Kurtz K-9's Dog Training

The training with Kurtz K9 can be life-changing—something I became even more aware of a week after completing the program. As first-time dog owners with a purebred GSD, we turned to Kurtz K9 during one of my most stressful periods. While our dog already had some basic puppy obedience training, we booked an eight-session package focused primarily on addressing my dog (Goro)'s leash reactivity toward other dogs. Due to our own unusual schedule, we had to condense the training into six to seven weeks and work with all three trainers (Ashlee, Kristen and Shauna), given their busy schedules. While each trainer was highly knowledgeable and patient, we found that Shauna, who took over after three sessions, was the best fit for our needs. She is incredibly efficient and pedagogically sound, making a significant impact on our training experience. We appreciated every intellectual conversation she had with us, whether it was sharing inspiring research findings or her personal experiences with reactive GSD. Her insights not only eased my nerves but also helped me build confidence and develop realistic expectations for the training outcomes.I truly appreciate her dedication—she brought her own dogs to each session to test Goro’s reaction and taught me various tools to manage different situations. To accommodate our tight schedule and ensure effective training, she even offered us classes outside her usual work hours. Her commitment and expertise made all the difference in our training journey. Even though Goro was still struggling quite a bit in our last session, I am proud to report that she has maintained a perfect record of zero reactivity since the day she graduated. (We have a daily 40-minute training and play session in the park, where we typically encounter 7–8 dogs walking past us.) I’ve been able to manage each situation using the various techniques Shauna taught me while Goro is also becoming increasingly aloof toward other dogs—exactly what I had hoped for—while focusing more on me. We will continue to monitor Goro's progress and will definitely consider resuming training with Shauna to reinforce the foundation when we return to St. Louis in May.

We sought basic obedience training for our Bernese mountain puppy when she was a very small 4 month old. She’s now a 70lb 7 month old and I am so glad we started when we did! Kristen at Kurtz’s was incredibly patient with us. We were both impressed with her skills and ability to adjust her instructions and education between my husband and I. In addition to the classes our berner attended, we were given a lot of support for what to do at home. Strategies were easily implemented and with diligence and consistency, our sweet berner has grown so much into such a good girl! I can’t say enough about Kristen and her invaluable contribution to her community. I hope anyone reading will choose to find out just how rewarding this training will be for your family! Thank you again!

If I could give Kurtz K9 ten stars, I would. Kristen is such an exceptional trainer and made the basic obedience class so much fun for both me and my puppy. Ivy enjoyed going to class and learning as much as I did! Kristen breaks down everything so you understand how your puppy learns and why they react the way they do. I feel so much more bonded to my puppy now than I did before this class. Ivy and I will absolutely be returning for more training fun and I would recommend these classes to anyone wanting to learn to communicate better with their puppy or dog. Thank you so much, Kristen and Kurtz!