Pet Training at Fairhaven Veterinary Hospital
“Most of my training is framed as games we play with our pets; it is integral to me that two-legged and four-legged participants are both having fun when they are training together. We build better lives with our pets through enrichment/management/training and deepening our understanding and communication. My training is science-based and kindness-led.”
-Jen Walker KPA CTP
Services Offered
Private Training Sessions
Intake sessions are 90 minutes, follow up sessions are 60 minutes
Learning basic cues and polite manners helps our pets live better lives and makes living with them more enjoyable.
Our Canine private training includes but are not limited to:
- Basic cues such as: Sit, Down, Place, Touch, Focus, and Recall (coming when called)
- Basic manners such as: Loose Leash Walking, House training, Crate training, and polite play and greetings
Our Feline private training packages include but are not limited to:
- The prevention and management of multi-cat households issues, litter box habits, destructive scratching, even tricks training!
Initial consultation: $200, Follow up sessions: $125
Follow Up Packages available and recommended: 3 pack $337.50 or 5 pack $531.25
*Virtual visits available. In-home services may be available depending upon location, and additional travel fees will apply.
Behavior Modification
Intake Session is 90 minutes, follow-up sessions are 60 minutes
- Behavior modification for common behavior concerns such as fear and anxiety
- Building confidence for shy/cautious pets
- Strengthening self-control for impulsive pets
- Creating and implementing plans for Reactive Dogs, Resource Guarding, and introducing new family members (pets and people) into the household
Initial consultation: $200, Follow up sessions: $125
Follow Up Packages available and recommended: 3 pack $337.50 or 5 pack $531.25
*Virtual visits available. In-home services may be available depending upon location, and additional travel fees will apply.
Fear Free Sessions
Sessions are 30 minutes
The Fairhaven Veterinary Hospital Team is Fear Free certified, and our In-house Trainer Jen Walker is a Fear Free Certified Animal Trainer. We have the skills and knowledge to help you, and your pet be more comfortable and enjoy veterinary visits. These short sessions are designed to teach your pet to feel safe in the hospital setting* and give you the skills to continue to work on veterinary husbandry at home. Sessions include but are not limited to:
- Teaching you to recognize fear, anxiety, and stress in your individual pet, and how you can help prevent and lessen these emotions.
- Desensitizing and counter-conditioning your pet to nail trims, administering medication, and gentle restraint.
- Teaching cooperative care behaviors such as Chin Rest, Targeting, Stationing. Knowing these skills boosts your pet’s confidence by making them active partners in veterinary and grooming experiences.
- Conditioning to a basket muzzle
*The skills that are taught during in-clinic Fear Free Sessions can also be taught virtually, either for your convenience or when pets are very nervous in locations other than their own home. After these skills are learned in-home, bringing those skills into practice in-hospital is the ultimate goal. Fairhaven offers special sessions at our location during hours that are closed to the general public to support very sensitive/fearful pets.
Fear Free Session: $75
*Virtual visits available. In-home services may be available depending upon location, and additional travel fees will apply.
Please email jenwalker@fairhavenvet.com to inquire!
Meet Our Trainer!
JenWalker

The first phase of Jen’s career started in 2004 when she began working in animal sheltering. Seeing so many pets lose their homes due to in-home conflicts during her time in sheltering, her trajectory shifted to helping keep pets in their homes instead of helping to rehome them. This began with staffing Behavior Helplines and providing Post-adoption Support and continued through earning multiple training certifications including CTC, KPA CTP, FPPE, and Fear Free. After spending about 15 years working in shelters and rescues, she transitioned into private practice, supporting pets and their people.
Experiencing the positive difference that Fear Free methods make in the welfare of pets (both with her own with cautious canines and sometimes fractious felines, and those animals she worked with professionally) led her to become something of a Fear Free evangelist and has brought her to her new role as Fairhaven Veterinary Hospital’s in-house trainer. She seeks to share the knowledge she has gained in companion animal training and behavior modification, cross-species communication, and environmental management. Here at Fairhaven, she’ll be offering private training to help our pets live better and happier lives through humane, consensual, and even fun training.
She describes her training philosophy as “science-based and kindness-led”, and says that her best teachers are the learners themselves, two-legged and four-pawed alike. One of her mantras is, “Any day I haven’t learned something from those I am working with, is a day I wasn’t paying enough attention.” Jen invites us all to learn along with her!
Jen shares her Mount Vernon home with two herding dog mixes (Gusto and Puzzle), two cats (Squiggy and Miz Eleanor Inkspot), and a very patient and supportive husband. The people and dogs regularly adventure around the region in their old Toyota RV, enjoying the beautiful Pacific Northwest!
Testimonials
Gwen & Atticus
Jen is a great dog trainer. No matter what the problem, I am confident that she can offer the solution. She helped me with my dog Atticus in several areas but most notably his reactivity. Jen is knowledgeable, supportive and thorough. Her written follow up to each visit was a great help for me in meeting the goals we had set for me and my dog. I could always count on getting excellent advice and would not hesitate to call on her in the future.
Emily & Lola
We worked with Jen for 6 months to help our fearful dog, Lola, with her anxiety and reactive tendencies. Lola was 4.5 when we brought her to Jen, and I would never have believed we could be where we are now! Jen is amazing.
Jen did several one-on-one trainings with Lola, coming to our home and teaching fun games we could play with Lola to lessen her anxiety. This was not an overnight change, but we stuck with the program and kept up with what we learned in between sessions. Lola went from not being able to walk by a dog on the street without panicking, to calmly checking out the dog with zero stress reactions, and moving on! It’s incredible.
Jen was so patient and understanding, and quickly become Lola’s friend. She is incredibly knowledgeable about dogs and their behavior, and had an answer to all of our questions.
I highly recommend Jen’s training services! If you listen to her, practice between sessions, and commit — you WILL see a difference in your dog. Thank you Jen!!!
Denise & Baxter
I worked with Jenn when my baby boy was freshly done with his vaccines until he was past 8months! She was the absolute best trainer we have had. I was absolutely devastated when she moved and we could not continue with her. Since then we have struggled to fine a trainer as amazing! Jen just gets it she understands animals and she has a way of helping us humans “get it” my pup loves her and to this day the techniques and insight she taught have helped me more than anything. I also took her k9 first aid and have abided by her teachings! I can not recommend her enough and am even considering the 1-2hr drive north just to work with her again!
Michelle & Wilson
I worked with Jen extensively, weekly, for nearly two years training my newly adopted/rescued 5 month old pup Wilson. We knew Wilson was going to be a big dog and he had the perfect temperament to potentially be my mobility service dog. Jen worked with us from the very beginning (we started about 5 days after adoption) with the basics in obedience, she taught me bonding games to both increase my connection with Wilson while also building foundations for his ADA service job. Jen was careful to never over work or overwhelm either me or Wilson. Jen slowly and consistently built up our skills and taught Wilson and I how to be an excellent working team. He is my second mobility dog and thanks to Jen a whole new bar has been set for what I can do in the world with an amazing partner in Wilson. Jen is a highly skilled and intuitive, loving, patient, kind and generous teacher with both the canine and the human. A rare gem!