Art of the Dog Canine Academy

Art of the Dog is clearly Denver’s premiere board and train academy. They worked miracles with my girls. They are organized, communicate constantly and respectfully about your dog’s progress. The photos and videos they sent while my girls were there are priceless. They kept me informed about diet issues when one of my girls wasn’t eating just from the change of circumstances. My other had a skin issue (which she had several times before training) and they notified me immediately. We were able to work together on some solutions. The various trainers that work with the dogs clearly love what they do and they love my dogs! They also provide several videos for owners to bring us along with the dogs’ training that reinforces what we as owners must now do to reinforce the training, to practice the skills at home and lifetime consultation and additional training as needed. These guys are amazing. The board and train program for 3 weeks is intense for the dogs and now my work as an owner is setup with homework, training videos to review as often as I want and additional consultation in the future for specialized training that comes from having 2 very different dog breeds who need some specific skills that addresses their compatibility on walks together. I am beyond impressed. I wish I had found Art of the Dog sooner. Thank you to all the staff at Art of the Dog!

I can’t recommend this organization enough. I have a pup who is around 9yo. He has always been anxious and I’ve been able to manage, but his anxiety has gotten worse over the years and has resulted into him biting. I would isolate him to protect him and others. I was feeling very lost and found Art Of The Dog. My pup is doing so much better and him and I have the confidence to take on any challenges. I also use them for boarding my pup and it’s made a huge difference for my dog’s life. The high quality trainers and calm environment makes boarding so much easier. It’s worth every penny.

I was absolutely terrified about sending my 2 year old pup somewhere for 3 weeks, but it wasn't a choice anymore. We could barely leave our house he was so reactive- I'm talking about if we saw the shadow of a dog a half mile down the road the walk was *OVER*. He was lunging/barking/dysregulated and unsafe. Our SUPER high energy springer spaniel was essentially housebound. We spent ALOT of money on positive reinforcement training with multiple trainers and had always been "anti e collar". With more research and education we learned that pure positive reinforcement doesn't work for a lot of dogs, especially extremely reactive ones, and we learned e collar training wasn't "mean". Murphy has been home from training for over 3 months now. We are walking past dogs on the sidewalk, we are going to parks, we are able to take him on walks ALONE (previously had to have at least one look out person), we are bringing him on hikes, his quality of life has improved 100% and so has ours. He still doesn't like other dogs, and he will never have to! He can peacefully co-exist in the outdoors with them. He is the exact same loving personality as before he left but so much less anxious. After Murphy got home from the academy, we did every single bit of training homework that we were told to do, he can lay on his bed and stay there until we free him, his recall is impeccable, we truly *barely* ever use the e-collar. If you have an extremely reactive dog- you need to do this. The three weeks apart will suck, but you need to give them their life back.

Overall, we had an amazing experience with Art of the Dog. We honestly can’t recommend them enough. We have a very large 9 month old Spanish Mastiff pup, Gordon. He is a very energetic and very large (and gorgeous) pup. When we first got him, we struggled with his behavior. He was digging in the yard (eating every twig and bush and tree in sight), barking constantly, and had terrible leash manners. The 3 week basic obedience board and train program has been a complete game changer for him. Gordon is still the same loving goofball, but now we finally feel in control. After completing the program his leash behavior has completely improved, he comes when called, and his sit and down commands are spot on. The place bed is a great bonus! During his stay, the team provided consistent updates, excellent communication, and showed true professionalism, patience, and care. Gordon came home happy and well-behaved. We highly recommend Art of the Dog to anyone looking for quality training and care for their pup.