Kim Roche

Every once in a while, if you’re lucky, you meet someone who embodies all of the most important qualities that one hopes to find in a skilled professional. Kim Roche is a warm, caring, and deeply insightful person. She’s an astute observer who thinks carefully about how best to approach the goal of nurturing positive interactions between humans and dogs, and I’m sure she’s taught Judith and me as much as she’s taught Charlie. I know of few people who understand and can apply behavioral principles of positive behavior change as deftly as she. But what makes Kim so effective is her obvious affection for the people and dogs with whom she works. She is a gem who continues to enrich our lives.

Kim has helped us train our dogs for several years now. Kim is so kind and treats our dogs like family. Both of our dogs are rescues that have issues with anxiety. Kim has helped them to become more and more comfortable with their surroundings. Kim was also instrumental when we decided to grow our dog family and adopt our second pup. Kim has always been helpful, kind, and loving with our dogs. Over the years she has provided solid training, advice, and encouragement while helping nurture our dogs. I would highly recommend Kim to other pet owners to help with their pets’ needs.

When we brought Olive home at 8 weeks we didn’t know if we would be able to keep her. She had some aggressive behaviors and we couldn’t figure out what was going on. Kim was able to start work with her immediately and help us find ways to communicate with her. Kim also helped us understand that she had different needs than our other dogs. After working with Kim, Olive is a completely different dog. She can relax and is more confident. Now we have the skills now to work with her and manage her behavior. We often say out loud to each other, "Kim really saved our dog".

Kim's training has helped Lady be come the best dog she can be. Over the years we've used Kim's strategies for separation anxiety, leash reactivity and learning new skills and behaviors, all to great success. Kim is thoughtful and gentle with dogs and people alike, and her scientifically based approach, grounded in positive reinforcement, has helped us find balance and joy in our life with an anxious (but sweet!) dog.

I have a 20 month old, HIGHLY energetic Labrador. We've been training with Kim for a year and I can't recommend her enough. She has amazing patience and knowledge of dog behavior. She uses positive reinforcement training and understands that what works for one dog (or owner) my not work for the next and provides the best guidance on how to train YOUR dog. I don't think I'd be able to go out in public with my sweet but crazy girl if it weren't for Kim!!!

When my dog (Nali) became aggressive towards other dogs, I knew who to reach out to. Kim responded to my call promptly. We worked out an actionable plan to help my dog keep calm. With Kim's help, we subtly taught Nali the ins and outs of greeting, and playing with, others. Within 4 months of taking classes, Nali was back to playing peacefully with other dogs. Kim has always been professional and empathetic. In my experience, other dog trainers tend to be either too permissive or too draconian. Kim hits the balance perfectly. For socializing dogs, I'd recommend no one else.