Hunter Canine

There's no one our family trusts more with our dogs than Chad and the team at Hunter Canine. We can't thank you enough for transforming two of our anxious and timid rescue dogs into confident, loving, well-behaved dogs – all with a positive approach that made the training a fun and rewarding activity for us and Ruby and Ryder. Chad has a true gift for working with dogs. The things he taught us continue to benefit our family and dogs every day. We are so lucky to have Hunter Canine in Cave Creek!

Loved our experience with Hunter Canine! Sent our stubborn 15 month old doberman Cooper to the 3 week retreat to get a little extra obedience, leash & place training etc. Violet did multiple training sessions with Cooper daily and took him out on field trips to outdoor malls to get extra socialized. He came back home & is the best ever! He’s more calm & obedient which was so crucial for me because we have a little 6 month old baby at home. Violet was so nice & easy to work with! She made sure to keep us updated with photos & info on how Cooper was doing. Super easy to send her a text if we ever needed anything / had any questions and she always responds super quick!! They also help you learn how to keep your dog trained at home which has been super helpful for us to keep it up at home! Thanks so much Violet & the Hunter Canine team!

I sent my 6 month old border collie puppy, Mika, to the 3 week training retreat at Hunter Canine, and I am happy to say, I am very pleased with the results! My primary concern with her prior to boarding was her behavior around other dogs as she would get so excited to see them that she would yowl even if we were far away and be unresponsive to treats or toys and I would literally have to drag her away or she would stay fixated. Violet did a great job focusing on this for me during her stay, and now, I can take her to my favorite coffee shops and she will stay on her place bed or in a down as they go by, even if the other dogs are the ones yowling, (thanks Violet!) My concerns with sending her to boarding were (1) that she would forget the skills I had already taught her (she didn’t!) and (2) the use of a prong collar It was something I struggled with at first, both coming around to accepting that it would be used on her during boarding, and also continuing to use it on her after bringing her home. However, after seeing how she responded to clear boundaries being set and the fairness of the trainers at Hunter Canine, I am glad that I trusted them with Mika in regard to that and have found that it has contributed to clearer communication between her and I about her expected behaviors in different situations. During her stay Violet sent me text updates, pictures & videos and even answered questions I had about another dog I was taking care of at the time, completely unrelated to her work with Mika. She went above and beyond and I could tell she truly cared about Mika and her well being. I felt very confident that she was in good hands. Last thing I’ll say is - price point - I did plenty of research on different board and trains in the valley, and found very capable trainers, however, this was the only one that I found that did not have a 5-6 week minimum stay requirement, and was also significantly more affordable on their weekly prices. The three week stay was perfect for what I needed at the time and it is not a common option. But don’t be fooled! The lower price point does not mean you’re getting a lower quality result. While you might get a wider range of behaviors, or a focus on building drive at a longer stay facility, they do very well at Hunter teaching your dogs key fundamental skills that make day-to-life so much easier with your pup. The staff is knowledgeable, friendly and very skilled. They did an amazing job with my girl. I would recommend Hunter Canine and am looking to enroll in their additional training programs in the future.

Hunter Canine is the best! We most recently sent our 7mo puppy to the three-week training retreat. He is going to be a big boy, so we wanted to make sure his behavior and obedience are on point. He now walks on a loose leash, hangs out happily on his place bed, and knows his commands. He continues to grow into a calm, confident, well mannered member of the family who can go anywhere with us. We are so grateful!

I have had all of my dogs now go through hunter canine. ( that would be 7 dogs )over the pst 10 years. We first started with the lure course and our English and French bulldogs. We have now progressed to the obedience classes , all of them with Justin and all I can say is THANK YOU ! I have a stubborn breed ( Shar pei ) and Kathryn was patient and so kind working with her to ease her anxiety. My lab has also been a dock diver for the past 4 years and what fun that is ! We are currently training our youngest pup so she can become a therapy dog and help others. I could not think of any other programs to put your dog through than those offered at Hunter. The staff is amazing , from Kristi in the office ( who will do anything she can for you ) to the trainers. I am and will always be a loyal customer.