Empire State K9 Services

Nothing but positive things to share about our experiences. Rick has world class knowledge and experience and was able to share that with us in a friendly and clear way with patience for all our questions. We especially appreciated his patience in engaging with our kids which helped create the best possible experience for our whole family and our dog Ace. We were able to apply the training quickly and really reduce the stress and chaos of having to worry about our dog on top of everything else in life. Today was a super proud moment where the training and hard work really came through. I took Ace out after dinner in our yard and he was off leash. He spotted a rabbit before I did and before training would have been gone through the street or off into the woods. I was able to give a clear and loud NO - DOWN - STAY and he did exactly as he was commanded even while having to watch the rabbit hop around in his yard. Success! All thanks to Rick! Super proud of Ace and grateful we found Empire State K9!

Rick, the head trainer at Empire State K-9 is absolutely incredible. I reached out looking to get my corgi, Rue, trained to be a service dog for my PTSD. Rue went to Rick for a “board and train” for about a week and a half. Before the board and train Rue was pretty reactive to other dogs, people, and birds. Which would make me more anxious and made me feel like I was not in control of her at all. When I picked up Rue she was a different dog. It was amazing to see Rick handle her and see an obedient and confident dog. Rick has been such a blessing in our lives and has continued to help Rue and I as a service dog team! I have nothing but good things to say about Empire State K-9 training! They’re the best! HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!!!

It doesn’t matter if you are in desperate need of professional dog training or would just like your K9 companion to be the most well adjusted, well behaved dog on the block - look no farther than Empire State K-9! We have 2 children with special needs and have worked with several highly skilled and experienced trainers with our first service dog Murray. After Murray retired we knew we would need another service dog and brought Samson into our family to be raised with the kids and get used to their unique behaviors and needs. This is what we did with Murray and we were hopeful that Samson would follow suit.. WRONG! Samson’s personality is much different than Murrays and on top of that Covid hit strictly limiting our ability to socialize and expose this dog to public access. One of the trainers we had worked with originally moved out of state and the one that was still here did 5 weeks of on-site (their facility) boot camp for basic obedience. We ended up with a dog that knew all of his commands but wouldn’t obey a single one. The trainer said that Samson was iffy as a pet let alone service work. At 1 year old he was so unpredictable just going for a walk in the neighborhood was risky - Samson barked and lunged at other dogs, was hesitant when he saw a stranger, growled at people. In the house he was even more out of control. He was still soiling in his crate and lifting his leg in the house. Fighting with our other dogs, food aggressive... the list of negative behaviors didn’t seem to end. Our veterinarian was very concerned and encouraged us to work with a behaviorist. After a lot of searching and disappointing phone calls we found Empire State K-9 and spoke with Rick. He assured us that Samson’s situation was not hopeless and made an appointment to meet us. He took Samson into his facility and after 1 week the transformation was incredible. All of the problems we thought were insurmountable are under control. Rick didn’t abandon us when Samson left his facility, he stayed in touch with phone calls and text messages to help us shape the behaviors that needed addressing. Now, not only do we have an obedient well behaved dog but Samson has qualified as the service dog we NEED him to be. We would never have reached this goal without Rick and Empire State K-9. Please, learn from our experience - don’t waste your money with other trainers. Get the best from the start and you won’t have any regrets. Rick doesn’t just train your dog, take your money and send you on your way. He actually cares about the people and dogs he works with will be there for both of you when the sessions end.