Meet Our Family

Welcome. We're so pleased to meet you!

I'm Tammy Metzger, founder of Dogs Always Allowed. I help owners work through their dog's reactivity — the lunging, barking, and fear-driven behavior that leaves so many people feeling isolated and out of options. I started DAA because I kept meeting people who'd given up on walks, given up on visitors, sometimes given up on their dog's happiness altogether, simply because no one had shown them a path forward. Worse, some had landed in the hands of trainers whose methods just suppressed the behavior rather than addressing it — an emotionally shut-down dog is not the same as a calm one, but many confuse the two.

My approach asks more of owners than a quick fix does. Real change in a reactive dog takes patience and consistency, not a viral technique. That commitment is what I bring to every client relationship, and what I ask my clients to bring, too.

I've been training dogs — my own and alongside professionals — since the mid-90s. I hold titles with my own dogs in Rally Obedience, Scent Work, Barn Hunt, Tricks, and Canine Good Citizen, and we've trained in Agility, Tracking, and Parkour, as well. Beyond the ring, my dogs and I have peak-bagged, hiked, paddle-boarded, canicrossed, and bikejored across many states together — training isn't separate from how I live with dogs, it's our way of life.

I grew up in a house that took in every stray that wandered by, and even the one stretch of my adult life without a dog of my own, I was running a dogsitting business. Dogs have shaped nearly every chapter of my life. Right now, that life is shared with River, Zoe, and Jack — three very different teachers, each one patient with me while I learned (and relearned) the same lessons.

If you're standing where I've seen so many owners stand — isolated, discouraged, unsure whether your dog can ever feel at ease in the world — I'd like to help. Reach out, and let's talk about what that could look like for you and your dog.