Welcome to

A NEW Understanding of Dogs.

Learn HOW to create

Behavioral Wellness

-to set you & your dog up for success.

Living with behavior problems can be tough.

You may have arrived here because you have a dog whose behavior is out of control and you are at the end of your tether.

Perhaps you have tried different remedies or even professional help elsewhere, and yet your dog’s behavior hasn’t improved.

It’s frustrating and stressful. We get it.

Whether you are dealing with serious issues like Reactivity, Resource Guarding, Fear, or Anxiety, or just nuisance behaviors - The Dog Talker offers a very unique approach to most others here in Charleston SC.

The help you need is not ‘DOG TRAINING’.

Why not?

Simply put:

Because DOG TRAINING won’t fix the foundation when the cracks underneath are invisible without further investigation. And just like a foundation in your house, you can make all kinds of repairs that may fix it or stall it for a while - but why not get to the REAL problem FIRST and save money, sweat, and tears in the long run?

You need someone who can help you understand your dog’s WHY

You need a different approach that goes much deeper than ‘dog training’.

You see, the problems our dogs are dealing with are NOT TRAINING problems.

Our dogs are LOST because we have tried for decades to turn them into PETS - and that has created dysfunction and WELFARE issues - and THAT is what we need to ‘FIX’.

This is why Family Dog Mediation has been born and why dog training is finally EVOLVING.

The Secret to better dog behavior?

  • It’s not about training.

  • It’s about understanding your dog’s WHY and creating safe, predictable patterns.

  • It’s about changing your dog’s environment to help your dog navigate this ‘Pet Life’ better.

  • And it’s about YOUR behavior.

When YOU change - your dog’s behavior improves immediately - because your dog learns from YOU.

Welcome to

The Dog Talker (TDT)!

As Charleston's first Licensed Family Dog Mediator®, we are the city's Leading Expert on Dog Behavior Issues like:

AGGRESSION, FEAR, ANXIETY & WELFARE.

Our expertise goes ABOVE & BEYOND dog training and behavior consulting.

The Dog Talker is part of a movement to raise the bar of public understanding of pet dogs and their struggles living in the 21st century.

We help families understand the reasoning behind their dog’s behavior, and thereby see their dog in a new light.

Family Dog Mediators® provide simple, practical solutions to common dog behavior problems for the modern pet dog family through integrated science.

The Dog Talker is among the leaders in this evolutionary and holistic approach, which helps families navigate life BETTER together with their canine companions.

Our expertise includes in particular:

  • Dog-Dog Aggression in multiple dog households

  • Resource Guarding

  • Reactivity (Stranger/Danger & Leash Reactivity)

  • Noise Phobia

  • Fear/ Anxiety

  • The human-canine relationship

  • Welfare

OUR SERVICE AREA:

For in-person consults, we proudly service the following Charleston SC areas:

Summerville, Moncks Corner, Cane Bay, Ladson, Summers Corner, North Charleston, Hanahan, West Ashley, Downtown Charleston, Daniel Island, Mt. Pleasant, Isle of Palms, Sullivan’s Island, John’s Island, James Island.

- And the WORLD via Zoom consults.

PLEASE NOTE: For other locations in the LowCountry, a TRAVEL FEE will apply for in-home sessions.

We put WELFARE first …Always!

Our Services

Dog Welfare Packages

Dog Welfare Packages

Dog Welfare Package

Choose this option to kickstart a new journey with the valuable tools to help you & your dog navigate life better together.

For all behavior issues (Aggression, Reactivity, Fear, Anxiety, etc.).

PLEASE NOTE: You may (or may not) need more sessions, depending on variables like: Severity, number of dogs, number of issues, etc.

  • 3 x 90 mins in-home sessions (or Zoom) = (3 x $245)

  • Behavior Plan with recommended resources: $25

  • Behavior Modification (as needed)

  • Hacks (ONLY used in Family Dog Mediation®

  • Basic Training (IF needed)

  • Full support between sessions

  • Complimentary clicker + treat pouch

  • 1 month’s FREE membership to our TDT Club (worth $19.99)

  • Initial Consultation REQUIRED first

Individual Follow-up Sessions

Individual Follow-up Sessions

Individual Follow-up sessions: 60 mins each.

Sessions can take place in your home, on location, or on Zoom.

Reasons for choosing individual sessions:

  • Budget

  • Don’t feel ready to commit to more

  • Need 1-2 additional sessions

  • Initial Consultation REQUIRED first

Did you know that the vast majority of ‘behavior problems’ in dogs are WELFARE problems?

And that there is one SIMPLE solution?

Canine Wellness Walks

Canine Wellness Walks

Canine Wellness Walks Meeting your dog’s needs as no. 1

Our Wellness Walks are all about helping dogs destress, become more confident, helping them navigate difficult situations and triggers - and engaging their nose.

The importance of sniffing is to activate the ‘seeking system’ in the brain - with the wonderful ‘side effect’ of energy expenditure and release of ‘feel-good’ chemicals in the brain like dopamine and endorphins. Dopamine release from sniffing can significantly help a dog calm down and reduce stress.

  • Wellness Walks are for 1 or 2 dogs where each dog is walked separately

  • Initial Consultation REQUIRED first

  • Choose between 2 packages ( 1 walk per week or 2 walks per week)

The Dog Training Unplugged Podcast

Listen now on:

Podbean, Spotify, Apple Podcast & Amazon Music

“It's a new dawn. It's time for change. It's time to stand up for those who cannot speak for themselves. In this podcast, Vivi MJ, a Professional Dog Trainer & Licensed Family Dog Mediator®, takes you on a journey to help raise awareness of the state of our pet dog population and how our behavior affects theirs. This podcast is the first of its kind to question WHAT we humans are doing to our dogs in the name of training. Vivi is not asking us to stop training all together but to UNPLUG, in order to be able to HEAR our dog's voice, perhaps for the first time. Let's DO better for our dogs!”

Why Choose Us?

Customized, Signature Behavior Programs -with VIP treatment & Unique Package options - you won’t find anywhere else.

Experienced, Educated, Certified, Licensed Behavior Expert - specializing in Aggression, Fear/Anxiety.

Welfare, REAL communication, trust, compassion, empathy, non-judgmental, relationship bonding are KEY values we stand by 100%.

No rigid commands. No military style training. No training collars…NO Alpha. Your relationship with your dog should not be based on Dominance.

When you understand, you can unleash control.

Holistic Approach to help you understand your dog’s WHY and meet his/her needs.

100% Fear-free, science backed methods.

We help you see REAL long-term change.

Vivi Myslik Jorgensen, LFDM-T, KPA CTP is the owner, CEO, and founder of The Dog Talker LLC and the host of The Dog Training Unplugged Podcast.

As Charleston’s first Licensed Family Dog Mediator® and Karen Pryor Academy Certified Training Partner, Vivi has 7+ years experience of working with behavioral issues like Aggression, Fear, Anxiety in dogs.

She works from a holistic approach called the L.E.G.S.® model (only used in Family Dog Mediation) as well as her own Umbrella Framework (Dog Training Unplugged).

Vivi uses 100% Fear Free, science and evidence backed methods and Positive Reinforcement.

About Vivi


FREE ebook!!

FREE ebook!!

Grab your FREE downloadable copy of my ‘Live Life Unplugged’ ebook.

9 pages on HOW to live a life UNPLUGGED with your dog!!!

Don’t miss these great resources for your LEASH REACTIVE DOG!

If you are struggling with your leash reactive dog, fret no more!!!

Vivi has created two amazing resources - a workbook for dog parents like you, which will help you transform your dreaded walks to walks of pleasure for both you & your dog + an accompanying Reactivity Checklist

In the 26 page workbook (ebook), Vivi helps you understand the common reasons WHY dogs are reactive and gives you tools to work with - both for your dog and for YOU.

Most importantly, she helps you dial in to the PURPOSE of the walk and why that is so CRUCIAL for success!

This workbook is meant as a companion guide and reference book, both in its own right, but also as an added resource for any of our services here at TDT.

INCLUDES a 7 Day Walk Diary - to help you think more deeply about your own thoughts & feelings about the walk.

Reactivity Checklist with Notes - 4 pages
Quick View

Purchase both of these and get 10% discount. Use code EBOOK10 at checkout.

What Clients Say About Us

  • Chris & Sheilagh ( & Rooster & Topher) Boston MA

    Vivi is a treasure! My girlfriend and I went to Vivi, desperate for help with our pets as we moved in together. We had been living separate in our own homes with our respective pets. I have a dog with a history of aggressive behavior and my partner has a friendly dog and two cats. Needless to say, combining our households into a home where all 16 paws could live in harmony was going to take professional guidance. Vivi began working with us before we made the move, making visits to both homes. She continued working with us for several months after we moved into the same house to ease the transition. She was unbelievably flexible and thorough. It was clear from day one and throughout our engagement with Vivi that she was devoted to successfully assisting us.

    We have relocated to Boston, but Vivi has remained in contact, and has even assisted with additional concerns via zoom. She knows our fur babies as well as we do as the companions, and we will forever be grateful that she came into our lives when she did. If she can help us with the challenging situation we presented her with (and she did!), then there is probably nothing she can't help with when it comes to training dogs! Miracle worker!

  • Debra, Ron & Bogey, Summerville SC:

    “I contacted Vivi after researching trainers/companies that focused more on dog behavior than pure training. After an initial consultation, we decided to go with her 8 week program to help us with our terrier who was a total embarrassment when walking him around "his" neighborhood. He barked at cars, hated people walking by, and went especially crazy if another dog walked by in the general vicinity. It was immediately apparent that Vivi has a real passion for her work! She helped us understand why Bogey was being so territorial and laid out a process for us to follow to to calm him down and alleviate the triggers making him go so berserk. Working with Vivi was a real pleasure - she works with both the dog and the owners/parents to address the undesired behavior without judgement, and documents the whole process with both pictures and a written plan so that you can refer back to them as needed. For these reasons, I highly recommend The Dog Talker LLC for dog training and behavior issues.”

  • Kate, Zac & Tilly, Summerville SC:

    “Vivi is AMAZING!!! My wife and I have had lots of dogs. We thought we were good at training on our own until we adopted our most recent one. She was not getting along well with our older dogs, and she was exhibiting some bad behavioral issues. We called Vivi late one day because we just could not figure out what to do, and we were panicking. In the very first session Vivi gave us training tools that we will use forever, and we began noticing huge improvements in all of our pets. By the end of the course we were much more confident dog owners, and our dogs were getting along so well. I don't know what we would have done without Vivi's help and knowledge. She was absolutely wonderful.”

  • Tracy, Stephen & Chester (puppy), Mt. Pleasant, SC:

    “My husband and I adopted a blue heeler/Shepherd mix puppy from a rescue and knew we'd need a great trainer to help us 'hit the ground running," training him and socializing him. We hired Vivi of The Dog Talker LLC and loved her professionalism, organizational help (remembering the what she taught us -she put all the info in an easy to recover Google Spreadsheet that is ours for life, plus personalized videos of our puppy learning things) and lovely personality. She fit right into our new family and helped with a lot of the initial things we weren't quite sure about. This is a woman who is committed. She's kind and understanding and so patient with both us - the humans (who probably needed MOST of the training) as well as our puppy! Hire her!”

  • Danielle & Henry & Cooper, Summerville SC:

    “I can’t thank/praise Vivi enough for the progress her training/techniques had/has on my very very fearful rescue pup. Her positive approach to training was extremely effective and just what my pups needed to gain confidence and learn obedience. Highly recommend!!”

Follow us on Instagram

@the.dogtalker

The Dog’s Truth

- where understanding begins.

We highly recommend watching this documentary before you get help for your dog!

This 60 mins course/documentary from the founder of Family Dog Mediation® and the creator of the L.E.G.S.® model, Kim Brophey is now FREE for everyone to watch on YouTube!!

In this documentary style video, Kim Brophey talks about WHY we are seeing so many behavior problems in the pet dog population in the 21st century.

…..psssst! And please SHARE the link with everyone you know who is a dog lover!!

Get qualified help & expertise from Vivi at The Dog Talker, today.