Alpha K-9 Obedience

Michael is a wonderful trainer and very pleasant to work with. We rescued Odin - a 6 year old lab mix - who quickly showed signs of separation anxiety. He nearly ruined a crate to escape. He severely damaged two doors and he did significant damage to our truck. Michael trained us to train Odin. We can now leave Odin home alone and not worry about damage to the house. He walks well on a leash and has learned to sit and stay when told. Odin is now a happy lab and we are happy, too. We are very pleased and highly recommend Michael.

We recently contacted Michael Mandell of Alpha K-9 Obedience as we were have some behavior problems with our dog. We quickly found out that he is so much more than a dog trainer, he is a dog behaviorist specialist. What does that mean? He understands dogs and how they need their owners to be the alpha. His methods are very different from the traditional dog trainer and the results speak for themselves. I have had dogs almost my whole life and haven't had a problem training them until now. We have a two year old Bernese Mtn dog who chased vehicles, terrified delivery people and has pulled me down a number of times while hiking. Notice I am posting in past tense! Michael came to our home and taught us how to be leaders to our dog. We had two training sessions with Michael (yes only two!!) and I am totally amazed. Our dog is no longer chasing vehicles, terrorizing delivery people, and best of all he is behaving and listening to me when we hike all of the time, not just when he wants to. I highly recommend Michael if you are having any problems with training your dog.

Words cannot express the joy of having a well behaved dog thanks to Michael Mandell. Our dog, Murphy, a 1 yr old mix, was out of control. He definitely thought he was the alpha in the family. During walks, he would pull on his leash and go crazy with joy when he saw other dogs and people. Walks were a challenge and not very enjoyable. Murphy would jump on people. In the evening as we were settling down to watch a movie or some TV, Murphy would bark constantly in our face and want our attention. We had tried a group dog training session in Evergreen where treats were the reward for good behavior. However a group setting was not right for Murphy due to him always being in the “red zone” (overly happy, never aggressive) and he is not a food motivated dog. It was also a pain to always have to take treats on walks to coax him into heeling and behaving on leash and food based training just didn’t work for him. We decided the best approach for Murphy would be private one on one training. I took to Yelp and found excellent reviews for Michael Mandell, Alpha K-9 Obedience, a dog behavior specialist located in Evergreen, CO. We set up an initial consultation appointment at our house in Evergreen. From the minute Michael stepped into our house, Murphy knew Michael was the alpha of the pack and showed a respect to him that Murphy had never shown to us. Immediately after the first session, Murphy was a changed dog and respecting us as the alpha of the pack. Over the course of multiple sessions along with “homework” which involved us repeating the behavior exercises taught to us during the session, Michael showed us how to become the alpha of the family and change Murphy’s behavior. There were no treats involved, just respect and trust between our dog and us. Murphy became a different dog – heeling on leash, dropping toys/items out of his mouth on command, leaving items/plants alone on command (especially beneficial if you encounter a poisonous mushroom on a walk), staying in place even with distractions, coming when called, no longer barking in our face in the evenings and no longer going crazy when we meet other dogs and people on walks. We love our walks now and can go into town, walk on crowded sidewalks, eat dinner on outside patios and Murphy is so well behaved – no treats needed. The “before Michael” and “after Michael” Murphy is so different. We have a respectful and trusting relationship now with Murphy and all of our lives are better because of Michael. Thank you, Michael!

Michael is amazing to work with. He is a behaviorist instead of a trainer and he truly reads & understands dogs. We did not have an aggression issue (though he is expert in that area) but do have a strong willed puppy and all the challenges that entails. In just a few sessions - as well as work on our part that Michael taught us - our puppy is settling in well and many of the bad habits she came with are diminishing. Most of all, Michael helps his clients build a strong and very loving relationship with their dogs. We highly recommend his services.

We recently rescued a large breed dog that had beenHORRIBLY mistreated since she was a puppy. Upon getting her to our home we knew she had many issues. We have tried two other dog trainers with NO success! In fact we think some of that training did actually more harm than good. In searching for a solution, we heard about Alpha K-9- and heard nothing but the HIGHEST praise. So we called Michael! I’ll tell you I never knew the difference between a “ dog trainer” and a “dog behaviorist” until I met Michael! His philosophy and approach was far different then we had experienced and we IMMEDIATELY saw positive changes in our dog! Michael not only understands these animals but he loves them and his plan is give the dogs the life they deserve and long for! It’s hard to explain in writing, but Michael connected with our dog and guided us through every step and answered every question! We are AMAZED and ECSTATIC at the change in our dog’ behavior! Any dogs we ever get in the future and every dog owner I know, I will confidently and gladly recommend calling Alpha K-9 and Michael! There’s NO comparison to his methods and his caring! 5 stars PLUS!