Art of the Dog Canine Academy

Truly beyond grateful for the whole staff, but especially my dog's main trainer Lauren, for the care they showed my very difficult dog. This was a last resort, as we were already $15k into training with serious and extreme behavioral and aggression issues. I was at the end of my rope of trying everything I could to help advocate for my dog and help him live better, and Art of Dog was the piece of the puzzle he needed. He is so much calmer, better behaved, happier, and is a totally different dog now! He used to lunge, snarl, screech at any dog or person or anything on wheels that we saw. Now he's calm and walks in line with me and pays attention to just me. He's only been home for 3 days and the difference is immediate and truly amazing. Thank you to the team at AoD - I'm so grateful to have your care and support for Pork Chop :)

Just returning from an off-leash hike with my pup, which makes this a perfect time to sing the praises of Art of the Dog. The entire team, from first point of contact to today, is perfection. They turned my rescue dog from a reactive, frenetic, barking maniac into an attentive, highly trained, and lovable companion. It’s incredible to watch her grow and realize her full potential. Her training has also opened up her world to more adventures and travel, whereas before she would be left behind. An absolute game changer. While they do the heavy lift in the three weeks, it’s vital you keep up the training once home. Any issues or questions and they’re a text or phone call away. The team also consistently checks in on us. Without reservation, I highly recommend the team (especially Gilda) and programs at Art of the Dog.

Best decision we ever made. Our Jade we adopted at 8 weeks old has always been scared of the world/anxious was baked into her personality. When she was little we tried doing group class settings which didn’t work for her at all. She had a tough time being around other dogs and people she didn’t know. And then the pandemic happened and trying to do any kind of training just was off the table for a long time. About 6 months before we sent her to the academy there was an uptick in behavior issues. She was picking fights with our other dog anytime she was anxious, stressed or overwhelmed. She was obsessed with the front door and if anyone would just come through it. Very reactive on the leash especially towards other dogs to the point that she pulled so hard one time that it caused me to have minor tears in my rotator cuff 😳 we were at our wits end with her. Started exploring training options and came upon the Art of the Dog. Our experience from start to finish has been fantastic. Started with a zoom call where we just unloaded everything that we have been struggling with and they broke down all of what they do and how it can help. Ended up signing up a few months later. The cost is high but it has been worth every penny. Hardest part was leaving her the first day. She fought like crazy to get away had to drag her into the door and just turn around and walk out leaving her with them. Being away from her for 3 weeks was the most difficult part. The difference in her confidence from day 1 to graduation day is night and day. Started off really timid/sad they went really slow with her since it took a lot of time to warm up to new people but within a few days she was already starting to do some of the training. We fully expected them to call us and say there’s no hope we can’t fix her you gotta come get her. That didn’t happen. We got daily check ins with our trainer Novalee who has been fantastic. There was a text breakdown of what she learned a video or two and pictures. Really got us through each day that she was away from us. The best part about it all is having other people know how sweet she really is. The graduation day her trainer Novalee was holding her in her arms we have never seen her comfortable with anyone else but us to do that. It was quite a moment! I’m posting pictures to show from start to finish and how much it changed her. It’s been officially 2 months since we got her home and the training is still there. You have to be consistent she has tested her boundaries with us many times. She’s a new dog. We are able to walk past chaotic situations and she’s just fine. If we see that she is revving up in any way we are able to get her into a down to calm herself as the stimulus passes. She doesn’t pull on the leash ever if we are in a heel. The e-collar has been a huge deal in feeling like we have control over her. She tends to get deep into her head and deeply focused on something the e-collar snaps her out of that head space. The e-collar is a tens unit that you have full control over. We did it on ourselves so we know what she is feeling. I can’t say good enough things about this place it’s truly been life changing for us. We utilized boarding with them and were able to travel for the first time since we adopted her 5 years ago. 5 stars all around!!! Pictures are from day 1 to graduation