North Star Family K-9

We can’t recommend North Star Family K-9 enough! We enrolled our dog, Minnie, in the 3 week Board & Train program because we needed help with resource guarding, reactivity toward other dogs, and building a stronger foundation with basic obedience. Minnie also had very low confidence when she arrived, and we were hoping to find a trainer who would not only work on her behavior, but also help her feel more secure. From day one, Ethan and the other trainers were awesome! The daily report cards, photos, and videos allowed us to see Minnie’s progress every step of the way. We were so excited each night to read about her progress! Minnie is like a completely different dog when faced with her stressors. Her confidence has grown tremendously, she’s much calmer and more focused on walks, and she’s handling situations that used to overwhelm her, like seeing other dogs in our apartment hallways or elevator, with so much more confidence. Ethan created a three week at home follow up plan for us so we could continue reinforcing everything Minnie learned and help prevent her from regressing. If you’re looking for a dog trainer/Board & Train program in the Minneapolis area we highly recommend North Star Family K-9 and Ethan! Thank you!

I brought my 7-month-old female German Shepherd Harley to Milo for a 3-week board and train, and honestly the results blew me away. Before boot camp, Harley was mouthy, reactive, nearly impossible to walk, and had turned counter surfing into an art form. I was at my wits' end. Three weeks later I picked up a completely different dog. No jumping, no mouthing, heels beautifully on a leash, and she can actually settle herself down — something I never thought I'd see. She's now tall enough to practically rest her nose on the kitchen counter and doesn't even try. What impressed me most about Milo was how quickly he read Harley. He understood her personality and anxiety within the first day and tailored his approach accordingly. The daily photo and video updates were fantastic — I always knew exactly what was happening and how she was progressing. The go-home plan he provided was thorough and practical. I actually use it every day. If you have a GSD or any high-drive dog that needs real structure, Milo is your guy. Worth every penny.

We had an amazing experience with NSFK9! Our beautiful mutt Odie was (is) an excitable boy--positive, happy, enthusiastic, and reactive to bikes, buses, and kids, but mostly dogs. We had done what we knew to do for him, and had worked with other trainers in the past with mixed results, but we hadn't found a place that would help him learn the things he needed to learn--namely, to be calm, to self-regulate, and to look to us for guidance. We initially hesitated over sending him to a three-week program, but it was absolutely the right choice. Our trainer, Maddie, was amazing. She clearly loves working with dogs in general, and all the videos and pictures she sent us over the weeks showed how much she cared about Odie specifically. When we got a chance to meet up halfway through the training and compare notes, it was clear that what she saw about his habits and behaviors was what we had seen, too. She was able to meet him on his level and teach him news skills, especially around self-regulation and delayed gratification. The work that Maddie did with Odie built up his confidence so much he barely notices bikes or buses anymore, and definitely doesn't react to them, and she gave us clear next steps on building on the dog reactivity training they did together, training that has been life-changing. His threshold for reacting to dogs, which used to be twenty or thirty feet, has diminished so much that we can be almost right next to another dog without a blowup. As a teacher, I loved that Maddie was incredibly clear about the work we would need to do to build at-home habits with Odie. With the tools we were given, we've been able to help him grow here, too. I just sent Maddie a video of Odie choosing not to react to another dog at the park, and earlier today, he self-regulated through a very small dog (his kryptonite) walking right past us (TWICE) on the street. Knowing that we can contact her for ongoing support has been super helpful, even if we haven't needed much help so far! For the skills we learned and for the major changes we've seen in Odie, this place is worth every penny. Maddie and the rest of the team are great, and we'd happily work with them again!

Northstar Family K9 has been nothing but top tier. Hank and the team are professional, communicative, and truly care about both the dogs and the owners’ experience. The new ownership has been very impressive, and you can tell there is a real commitment to doing things the right way. I have referred many dog owners to Northstar Family K9, and the feedback has consistently been great. Their training, grooming, and kenneling process is very smooth from start to finish, which makes the entire experience easy and reassuring. They are knowledgeable, caring, and easy to work with, which makes a huge difference when trusting someone with your dog. Highly recommend Northstar Family K9 to anyone looking for quality care, training, and a team that genuinely cares.

We paid the 100.00 for the initial consultation and were very pleased with the staff and facilities. There was a lot of confusion about cost as you can see from their website there are no posted prices. We made a 1,000 deposit only to get the contract at the wrong price. We attempted to cancel only to get a high pressure sale from the owner. The office staff were great however we didn’t care for the new owner at all. To be clear we did get deposit back but we wouldn’t recommend working with this company.