,Thank you SO much for saving our puppies lives. I am grateful that because of you I can sleep with Ruby and not be afraid. I hope you enjoy your gift. ~Zachary HundleyThank you so much for helping our dogs! Each night when I cuddle with my dogs, I think of how you made this happen. ~Andrew HundleyKathi, Just a token of our appreciation for helping our family. You went above and beyond – staying for hours at each session, calling in between with more advice, and all at a very affordable rate. We’re one big happy family again, with dogs who are happy, playful, and loving. There have been no incidents or fights for months. The dogs cuddle with us on the couch, play with each other all the time, sleep in our beds, etc. Life A.K. (after Kathi) is wonderful! :-)Thanks a Million,~Tracy and Scott Hundley