Paw and Hand K9

Merissa is truly gifted....when we came to Paw & Hand K9, we had a 4 yr. working line German Shepherd, who, while a very sweet boy, was reactive, lacked enough confidence, had poor recall, was incredibly triggered by our cats, and who was a chore to travel with. I did a TON of research on board & train programs......and when I say TON, I mean 50+ trainers in Oregon & Washington. I wanted to find someone who intimately knew the breed, had been in business for at least 10 years, and who had exceptional reviews. Not an easy feat to say the least. I definitely became obsessed with finding the right trainer & the right place for Bear. Enter Merissa Micochero and her team at Paw & Hand K9. In business almost 20 years, has GSDs & Mals, competes in Schutzhund, and has an impeccable line-up of happy customers. We met mid-July for our evaluation, and Bear entered his program on July 28th. He has been home for 4 weeks now, and he is a NEW dog. He is spot-on with all commands, he no longer reacts, he is confident, has fantastic recall, is able to be in the SAME ROOM with & PASS BY the cats without reacting, and has been a wonderful traveller. We met with Merissa weekly after his first two weeks there to start our lessons, had our take-home lesson, our one-week post-bootcamp lesson, and are meeting today for our one-month post-training evaluation. She misses nothing in dog & handler, and takes the time to explain everything, reframing items in our training as-needed to ensure the lessons fully resonate. Not only is she a master of her craft, but she treats every single dog as if they are her own. The level of care she & her team provides is truly next-level. Merissa leads her team from the heart, and trains to extract each dog's own excellence. Merissa, we cannot thank you & your team enough....you are amazing & we are forever grateful to Paw & Hand!!

We can’t say enough amazing things about Paw and Hand! When we first reached out, our two puppy siblings were an adorable ball of chaos—double the fluff, double the trouble. Kevin and team worked absolute magic with them. Through their patient, knowledgeable, and encouraging training, they went from wild and unruly to dogs we can truly enjoy. Our puppies now hold solid bed stays, heel beautifully, and reliably sit, down, and stay—even with distractions around. Kevin and the team’s calm, consistent approach and clear communication made training easy for us to follow and fun for our pups. They not only trained our dogs, they trained us to be confident, capable owners. We are beyond grateful for Kevin’s expertise and highly recommend him and his team to anyone who wants to turn their pups into well-mannered companions. He has completely transformed our home life with our dogs, and we couldn’t be happier!

I cannot recommend this place enough! We’d done a previous board and train with our dog and had no luck. After another year of chaos with our naughty dog we were told about this place by a friend. We were hesitant to do another board and train, but decided to give it one last go and put our dog in the 6 week program. This was the best decision we made for our dog, and she has been such a joy to have at home now. Before her training with Merissa she would zoom all over the house, jump all over the furniture, counter surf, and jump on children and any guests. Walking her felt like such a chore as she’d pull like a freight train the entire time. She would bark and dig in the yard every chance she got, and just never knew how to settle down and be calm with the family. Our dog went in with little confidence and was a bit nervous around new people and larger dogs. After her training it’s like we have a whole new dog! She’s confident, calm in the house, hasn’t taken food off the counter, doesn’t get up on the furniture unless invited up there. She no longer digs, and only does a single bark to let us know someone is at the door. She now can enjoy calm walks with our family, and even young children can walk her. Since her training she has been able to enjoy lots of new adventures with the family. Merissa will teach you everything you need to know to ensure a smooth transition back home. It is important to follow through on everything at home so that your dog doesn’t revert back to its old ways. A dog not doing well at home I would say is most often an owner issue of not following through, and not an issue with the dog or this training program. They set you and your dog up for success, and it’s up to the owner to reinforce all your dog has learned. Merissa and her team are AMAZING! They communicate very well with you, and are always happy to help with any questions that arise. 10/10 would recommend to anyone looking for a great quality trainer who really cares about your dog.