Dog Training in Tempe, Arizona
Personalized training for puppies, adult dogs, rescue dogs, and families—with specialized experience helping fearful and anxious dogs build confidence.
Whether you're bringing home a new puppy, working on everyday manners, welcoming a rescue dog, or dealing with a more challenging behavior, Side by Side Dog Training provides personalized training designed around your dog and your family's goals.
Dog Training Designed Around Your Dog
Every dog has a different personality, history, temperament, and way of learning.
That's why Side by Side Dog Training takes an individualized approach rather than trying to fit every dog into the same training program.
Sherry works with Tempe families to build practical skills, clearer communication, and greater confidence—whether you're looking for better manners at home, a more enjoyable walk, improved obedience, or help with a more challenging behavior.
And while Side by Side works with dogs of all kinds, Sherry has a particular passion for fearful, anxious, shy, and under-socialized dogs.
Specialized Support for Fearful & Anxious Dogs
Some dogs aren't being "stubborn." They're overwhelmed.
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Fear, anxiety, past experiences, lack of socialization, and uncertainty can all affect the way a dog responds to people, other animals, new environments, or everyday situations.
Side by Side Dog Training has a particular passion for helping fearful, anxious, shy, and under-socialized dogs build confidence.
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With more than 17 years of rescue experience, Sherry understands that progress may look different for every dog. Training isn't about rushing a dog through fear. It's about creating understanding, building trust, and helping the dog develop the skills needed to navigate the world more comfortably.
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If your dog hides, freezes, barks, lunges, avoids people, struggles around other dogs, or simply seems overwhelmed by everyday life, you're not alone—and you're not expected to figure it out alone.
Dog Training for Real-Life Challenges
Every family comes to training with a different concern. We work with you to identify what's happening, understand your dog's behavior, and develop practical skills you can continue using at home and in everyday situations.
In-Home Dog Training in Tempe
Dogs don't live in a training facility. They live in your home, your neighborhood, and your community.
That's why in-home training can be such an effective way to address the behaviors you're actually experiencing every day.
Side by Side Dog Training works with Tempe families in their everyday environment, helping identify the situations that are creating challenges and teaching both you and your dog how to respond differently.
Depending on your dog's needs, training may address:
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Household manners
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Leash walking
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Place and stay
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Recall
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Door manners
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Jumping
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Focus and engagement
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Fear and anxiety
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Reactivity
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Confidence building
The goal isn't simply to have your dog behave during a training session. It's to help you develop skills that continue working after the trainer leaves.
Training Beyond the Front Door
A dog that listens perfectly in the living room may respond very differently when surrounded by distractions.
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Real-world training helps dogs practice the skills they've learned in environments where life actually happens.
Depending on your dog's individual needs and comfort level, training may include practicing around:
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Neighborhood distractions
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Walks and sidewalks
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New people
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Other dogs
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Outdoor environments
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Changes in routine
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Everyday household situations
For dogs working through fear or anxiety, the pace and environment are adjusted to support progress rather than overwhelm the dog.
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Training isn't about creating a dog that behaves perfectly in one controlled environment. It's about helping you and your dog communicate more effectively wherever life takes you.
Serving Families Throughout Tempe
Side by Side Dog Training works with families throughout Tempe and surrounding communities. Because training is often most effective when it connects to a dog's everyday environment, we help families build skills that can be practiced beyond the home.
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We frequently work with families near Tempe neighborhoods, residential communities, and local parks including:
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Kiwanis Park • Mitchell Park • Jaycee Park • Papago Park • Tempe Beach Park • Meyer Park • Palmer Park • Optimist Park
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Depending on your dog's needs, local environments can provide opportunities to practice focus, leash manners, confidence, and calm behavior around everyday distractions.
Serving Tempe Neighborhoods & Communities
We work with families throughout Tempe, including residential neighborhoods, townhome communities, condominium communities, and HOA-managed neighborhoods. Whether you're working through challenges inside your home or trying to make walks around your neighborhood more manageable, our training is designed to fit into your family's real life.
Why Tempe Families Choose Side by Side Dog Training
Choosing a dog trainer is about more than finding someone who can teach commands.
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You want someone who understands your dog, listens to your concerns, and gives you practical tools you can continue using after training sessions are over.
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At Side by Side Dog Training, we focus on building communication between dogs and their people.
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Experience That Comes From Real Dogs
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With more than 17 years of rescue and dog-training experience, Sherry has worked with dogs with a wide range of personalities, histories, and challenges.
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Personalized Training
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Your dog's training plan should reflect your dog's temperament, behavior, environment, and your family's goals.
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A Focus on Understanding
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Understanding why a behavior is happening is an important part of creating meaningful change.
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Support for the Human, Too
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Dog training isn't just about teaching the dog. We teach owners how to communicate, respond, and continue the work between sessions.
From Out-of-Control to Calm, Confident, and Manageable
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“We thought our only option might be a heartbreaking decision. Working with Sherry changed everything.”
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Sherry has completely turned our home life around with our two highly rambunctious but incredibly lovable dogs, Mac and Lydia. They had gotten into serious trouble at home, including attacking their siblings, and we were afraid we might be facing a heartbreaking decision.
After working with Sherry, we now know their situation is manageable—and we have the control we desperately needed.
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Mac and Lydia spent two weeks training with Sherry, and the difference was incredible. They came home noticeably calmer and more focused. They no longer pull us around on walks, they have stopped reacting to other dogs, and we can finally enjoy dinner in peace while they calmly stay in their “place.”
One of my biggest fears was that training would somehow change the personalities we love so much. Instead, they are still the same dogs—we just have calmer, more focused, and much more manageable versions of them.
We had previously tried bark collars, but the experience was awful for Lydia. She became severely depressed while wearing one and seemed to live in fear that it would go off. Sherry's training methods were completely different. There was no fear—just clear communication, structure, and the obedience these high-strung dogs desperately needed.
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The changes have even carried over into situations we never expected. Mac once had to spend three hours at the vet with us, something that normally would have had him pacing, panting, and crying. This time, he calmly laid on the floor throughout the entire visit.
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And Sherry doesn't just train the dogs and send you home. She trains you, too. She continues to support us after the initial training and has gone with us into environments where we've struggled in the past so she can teach us how to handle those situations effectively.
She can even walk both dogs together—which is amazing! We're not quite ready to try that ourselves yet, but we're getting there.
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I was especially nervous about being separated from Lydia for two weeks. Sherry made that much easier by sending us regular updates, pictures, and videos so we always knew how she was doing. Now, whenever Sherry comes to our home for follow-up training, Mac and Lydia are genuinely excited to see her.
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We highly recommend Sherry to anyone looking for a hands-on dog trainer who truly supports both the dog and the owner every step of the way. She didn't just train our dogs—she helped us get our family back.
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-Dawn N Google Review
Training Options for Tempe Families
Ultimate
A more comprehensive training experience for families looking for a deeper level of support and behavior improvement.
Meet Sherry
Side by Side Dog Training was built around a simple belief: dogs and their people shouldn't have to navigate challenges alone.
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With more than 17 years of rescue experience, Sherry brings patience, experience, and a deep understanding of dogs who may be fearful, anxious, uncertain, or struggling to communicate.
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Her goal is not simply to teach your dog commands. It's to help you understand your dog and build a relationship based on clearer communication and trust.
Frequently Asked Questions About Dog Training in Tempe
Frequently asked questions
Ready to Take the Next Step
Whether you're raising a puppy, looking for better manners, welcoming a rescue dog into your family, or trying to help a fearful or anxious dog feel more confident, you don't have to figure it out alone.
Tell us about your dog and what you're hoping to accomplish.