Animal Psychology Center - Service Dogs, Dog Training, Dog Whisperer, Maine Coon Cats Near You in Philip, Rapid City, Black Hills, South Dakota & Nearby States!

Our dog Zayne trained by Animal Psychology Center

It has been about a year since you helped us with Zayne and he’s still a bit of a "scaredy cat" but he’s gotten much better with his people socializing! (We still make him sit and wait for the ok, but it’s rare we have the immediate aggressiveness we used to)

He loves playing in water but is afraid of the ocean… and lakes… calm spots in rivers tend to be his favorite or little kiddy pools. His favorite toys are balls, and he will play fetch until he physically cannot move. His favorite trick is shake and hello! Where he stands up and waves his paws.

He loves wrestling with dad and cuddling mom.

We did have a small scare with him where a vet told us we may have to amputate his tail due to “happy tail syndrome” and lots of bleeding. So far we’ve been able to get the scabbing to heal and avoid infections so we’ve been given the clear to not need to right now.

But most importantly he’s become the best big doggy brother in the whole world (accidentally). There was an entire litter of dogs abandoned by a busy Highway where we’re at and our neighborhood all took some in with the intention of rehoming them. John and I had two puppies here and Zayne did a great job teaching them how to potty outside, breaking up fights that were a bit too rough, and how to be nice to kittens. We weren’t able to get one of the puppies rehomed so he now has an official little sister Scarlet.

Sometimes he gets a little bit jealous of her, but mostly he’s teaching her how to be more assertive. She’s his total opposite in terms of personality and very submissive.( remember he loved to fight for control, and he still likes to test the waters). She doesn’t really know how to play and would roll over and cry when he tried to play tug of war with her at first. After he saw how scared she got though he decided to make it his personal mission to show her how to play. They now play tug of war, he lets her chew on the same bone as him, and even share stuffed animals. She’s not particularly fear aggressive but I truly believe Zayne has been essential in her building trust and it not going down that road because she takes all of her cues from him whether it’s play time, nap time, time to eat, barking, following commands, and even waits for him to interact with a person before she does, but as soon as he does she determines it’s safe to give them kisses.

We’re super proud of the progress he’s made and maintained and the way he’s helped his little sister!

Thank you so much for the work you did with him!

Satisfied Clients

My dogs were not even able to be in the same room after they fought a few times. Katherine came to my house and helped assess my dogs. We had a serious alpha problem. My dogs were fighting to be the alpha when we should have been the alpha. So we basically had to take control over them and show them that we're the leaders of the pack. To do so we took their power away. So they were put on muzzles - we took their power to bite us and each other. They were put on choker collars for a hard correction if their behavior was unacceptable. Continuing to do this day in and day out until they were okay being around each other.

Eventually they got back into the same living space and we became a family again. Shortly after, Katherine suggested that they could take the Good Citizens test. I was worried they wouldn't pass and I honestly thought it was going to be too much for them. But Katherine assured me that I could trust them. So I took her advice and went to the classes. I truly learned so much from her and the class. They both ended up passing the first time they took the test. Now they are both Good Citizens. If it wasn't for Katherine teaching us how to speak our dogs' language we would have lost them eventually.

So I highly recommend her services. We were at a loss and she helped our family stay together.

~ Ashley Moya

Althea My dear Katherine!!! I don't even know how to say thank you! Althea is such an amazing little being who has brought SO much joy not just to our home but to me personally! I cant even begin to describe all the things she does and how many people have commented not just on her beauty but also her behavior and personality! In fact a few of them were so impressed they asked me for your number! Thank you, thank you, thank you! It is not enough to tell you how grateful I am that you showed up at the perfect time and brought this little Goddess into our life!

~ Melissa Stetser

Katherine is wonderful! I am amazed at how much we learned in a handful of classes. It has had a huge impact on me and my beloved pup. Great job, as always!! Thank you!

~ Golnesa

I had a good feeling about Katherine from the first conversation we had over the phone. Olive, our three and a half year old lab mix, developed an aggressive fearfulness of other dogs when she was two that worsened to the point that we knew we needed a professional.

Olive presented with some challenging behaviors Katherine had never seen before. “Oh no!” we thought. Alas, Katherine’s patience, intuition and readiness to think outside the box turned our pup’s predicament completely around.

“This is Olive’s journey and we are there to support her”, she said at our first session. Our fearful dog needed a kind and supportive pack leader and to remember how to interact with other dogs.

We worked with Katherine and her pack for about a week and we are not sure who changed more; us or the dog. We, as a pack, even enjoyed the dog park which is something we never thought we could ever do again! We continue our homework and continue to see Olive’s (and our) confidence grow! Thank you Katherine and Consuelo!

~ Ellen

I can't say enough good things about working with Katherine at the Animal Psychology Center. She not only is fantastic at training dogs, she is great at matching the correct dog to the correct owner. I found her to be very fussy when determining that Orion and I were a good fit.

I felt very comfortable knowing she wasn't just trying to sell me a dog, but the perfect dog for me. I have had Orion as my service dog for a couple months now. I am very pleased and thought I should get word out to anyone looking for a dog. Orion has completely changed my life.

I can now go out again. I feel very comfortable recommending reaching out to Katherine to answer any of your pet needs. Thanks Katherine!!!

~ Jerry Utecht

Google Reviews

lovnliv4Him Farmer

"I got my frenchie pug puppy, FeniQs, from Katherine and he is a golden boy! He is highly trainable, attentive and eager to please. So far he's had no accidents and no overnight accidents he's a very fast learner and plays great with our older dogs. He's not afraid of loud sounds or shocked by the weather or other dogs. He's a HUGE love bug! He even waits on my move before he moves and can already walk on a leash the proper way. Katherine and her team are extremely responsive and responsible and super loving and caring about her animals and her passion. If you are choosing to buy a pet that's highly trainable then Katherine's animals at the Animal Psychology Center are a certain success!! Give her a call or text she's very responsive and will answer any questions. She offers reliable help with transporting your pet as well so no distance is too far."

Charlea Brumbaugh

"I brought my aggressive bully to Katherine and she helped me make him into a good boy. Two months ago my Dozer couldn’t even look at another dog on TV without going crazy and now we have a puppy at home. We are able to take him places and I’ve gained knowledge for the future. I couldn’t have done this without her. She is a very easy going and confident woman. I recommend her over any other trainer."

Patty Schoeller

"We got our precious Frug from Katherine a couple of weeks ago. Katherine was professional and kind in all our transactions. Her true dedication to breeding is evident in how well socialized our pup is to people and animals. He gets along great with our 11 year old pug. I think he will add quality life to our pug and to us. We are so delighted to have this inquisitive, playful and smart little guy in our home. Thank you Katherine for giving him a great start to life."

Emily Payandeh

"My puppy arrived from Katherine Andrews a few weeks ago, and I couldn't be happier!!! He adjusted really easily to my home, including my 2 crazy loud kids. Nothing seems to phase this guy - the vacuum, the piano, or squirrels in the backyard. He is very laid back and very sweet. While we were waiting for him to be old enough to come home, Katherine sent weekly photos and videos so that we could watch him grow up. She even connected me with a "flight nanny" who brought him from South Dakota to our home in California. THANK YOU KATHERINE! We love our new puppy!"

Laura Schmidt

"I purchased a Frenchie-Pug puppy from Katherine. What a wonderful experience. I contacted Katherine prior to the puppies being born. Once the puppies were born, Katherine kept in contact weekly. She picked the perfect puppy for our family. Katherine informed me, prior to Dorothy being ready for pick up, what food to feed her and a potty plan. Katherine started training Dorothy prior to 8 weeks! She was already sitting and focused when she moved in with us. Katherine also assisted with transport plans. Katherine did everything and more than I expected."