GIK9

We had our 5 month old pup attend the 2-week obedience board and train and couldn’t be happier! Sean and his team have such dedication and really are helping us learn proper techniques to train our dog and build our bond. They sent videos daily that showed what was being worked on and progress. Our pup came back with more confidence, is calmer, has learned several commands and we are excited to continue in group classes. The one on ones have been helpful for our family to learn ways to redirect his attention and energy. Thank you so much!

Ok I’m giving this review to clarify a 1* review given by Leigh on 11/18/22. So, I’m introducing myself as the owner of dog that was attacked. Maggie was attacked by Leigh’s dog Irma on 11/16/22 during a group training class held at GI K9. Maggie’s human sister Paige was there with her and witnessed the entire class and the attack. Paige came to get me after the attack (as I was sitting in the car outside) and Fabian was doing his best to make sure that Maggie was ok. Meanwhile Leigh’s boyfriend and Irma were inside at the back of room standing by watching Paige, Fabian and I check out Maggie. Why Irma was not taken outside and removed from class by her owner is more concerning to me then trying to blame the business for his dogs behavior. As the owner of a dog if you truly feel that the an environment is not safe then why not object and not allow your dog to participate in that part of the group class. Maybe Fabian could have taken more precautions but I don’t believe for one moment that anyone at GI K9 would purposely use a dog as bait. Dogs are brought to training for their own individual issues and if you never give a dog a chance to test out what they are trained on, you would never know if progress was made in a safe controlled environment. Accusing GI K9 of baiting dogs is so insulting to Maggie’s family because GI K9 has never shown anything but compassion, understanding and professionalism towards us and Maggie. Leigh’s boyfriend never said anything about his concern for Irma or Maggie’s safety to Fabian about concerns over testing both dogs on their individual progress. And I can guarantee that if Paige felt Maggie would be in danger, she would have left class or objected to the exercise. This was a group training class and dogs should have the chance to be tested on progress, and sometimes (In the instance) lack thereof progress. Am I “heartbroken” as Leigh expressed we felt? NO I think that’s not a word we would use. Am I upset that Irma’s owners are blaming GI K9 for their rescue dog’s behavior?, yes because Irma’s owner’s lack of accountability has now impacted us and set Maggie back in her progress. So now let me tell you about Sean and his commitment to a dog’s success. Sean called me within an hour of the attack and apologized profusely offering to do anything he could to help Maggie including paying for a vet bill and as much training as she need to support her prior progress and any additional setback she may have incurred as a result of the attack. We chose Sean off the internet with no references and since my first phone call, Sean has never tried to weasel more money out of us and is very professional about his daily verbal status updates, video updates and all other communication that took play before during and after training. Although yes Maggie was attacked (but thankfully not badly), I have all the faith possible that Sean will make sure our Maggie doesn’t suffer any PTSD from this unfortunate event. If you are considering GI K9, I ask that you look at all the success stories (Google Reviews) Sean has and don’t allow someone writing a bad review to influence your decision when that person giving the review wasn’t even around the night of the attack and yet makes false accusations. I also believe that if you intend on adopting a rescue dog make sure you understand their temperament prior and know that dog trainers aren’t always miracle workers and be willing to make adjustments along the way. Sean has set realistic expectations for us and Maggie to follow and if those aren’t being followed then you should expect this type of unfortunate outcome. So, if you’re going to pay for training, do the work, and then do more work and stop blaming others when you should be taking time to work with your dog. Sean and his team have unlimited group classes for the life of the dog and that shows his commitment to success. Yes, Sean has now decided to have separate classes for aggressive and non-aggressive dogs, but that shows his commitment to the dog’s he trains and their family.

Do not use! They use clients' dogs as bait dogs to test the success of their aggressive dog training! After reading the positive reviews, my boyfriend entrusted GI K9 to work with his rescue pup on her aggressive/defensive tendencies, inclusive of a 3 week boarding and training program in October 2022. Shawn, the owner, told him with confidence that he thought she'd significantly improve with a 2 week training (a hefty price tag at $140/night). GI K9 then weaseled another $1,000 out of my boyfriend for a promising additional week of training, providing false hope that it would make an even bigger difference. On the evening of 11/16/2022, my boyfriend took his dog to group training at GI K9, which he gained access to on an unlimited basis after completing the 3 week training. Fabian (trainer) wanted to try an exercise - harnessing and tying up my boyfriend's 65 lb dog while walking another group training attendee's dog in front of her as bait. My boyfriend questioned the safety of this exercise but was assured by Fabian that it would be okay. My boyfriend's dog easily got loose and attacked the other dog, requiring 2 grown men to pull the dogs apart. This should have never happened. There was a severe lack of judgment on Fabian's decision to execute this training exercise. GI K9 should have evaluated the risks associated with this exercise, which my non-expert boyfriend quickly acknowledged was questionable at best. GI K9 will not refund my boyfriend, despite the clear lack of success in their training plan, and have basically blown smoke up his and the other family's behinds that they can't refund either party due to the time they spent training (which again, obviously wasn't successful). How has GI K9 attempted to resolve this issue? Shawn's solution is additional training… how insulting. Do you trust them to act in your pet's best interest after hearing this? Shawn claims they'll be creating a new group training structure moving forward to separate aggressive and non-aggressive dogs; where was that common sense prior to this incident? He also claims he'll be addressing Fabian's lack of judgment on the matter; how does that change the crushed hope we had that this ongoing training would help? It took Shawn until the next day to even contact my boyfriend acknowledging the incident, despite the fact that he was made aware of it by Fabian the evening it occurred. My boyfriend is absolutely devastated and the other family is traumatized, and understandably so. Please, for the sake of your furry loved ones, reconsider using GI K9. This has caused us great heartbreak after getting our hopes up for a successful training and draining the bank account. GI K9's lack of reconciliation on the matter has only added salt to the wound. The only respectable action on GI K9's part in this entire situation was Fabian's acknowledgement of full responsibility for the lapse in judgment that led to the attack.