We worked with V for about 2 years with our dog, Abbey, who has severe separation anxiety and it was life changing! When we started we couldn't leave Abbey at all without her panicking and leading her to refusing to eat and having an upset tummy and with V's help we were able to work up to being able to leave her easily for 2 hours and we are continuing to improve that time!

V's structure is very thorough. Her separation training program included tracking factors that could lead to her having more anxious days, working on pre-departure queues, and understanding Abbey's threshold. What really stood out to us was how thoughtful and individualized her approach was and she didn't just jump to "give her trazadone and hope for the best". She helped us find the right balance with behavior modification and always prioritized Abbey's emotional wellbeing and long term solutions rather than just putting a band-aid on the issue. V was incredibly compassionate, responsive, and realistic about progress. If you have a dog with separation anxiety V is absolutely the person you want to help you!

V is very knowledgeable and thorough! She was wonderful in helping guide us through our puppy's separation anxiety. If you're not sure how to help your dog navigate through separation anxiety, you will be glad you chose V to help!

We can’t recommend V Smart Dogs enough.

When we first brought Stan (our Italian Greyhound) home, his separation anxiety made it nearly impossible to leave him alone—even for a few minutes. Working with V was transformative. She’s not just a dog trainer; she’s a behaviorist, a coach, and a logistical wizard rolled into one.

V created a detailed, tech-integrated training plan that tracked Stan’s progress week by week, including session lengths, daily goals, and behavioral observations. It wasn’t always a straight line—there were moments when we weren’t sure if we were making real progress. But V’s structured approach, deep expertise, and consistent support got us through it. Thanks to her, we met our primary goal: we can now leave Stan home alone for up to four hours during the day, stress-free.

The spreadsheet alone speaks volumes—weeks of carefully monitored training entries, clear progression, thoughtful adjustments, and accountability. Her use of technology made it easy for us to stay on track and feel supported between sessions.

We actually miss our weekly calls with V. She became a part of our lives during a very intense time with a new dog, and we’ll always be grateful for what she taught us. If you’re on the fence: stick with it. You won’t find anyone more organized, compassionate, or effective than V.

When I started working with V, my pup was jumping and barking at the door any time I left. He quickly made incredible progress with the training program. Now, he's able to relax on the couch when I leave. I would highly recommend working with V; from our first meeting she put so much thought into the treatment plan and truly cared about the progress being made.

Working with V has been amazing. They broke down the training so that each step was clear and precise. We were able to follow the plan without having to work out anything ourselves. We saw Reggie grow and relax the more we progressed through training. Working with V has genuinely been transformative, giving not only our dog, but ourselves, freedom and time to relax.

V was SO thorough, thoughtful, and encouraging when it came to making Jake’s training plan and giving me actionable instructions for his sessions. Not only that, she’s taught me a lot about Jake’s behavior/body language and how to gain his trust, which has immensely strengthened my bond with him!

V has been everything we never knew we needed! She instantly created a space that made us feel comfortable, safe and not judged for our dog's frustrating and sometimes naughty behaviors. We needed help and she worked with us to identify our priorities and then taught us the tools we needed to make sure Emmy was successful, while constantly evaluating and changing priorities as we needed based on our life circumstances. Emmy is happier and we are too and that is all thanks to V!