K9 Optima

Josh is a genuinely kind person with a heart of gold, but based on our experience, I would not recommend him as a dog trainer. We paid over $6,000 for a one-month board-and-train program for our German Shepherd. One of the first things that concerned us was that he told us he had “his dogs” teaching our dog how to be a dog. We expected that, for the price, our dog would receive consistent, hands-on training from the trainer himself. Because the training took place over the Christmas holidays, it felt like our dog did not receive the level of attention and daily training we had anticipated. We also expected that, at the end of the program, we as the owners would receive several training sessions to learn how to maintain and reinforce the work at home. That never happened. When our dog came home, she was still reactive, continued chewing things as she had before, and overall showed little to no improvement. Josh gave us a spray collar (citronella or a similar scent) and instructed us to use it whenever she barked. I wasn’t comfortable using it because it felt like it addressed the symptoms rather than the underlying behavior, so I chose not to use it. He also suggested that she was simply too active and that we should consider rehoming her if we couldn’t handle her. That advice turned out to be completely wrong for our dog. Afterward, we worked with a local trainer for three months who focused on daily, balanced, hands-on training for both our dog and us—without spray collars or gimmicks. The transformation was remarkable. Her reactivity is gone, she learned how to behave appropriately, and we realized she wasn’t “too active” at all. She was simply a family dog who needed consistent guidance and proper training. Looking back, I feel that the board-and-train program was not worth the money we paid. While Josh was always pleasant and well-intentioned, our experience was that the program did not deliver the training or results we were promised. Don’t waste your money. Josh may be a great guy to rescue dogs, but in our experience he does not know how to do reactivity training or work alongside owners to change challenging behaviors.

I’m writing this review while flooded with so many emotions of happiness and gratitude while watching my dog relaxing in the grass with her new (dog) best friend. That sentence would have never been possible with Josh’s help. Backstory: I rescued my mixed bully breed dog at est. 1.5 years old. I was told she was dog friendly, not recommended in a home with children, and she was severely malnourished, abused, neglected, and terrified of everything. Fast forward past healing her body, conquering her fears, gaining trust, and beginning training, I found out it was the complete opposite. She was an angel with children, but VERY dog reactive. I tried everything. Did as much at home research as I could do, tried multiple other trainers. No success. I gave up and accepted that this simply is who she is, and that this is some of the risks that come with the responsibility of rescuing dogs and I’m committed to giving her the best life with new limitations on where we could/couldn’t go and what we could/couldn’t do. That is where I settled for the last 6 years with her. Until I got into a relationship where my significant other had a very socialized dog. Our time together was strained due to not being able to have our dogs together. So I gave it one more shot in reaching out to Josh for training in dog reactivity and dog integration. Worth EVERY penny. The genuine care and attention to detail is noticeable right off the bat. The wealth of knowledge that comes with every session that is personalized to me and my dog is priceless. Truly the best in the business and I’ve tried MANY others that claim to specialize in dog reactivity. He helped me understand what’s really going on in my dogs mind, gave me homework to work with her as prep to lead up to the integration with my significant others dog, and then facilitated the first meet. The dogs are now at my home together happily catching a rest from playing without muzzles, without shock collars, without stress. I can’t thank Josh enough. His book is also equally amazing. It reads exactly as though you are in person having conversation with him - which is giving you the science without overwhelming you with too much information of big words and terminology. It’s all applied through real life examples and “aha” moments to make it all click. A joy to read. Thank you again Josh. Old dogs CAN learn new tricks!!

Josh was really compassionate during our virtual session, asking great questions to find problems when I was overwhelmed by our situation and didn’t know where to begin. I have seen his videos for years and have joined the community and gotten the book, both great resources for when things feel out of control in your home and you need a place to start. I look forward to working with him more to figure out how we can improve my dog and family’s life.

Bringing our Labrador to Josh at K9 Optima was one of the best decisions we've made as dog owners. Our dog's excitement around other animals was our biggest hurdle, and Josh gave us real, usable strategies to handle it — calm, thoughtful, no harsh corrections. What stood out most is how genuinely he cares about dogs. Ours loved him, we loved him, and we left knowing how to keep the progress going ourselves. If you're near Antioch and need help with a reactive dog, highly recommend.