Breakthrough K9 Training

I cannot say enough to describe the amazing work that Lenny & his staff do at Breakthrough K9. My four year old, 90lb Rottweiler, Maverick, had a few incidents with resource guarding over the last year. He would growl and try to bite if he had a high value bone/toy/something he shouldn’t have. I called Lenny and talked through exactly what he could do for us. Maverick went for a 4 week Board & Train with Breakthrough K9. He came back Maverick 2.0, in the best way possible! He listens, he respects myself, my boyfriend, his boundaries. It is a miracle how much Lenny and the staff at Breakthrough K9 changed my anxieties and concerns with Maverick. Not only that, they really care for every single dog and client they work with. The peace of mind I have because of the work Breakthrough K9 did with Maverick is something I can’t even put into words.

Dewey has always been a good natured dog but as a puppy he was so full of energy that he was difficult to handle. He needed professional training but we were concerned that it would change his disposition. BK9 taught him what he needed to know and how to behave without crushing his spirit. He is a great dog by nature and a wonderful companion because of BK9 training. He has been back for boarding twice and is excited to visit Lenny, Stephanie and the BK9 staff. He is happy when we drop him off and happy when we pick him up. Thank you to Lenny and Stephanie. Dewey will be back!

Breakthrough K9 are truly phenomenal - their staff and their approach to handling both dogs and owners is incredible and I am so thankful that we found them. If you have a dog that’s out of balance and is having issues, do your dog (and yourself) a favor, and call BTK9. Then get ready to put in the work! We brought our two pitbulls, Roscoe and Eli, to BTK9 a year ago as a result of sibling rivalry which had turned violent in addition to other issues with Eli demonstrating reactivity to other dogs. Eli stayed with BTK9 for a 5 week board and train, and Roscoe for a 3 week board and train. This was longer than our original intended stay, but BTK9 are true professionals and worked with us to take care of the dogs a little longer than we originally asked. We had worked with other trainers in the past but no one handled our dogs and us in the way that BTK9 did. The staff at BTK9 were clearly experts from the first call. They listened to our concerns and asked questions, never making me feel hopeless about our situation. Instead they gave realistic expectations - that our dogs would likely need to be managed around one another, but that with committed leadership, patience, and management, there was reason to be hopeful for a peaceful future with all of us in one home. Upon meeting our dogs, the BTK9 team was calm and confident, not at all intimidated by our block-head boys. Instead they were ready to give confident leadership and Lenny had Eli looking to him for commands with 5 minutes of us arriving. Now one year later, I am still astounded at the difference in our dogs. A previously nervous-reactive Eli is now a confident boy who trusts my husband and me to give him direction and leadership. And former king-of-the-castle Roscoe has settled into his role as pack member, allowing space for Eli. Where our walks were previously a stressful zig-zag approach to avoiding other dogs, squirrels, cats, bikes, etc., we can now walk calmly down a busy city street and walk past other dogs without incident. Friends can come to our house, and our dogs can be around one another without stress or tension. Most of all, our dogs are settled and happy, sleeping through the night, walking calmly and confidently, and still getting to be their sweet selves and let their silly personalities shine. To be clear, we continue to work with and train our dogs every day, even just a few minutes a day. We watch their interactions and intervene as necessary to maintain a peaceful home with calm, confident dogs. With the skills we learned from BTK9, we’ve gotten to know our dogs better and we understand how our actions, energy, and words influence the dogs, allowing us to intervene long before a staredown turns into anything more. And truly, the posturing behavior that was once common among our dogs, is now a rarity. A year later, we still talk about how appreciative we are of BTK9 on a regular basis. I can’t speak highly enough of the talent, character, and integrity of this team!