Dog trainer, Esther Horn, CPDT-KA

Thank you for taking care of our little Scarlett on such short notice. She came home very happy and relaxed, and we are grateful for your knowledge and experience. We loved that she had the opportunity to socialize with other dogs and that her potty training remained on schedule.

Scarlett is out of her crate and using the doggie door now for pottie.  She is making great progress, but she still loves to ruff and tumble with the big boys!

Thank you again for your expert care,
Richard and Karen Motske
The Druggist Pharmacy
24022 Aliso Creek Road
Laguna Niguel, CA

Esther has been amazing! We knew Raja was a good dog, but we were having trouble controlling him, he is big, strong and excitable. He had separation anxiety and he was developing barrier aggression against other dogs in certain situations. He was great at a dog park, loved playing with other dogs, but if he met them while he was on a leash or on the other side of a fence he got very aggressive. With Esther’s knowledge, help and patience, she is teaching Raja and showing us how to work with Raja to overcome these issues. We’ve found that he is very smart and a quick learner. He can now walk on a loose leash, knows his commands: sit, down, stay, leave it and come. He is polite and waits to receive treats and to eat his meals. We are currently working on walking in public places around other dogs and we are also working on his separation anxiety. He is showing quick improvements! I don’t think we could have managed this so well on our own. She has shown us simple, yet very effective and gentle ways to achieve the desired behaviors we want in Raja to make him the best dog possible.

Ellen and Sara Davis of San Clemente

Esther Horn is a professional and thoroughly capable dog trainer. She has given me the basic understanding of how to work with my dog in order to have a content, well-behaved companion. My dog, Chelsea, an American Eskimo-Corgi mix, enjoyed our training sessions, and Chelsea has learned to follow basic commands. Following through with reinforcing training has been pleasurable for both me and my dog. We have met at my home, at the harbor, and at a dog park in order to have a variety of situations for our training sessions. Esther was also able to help me with  dietary concerns  and with choosing needed accessories for my dog. She is loving and positive in her approach.

Dixie Sundberg

As Esther’s long time friend and webmaster I have attended a number of her Pet First Aid Workshops. But a recent incident brought home the true importance of such an education. She not only teaches what to do in the event of an emergency, Esther taught me what I could do to prevent harm from coming to my pets.

As my husband, Bruce, and I were recently traveling home from a camping trip—towing an 18 foot trailer, our vehicle jack knifed. Not only did our van and trailer over turn on Interstate 5 on a Saturday afternoon (both totalled) our two dogs, Molly and Dottie, and our desert tortoise, Michelle, were traveling with us at the time. Fortunately, none of us were seriously hurt. Our pets completely escaped injury—thanks to Esther’s instruction. Each pet was traveling in their own crate at the time. This is so important! On that day, many good Samaritans came to our assistance. Our car was catching fire. Because my dogs were in crates—our heroes knew that they could open the back of our van quickly with confidence knowing that:

• The animals in the car were probably alive and uninjured because they were protected by these hard shell crates—worthy of taking the next step in the rescue process.
• They would not risk being biten by our frightened dogs.
• Although frightened, these dogs would not be able run into the highway risking injury to themselves or creating a new accident for others.
• These dogs could be quickly wisked away from the vehicle without concern for how to control them.
• Crates could easily slide along the roadside and pavement with minimal effort even with 50lb. dogs inside.
• Michelle, our desert tortoise, did not become a flying object because she too was in a hard shell pet crate (for reptiles) too!

I am so grateful to Esther for her expertise and excellent workshop. She taught me how to prevent a tragedy before it could happen. I could have taken shortcuts with tragic results if it weren't for your course. Thank you my dear friend!

Priscilla Christian, Dana Point, CA

PS: To anyone who reads this testimonial: I recommend YOU take this course at least once.

A little over 2 weeks ago I took Esther Horn’s First Aid & CPR class for dogs and cats. I took this course so I would feel in control if something happened to my dog, a 1 year old Goldendoodle. Little did I know that less than a month after taking this class, I would be tested—just by someone else’s dog. Just after I arrived home from work last week a neighbor’s dog was hit by a car. She had squeezed out the front door a little girl had opened and darted straight into the path of an oncoming car. The driver and passenger stopped, but they didn’t know what to do. Neither did the other half a dozen people who stopped wanting to help. The owner wasn’t home; no one knew who her vet was or who to call. Should they move her? Give her water? As frightening as the situation was, I took control:

Did the dog have a heartbeat? Check.
Was the dog breathing? Check.
Was the dog in distress and in need of medical attention? Check!

First Aid was needed here. There was no external bleeding, but she obviously had internal injuries and was in shock struggling with each breathe. We slid a blanket under her to keep her from burning on the hot pavement and tilted her head to the side to make sure her tongue wasn’t blocking her airway. She needed to be moved, but not until we knew where we were moving her to. Someone went off in search of a piece of ply board to slide her on to prevent from exasperating her injuries when we moved her.

Among the documents you receive taking the First Aid & CPR pet course is a list of emergency numbers—one that includes Urgent Care which was closed when I called. I called my vet, a full service animal hospital 10 minutes down the road, and fully equipped to treat her. They said to bring her in; a lesson for all that you can take an animal to any vet to be treated in an emergency situation—just try and call first!. The owner came home from work at that point and we slid her onto the ply board and off we went. Unfortunately, she ended up going into cardiac arrest when we reached the vet, at which point the technicians were able to start CPR and inject something in her heart. She was not revivable and it was a very sad situation. The vet said her internal injuries were so bad she had no chance of survival. However, the family was extremely grateful that I was there and knew what to do. She didn’t die on the pavement in front of the little girl who loved her and we were able to make her as comfortable as possible without causing her further pain or injury.

I STRONGLY recommend this course for anyone who owns, cares, and works with animals. You WILL leave feeling in control and armed with knowledge. Materials are sent home with you to practice what you’ve learned and a list of items to build your pet first aid kit. With summer and hot weather now here, pets are at further risk of snake bites, bee stings, dehydration, etc.

If you saw a dog or cat in need that wasn’t your own, would you try to help? Of course you would! Would you know what to do? You will if you take the class. As I learned, it’s truly an invaluable experience.

Aliza Bornstein

I am Dig Tittle owner of Dig N' Dogs Pet Services Company. I recently attended a Pet First Aid Class taught by Esther Horn of Hands on Paws. The class was incredibly informative, filled with copious amounts of information which I can use to save dogs lives. I now can perform CPR on a dog that is not breathing and or has no heart beat or apply first aid so they can be transported safely to a Veterinarian.

Learning to prevent dangerous and harmful situations has made me a better Dog Care Professional and I will pass along much of this information to my clients. I think Esther is a fantastic teacher. She makes the information easy to understand and digest. The practical CPR instruction was great because it included a lot of practice which gave me confidence that I could perform CPR in a life or death situation with out hesitation or panic which is key to saving a life.

Esther was extremely knowledgeable about all aspect of dog care. She encouraged questions and discussion which was refreshing because I learned by listening to other peoples stories which made a lasting impression on me. Esther shared her vast knowledge in a way which seemed like a friend giving very helpful advise.

Do take this class, even if you are just a pet owner this can save your loved ones life. And if you are a professional this information is a must and Esther's class is the one I would recommend.

Thank you Dig Tittle

Esther Horn’s advice on pet nutrition and holistic pet care alternatives is invaluable. My labs receive compliments all the time on how fit and healthy they look. When my senior spaniel, Whitney, was having health issues, Esther’s research and suggestions on holistic complementary care helped enhance the quality of Whitney’s final years. I have recommended Esther Horn to several of my customers and seen the benefits of her approach numerous times.  The food and supplements that Esther recommends clearly make a world of difference. Her classes are full of useful information and handouts that I refer to on an ongoing basis. The success of her efforts is truly inspirational.

Stacey Kissam
Watch Dogs Pet Sitters
Co-founder of Orange County Pet Sitters Network

I highly recommend Esther and the team at Hands on Paws!  With her help my ‘Oso’ is a happy, healthier dog—and that makes me very happy!

Joe Moreno, Dana Point, CA

My dog Ziggy, suffered from bladder stones two years ago (so severe we almost lost her), same time I was going thru chemo. I lost my last dog to cancer at 4 years old and was not about to loose her. Being on Juice Plus+ myself and doing very well I decided to look into Juice Plus for dogs. The other issue I had with her is that being a female dog she was burning my grass and I was always looking for a solution.

After researching, I found that dogs systems need to be more acidic where ours need to be more alkaline. They do not get whole food/raw nutrition, that is why dogs like eating grass.

After she was on the JP+ habit for 6 months I have found by accident, that she was not burning my lawn and most important has stayed very healthy, it has been great for both of us and now 2 years free from disease.

Juice plus+ for dogs has ingredients like, lemon grass, alfalfa, pro-biotic's etc. And for us humans it provides us with the most important, 22 different raw  fruits and vegetables in every color, concentrated in powder form just like JP+ for dogs. It is the most scientifically researched product in the world, and Juice Plus for dogs was formulated by the best veterinarians.

It has giving us both quality of life.

Joanna