Testimonials

Rachel was fantastic! Her training program and guidance is what my pup and I needed.  My Vizsla is a 5 year old rescue and we have had her for three months.  Before the training I would never have let her off her leash…recall was not in her vocabulary.  After five weeks of one on one weekly training, she goes off leash and her recall is spot on.  Our pup is a totally different dog and being outside/on the beach is a lot more fun for all.  I’ll be back in a few months to start training with our new Vizsla puppy!

Words can’t describe how much I recommend Rachel as a trainer; we often refer to her as our saving grace and still, months after completing our training, speak weekly about how well-behaved our German Shepherd (Zephyr) is compared to how he behaved before we met Rachel.  Zephyr had severe separation anxiety, oftentimes chasing his tail to the point it’d bleed, and he constantly paced around the house. He was also a nightmare to walk, constantly pulling on the leash and not listening to our commands. He also jumped a lot.  The worst issue by far was that he began barking and lunging at dogs when they were about 20 feet away.

Zephyr’s behavior was happening despite being in multiple training programs throughout his puppy life, and it was getting worse as he grew.  I called Rachel when we hit a breaking point, and she was able to get us in for an evaluation immediately.  We were VERY impressed with the eval.  Rachel determined many factors, including Zephyr’s confidence, dominance, aggression, anxiety, and trainability to name a few.  We also discussed all of the issues that we were experiencing, what we wanted to achieve, and Zephyr’s training history.  She then created a personalized training proposal at an incredibly fair price.  The entire process was transparent, as she explained the cost, what we’ll need, what we should expect in the coming weeks, a timeline, and how we’ll gauge his progress.

We met with Rachel every week at her clean (and newly renovated!) facility where she taught us the tools we needed to help Zephyr overcome his issues.  We could see progress each and every week, starting with Zephyr’s anxiety being reduced.  He quickly no longer paced or chased his tail, and pretty soon we were able to leave the house and not hear a peep! Our families also noticed a difference in Zephyr’s demeanor and greatly applauded Rachel’s work.  Within 4 weeks of training, Zephyr knew how to heel, AND we were passing dogs on walks with no problems whatsoever.  Not only that, but he also learned off leash recall.

It was a miracle for us.  Rachel was quickly able to pinpoint Zephyr’s main underlying problem (anxiety) and address it with efficiency and long-lasting effects.  She was there for us day and night, not only in-between lessons, but also still to this day.  She explained everything that was going on with his new behavior and taught us signs to look for, how to handle a wide range of situations, and the best ways to address multiple issues.  She gave us the tools and confidence that we needed, and we can’t thank her enough.  Her training has led to a much happier, better, and more peaceful life for us and Zephyr; our quality of life increased exponentially with her help. 

We miss meeting with her, but we now board Zephyr at their facility once a month, and boy does he (and we) love it!  She truly cares for all of the dogs she comes in contact with, oftentimes rehabilitating abused dogs for weeks at a time just so they can live a happy life with a new family.  She also hosts a free monthly pack walk for her former and existing clients, which is always a wonderful opportunity for socialization and training.

We’re consistently proud to call her our trainer and wouldn’t recommend recommend anyone else.  Thank YOU Rachel, so much; we’re eternally grateful.

Our dog Kato was impossible to walk in our neighborhood or on trails.  He would constantly pull on the lead and had horrible manners when approaching other dogs.  We also thought there was no way he could ever be a off leash dog. Rachel and Kat had us convinced at the evaluation they were the trainers for our dog.  After a 16 day stay and board program they returned a totally different, disciplined dog to us. 

We now enjoy walks with our dog and Kato seems much happier too having structure, enjoying walks in the park, and running off leash in our yard.  Rachel and Kat did an amazing job and we are so grateful for their services. 

I have had the pleasure of working with trainer Rachel for the past few years with my two dogs. We have used Rachel for board and train for both dogs and have been so pleased with all they have learned. She equipped us with practical training to help them lead their best lives both on leash and off leash. Rachel has continued to be incredibly helpful when training or dog behavior questions have come up (such as socialization questions, introducing a new dog to the house, leash concerns, etc.). This training was the best investment we have made for our dogs.

Rachel was recommended to me by Perrin Chunta of Pine Forest Pet Care when we adopted Maple this past January. Honestly, it was the BEST decision I made for myself and Maple. I love Rachel’s calm and quiet demeanor, especially because I’m the exact opposite and tend to get somewhat frazzled when Maple was not listening. Rachel came to the house which was very convenient for me. Her technique for training was well received by both Maple and I. From the start, Maples behavior corrected quickly. Weeks later, Maple listens, behaves well off leash, doesn’t pull me when walking on leash and I couldn’t be happier! I highly recommend Rachel!

We have had such a great experience with Kat and Vertex K9 Training. We first used Vertex for our daughter’s stray (lab/hound mix). Marley spent 2 weeks with Kat and came back a new dog🐾. Marley was large and hard for my daughter to handle-now she is a dream! We just rescued a puppy and knew right where to take her for a great start. Kat did another fantastic job training our Ruby (border collie/catahoula mix). Kat is very knowledgeable and we learned a lot as well as Ruby👏🏻.

Trainer Rachel trained my dog, Bruce. Bruce was fearful and timid, making me concerned to take him out in crowded places. After sessions with Rachel, he gained confidence and lives trips out among crowds now. He also rocks leash walks and is not fearful when guests come in the house! Highly recommend!

I’ve worked with Rachel with several of my foster dogs. She worked miracles with Little Red- he went from terrified and withdrawn to a happy little guy with her expert training. I highly recommend Vertex.

Rachel trained our American Bully who had some anxiety from a dog who attacked her on a walk. My only regret is not going to her sooner! Her and her team are true dog whisperers!

Rachel was a God send. We had never owned a dog and ended up with a severely abused dog found on side of the road. I call Her a dog and people trainer as she trains us humans how to interact and be the pack Leader our dogs need. I can’t say enough good things about her. As much anxiety as my dog had, as soon as we would pull on her street she would get so super excited. She loves Rachel and all her babies- and sister too! She misses her playmates.

Rachel Rich has trained 3 of my dogs and I can tell you she is amazing! I plan to use Rachel and Katherine for our next pup when we decide to add another to our family.