Best Paw Forward Dog Training

We had a wonderful training experience with Michael, co-owner of Best Paw Forward. He has an amazing way with dogs and was able to begin demonstrating successful training techniques literally within seconds of entering our house the first time. Our golden retriever puppy, Lola, had been a handful. She is so bouncy and energetic, we were having trouble containing her enthusiasm, especially when company came over. We were experienced dog owners and have had goldens before, but Lola was more alpha than the others, and the casual training we had done before just wasn't cutting it. Over the course of six lessons, in our case spread over about 2 months, Michael taught my wife and I immediately useable techniques to train Lola. (Well, really, he was training *us* to be successful owners.) His gentle, consistent approach is something I now try my best to emulate when working with Lola. With our formal training now finished, I feel I can apply what I learned to new situations and needs, and I feel much more comfortable training our sweet pup. She responds beautifully to proper training and is becoming the loving, adorable, *well-behaved* pet we always knew she could be. Michael and his team were always prompt, professional, and engaging. When we had an appointment at, say, 7:30, Michael pulled into the driveway at 7:29 and was ready to go. I simply cannot recommend Best Paw Forward more strongly for anyone looking for help in training their dog.

Our family can't say enough about the great experience we have had with Best Paw Forward and Michael and Jamie! Before we sent our Golden Retriever Crosby to board and train with Best Paw Forward, he was always jumping, mouthing and practicing some very bad habits. Michael and Jamie successfully instilled some manners in our pup, gave him focus and taught him some essential commands to make life with a puppy and 4 kids a little more sane. Crosby came back to our home happy, focused and eager to show off his new skills. Michael and Jamie spent so much time with our entire family making sure we had the same success with Crosby's behavior as they did. They gave us the tools, skills and advice we needed to keep up with Crosby's training at home. Michael and Jamie encourage us to contact them with any issues - which is comforting knowing their assistance doesn't end when the training period ends, they will continue to provide support. We have and will continue to highly recommend Best Paw Forward to anyone seeking training for their dog! The Keeffe Family

My wife and I have been using Best Paw Forward's services since July of 2015, when we realized our 8 month old puppy Bodie was having issues with fear based aggression when encountering strangers and visitors to our house. Michael and Jamie were able to quickly gain Bodie's trust and we went to work on his stranger aggression using positive techniques. We initially took 4 in home lessons. Michael and Jamie ended up coming 2 extra times for no additional charge when his issue was more difficult than initially expected. We also used them a few months later for a board and train session when we went out of town for 2 weeks. He came back a lot more responsive to us and that enabled us to further work on his issues. Working with Michael and Jamie's methods have both trained Bodie to have more confidence and has also educated us on how to best work with our dog so that he can not be so fearful outside of the house as well as being more under control inside the house. One of the things we appreciate the most is that after the lessons and the training, they continue to provide support via email and phone, as well as having occasional dog walks in local parks with past & current clients (and anybody else who wants to join). This has been critical in helping Bodie overcome his issues as well as making him a great dog to live with. I would recommend Best Paw Forward to anybody who has issues training their dog as well as anybody who just wants a better behaved doggie.

We had a wonderful experience with Best Paw Forward and would highly recommend Jamie and Michael! We adopted our 1 year old dog Ted over the summer from a local animal shelter. Despite his sweet personality, he had trouble containing his energy and listening when distracted by other sights and sounds. Ted’s foster family encouraged us to get him into training after we adopted him since he showed a great deal of potential to learn. Although we were initially a little unsure of what to expect from behavioral training, we were pleased with Best Paw Forward from the minute Jamie and Michael came to our house for Ted’s first session. We could immediately see how passionate they are about their work and we saw noticeable progress in Ted’s listening and responsiveness to commands before the first session ended. As Michael continued to come to our home to work with Ted, we were amazed at how quickly Ted would respond to commands. We appreciated how Michael explained his teaching methods to us along the way and really helped us to understand the best ways to work with Ted. The training sessions were enjoyable for both us and our dog—the fun and rewarding dynamic that Michael created made it seem like more of a playdate. It was clear that Ted enjoyed working with Michael as much as we did as evidenced by his happy greetings whenever Michael came through the door. Thanks to Best Paw Forward, we have been able to enjoy our relationship with our dog even more than before. We can’t thank Jamie and Michael enough, and we know Ted highly recommends them too!