Paw and Hand K9

This place has so much genuine good to write about so apologies for the possible rambling... We really stumbled upon this place via a home trainer we got who was positive reinforcement only (prior to that we were at Huffman's - this will be important later). The positive reinforcement trainer, though nice, was likely not equipped to help me train my 2-year-old Belgian Malinois. Not very many people have experience training a high-drive dog like a malinois, hence the reason why I took my girl to Huffman's (originally) who specializes in working breed malinois. Anyways, after 8 sessions with Huffmans (who is a balanced trainer) and 2-3 sessions with the positive-only trainer, I was at a loss for a trainer that could actually help us with our Mal. We even paid for virtual lessons for relaxation from 2 other trainers. *quick backstory* we rescued our Mal (Beatrice) from a rescue in Texas when she was 16 months old or so. She was found with 9 puppies who she took such good care of. Apparently, she was "sad" after her puppies were adopted. She was transported to us from Texas (where perhaps I didn't give her enough time to decompress) and from then she showed a lot of leash reactivity. She was amazing while in the house but was super over the top when we were on walks in the neighborhood. At a loss, I asked our positive-only trainer if they did boarding or board and training and he said he didn't but works very closely with a trainer who does. Cue in Merissa. I contact Merissa possibly minutes after, I tell her my situation, and she quickly accommodates a meet and greets for us. We were leaving out of the country for 3 weeks so we needed someone we could trust. When I met Merissa, I instantly felt at ease. Her super calm and cool demeanor made me feel safe. However, I was still skeptical that anyone would be able to reform my dog. After 8 sessions with Huffman's and 2-3 sessions with the other trainer, Beatrice was still pulling and lunging like crazy. This is not due to a lack of practice with me as the owner; I trained and did everything all the trainers told me to do every day for 1-2 hours a day! So because of this, I felt that Beatrice may only get better minimally. At drop-off, I meet Raine who did my intake. She was very friendly and efficient. Beatrice went to her easily, but I knew Beatrice wasn't reactive to strangers but to dogs. After the first 2-3 weeks I was anxious because I didn't see very many updates about Beatrice on Instagram or the FB page. I voiced this concern to Kota the Admin for Paw and Hands, and she quickly got me in touch with Charlee, Beatrice's main handler. After being at P&H, her obedience was almost as good as the sport dogs - almost... she's got crappy genes from bad breeding, but she's the ABSOLUTE best version of her she can be. At the go-home session, Charlee went through a ton of information I knew and a ton I didn't know. She told me how she'd be in contact with me and would be calling me in a few days. The fact that these trainers and admin staff are so dedicated to the dogs and the owners speak absolute volumes. And the funny thing is, upon leaving the facility I left with the impression that Beatrice is (slightly) better but of course, there will still be a lot of continued work at home (which I already expected, 2-3 hours of exercise, play and training a day - no problem I've allocated time specifically for this). Since getting Beatrice home she's only had 2 outbursts, and after the 1 month follow up my confidence has grown. I really love the support and encouragement from Charlee and Kota. I think there is some magical energy happening at the P&H farm because honestly the women there ooze calmness and control. THANK YOU CHARLEE, KOTA and MERISSA... for literally everything, every second you put in Beatrice, all the love and handling, the extra effort to make sure she's her best version of her, THANK YOU.

We had a new puppy who had no real "issues," he was just a puppy -- play biting, no recall, jumping on people, demand barking, didn't know any commands, not potty trained, etc. I knew that with our busy family life we wouldn't be able to focus on giving him a super strong foundation, so we came to Paw & Hand for their 4 week puppy program (our dog was actually an adolescent when we got him). WOW, what a difference it made! He came home well mannered and ready for family life. We of course have to re-enforce everything, but reinforcing is much easier than teaching it for the very first time. The program includes a ton of "person training" so you're ready to carry forward the techniques they teach the dogs. You get three in-person lessons before bringing your dog home, then one a week after and a month after along with unlimited support for 3 months. Honestly I feel it's a killer value to get the dog of your dreams. And the best part is my dog seemed to love it. He's a cuddle breed, and I was worried that being away from a home environment would be traumatic for him, but he seemed to be thriving during each of our visits. And then when we brought him back for the one-week follow up he was THRILLED and so happy to see his old friends. I wish so much we'd known about this place for our older dog, but at least we know now!

As I try to write this, I honestly am having such a hard time finding the words. Our dog, Harley has been at Paw and Hand for about three weeks now. Yesterday was my first day training with her and the difference I already see is so incredible. She is there for a behavior mod board and train. If you have a dog with behavior issues, as a dog mom you will know when I say it can be so tough! We love Harley so much and she is such a sweet girl but anything outside of her comfort zone or that causes stimulation is almost impossible for me to get her to stay calm and keep her focus on me. After only having her a week or so, they did an update and every single one of their observations were completely on point. They read Harley and completely understood her issues. Once they saw her issues they immediately began addressing them. They have been so gracious with my texts checking in on her (yes I am that dog parent). The work that they have been able to accomplish in just a short amount of time is simply amazing. I was nearly brought to tears yesterday when Merissa was able to get Harley to a calm (this was training session one and her first time seeing me in weeks) state and able to get her to a down stay while I sat next to her! Honestly, I can go on and on! If you are considering training for your dog, please make the investment! Merissa and her staff take the time to really get to know your needs, your dog's needs, and addresses them with perfection! I am eternally grateful and cannot wait to continue to learn and soak up all the information in our training sessions! A million thanks to Paw and Hand and their staff!