KATY
Dr. Katy Hazzard As a veterinarian, I love that I have a wonderful training facility nearby that I can wholeheartedly recommend. Whether you need basic or advanced training, or individual help for specific issues, Poetic Gold is a fantastic resource!
DANIKA There are truly not enough good things to say about Jill and the training she provides. This truly is not a job to her and she is so passionate. Her approach is always so informative and gentle and our pup absolutely loves her. We’re a little over a month into STAR Puppy class with our full-of-energy 3 month old Golden Retriever, Duke. We look forward to Saturday mornings and making the trip to Falmouth to see Jill, attend class, and play with our classmates. We are planning already to come back for a family dog class in January. Jill has taught Duke and I how to work as a team and allowed me to learn and teach him so he can live and learn at his fullest potential. We will be “lifers” at PoeticGold. ❤️
NICK
As a veterinarian , I check back with my clients on trainers to whom I have referred them. Over the years, my faith in PoeticGold has only grown and grown. They go that proverbial extra mile with their clients, and have healthy fun along the way. Thank you Jill Simmons and staff. Dr. Nick
BRUCE
Our high drive labrador retriever puppy completed Star Puppy class, as his first. It provided all the basics and was an excellent foundation for his future at home and in DockDogs competition. The instruction was professional and attentive. This was a five star experience in all aspects. Highly recommend!
SHAUNA Jill is amazing! We are now on our third class going through Poetic Gold. We have done the AKC Star Puppy, Family Manners, and are now in the Canine Good Citizen class. Jill is nothing short of the best. She is very knowledgeable, kind, and makes the classes fun. It is very clear how much she cares about the dogs and how she makes sure that her advice and training are fit for each family she sees. The facilities are wonderful and she is very accommodating. We have two young children and she encouraged us to bring them. The experience that they got there being around other dogs was really good for them and for the dogs. I cannot say enough wonderful things about Jill and Poetic Gold. If your dog needs training this is the place to do it.
KRISTA
I just enrolled Knox in puppy school and couldn’t be happier! Jill is very smart, knowledgea
JOANNA
I have taken my Golden, Jax, here since he was a puppy. We started with the AKC puppy obedience.
RICK We’ve taken several training classes at PoeticGold Farm and they have all been excellent. We especially enjoyed a Train the Trainer seminar we attended as well as the CGC and Rally class we attended as drop-ins. Jill Simmons, the owner, is a talented instructor who emphasizes positive reinforcement training. The training facility is always clean and very conducive to learning. I recommend PoeticGold Farm with no reservations. Take a class when you can. Your dog will thank you 🙂
Candy
I felt hopeless about gaining control over my yellow lab Herman. Just 6 weeks in STAR Puppy class gave me a fresh start and it changed everything. Jill is a wonderful teacher, and even spent an extra hour with Herman teaching me how to fit him for a harness and how to play its your choice to stop some of his biting.
Caitlynn
We are just about to start our third session at Poetic Gold. Our boxer did Star Puppy, CGC, and next on the list is Rally Obedience. All the trainers we have met at Poetic Gold share the same philosophy for training as we do: positive reinforcement. The facility is really nice – you can even let your dog play in the large fenced in area before/after class with other dogs. They are kind, patient, and willing to work with your dog and the trainer to help improve the skill you’re working on. It has been nothing but good experiences and I would recommend Poetic Gold to any dog owner for any level of training.
Judith
I have literally attended classes at 10 different locations in Maine with my collie, and I have found a home in Jill’s Rally program. She is simply the best instructor around.
Krista Marie
April 21, 2017
I just enrolled Knox in puppy school and couldn’t be happier! Jill is very smart, knowledgeable, and a great reference for any good owner. She also answers an personal questions or concerns you may have with your puppy/dog. Highly recommend over any pet store class!
Beth Love the sign! It should really say “A sound education for every dog’s OWNER” My husband and I recently attended a train the trainer workshop at Poetic Gold. Lauren Westra, a pro animal trainer that has worked with zoo animals, led the interactive skill building communication class. It was a remarkable experience for both of us. I have always enjoyed training my dogs, and learning more about training from every source I can. Cassie and I have earned numerous Retriever Hunt Test titles together, and with Jill’s guidance Rally titles too. We even brought several puppies we bred to the beginning ofJill’s first Star Puppy classes, our “keeper pup” Josey graduated as a shining star at just 13 wks! Yet when it came time for my husband to take over and continue to train his puppy Josey, he would not accept any guidance from me(that age old husband/wife thing) and their progress seemed to stall. I was getting concerned this now quite large boisterous male Labrador 15mo old “puppy” was never going to be properly trained Then I saw the seminar on Poetic Gold’s website. We both attended this dogless, people only event. Not only did we enjoy the afternoon together, the results have been fantastic for Josey. Less than a full week later, my husband got his puppy to perform a specific skill, the “down” command, that had completely eluded them till now. Seeing his dog learn how to learn and having Josey begin “offering behaviors”, has him excited to spend more training time with his dog None of the knowledge, books, or videos I had shared with my husband taught him as much as one afternoon of hands on experiential learning about how dogs learn, and how humans can use clickers to communicate with them. Thank you Lauren Westra for the great workshop. Thank you Jill Simmons for not only being a fantastic trainer yourself, but also bringing together other talented people from the dog world and beyond. All the classes and special events at Poetic Gold are top notch, and will help you and your dog excell in whatever direction you chose to take your training.
Eric & Marlene We recently trained our cattle dog puppy with Jill Simmons in STAR Puppy class. From the first night, we felt a rapport and that she cared about our puppy very much. It would be impossible to list all the things we learned, among them keeping a checklist on our fridge of key experiences for Gus and learning to use a maker word (yes) until it became second nature. We recommend Jill’s classes highly.
Gloria:
“Ready” (my Westie) and I have been taking classes at Poetic Gold for a year, and we’ve LOVED every class! Jill Simmons, our instructor
Christine:
“I really lucked out in finding Jill Simmons as I started my young Elkhound’s obedience life. It’s true that Jill is a positive and enthusiastic trainer. What I appreciate even more is her willingness to think outside of the box if your dog doesn’t fit in the box. She genuinely loves watching her student’s dogs perform well, and is just plain fun to train with.”
Dr. Katy Hazzard
As a veterinarian, I love that I have a wonderful training facility nearby that I can wholeheartedly recommend. Whether you need basic or advanced training, or individual help for specific issues, Poetic Gold is a fantastic resource!
Anthony & Rebecca:
“We were so much more overwhelmed by adopting a puppy than we expected. One of the reasons we love PoeticGold Farm is that Jill taught our whole family, kids too. They were welcome in class. We had trouble being consistent, and our puppy was biting our seven year old. Jill was able to gives us practical solutions and get our situation in hand quickly, so we kept our puppy. A year later, we can’t imagine life without him.”
Tracy:
“Birdie and I have completed star puppy and canine good citizen. We love Poetic Gold Farm and all the great folks that train there!!”
Katie:
“Best dog training you will ever find. Jill Simmons uses positive reinforcement training methods and teaches many different classes, from Star Puppy and basic obedience to Rally O and Reform School. I couldn’t have asked for a better trainer for River and myself. I highly recommend you check out PoeticGoldFarm whether you’re getting a new puppy or have an older dog that needs some training.”
Paul and Bethany:
“We attended Jill’s Star Puppy class with our timid Maltese/Yorkie puppy Chance. By week six, he had transformed into a happy, social guy. It was beyond amazing how much we learned and he learned in this class. Jill is great with the puppies, and equally good with people. We cannot recommend this puppy program more highly.”
Joe and Jenna:
Ellen:
“When we adopted pit bull puppy Suzie, we wanted to do everything right. Jill gave us so much extra time and attention when she saw how serious we were. We planned to take Star Puppy, but we were hooked by the friendly people who all cared like we do about their puppies, and stayed on for several more classes. Suzie passed her therapy dog test last week, and I do not know how we could be happier with our dog. We would recommend Jill to everyone.”
Tom & Beth:
“We took Jill’s Family Dog manners class with our double doodle Isabella. The last time we had a dog fifteen years ago, we used a choke collar to train. But Bella learned to sit, lay down, heel, and stay all in 6 weeks with a “marker” type word. We never would have believed it. Bella loves class and anytime we tell her we are going to Jill’s she goes crazy.”
Susan: “For anyone in the Falmouth area looking for classes, I have found the most wonderful training facility. Jill Simmons, who runs PoeticGoldFarm has an excellent line up of classes … everything from “Growly Dogs” to “Reform School” to CGC to conformation and advanced obedience. Mischief and I have taken Rally-O and conformation, and both classes were fantastic. I even made a field training connection while we were there. Jill has goldens, but I have found that she totally “gets” Chesapeakes, too… “
Jenna:
“We love Jill! Charlie just adores her, and she’s like the dog whisperer. We’ve learned lots in our weeks here .”
Derek and Sally
“Jill Simmons is head and shoulders above other dog trainers we tried for our Marley and Me yellow lab Colton. Reform School opened our eyes to how dogs think. Learning that dogs self reward if allowed and replacing many of those with rewards that come from only us gave Colton a big attitude change. We worked out a list of alternative behaviors to jumping and barking rather than just yelling no at Colton all day. Jill is very good at breaking down concepts, and she is entertaining and sympathetic. You get the feeling that she loves dogs and loves people too. Jill is professional and effective- best dog trainer in Maine.”
Peter:
“Jill connected with our rescue Border Collie/Lab mix within the first ten minutes of our class, and their bond is something to see after a year of classes. Jill was more than resourceful as we moved up the ladder from Family Dog to Rally O, with a large bag of tricks too for our household issues outside of class. She was willing to spend extra time with us. This is the first dog trainer who was able to make a profound change for the better.”
Dan & Sue:
“Jill reformed our chow chow using a this nifty device called a clicker, and her insight into dog behavior and body language. We had gone the prong collar and e collar route early on, and Captain hated training and had recently bitten Sue. We thought he was stubborn, but Jill showed us how fearful he was. He seems like a different dog now, as we are able to enjoy him. We couldn’t recommend Jill more.”
Sandy
“Had an absolute ball today at PoeticGoldFarm – first with KD in STAR Puppy then with Pembroke in Rally-O. KD and I worked on Sit, Down, Watch, and Wait then all the pups got to meet each other and play together. At one point, KD got the zoomies and did laps around the other puppies – crazy girl! 🙂 Pembroke got a little jealous while she had to wait for her turn to go to class. She says it was worth the wait though! Once I figured out what some of the signs meant ~ this being our first time ~ we simply delighted in this new-found sport for us. I must confess, Pembroke did much better than I! But as they say, practice makes perfect, so, Jill Simmons, we will do our homework for next week! I enjoyed seeing friends Gloria Pasquini, Kate Mahn DiBlasi, and Mary Dickinson with their dogs/pup!”
Ann Marie
Jill got me hooked on Rally Obedience with my miniature pinscher, and it has become a passion. As we have moved through the levels, my appreciation for her expertise and perspective has grown as we have met every new challenge prepared to succeed. Not all trainers work well with small dogs, but we have a home with Jill.