Read our raving reviews!
I can't say enough good things about Sammye in a single review, but I will try!
My fiercely independent teenaged son has a medical condition that will make it difficult for him to live independently without having a service dog. With the cost of a quality service dog prospect and the cost to train that puppy, we knew we would probably only have one shot at getting things right. There are no guarantees when it comes to an individual puppy, so we took greatest care to make the right choices every step of the way. When it came to choosing a trainer, we interviewed several but knew after our first conversation with Sammye that she was the one for us. She was so generous with her time and gave us thoughtful answers and detailed explanations in response to all our questions and concerns. Her years of experience, her vast knowledge, and her love for animals were obvious throughout that first conversation and every conversation we have had with her since. She formed a bond with our service prospect puppy from the first time she visited our home; he is her biggest fan! We have a large family with lots of large personalities, and she made sure that she factored all that into her advice. Of course, she especially got to know our son and his unique needs as an avid outdoorsman and soon-to-be college student. He is very comfortable with Sammye and trusts her wisdom, and that is one of the most important things in this process.
We have had the opportunity to experience an extended board-and-train session with Sammye, and have also utilitized individual sessions with Sammye and our service prospect, as well as with our family's pet puppy. She has been a Godsend for the family pet, who is a bundle of energy and a little rebel. We have also taken a group class with her to help our wild child puppy learn manners and basic obedience, and that has been a huge success! She does such a great job of helping us when we are overwhelmed and worried; she just simplifies everything and works with us to address whatever the issue is. She is training US as much as she is training our pups.
So whether you are looking for a service dog trainer, or a trainer for your companion animal, go with Sammye!
Tammi M
I contacted Sammye to help us with our 9-month-old puppy, Buddy. He is a ball of energy and could not contain himself when we had visitors in our home. We met with Sammye weekly, and she gave us tools to help our puppy get to a calm state before greeting visitors. Sammye was a pleasure to work with, and Buddy adored her! I would highly recommend her!
Paula S
Sammye is amazing! I have a 5 year old lab/boxer mix that struggles on leash and also around other dogs and people. We would meet weekly and she would help provide tools that I could use when I was out during the week with my dog. She was always flexible, responsive and truly wants to help get you and your pet to a great place in training so you can do it on your own. I would highly recommend her!
Sarah F
If you're looking for a board and train program, I highly recommend Sammye's dogs! We were really struggling to make any progress with our goldendoodle puppy--she didn't listen to or understand commands, couldn't walk on a leash, wouldn't go in her kennel, and wasn't adjusting to our routine. After two weeks with Sammye, she was like a whole new puppy! Sammye listened to our concerns and targeted them specifically. Now, we know how to work with our puppy to consistently continue training at home, can take her on walks without her pulling us, say "kennel" and she runs right in, and are in a normal routine with her around our work schedules.
The board and train program was two weeks, but included three additional private lessons--one at pick up and two more follow-up lessons. We learned so much from Sammye during these lessons! While our puppy was with Sammye, she communicated with us daily with updates and videos. The cost was about average compared to all of the other programs I reached out to in the Houston area (some were more expensive, some were less), but what put me at ease is that Sammye kept our puppy in her home with her, rather than outside in a kennel. The other thing that really set Sammye apart for me compared to other programs is she focuses on using positive reinforcement, praise, and rewards to train dogs. While our puppy was with Sammye, I knew she was safe and well-cared for. We truly feel lucky to have found Sammye to help us with our pup!
Jennifer H
"To sum up my review below: Sammye is a lifesaver.
When I first got my puppy, I thought I was doing all the things right, playing crate games, working on obedience, etc, but still wound up with a pup with horrible separation anxiety. I tried every online tutorial and blog, working for months on my own trying to gradually desensitize my dog to being alone. After months of little to no progress, I was starting to worry I'd have a dog with life long panic attacks who I could never leave alone. I tried several private trainers, who more or less parroted the same things I was reading online and had already tried on my own. Anytime I left the house I either had to take my pup with me or pay someone from rover if I couldn't find an available friend to watch her. I had several months off before starting a new job, and I treated training my dog like a full time job yet still wasn't making progress.
Sammye's reverse board and train changed everything. After a few weeks of reverse board and train days (The trainer comes to your house for several hours to work on a problem in the dogs home environment), I now have a dog who I can leave at home without a second thought. No crying, no whining, and certainly no more panic attacks!
Sammye was always very respectful of my home and I always felt comfortable leaving her with my pup and a house key. As a bonus, my pup was always exhausted after a full day of working with Sammye, which meant I got to enjoy a tired out, snuggly pup when I got home. Sammye was incredibly patient with her, and used positive reinforcement methods that aligned with my own philosophy (I can't say the same of the other trainers I tried). Sammye was so professional and clearly very knowledgeable in her field, and I cannot recommend her enough.
If I could give her 10 stars I would. As my pup grows more I'm sure we will run into other problems, and I fully intend on reaching out to Sammye when the time comes."
Thank you Sammye for all your hard work!
Elyse L
"Sammye was the trainer for my son's Service Dog, Golden Retriever named Abe. Before I talk about Sammye let me tell you about the dog she has trained. Abe is incredible. He has utmost positive manners, super smart, has great intuition. He behaves great in any setting, airplanes, hospitals, stores, school anything you can imagine. Abe understands multitudes of commands but what makes him super special is that it is rate when any of the commands have to be used. He understands you at a deep level and almost always knows what to do without being told. At times, I feel like we have incredibly smart and kind human instead of a dog. This kind of dog did not just happened. It is Sammy's kindness, professionalism, and philosophy mixed in with her incredible efforts and love for dogs what resulted in an incredible dog like Abe. On the human level you won't meet anyone nicer more caring and more compassionate than Sammye. She made an incredible difference to my son's life and his immediate and extended family. We are forever grateful. If you are researching into someone to help you with dog training, you just came across the best one there is."
Dmitri F
"We were matched with Sammye which was a very affordable 5 sessions plan that was truly customized for our needs. Sammye was an absolutely amazing and knowledgeable trainer, she confidently addressed several of our goals and we couldn't be happier. We are a three dog household, and we had started to feel overwhelmed with barking at our guests, bolting out the door, and general over excitement. We have seen a 180 flip in their behavior. Sammye helped teach us how to manage our dogs during guest entry, and now our digs sit calmly in a crate upon guest entry and the entire experience is amazing! We couldn't be happier with Sammye as our trainer!"
Torrey Q
"Sammye has an exceptional understanding of dogs and what they respond to. I had some dogs that I tried to train forever and a couple short sessions with Sammye and she had them responding and doing things that I would of never believed. Also on another instance I had a male boxer that was very protective of the other dogs in our house. He was very aggressive towards any dog outside our immediate family. Again a couple sessions with Sammye and he was a new dog. We ended up being able to socialize him with other dogs while we camp. What a life changer!
I have also watch Sammye train service dogs for military veterans, it is awe inspiring to see how she trained these service dogs for specific needs taliored to a specific vet.
I would highly recommended Sammye for anyone needing help training their fur baby!"
Brian D
"I was able to work with Sammye many times over Zoom as I live out of state. She was a patient and knowledgeable teacher with a passion for dogs. Teaching remotely creates some additional challenges but she was able to 'read' my dog and provide helpful solutions. I would HIGHLY RECOMMEND!"
Dr. Tom
"Sammye is great! I would train my dog with her weekly and began to see a huge improvement with on leash walking. She also helped me feel comfortable that I could get my dog to a great place and do the same skills she taught me on my own. I would highly recommend!"
Sarah S
"In the month and a half that we have worked with Sammye, our puppy has become a completely different dog in all of the best ways! She is still such a puppy and has maintained her personality, but we get compliments all the time about how well trained she is. Sammye has been so supportive and kind and has taught not only our puppy, but my husband and I as well! We’ve always raised our dogs being used to saying “no, no, no” nonstop, but learning how to properly train has been SO effective and we are learning life lessons along the way. Before we know it, our puppy will be an accomplished adult service dog! Sammye has done so much for us in such a short amount of time and we are forever grateful for her and the positive experience she has brought into our lives. We love you Sammye!!
Marissa T
"Sammye is an excellent trainer and a kind, conscientious, and compassionate person. She has good and clear communication through the process. Her work made it possible for a shelter dog with extreme, destructive separation anxiety to become adoptable. Rina has a great life now, and Sammye made that possible!"
Robin W
"The best! I dont like using online meetings, gives me anxiety. But she was awesome. And helped so much. I see a huge improvement in my pup cant wait for more lessons! She is very patient and kind. Also very knowledgeable about training and using positive reinforcement which I love! Definitely recommend!"
Victoria A
"We went for puppy classes. After 7-weeks training, we are very happy to see that our 5 month old German Shepherd puppy is now much more confident and comfortable when he is around other dogs. He enjoyed socializing with other puppies in the class. Our puppy was super responsive to trainer, Sammye Darling. Looking at this, we invited Sammye home for a private session. She is extremely nice and professional. We can tell our puppy loves her and is always willing to work with her during group and private sessions. She explains the behavior and training tips very well and her follow-up emails are very detailed. We like her a lot and would recommend her highly."
Brinda B
"Sammye taught my crazy wild dog to listen and understand how to be calm and good. My Vivy Lynn was terrible around people. She would jump up on them and run away so fast. She would jump up and knock kids down, she would nip at kids toes!! She was horrible! Sammye took her for 3 weeks and brought back a mild mannered obedient dog. Vivy Lynn loved her Summer Camp AND most especially her Camp Leader Sammye Darling. Thanks so much Sammye!!"
Brenda D
"Sammye is an AMAZING trainer. My puppy was having such a hard time with obedience and already after 1 session, she knows how to sit and stay! She’s also gotten so much better with her biting. Sammye is extremely passionate about her work, and it shows immensely when she’s training. She uses positive reinforcement which is what you want when looking for a trainer. She is very patient, and makes sure you, the owner, knows how to continue the training when she is not there. There is no one else i’d recommend to trust your furr baby with, she truly is great."
Lauren C
"We have had a great experience so far! After only two lessons, our two high-energy dogs have started listening and understanding what it is we expect them to do. We are doing basic obedience training now, such as down, stay, and jumping avoidance.
Our trainer Sammye Darling is great! She she is very positive with the dogs. She is also good with training us humans to do the right thing. The lessons are enjoyable without any stress. She takes the time to explain the science behind what she is doing. The time she's at our house is very well used and the dogs make a lot of progress. She writes detailed follow-up emails to make sure we understand all the techniques she has taught us.
(And she's is a Texas A&M grad. Gig em! )"
Mark G
"Sammye Darling and I met up at Walter Hall Park in League City, TX for our initial consult and training session. We'd adopted (what we guess?) a GSD and Malinois mix that I named Fenris aka Fen.
We were able to achieve the goals set for that session using her techniques! That's a HUGE deal when your new dog displays Alpha Behaviors. I'd never adopted an Alpha before; so, I was due. Sammye had so much useful advice regarding goals and behavior modification.
I know that we'll continue training Fen with her just from that single session that went so well. I highly recommend using Sammye's Dogs. We're very happy with the results!"
Bonnie S
"We had our first session with Sammye yesterday and with in an hour and a half I had learned so much! She explained the way that she trains(clicker training), then taught me the basics of starting it. After that we added my dog to the process. Sammye was very patient and great my German Shepard who is very stranger weary. By the end of the day I can already see a difference in my dog’s behavior! I highly recommend Sammye!"
Shelby F
"I highly recommend Sammye and her training style! I so enjoyed working with her. She was very personable and we connected like old friends! She’s warm and helpful, she thinks of new ways to help you and your dog understand and grasp training. She was gentle with us and helped us get to a better understanding so now we can take our dog almost anywhere and she listens! No more crazy zoomies and not knowing what to do! Reasonable prices to begin with, and then after training I felt like I won the lottery! Thank you Sammye!"
Jackie S
"Enrolled my now 4mo puppy in puppy classes a few weeks back and had a private session this weekend with Sammye Darling. I have to say that she has a gift with dogs, I’ve seen it in class and got to see how my shy dog responded so well to her positive training at home, she’s also great training both us humans and dogs, explaining very well and very patiently how to deal with situations and teaching us how to follow up with training at home. I was really proud to see the progress of my puppy in just one session, she just loves her, I would definitely do it again."
Liliana M
"Her experience, expertise, patience, understanding and the way she genuinely cares for the people and dogs she works with, makes for happy well adjusted future service dogs. I'm so impressed with what she has accomplished in business and with so many wonderful dogs..
If lucky enough, to be taken on as a client, I highly recommend using Sammye's Dogs-Dog Training."
David L
I first contacted Sammye to evaluate my dog for her first AKC title. She has always been very kind, responsive, and easy to work with. I will be reaching out again for further evaluations, and I’m so glad to have found someone local who is so knowledgeable. It is a relief to know there is an expert nearby we can call on if we need help in the future.
Ellen H
Sammye was absolutely incredible. She was so kind and willing and did a great job with my boy. Her communication is great with owners, my dog absolutely loved her, and her training was so effective. Thankful to have found her. Highly recommend!!! My dog did the board and train program. She was sure to update me, provided tons of videos and resources for us. Lastly, she helped me train me to be consistent with him. Incredible program!
Ashley M
I had the chance to meet Sammye Darling as the evaluator of my dog’s behavior and learned tricks to get his AKC titles . The entire experience during the examination was very pleasing. She is very calm and knowledgeable with a positive energy that helps you feel very confident during the examination. I highly recommend her if you are looking for an evaluator or a dog trainer to help you with your dog’s success.
Mark F
Speaking upon the caretaking of her dogs and puppies; you can tell that these puppies are well cared for. She is really invested in their wellness: physical and mental stimulation. Additionally, it was important that she speak upon the knowledge of ensuring the dogs and puppies are certified and bred appropriately. I recommend and trust Sammye.
Jess M
The best teacher! Positive reinforcement, consistency, and so knowledgeable about dog health, temperament, and psychology. Highly recommend!
Leah Beth L
Sammye is outstanding. Your dog is not just a number. She takes a personal interest in your dog's success. She is your dog's personal trainer, an advocate for your pet, and a pet-advisor for the owner... all wrapped in one. I couldn't be happier to be on her team. Go elsewhere at your own risk.