Green Mountain K9 Dog Training | Swanzey

Green Mountain K9 was great. We have a Rottweiler that was not good on the leash and was showing some signs of aggression and territorial with his food. With the first lesson we saw results. I was able to walk Buddha without him pulling. We started to walk him off leash with an e-collar and he’s been staying by my side with little to no corrections. His food guarding has subsided and he has stopped growling at our daughters when he’s eating. Chris is very knowledgeable and answers all the questions you may have. Highly recommend!

I just finished an 8 week training course and it was amazing. I was very skeptical about the pinch collar and the 10’s machine. After Chris showed me it is more of a vibration and it is not a shock, I was fine. On leash my 70 lb American Staffie, doesn’t pull me, heals and sits on command. She does not try to pull near other dogs or people. With the e collar, she stays by me, lets other people walk by and comes immediately if I call her when there is another dog. Off leash, this is amazing. I give Chris Gilman an A plus. I have so much confidence now. Thank you Chris

We Started an 8 week training program with Chris in late Feb. We have completed 4 lessons so far. Our 18 month old working line German Shepherd (Waylon) had behavioral issues that my wife & are were unsure of how to correct. We've had dogs in the past, but never a working line, high drive GSD. Waylon was not heeling well on a leash, would not jump up into my truck (I had to lift him, he weighs 100 lbs), was very re-active & aggressive to other dogs, & barks at cars, people, & animals when traveling in our vehicles. In 4 weeks we have made amazing progress. Before we began working with Chris, we knew that most of Waylon's issues were getting worse because we weren't training him properly. Chris has helped train Waylon, but more importantly he has trained us on how to handle him. Our biggest issue was knowing what to do & how to do it. Now we have the tools, skills, & confidence to know what to do when Waylon exhibits bad behavior. After week 1, Chris trained Waylon to jump into my truck. After only 4 sessions Waylon is heeling, even when walking in downtown Keene with lots of distractions & other dogs. We have also introduced structure into Waylon's normal daily routine. He sits & stays before entering & exiting the house, instead of charging through doorways. We still have a ways to go, but at least now we feel like we are on the right path to enjoying our life with Waylon instead of stressing over it. Chris really knows his stuff. If you have a difficult dog, you need to enroll in his program, & place your trust in him. You, your family, & your dog will be glad you did.

About four months ago, we adopted a rescue dog who displayed a lot of behaviors consistent with having been previously badly abused. Shortly after adoption, she became reactive to my two young adult children in the home (if not actively running from them, she was growling, stalking, barking, & even nipping). I didn't know what to do, as it was obviously solely fear-based aggression and punishment would make it worse. I was also uncertain about engaging GMK9 as I didn't want to risk traumatizing her further with potentially harsh(er) methods, but Caitlin had worked with her in the shelter and so we decided to give it a try. I needn't have worried. Caitlin was very understanding and even acted as an advocate for our dog, emphasizing that these were not fixed behavior pattern(s), just ones born of abuse and trauma. We ended up not using a prong collar, and the e-collar was used just for recall on off-leash walks that greatly helped our dog to regain her mental health. We didn't do a lot of obedience training, and what we did was completed after the e-collar training - those walks were a huge factor in recovery - and the obedience focus was customized more to building up confidence and security. (Side note: I also did an online "Tackling Reactivity" class through Spirit Dog Training that was very helpful for understanding the psychology behind reactivity but SDT states it can't take the place of an in-person trainer). Today, our dog is the gentle, fun companion & walk buddy that we dreamed of having. She is still quite fearful of strangers, and may always be, but that is a minor issue and one easily worked around. It feels really good to have helped her heal from what was obviously a lot of long-term pain and suffering, and I'll always be grateful to Caitlin / K9 for helping to ensure that this adoption was a complete success.