Why choose force-free dog training?

Before Koda, cats and small animals were the only pets I had experience with. I thought I had done the necessary research and watched many training videos on YouTube. The term “socialisation” popped up many times but I ended up misinterpreting it, and as she grew older, Koda began showing signs of fear towards things that I thought she had been okay with (like walks). Around that same point in time, I also engaged another trainer who ran group obedience classes, but I quickly felt uncomfortable with the force mixed methods. I stopped bringing Koda to the classes, and that’s when a friend recommended that I give cheerfuldogs a try.

I was skeptical at first after being burned once, but from my very first contact with Nee, I felt comfortable. She was thorough and honest throughout all our initial communication, taking time to explain things clearly and also to understand our situation before she even met Koda. During our first meeting, I was blown away by how well Koda responded to her, and I knew I had made the right choice. She has become one of the people Koda is most excited to see. My favourite part is that Nee didn’t just focus on “training the dog”, she also taught me how to understand Koda better, to read her body language and to build a relationship with Koda so that we can communicate better. She also customized every session so that we could work on things that were a priority for Koda, instead of having a fixed cookie cutter class template. Between classes, whenever I had a concern or query about Koda, she was always quick to reply with some sound advice.

Prior to meeting Nee, I never realised that I was pushing Koda into uncomfortable situations that she wasn’t ready to deal with. Now, a few months later, we have worked through many of Koda’s fears, and she enjoys sniffing around on walks and going outside. Koda is still a puppy and we still have much to work on together, however, Nee remains ever approachable, and someone we can definitely turn to for guidance, or even just to share our “wags” (achievements) with.

~ Valerie & Koda

I got my dogs Silver and Gracey while I was overseas where fear-free trainers were not available. The trainer I engaged there employed methods that relied on force which I was uncomfortable with, and were not suitable especially for Silver, who is very sensitive and gets upset or threatened easily. I was very concerned with Silver’s behaviour as he has lashed out at people on several occasions when feeling threatened. Gracey is also reactive to other dogs and fast movements. Walking both together can often pose a challenge as they had different triggers.

I was therefore very grateful to work with Nee when we returned to Singapore. Nee built up an excellent rapport with Silver and Gracey early on. She is also very careful not to push the dogs beyond their comfort zones, to keep sessions fun and stress-free for the dogs, and to always end on a positive note to ensure that the dogs have a good memory of the activity, whether it is meeting new people or dogs, or exploring a new environment.

Under Nee’s care, Gracey is now a lot less reactive to other dogs. If Gracey does react, it is easy for both of us to recover quickly and redivert her attention. I have also learnt how to better read Silver’s body language to understand when he might be feeling stressed in a particular situation, and how to use techniques such as counter-conditioning to get him into a more positive frame of mind. With these techniques, I find that Silver gets accustomed to and relaxes in new environments faster. For both dogs, it is now much easier to walk them together as I am able to get their attention quickly. With Nee’s help, I am also better equipped to read potential situations in which they might react badly, and avoid such situations when necessary as these may be beyond their present comfort zones. We also appreciate being a part of the cheerfuldogs network, where we get assistance from neutral dogs to help Silver and Gracey learn to be calm with other dogs in sight.

Beyond behaviour modification, Nee also coaches both Silver and Gracey in canine fitness. Not only do Silver and Gracey get their much needed exercise and mental stimulation, they (and I)  also greatly enjoy the exercises that Nee plans for them. In fact, they have built up such a positive association with fitness classes, they get excited even before the class starts when I am setting up my laptop and webcam for the online sessions! The fitness sessions are also a good bonding opportunity for me and my dogs. More importantly, I have learnt not to underestimate their abilities or prejudge outcomes as they constantly perform beyond my expectations under Nee’s guidance. I was pleasantly surprised to see that Gracey, who was always slower at picking up new tricks than Silver, learn complex movements much faster than Silver. It is a good reminder that they are each distinct individuals with their own strengths and talents.

As my dogs travel with me, Nee has also provided invaluable support to ensure that we make the move for the dogs as stress-free as possible, both for our previous move to Singapore, as well as for an impending move overseas.

~ Felicia, Silver & Gracey

I remember my first email conversation with Nee, when I was looking for a dog trainer after my dog, Princess, had bitten another dog. Her response stood out, with the meticulousness of her questions to fully understand the incident and Princess, before even discussing force-free dog training options. From and since then, Nee’s unwavering focus on the dog – her motivation, state of mind, level of comfort – changed the way I saw Princess: as an individual, with an inner world I should and could understand. With that, she taught me compassionate, scientific and effective ways to respond to Princess’s behaviour, in every aspect of her life, not just the one I had originally set out to modify.

Nee does all this with an incredible amount of heart and commitment, above and beyond what I had expected from dog training. Indeed, the invitation to ‘join the cheerfuldogs family’ is no exaggeration. Nee has offered constant support and guidance through our tumultuous journey – of dog reactivity, noise reactivity, separation anxiety, to name a few. In the words of Lilo and Stitch, ‘Ohana means family. Family means nobody gets left behind or forgotten.’ We are truly fortunate to have found such a family!

~ Yvonne & Princess

Nee has been a member of ‘Team Doug’ since we adopted him in 2011.  In fact, even before we brought Doug home, Nee was there to help us prepare.  She explained how we could bring our two-and-a-half-year-old, Singapore special into our home and set him, and ourselves, up for success.  She helped us do all we could to ensure Doug felt calm, secure and settled in his new home.  She also set our expectations in terms of how long it might take Doug to relax, be part of our family and finally believe he was really home.

Fast forward more than 10 years and you will find Doug, firmly at the centre of our family, with Nee as his right-paw woman.  She has been with us throughout our time with Doug, helping us enjoy our beautiful boy and give him a happy, healthy life.

Nee is the most amazing support and source of information to help us understand how we can help Doug live his best possible life.  Whether it’s about socialising, exercise, games, building up his core muscles or rest time, Nee has been there to help.  Doug just loves her.  As soon as he sees her, his tail speeds up, faster and faster and he can’t wait to run to greet her.

When the whole family moved to New Zealand, Nee was on hand to help Doug prepare for the long journey, and his stay in quarantine.  As a result of this preparation, he travelled without incident, and arrived safe and well in his new home, where he settled immediately.  When we returned to Singapore and the process had to be repeated (thankfully, minus the quarantine) it was Nee we turned to again for help.  No surprise, that on arrival, our boy burst out of his travel crate, full of life and ready to explore yet another new home, showing us that life’s challenges can be viewed as adventures when you are well prepared.  When he realised he would get to see Nee in person again, he knew Singapore really is home.

As we start to navigate Doug’s senior years (but shhhh, don’t tell him as so far he hasn’t noticed he’s getting older) Nee has given Doug the opportunity to attend some of her lessons in a support capacity.  To humans this means helping out.  To Doug it means being told how clever he is and getting lots of attention.  He loves it, and all thanks to Nee’s help over the years, he can calmly meet and greet a wide range of dogs, even helping some who may be nervous about interacting with other dogs, to build their confidence too.  I recommend Nee to anyone who has a dog in their family or who may be considering getting one.  She constantly pushes herself to learn more about animal and dog behaviour.  Her methods are kind, force-free and they work.  Dogs blossom with Nee, and I think she has made my husband and I into more thoughtful humans too.

~ Alex, Blayne & Doug

When we first approached Nee and she suggested doing training sessions via Zoom, we had to admit that was a novel concept for us! But it proved to be effective, considering we were planning for a move overseas and we could still make use of future online training sessions even in a different country.

Gobi has extreme reactivity to several triggers, a lot of which occurs in our own home. What stood out to us was how detailed and patient Nee was. She asked us several in-depth questions regarding Gobi’s behavioural history and was extremely meticulous and patient in carefully setting up each scenario during our training sessions. She was always careful in ensuring that Gobi was stress-free during training and we are appreciative of her setting the right pace during our sessions and not pushing Gobi into any uncomfortable situations.

Nee focused not only on training Gobi, but also on helping us to understand Gobi better. We have worked through some of Gobi’s fears and triggers under her guidance and have found small wins with Gobi through her training methods. Prior to this, even a simple action like getting Gobi to walk outside our street was almost like fighting a war with Gobi. But we have used her tools in helping Gobi to slowly venture out of the house and now he looks forward to his walks every night!

It’s not been easy having a big and fearful dog like Gobi, but Nee has shown us it can be manageable with the right skills and training. We are grateful to Nee for all the support, patience and guidance that she has shown us! And in cheering us on when we celebrate each small win with Gobi!

~ Zhihui, Alex & Gobi

Nee has a unique ability to connect with dogs. Suki & Constance had the opportunity to experience two trainers who advocated force-free dog training. Whereas the lessons under the first trainer were a bit stressful and serious, Nee made our lessons fun and exciting. Suki adored Nee like a fairy godmother.

When it then came to training the puppies (Kiko & Yuko), it was a real eye-opener for both of us (Constance & Kristine). She taught us how to understand and manage the different characters of the 3 dogs, and guided us all through their puppyhood into adolescence so that we now have 3 well-mannered, balanced and happy gals. We were dog owners before we had these 3 gals, but our lessons with Nee have definitely enriched our relationships with our poodlets.

~ Kris, Constance, Kiko, Yuko & Suki

Piko spent 6 precious years with us after we adopted him from the SPCA. Over those years, Nee has become part of our extended family. Nee went over and beyond the call of being a dog trainer, and were there with us from day 1 (when I wrote in desperation for help with a dog I didn’t know how to control), up until the very last day (when Piko passed away).

Nee welcomed us into the cheerfuldogs family and community (which includes Kiyo, Jeff of cheerfuldogswalking.com, and like-minded students and their dogs).  They were each part of Piko’s ‘inner circle of trust’: truly, it was Nee’s patience, kindness and natural affinity with dogs that won Piko over from day one!

Piko was a wonderful, unexpected addition to our family, and being dog owners before, we thought we could handle the adoption of an adult dog into our family very easily. It took some time for Piko and ourselves to adjust to each other, but it would not have been possible without Nee’s love, help and guidance.

After graduating from being a student in Nee’s lessons, Piko moved onto becoming part of Nee’s classes with other dogs. Just as other dogs and their guardians helped Piko, I felt glad that we, too, were able to pay that forward to help other dogs. The cheerfuldogs family and community is a close-knit one, with positive and kind vibes all round.

Reflecting on this now, all that time spent during lessons with Nee, Jeff, Kiyo and other members of the cheerfuldogs family were such precious moments spent with Piko during his short time with us. Even though Piko can no longer be with us, the lessons have etched fond ‘forever’ memories that fill our hearts in Piko’s absence.

We are so grateful for Nee’s help all these years and would highly recommend her to all dog guardians looking for dog training and wellness that ticks all the boxes.

~ Lauren & Piko

I believe that maintaining a physically healthy and fit body is the key to aging well and comfortably. So, I did what I thought was the best for Happy, whom I adopted from SPCA in May 2017. I insisted on long walks almost every day in an attempt to keep him fit, simply because I thought that walking is the way to go to exercise my dog physically. I ran into problems soon after. Happy stopped enjoying his walks, and when I took out his leash, he would choose to lie down or hide instead of coming to the door. I was perplexed and sad to see a sad Happy. 

That’s when I approached Nee for help in Aug 2018. I signed up for the canine fitness program under Nee’s recommendation, and boy, that was the best thing I could have done for Happy! It was refreshing to see him enjoying his exercises. Walks need not be mandatory, because we have the fitness exercises to complement his walks. By allowing him to choose the length of the walk he needs, he started enjoying his walks again.

Nee not only taught us the way to exercise Happy safely and effectively with the various fitness equipment, but most importantly she showed me how to have fun with Happy so that we both look forward to the exercises. She was very patient, extremely professional, and so reliable. She slowly adjusted my handling techniques and taught me to watch Happy’s body language to make sure that he is enjoying himself and I am not over exerting him. It is sooo satisfying to see Happy’s muscles toning up, in a way that walks alone may not be able to achieve. Over the past 6 months that we have been in this canine fitness program, I have bonded so much with Happy, thanks a lot to Nee’s knowledge and dedication. I am glad I took the leap and signed up for the programme, and will not hesitate to recommend this canine fitness program to our other canine pals!!

~ Elisa & Happy

~ Abby & Bagel

When we first adopted Royal from the SPCA, he was just a 6-month old puppy and had been rescued from smugglers who had sedated him and his brothers and hidden them in the back of a car while trying to bring them over the Singapore border. We were ecstatic to have a new addition to our family but quickly ran into a host of puppy problems – chewing things around the house, not being potty trained, chasing after other dogs (and literally anything that moved), reacting to loud noises around the house, and being too aggressive when socialising with other dogs. Fortunately, we knew of Nee from cheerfuldogs.com as she had trained my sister’s husky, Piko, who had also been adopted from the SPCA.

Nee quickly sprang into action with her puppy training course and was always there and highly available to answer any questions. Throughout the course, Royal became very well trained and over the course of a couple months, we were able to easily bring him into our home life. Nee was extremely patient with Royal the entire time and always knew exactly what to do with every issue! She really took her time to explain things thoroughly, and to follow up to make sure we were keeping on track with Royal’s training. It has been such a joy working with Nee and we would highly recommend her to all our dog loving friends!

We can’t thank Nee enough for making Royal such a great part of our life, and for all her hard work and dedication throughout and after the training! Thanks so much Nee, you’re amazing!!!  All the best to you, Jeff, and Kiyo!

~ Darren, Jade & Royal

Nee has been a superb help by teaching us “love and food” techniques without using fear. The techniques have been so useful and worked well with Kobee, and it is not just walking him but in all aspects of our daily activities with him. Nee has always been so patient and flexible in tailoring the training sessions to cater to our needs. Thank you Nee! You have made a great positive impact in our relationship with Kobee!

~ Winifred, Kevin & Kobee

When our one-year old Toy Poodle, Kosmo, started showing undesirable traits such as snapping at us for reasons unknown to us, we were wondering what type of training would best suit him and us. After some research, we decided that we would use the ‘fear free’ and ‘force free’ training methods. We didn’t want to suppress any behaviour traits (we believed that Kosmo’s snapping was a reaction to certain factors), but wanted to understand why Kosmo was behaving the way he was. Dr Kang was meticulous in collecting background information to better prepare herself when meeting Kosmo for the first time. And after a series of sessions together, we began to understand the reasons why Kosmo was snapping and guarding his resources. Kosmo was a shy dog that was afraid of people and didn’t quite understand why people wanted to touch him so much.

We learnt, together with Kosmo, how to trust each other, how to work with each other, and most importantly, how to play together. With Dr Kang’s help, Kosmo is growing to become a more confident family member, trusting us. He’s learning to be in a happier place where he doesn’t view people and the outside world with suspicion. He has learnt how to show and more importantly accept our affections. Thank you Dr Kang, for creating a much safer and happier household for Kosmo!

~ Arthur, Eileen & Kosmo

Right from the get-go, I felt Nee understood us and our dogs. She gave us hope and that was just through her first email reply! Since then both dogs have come along by strides. Rose,  our dog-reactive canine, has since met dogs with me (right in the picture), under the safe guidance of Nee. We were so pleased for Rose that she could show us that she just had some socialization issues, not aggression. We have always felt nothing but confidence in Nee. She approaches everything with patience, understanding and a scientific background tuned to force-free training. I have recommended and continue to recommend her to many friends and even strangers I have seen who have been having issues with their dogs.

~ Margaret & Rose

Non-Chan is the first dog in our family and we enlisted Nee’s help to train him. She has passion and a natural  rapport with dogs, and just as importantly, with us humans. Like a good teacher, she was gentle, loving and patient to both beast and man.

She was very knowledgeable and clarified many questions as we tried to figure out the facts and fiction of dog behaviour, nutrition and training. We have developed a close bond with Non-Chan and can recognize his different emotional expressions over time – something we did not realize dogs had.

She was very knowledgeable and clarified many questions as we tried to figure out the facts and fiction of dog behaviour, nutrition and training. We have developed a close bond with Non-Chan and can recognize his different emotional expressions over time – something we did not realize dogs had.

~ Chin Kong, Minako, Ming Ming & Non-Chan

Sugar, who was 9 years-old in 2011, had never lived in a city as densely populated as Singapore, nor had she ever lived in an apartment. She got scared easily and did not like being around other dogs or people. Thanks to Nee’s wonderful, careful training, Sugar was able to adapt well. Nee used positive reinforcement and well established counter-conditioning techniques to get Sugar to become accustomed to things that seemed strange to her, and introduced other dogs into the training so that Sugar would learn how to better behave around other animals.

Nee was amazing in her ability to connect with my dog and understand the concerns of me as the owner as well. In my 3 years here, thanks to Nee’s expert training, we never had a problem with another person or dog during our frequent walks around my housing complex, or at the kennel where Sugar stayed when I was out of town. And when I moved to another country in 2014, Sugar adapted very well into yet another completely different environment. I am very grateful to Nee for her assistance. She made a big difference in the quality of my life during my assignment in Singapore.

~ Sue & Sugar