Agoge K9 Dog Training Nashville

I’m a veterinarian, and I hear it all the time: “Belgian Mals are beautiful, I’ve always wanted one!” “NO YOU DON’T,” I adamantly state. “Not until you hear what I have to say.” And I sit them down, and we have “The Talk.” In short, you’re gonna want to know what you’re getting into. This is a highly intelligent and active breed. They need a stellar foundation, which, to my mind, rests in breeding and training. These things are expensive, but when you find someone who can offer that solid foundation, they are worth every. Single. Penny. I’ve gotten my last two dogs from Brian/Agoge K9, and I’ve yet to be disappointed. My dogs have been incredible. They go with me everywhere. They’ve also had impeccable manners, and it wasn’t taught with brute force. These folks understand the heart and soul of the dog, and they remember this in their tutelage. As a result, I have a confident, kind, polite dog that has proven to be an exceptional worker. Aloy is everything I needed her to be, as was Ryuú before her… these dogs have no equal because we started them well. Brian, Cody, and the entire team at Agoge K9: the dogs you’ve entrusted me with have changed my life. Thank you. Here’s to a lifetime of dogs. They make the world better. Only through good training can we ever deserve them, even a little. There is no substitute for a relationship like this. With Love, Tamara, Aloy, Ryuú.

Brian and Cody are fantastic trainers! Long story, but Ozzy, our 2-1/2+ year old 110 lb Husky/Rottweiler mix (we think!) suddenly became aggressive towards my wife and I in the house and yard (perfectly fine outside of house and yard, in car, at vet, on walks, etc). Snapping, growling, posturing. He cornered my wife in closet, etc. He had always been loving, affectionate, never growled or even barked in the two years since we rescued him from the shelter… this behavior started completely out of the blue. We took him to two emergency vet visits, checked by pet neurologist, etc. (we were dumb and were convinced he had a brain tumor or something to make his behavior change so drastically literally overnight). Healthy, and neurologist said it’s strictly behavioral. After 3 days of living in fear of our dog, having to keep him outside in the fenced yard or locked in the bedroom, while we slept on sofas, we were stressed and at a loss as to what to do. Couldn’t find any trainers that could take him without a long (months) wait, and we couldn’t live like that. Literally every Google search said behavior like that is “fear/anxiety”. After day 3 we thought we’d have to have him put down. Our two dogs (he has a 5 year old “sister” beagle mix shelter dog, best friends) are like our children, and we were devastated. We were going to have him put down the following day. Neither of us could sleep, wife put in a slightly different search for trainers at like 3am, and Agoge k9 came up. She sent an email explaining what was going on, and Brian called us at 7AM as soon as he saw it. Said it sounded like “dominance aggression”, spent an hour on the phone with us explaining dog behavior/thinking process in our situation. But he told us could fix that. Couldn’t get us in that week, but we booked behavior modification training to begin in 10 days, and he gave us advice (avoidance of confrontation basically) to get us through to that date. We brought him in to Agoge on that date, and Brian/Cody spent an hour giving us a crash course in canine behavior. Enlightening to say the least!! No one wants to honestly self-assess, and come to the conclusion that “we” were the problem. But that’s what happened. Our dogs were generally chill, easy going, didn’t chew, cause problems… so WE gave them no rules, boundaries, limitations… we CREATED the problem! We were enablers, and basically parents that gave no rules, structure, nor discipline, and then wonder why our child “went bad”. Lol Ozzy should be a “working dog”, and he was basically the human equivalent of an 18 year old kid with too much testosterone, with no job, living at home playing video games… and then he decided it was a good time to let us know that he was the alpha/boss, which is what we had unwittingly “taught” him in the preceding 2 years. During training, they communicated that he wasn’t naturally aggressive, and could have hurt us if he really wanted to, but never did. He needed discipline and direction. His personality is very “pushy”, demanding and manipulative. During one of the weekly videos they sent us on his progress, Cody eloquently stated that when left to his own devices, with no job, and not enough work, “Ozzy makes poor decisions”. Lol They taught him so well and he came back home a different dog! They didn’t just train Ozzy… they trained us! They taught us how to reinforce the foundation they gave him and rebuild our relationship with him from the ground up. It took dedication and effort to change OUR behavior! It was NOT easy to do that, and it was kind of a full time job for the first several weeks… I imagine most people don’t put in that effort and time, and the dog may backslide when it comes to behavioral issues. For us, with the aggression we experienced, this wasn’t an option. They trained him unbelievably well! He earns fun, privileges, freedom, food by “working” for it. And he is a much happier, fulfilled dog for it! :) We can’t thank Brian and Cody enough for giving us our great dog back, and their wisdom to us! Agoge is 100% recommended!

My main man, Steamer, a 2-year-old German Shepherd/Catahoula Leopard Dog mix, was in dire need of some professional training. You know, the kind where you're starting to think maybe you overestimate your dog training abilities and bit off more than you can chew (or in his case, more than he can tug with his leash...). The bond between me and Steamer can definitely be described as the peak of "man's best friend". Still, we needed some pro-intervention for his intense leash pulling, possessive tendencies, and just overall obedience – especially with my wife and me expecting our first baby and our upcoming transition to life in a fifth wheel. We turned to Agoge K9, LLC, Nashville's top dog training company, after hearing about their impressive credentials. They weren't just tooting their horn! After a program lasting 34 days, spearheaded by the highly skilled and knowledgeable Cody, Steamer came back, and buddy, he was a changed dog! Weekly video updates were a nice touch to inform us about our boy's progress. After the training, the team didn't just drop him off and wash their hands off it. They made sure to give us the training and tools to continue reinforcing Steamer's new behaviors. And the best part? They even worked around our busy schedules to come to our house and train us for roughly four hours when Steamer came home, making the transition smooth for everyone involved, then ensured us that they would offer us support for the rest of Steamer's life. I won't lie, like the vast majority of people, my wife and I are no Caesar Milan, but with the training and guidance Agoge K9 provided, my wife and I now feel more than confident about our skills in maintaining Steamer's behavior. We were even given a full analysis of Steamer from personality to insecurities, etc. to help us understand what motivates him to do both "good" and "bad" behaviors. We later found out that they also board dogs for short periods of time, so we feel ecstatic knowing that we have a place to take Steamer that will continue reinforcing good behaviors if we go on a trip, that he is familiar with, and most importantly, where we know he will be taken excellent care of. Agoge K9's dedication to their craft is evident. Their understanding of canine behavior, paired with an approach that focuses on the root cause of misbehavior and NOT resorting to aggression or intimidation sets them apart. With over 20 years of experience and having trained over 3,500 dogs, they truly have the magic touch! Their testimonials are glowing, and rightly so. If you're in or around Nashville and need a top-notch dog training service, I wholeheartedly recommend Agoge K9, LLC. For us, it wasn't just about training a dog; it was about fostering positive bonds and ensuring our family, including our furry members, are set up for success! Cheers to a well-behaved Steamer and a peaceful fifth-wheel life ahead! Thanks again, guys!