Testimonials

Going through the Family Paws Program and becoming a presentor was a positive experience both for myself and my veterinary practice. I feel I now have the knowledge and skills to not only help pets but entire families! As a veterinarian I would recommend not only using Family Paws as a primary resource but also for all veterinary practices to have a staff member as a presentor!

The information that Family Paws provides is invaluable for any family with children, and it is imperative that we as trainers understand and are able to relay this knowledge to our clients. I would highly recommend a weekend with FPPE; no matter how long you have been in the field, I guarantee you will learn something!

Our weekend seminar with FPPE far exceeded my expectations. We had such an amazing time with Jennifer and learned so much that will help our clients both immediately and in the future. I would highly recommend FPPE for your professional dog training team! You will not regret it!-

Family Paws weekend is a must! I thinking having Jen in person is definitely an incredible benefit, not only for learning purposes but because she’s a fantastic person to do life with, even if only for a weekend. As a mother and a trainer who has always been passionate about the topic of dogs and children, I still learned so much from this program and am so proud to be a part of it.

Jennifer has a passion for working with the pets of expectant or new families experiencing behavior problems adjusting to a new home or to a new family member. I was a small business owner and perinatal educator in the Triangle area for many years where Jennifer and I were members of local professional organization. We also attended various baby fairs. I recommend her work with animal behavior…and their humans too.

Before our baby was born we hired Jen to help our dog, Colby, with the transition of living with a newborn. We found her to be very professional, and to be extremely knowledgeable in dog behavior. She gave us great insight into our dogs behavior, and the subtle clues that we could recognize to know if she were scared, nervous, excited, happy, etc. Because of what she taught us, the transition of introducing the dog to the baby was flawless, and it continues to be a happy relationship between the two. Jen has also followed up with us at least once a week since the baby was born. You just don’t find this kind of customer service anymore, and you can tell that Jen really cares about her clients. We highly recommend her.

We really appreciated the practical suggestions the class provided for incorporating our dog into our everyday routines with our baby. We also liked hearing real-life examples for creating positive relationships between children and dogs from our instructor, who is a mom and understands everyday family life

Jennifer Shryock is the expert that I depend on to get important advice and educational materials about raising kids and dogs together. Her DOG AND BABY CONNECTION(now Dogs &Toddlers) program is rich with valuable information to help keep kids and dogs safe with one another. The photographs she shares in her program are a wonderful tool to help educate parents on dog body language. These photos portray even the most subtle canine signals that indicate the dog needs to be rescued/removed from a stressful situation that can occur in the presence of children. Her DOGS AND BABY CONNECTION program is nothing less than exceptional! Congratulations Jennifer and thank you for being there to educate pet parents, veterinarians and other professionals in this field.

We really appreciated the practical suggestions the class provided for incorporating our dog into our everyday routines with our baby. We also liked hearing real-life examples for creating positive relationships between children and dogs from our instructor, who is a mom and understands everyday family life.

You have put together something that would have taken us years to do and to have a program dedicated to babies and toddlers is an inspiration and blessing to us. This program brings tears to my eyes when I go through it knowing that we will save lives and keep children and dogs living safely together in their homes. It keeps Liam’s spirit alive.

The “Welcome home” webinar class was great. I am expecting a baby in May and have many concerns about introducing my two dogs to my newborn. I live in a rural area in NJ and could not find anyone in my area who was qualified or willing to address my concerns with my dogs reactive behavior. I was referred to Jen’s program and it was a God send! I feel relieved that I can speak with someone knowledgeable about my dogs and the steps I need to take to make life with baby and dogs successful. The webinar gave me some instruction as to what I can do to make the initial introduction go smoothly and keep going smoothly! The information is priceless. Re-homing my dogs is not an option for me; they are part of the family. Jen has shown me that the dogs in our lives can be successful with our children as long as the owners are educated and informed! There are no words to express my appreciation and thankfulness!

I highly recommend Jen. She was a resource we told about through calling Siberian husky rescue when our Siberian bite our little girl. Jen provided us with information. As we had to decide what to do with our dog and how to help our family especially our daughter. Jen was supportive and non judgmental. Jen was able to help us find a trainer in our area as she lived three hours away for our other dog. Jen was kind and would just listen. We are amazing blessed to have found that resource because when our daughter went to the hospital while she was treated medically we received no resources nor was it treated as a trauma simply a routine dog bite. With her guidance we have gained a better understanding of dogs and while we still have a lot more to learn the information we have has changed our understanding of dogs. I highly recommend her services and wish her program was in every hospital and would have been the day we went to the hospital. Julie and family,

This is a great go-to resource. I will rely on Dogs & Toddlers program to help my clients. This is a natural follow up to my all-time favorite DOGS AND STORKS.

I have worked with Jen for over 10 years and have found her to be professional, friendly and extremely knowledgeable about dog behavior and baby safety around dogs. Jen knows exactly how to present the right information in a gentle way to parents/dog owners to allow them to have success. She is very generous with her time and expertise and has a genuine desire to improve the lives of her clients. Jen has been a great help to Doggone Safe over the years and I would highly recommend her services to anyone who needs help with a dog behavior problem or who wants to ensure safety for babies or children in families with dogs.

I've known Jen Shryock a long time. (So long now that I can't remember exactly when we met.) Over the years, she has consistently impressed me with her passion for providing high-quality, helpful, and easy-to-understand materials to professionals who help families navigate living with babies, young children, and dogs. This is a complex and high-stakes niche, but Jen has a blend of strengths that make her perfect for the task. She's a terrific educator, capable of breaking concepts down into bite-sized bits. She's warm, supportive, and encouraging, which makes her programs a safe place for people to ask questions and learn without fear of judgment. She's got tremendous emotional intelligence, which helps her see the big picture in each situation and take actions to set everyone up for success. Because she leans into those strengths, Jen is one of the most generous, collaborative, and creative people I know. She sees the best in people and helps draw it out of them.

Jen, I just wanted to thank you for welcoming me into your FPPE family a few years back when I was starting my journey in the industry. Being part of your mission has been a pleasure and one of the best career decisions I’ve made. When I first spoke with you on the phone, I felt your passion for helping families and canines but also the industry as a whole. I truly enjoyed your program and it was a great addition to my toolbox. Your knowledge of canine behavior in families with children; or who are expecting a new addition, is awesome. One thing that stands out to me is your personal and consistent involvement with your presenters from online groups, emails and phone conversations etc. You are always there for your presenters, for anything they need, which is such an awesome thing to do. I truly love the lifetime support and friendship you offer, and I know I will be part of the FPPE family forever. I am proud to participate in your mission of educating and helping the public and canines. Your opinions and knowledge are priceless. I would recommend every trainer who shares our passion be part of FPPE. I cannot put into words how this has helped me on both a personal and business level. I almost forgot to mention thank you for always allowing presenters access to updated material as FPPE is moves forward and progresses.

It has been an absolute pleasure to know you and learn from you. Attending the M2L classes was pure joy, and I have learnt so much more than I expected to. I find myself applying so many of the program concepts in my general dog training and in for behaviour work too. I can honestly say that your deciding to include me in your program by making it financially viable for me, has touched my life, but also the lives of so many others who have benefited from the information and learning that I gained from you. I know that many pet parents are happier and safer due to this, and so many dogs are being understood better and are less stressed out!

As a Registered Veterinary Technician for 17 years (training dogs and their humans for 15) and being in this field for 22 years, Family Paws is the program that goes above and beyond for their presenters. After having children of my own I became interested in dog bite prevention, not only for myself but for my clients. Most of what I was finding was scare tactic information or outdated advice that I had heard repeated over and over again. Then I found Jennifer at Family Paws. She honestly changed my life. She is such a wealth of information and I continue to learn things from her every single time we talk. Through her organization she teaches you, giving weekly webinars that not only are interactive but where you learn how to dispense the information in a way that it will be well received. She walks you through each family milestone, from birth to toddler, so you are well prepared to help those families move through each stage, either as they are going through it or preparing them for what might be coming next. Jennifer has been available to me on a number of occasion by phone call as well. Helping me work through a challenge a family was having. I can’t say enough good things about Jennifer and the outstanding program she has created with Family Paws. She really is paving the way, getting factual information out there so we are all giving good solid, safe, healthy advice to our clients.

Jennifer continues to exceed my expectations as a leader and mentor of Family Paws Parent Education. I approached Jennifer a few years ago for more information regarding parent-child-dog interactions that I had seen which I was uncomfortable with. She listened, provided helpful advice and a venue for more education. After our conversation, I wanted more knowledge and pursued Family Paws Parent Education licensed presenter training. I learned not only about the essential information included in the Dogs and Storks and Dogs and Toddler programs, but also important considerations when talking to parents. But what impressed me the most is her continued dedication to the licensed presenters. Jennifer provides not only a comprehensive initial training for this specialized topic, but also continued learning, routine meetings, ongoing communication and case support. She has created an exceptional resource for helping families understand baby/toddler and dog safety.

Bringing Family Paws Parent Education (FPPE) into my practice has added a great new service to help my practice grow and become more family friendly. Not only do I offer community family safety seminars and private counselling on baby and dog safety, but I use my knowledge to answer questions every day in the exam room. FPPE provides great resources, handouts and webinars to share with clients. It demonstrates to clients how important it is seek behavior advice from their veterinarian instead of following risky advice from the Internet. Educating and raising awareness with new families about baby and toddler safety prevents serious problems before they start! This builds bonds not only with the family and their dog but also to my practice. It teaches children right from the start how to behave and be safe around dogs! That helps build a new generation of clients for my practice! Being a FPPE licensed presenter has been very rewarding and really helps me serve the entire family!

Recently I had the absolute pleasure of working with Jennifer Shryock, in the creation of some online animal training content. This included her being a special guest on a podcast show that I host. As a behaviour nerd, I totally loved learning about everything that Family Paws has to teach. And I also came to realize the larger important role the dissemination of this information has for society at large. Education around babies, toddlers, and children with our pets is vital to everyone’s safety and well-being! Not just education through – the right education. I personally haven’t come across a better source of information for these important topics anywhere in my career. Whether you are a pet professional wanting to up-skill yourself or a family in need of information about how to integrate your new baby – you have come to the right place. Via Family Paws you can learn everything you need to know using the most up-to-date and ethical animal training and management practices. I am excited for you and your continued journey with the Family Paws Family.

When I was 3 months pregnant, my husband and I reached out to Family Paws for help. We needed assistance in training our 5-year-old dog to prepare him for bringing a baby into the house. Jennifer provided a wealth of knowledge to us via pamphlets, videos, and private training sessions. She was also available to us daily through Marco Polo which we used often to share our progress. She was able to quickly give us constructive feedback or reassurance. Our transition into this new phase of our lives has been better than we could have hoped for and we give full credit to the training we received from Family Paws.    

I highly recommend the Family Paws resources, particularly the Dog Aware course for birth professionals. Even though I don’t provide in-home services, as a licensed therapist and PMH-C, I now feel confident educating expectant parents on the basics and referring them to Jennifer and her team for more thorough guidance. I’m now including this info in my Mental Health Postpartum Prep VIP Day because I see it as imperative for pet owners who are expecting a baby.

I had a homecoming virtual session yesterday with a mama in her hospital bed. Baby came early and she didn't want to cancel. It went so well thanks to all I have learned. We were able to really talk through all scenarios and help her feel more at ease about bringing baby home the next day.

I wouldn't dream of taking on clients with babies and dogs without this course. It combs through so many details of the parent, dog and baby relationship. It also helped me to see things from a young parent's perspective more and I feel much more adequate to provide support now. Trainers know how to train dogs, but the empathy piece is just not something they teach you in trainer school, the shelter, or the vet's office.

This course has been so helpful with taking a deeper dive into family dynamics and what goes on with having children. For someone who does not have kids, it can be easy to miss some of the things that may happen or not think about the emotions that can be happening at certain times. This course helps make you, as the educator, more aware and able to be more compassionate while helping them.

I really enjoy the breakdown of what happens at each life stage of a child's life and how we can help our dogs through that. I think the program helps emphasize that we need to have realistic expectations of our dogs and realize that not everything can be solved with training. It can certainly help, but it's more management than anything else.

This course was an eye-opener when it comes to learning about families and dogs. It really fulfilled my expectations and went so far beyond them! It is so comprehensive, clear, and enjoyable. The knowledge I’ve acquired while doing this course helped me become a more confident dog trainer when it comes to educating adults and the next generations of humans on how to build a healthy relationship with their beloved dogs. This course is an absolute game changer!

Family Paws course introduces sensitive topics in a kind compassionate eye-opening way. Knowing how high emotions can run (for so many reasons mentioned) within a family unit and then the best way possible to be an advocate of help. Taking into consideration possible fatigue, brain fog, processing of information troubles- Having this on the forefront of my mind is incredibly helpful moving forward with these family's. No matter what stage they may be at. Thank You!!!!

I have taken a lot of courses, this hands down has been the most well planned, well presented of anything I have experienced. The supportive materials are brilliant. All dog trainers should take this course, the insight gained from this is invaluable and practical and you won't find this in any other program, there is nothing like it. Whether you're a niche trainer or offer a variety of services, this education is universally practical to have in your dog training toolbox.

This course has been incredibly helpful in understanding child and dog relationships, and how to serve as a support system for pet parents. The resources such as links, handouts, and guides received from the course are awesome. The amount of compassion and understanding that Bethany and Jennifer have is astounding. I am so glad to have been able to participate in this course!

Jennifer Shryock of Family Paws has been part of the Emerald Doulas' Community Prenatal Meeting curriculum for six years. Her vast knowledge of dog (and cat) behavior, coupled with her calming reassurance has provided our pregnant clients with the valuable information they seek to help them feel confident that their newborn babies, and fur babies, will all be safe and happy as their families grow. Her sessions are always a hit! She has also provided additional education for our birth and postpartum doulas, so they can do their part to promote harmony in our client's homes during support visits.