Lakota Creek Kennels

Josh and Lakota creek kennels are amazing they worked the aggression out of my baby boy Thor! Thor is 9 and would blow up at any dog that he saw and would lunge at any opportunity he had when he saw a dog. I can’t believe to see that Josh has worked this out of him. He now just looks at dogs from a distance with no aggression they did so well with him that we have a puppy in the picture and they are great together! We will be taking our puppy there it is always such a great experience with them! I recommend anyone needing training sessions to go with them they are so awesome!

I recently had the pleasure of enrolling my dog in a training program at Lakota Creek Kennels, and I cannot speak highly enough of the experience, especially working with Josh, our dog trainer. From start to finish, the service and results were exceptional. Josh's expertise and passion for dog training are immediately evident. During our initial consultation, he took the time to thoroughly assess my dog's behavior and discuss our training goals. His insights were incredibly valuable, and he developed a customized training plan that perfectly addressed our needs. Throughout the training sessions, Josh demonstrated a remarkable ability to connect with my dog. His use of positive reinforcement techniques and his calm, patient demeanor made the sessions enjoyable and highly effective. My dog responded to Josh with enthusiasm and quickly began showing significant improvements in obedience and behavior. What sets Josh apart is his excellent communication skills. He provided detailed feedback after each session, highlighting my dog's progress and areas for continued focus. Josh also equipped me with practical strategies to reinforce the training at home, ensuring that the positive changes would be long-lasting. The facilities at Lakota Creek Kennels are top-notch—clean, well-maintained, and designed to provide a safe and stimulating environment for the dogs. It’s clear that the well-being and comfort of the animals are a top priority. Lakota Creek Kennels and Josh, in particular, offer outstanding dog training services. Josh’s expertise, personalized approach, and genuine care for his canine clients make him an exceptional trainer. I highly recommend Lakota Creek Kennels and Josh to any dog owner looking for professional, effective, and compassionate training.

I’ve waited to write this review because I thought that if I gave it time that perhaps my outlook would change. I brought my 6 month old Catahoula to Josh because he’s gotten to the age where he’s afraid of new people. He’s always gotten along with people and other dogs, he loves children. He’s been going to doggy daycare since he was 16 weeks. I’ve never received any negative feedback on his behavior. I brought my dog to Josh to focus on the following: leash pulling, counter surfing, and socialization. From beginning to end the communication has been practically nonexistent. The expectations that were set by Josh have never been met. He tells you after the second week to come to his facility to go over what he’s been teaching your dog. I checked in with him at the end of the first week and was told (after it was already too late) that he was too busy with a competition. There was zero communication or follow through on the expectations he set. I was told my dog was e collar conditioned but was never walked through or shown how to properly use an e collar. I was never once debriefed on what training techniques were being used and implemented. I received ONE 14 second video of someone who I assume was Josh’s helper because of obvious differences in what I could see; of him being walked. And a few pictures I took from the LCK Facebook page. When our first checkin came it wasn’t at the two week mark like he said. It was 6 days before I was due to bring my dog back home. When we arrived, again, there wasn’t a debrief or walk through on leash training or behavior modifications. The time there was more of a social hour on topics totally unrelated to my dog. When I would redirect the conversation and ask “so what’s he been learning what can we go over today” he would point to a whiteboard on his wall and say “that’s what we’ve been doing”. Before leaving he said “I’ll send you a text of the PDF that shows the training we do. You’ll just want to read that over before our next visit.” I think outside of all of this the most frustrating part is that on the day of pickup I received a text from Josh stating my dog was bit. Initially, I brushed it off. But, when I arrived and saw the totality of it I was furious! My dog wasn’t just bit, he was attacked. His bite mark was just above his eye and was swollen to the size of a golf ball. When I asked what happened he verbatim said “I really have no idea what happened I wasn’t there”. I then asked “was anyone there to witness this or how it happened?” And he said “no I honestly have no idea”. This entire experience was not at all what I was expecting. I felt like I paid for a glorified months stay for my dog. The last conversation I had with Josh was on the day of pickup when he said “I’ll be texting you in the next week or two to check in and see how he’s been doing and schedule a day/time to come to your home to go over how we can do things now that he’s back home”. That was over 2 weeks ago and I’ve not received a single phone call or text. I wouldn’t recommend Josh to anyone. I spent $850 on a dog trainer that didn’t include me on any step of the training process but brought home a dog that’s still just as scared of new people as he was before and now a permanent scar on his face from being attacked. It’s very difficult to believe any real training was ever performed. I also think it’s worth noting that we met a well-known and reputable dog breeder that lives around the corner from him, someone who’s been part of the community for 50+ years, works as a lead veterinary technician for a respected vet hospital; that urged we share this experience because not only are we not the only one’s who’ve gone through this but, she’s had owners come into her hospital after they’ve been with Josh and is unsure how it hasn’t been more widely talked about.