Atlantic Coast K-9 Training Service

We purchased a 16-month old female havanese who had been crated much of her life right after Christmas. After four months of trying to teach her to sit consistently, we felt like we were being trained by our dog, instead of the other way around. My daughter gifted us with six private lessons with Ralph Smith at Atlantic Coast K-9. He showed us how to gain control and to work with her in a way that was gentle, yet firm. She has made good progress and knows her basic commands. We and our dog are happier; she is adjusting to our home and to the neighborhood. We are so grateful to Ralph for his instruction and his kindness to us and to our wee one.

I would recommend Ralph for dog obedience training! We recently completed obedience training with our dog Kane, and the positive changes have been remarkable. Ralph's approach was fantastic – he was patient, clear in his instructions, and used positive reinforcement techniques that our dog responded to incredibly well. Kane could be stubborn, but Ralph was able to teach him all the things we needed him to do, such as sitting, down, staying, heel, etc. Kane is even calmer. It's been such a rewarding experience, and I would definitely recommend Ralph to any dog owner looking for effective and positive obedience training. Thanks again, Ralph, for training, Kane!!!

I wanted 1:1 training for my dog Graham that gave us both the knowledge and confidence to be in public and enjoy life together. We got that with Ralph at Atlantic Coast K9! Ralph frequently adapted his training techniques to support my dog individually and that is the beauty of 1:1 dog training. We started with the silver package and then upgraded to the gold (off leash). I do think the off leash portion could be longer to include real life practice, but that’s nit picky, as we were able to figure it out on our own. Ralph runs a tight ship, but he can train a dog very well and it’s absolutely worth the investment! Pictures below: from training to real life freedom! * PS: Ralph does incorporate a prong collar into his training. I wasn’t aware of that until I arrived for day 1 and while I was fine with (Ralph teaches you to you it correctly and safely which is key), I think it’s important to note.

Blown away by the results of this training program. Although we saw some progress working with a few different trainers previously, this was by far the most effective. Ralph is a true expert—not only is he a skilled and knowledgeable trainer, but he was able to adapt to both of our dogs’ unique personalities and learning styles to give them the customized attention they needed. We started with the silver package for both dogs and ended up adding on more time and training for one of our dogs based off the significant progress she had made (Ralph even offered to continue working on the basics for our other dog free of charge!). He was very communicative along the way and gave us confidence that our dogs were in great hands. The safety and wellbeing of our pups is the top priority and it was a huge relief knowing that they formed a strong bond with Ralph and were enjoying their time with him (both were clearly sad to leave!). Ralph spent lots of time with us at pick up, ensuring that we understood all of the new techniques and commands to reinforce the training at home. We are so grateful for this experience and highly recommend Ralph and Atlantic Coast K9 for any breed and any training need!