Great Pets by Brian KIlcommons

A week or so ago I posted a poor review of our experience with Brian. This is a follow up to that review. In Brian’s response, he indicated that he took my comments to heart and would refund our money, which we received the following day. Additionally Brian reached out to me, leaving a voicemail and we connected a short time later. Honestly, I’ve been very impressed with his professionalism, desire to understand our dissatisfaction and his willingness to make it right.

We took our 5 month old pup Reggie to see Brian yesterday with high expectations, excitement and an understanding the we (my wife, 23 year old daughter and me) were being trained also. While his methods may work with others, the did not work well with us - he was condescending, impatient and sarcastic when we didn’t get the hang of things immediately. On several occasions he indicated that this needs to be fun and we agree, but I can assure you that this experience was not fun. Very expensive (which i was aware of and willing to pay) but this was not a match for us. Perhaps Brian was just having a bad day, don’t know - we won’t be going back again.

So happy we entrusted Brian with our new puppy, Luna! We dropped her off a very bouncy, rambunctious puppy as she came home well trained (and appropriately playful)! We asked for help with jumping, barking, pulling on the leash, etc, and he delivered. Brian was able to break down and explain the training for us in clear, easy to understand terms and gave us tools to reinforce good behavior. It’s been months since we brought Luna home and the training has stuck!

As lifelong New Yorker I have come to expect the best and expect it right around the corner. I bought Brian's book and decided to call and plan for a visit. The pandemic complicated that idea a bit. However, one phone call proved Brian to be as gracious and informative as humanly possible. He is a brilliant trainer who's reputation precedes him. If you are looking for the best, look no further! BUY THE BOOK at the very least!

I want to share some sad news....In October, we lost our GS dog Shadow to the dreaded Hemangiosarcoma. He was 11.5 and seemed great! In May he had an emergency splenectomy; whereupon the mass was diagnosed as that nasty cancer. The vets gave him 2 months; he lived 6. He didn’t fade or linger. On the day he died, he was himself right up until the moment “he wasn’t”....He collapsed on our morning walk; we rushed to the vet, but we all knew how that would play out....Shadow was a proud; independent soul to the very end. I tell you this because I truly feel had it not been for working with you, Brian, when Shadow was a young dog, all of our lives would’ve been very different. Because of YOU, we had a GREAT life....with a GREAT PET! Shadow was always a handful; and always a learning experience...right up until the day he passed. I learned a ton from him and from you; for which I will forever be grateful. We have a new GS now. His name is Acer. He is the sweetest guy and a real pleaser! I want you to know that YOU and Shadow are both loud and clear in my head as we go through our day to day, known as life! As I work with Acer, I have caught myself saying “Lynn, what are you doing? What are you waiting for? What is your intention?” I remind myself “Don’t be so cheap on the praise! Amp it up! Don’t be so boring!”....(does all this sound vaguely familiar....?? Hmmmm?). Everyday I am practicing what I learned from you, and thanking Shadow for never “being easy” so that I wouldn’t get rusty!!! Acer and I look forward to the day we show you what we learned from my lessons from you....Remember, CT isn’t THAT far from NH! LOL