Next-Door K9 Solutions of Charlotte

Heather tamed our little “bull in a china shop” with some basic commands and gave us the tools we needed to continue to work with him. He was completely out of hand before he did the 3 week board and train. Now he can walk on a leash without eating it and ripping my arm out of my socket, knows his name & comes when called & sits. He also knows place and has stopped knocking over my son. Counter surfing is on the decline but we are still working to fully curb that. Overall, a great experience & would recommend- especially if you have a strong willed pup to contend with.

I signed up my almost 2 year old husky Freya for the 3 week board and train program and I personally was not a fan and def would NOT recommend this for many reasons 1. When first introduced I met heather at a restaurant in the back of the parking lot and I gave her my dog and she took her put her in her car and then went back inside to finish eating so my dog sat outside in her car alone with no windows cracked for 30 mins waiting on her to come back. 2. She has terrible communication skills. I would text and ask a question and she would dismiss it and say well we will talk about that at her take home day so I barely got any kind of answers 3. She was very condescending.. when she brought my dog back and was explaining what she was learning and teaching her. She was talking to us about all of that and after everything she said she would look at me and my dad and say does that make sense… but then when I asked a question she would answer “I’ll get to that when I get to that” or “like I previously said” 4. She demanded I buy a crate for her and I understand it’s necessary for her training but I didn’t appreciate that she demanded it and when I told her I didn’t have money at the moment she sent me link after link demanding the crate.. and then stated well you had 3 weeks to get it why couldn’t u get it.. but then she had to keep my dog an extra 3 days because she had to wait for her e-collar to come in. But she also had 3 weeks to order an e-collar so what’s the difference between her waiting to the last minute and me waiting to the last minute. 5. I would express my anxiety about my dog being gone away from me and she lacked empathy. I told her my dog has only been gone one night since I got her when she was 7 weeks old. I mentioned maybe if the beginning meeting was better I wouldn’t b as anxious and she turned it around on me and told me I’m projecting my anxiety on her and she would be fine and I told her no she gave me the anxiety locking my dog in a car for 30 mins alone. 6. She lectured me multiple times about how I needed to watch her 24/7! And always have an eye on her but then told me I needed to get a new collar cuz my dog completely chewed through it and chewed on her name tag as well… so how long was she not watching her for her to eat a $25 buckle down collar that she’s had for almost 2 years but then she’s with her for 3 1/2 weeks and I gotta buy a new collar. 7. My dog came home terrified and i understand the e-collar helps and trains but she’s a little touchy when it comes to it. My dog hid and walked with her head down in fear when she got home. She was afraid to get up on the couch, afraid to play with the other dogs. She was terrified and probably terrified cuz she was constantly on that button. She was constantly pressing it over and over again with no regards of how she felt… But the biggest problem I had was when I expressed concern or questioned her she would justify herself or make me feel bad. She could never just say I’m sorry I upset you or I’m sorry you’re scared or I know this hard.. She always turned it around on me making me feel crazy for being worried about my dog. I even noticed it in the past negative post someone did. She commented justifying herself. So I feel I pretty much paid for her to tie my dog to a door or shock her repeatedly.. I will continue to work with her so she doesn’t go crazy.. I will admit she does walk really good on the leash tho she does great with place and walking on a leash other than that nothing else… I was not a fan.. I picked this place because of all the good reviews but now I know for next time to be more selective with who I give my dog too.

We sent our 7-month old German Shepherd puppy to K9 ND, and we couldn’t be happier about the outcome. We sent our pup for basic obedience training, basic commands, confidence boosting, and proper on leash walking training. Prior to training, our pup was shy, horrible on a leash, very reactive around other dogs, and was an anxious wreck (typical GSD). We knew that no dog trainer can turn that sort of behavior in a dog around in 3 weeks, but we wanted some sort of foundation to start on so that we could eventually get her to the point where we could take her in public and not worry about her. The progress she has shown after training shows me that eventually she will be a well-trained and confident dog. Instead of lunging and barking at other dogs while on the leash, she now calmly sits or we walk the other way without issue. Rather than run around our place anxious by every sound, she has started to learn how to relax on her own. And the biggest thing we love so far, she sits in place instead jumping on every person that walks into the house. I would definitely recommend opting for the 3-week board and train program. Our dog was a bit more reactive than others in the program so she was actually kept an extra week since Heather, our trainer, did not feel it was right to bring her back until she had gotten a bit more practice. To have a trainer that acknowledges that she isn’t ready to come home yet is very hard to find, and we couldn’t be happier by the way we were treated by Heather and the K9 team. She even drove an hour to come to our home to drop her off at the end of training! Heather took great care of our dog, and we will be booking with her in the future for board and refresher programs due to such a great experience. It’s also great that K9 and Heather provide additional meetups/training support after the 3 week board and train program so that they can help address any behavior problems/issues that arise after training. Things to note if you are considering booking: We were well aware that our dog was not going to from a super reactive dog to the perfect, calm dog in a 3 week period. If that is what you are expecting, this probably is not the program for you. You are paying for the core foundation that K9 provides and for the extensive training that you, as the owner, receive at the end of your dog’s boarding. You are the one being taught just as much as your dog, and that’s a very important thing to understand when booking because if you don’t keep up with their training, they will lose it. If you do though, as we have, they have the potential to be a really great, well-trained dog! We highly recommend Heather and the K9 ND team!