Paw and Hand K9

Wow is really all I can say about this place. We had just rescued a 4 month old puppy that was a little wild and loved to bark at people and animals. We dropped him off at Paw and Hand for the month long Puppy training and he came back a new dog! He is so well behaved and so well trained my wife and I are stunned. This Place exceeded our expectations. Kevin worked with our whole family and taught us so many valuable lessons so that we can continue to train our puppy at home after the month of training. I can't recommend this place enough and we will definitely be doing tune up training every once in a while. Highly highly recommend

I cant say enough amazing things about paw and hand, the owners along with their amazing team are not only top notch dog trainers but even better human beings!! We recently completed the 6 week program with our 3rd dog they have trained for us and once again they nailed it !! Every time I drop off a dog for that long of a time you worry about your dog being getting proper attention and love. That worry is diminished when every time you come back for the follow up visits and your dog doesn’t want to leave 😂. If you’re considering a dog trainer look no further!!! This is the ONLY place to trust with your fur babies!!

We sent our eight week old puppy to Paw and Hand for the two month Super Puppy program. She came home not housebroken and exhibiting behavior issues. When we called to discuss this, we were told that she needed further training. We were told that she was "special". We agreed to return her for a second round. She once again came home unhousebroken and had little recall ability. These were our two biggest priorities as she was prone to chasing cars. When we called the second time, they told us to take away Dora's water at 4 PM and to lock her in a crate that wasn't much bigger than she was. If she was not able to turn around, then she would not soil herself. We were horrified. We had also sent two other dogs to them for training and finally understood how they treated animals. We had sent our rescue beagle, Tabitha, for off lead training and to stop her from pulling. We could not keep her if we could not safely walk her. When she came home, her pulling had worsened and she did not stop even with a prong collar which they said would "remind her not to pull". Again, they advised us to return her. Stupidly, we did. They had stated they would use positive reinforcement but when that failed, they said they needed to administer "significant consequences" for what is natural behavior. Again they advised E-collar training, and we initially agreed. However, we were told by the beagle rescue that this is against their contract and we did not continue. When Marissa evaluated Tabitha, she knew she was a laboratory rescue and required extreme gentleness. We also learned that Paw and Hand was not using the E-collar as a warning/stimulant, they were increasing the strength to the point that it was painful, i.e. "significant". Their lingo, such as "redirect" and "balanced training" is what they use to disguise their tactics. These tactics are brutal shortcuts. Positive tactics take longer and require more experienced trainers. Before using the prong collar, they told us that Tabitha would only be affected the first few times. When I brought her home, she pulled harder than ever despite the painful collar. If we had continued with this, she would have severely damaged her esophagus. Their "significant consequences" do not work on every dog & they lack other tools. At 14 months Dora became unpredictable and highly aggressive. We could no longer send her to daycare. We could not leave her with our 3 dogs as she attacked all of them, even our 14-year-old senior. She continually paced at night and we were reluctant to put her back in a crate after the cruelty she had suffered at Paw and Hand. We spent well over $10,000, even tipped the trainer handsomely. Unfortunately, we had to rehome two of our dogs. This was devastating. When we discussed all this with the owner, Marissa, she became defensive and angry. She said it was our fault. She then stopped talking to us. I regret not taking the negative reviews about Paw and Hand seriously. I severely regret putting my trust in them. The negative reviews corroborate our experience. Dogs don't complain. It is difficult to understand how a dog has been treated and the effects of abuse might not be immediately visible. People might not understand what training techniques were used to get their dog to behave and it might not be clear that issues down the road were a result of trauma. There is a reason why dogs obey them but not their owners. I've done my best to state this as factually and unemotionally as possible; losing two of our family members was heartbreaking. My advice is to find a place that has more experienced trainers and focuses on the physical and mental well-being of the dog and not just fast outcomes. You may leave feeling very positive, but that doesn't indicate the dog wasn't harmed in order to get what they wanted. Beyond this review, there isn't much else I can do. I did contact PETA and will continue to seek avenues to prevent animal cruelty. Marissa's final response was, "I'm sorry you feel that way. Your dogs behaved fine at my facility."

Professional and effective. We brought our 8 month old, high energy, high reactivity dog. I had visited to a few board and trains prior to Paw and Hand K9 and it was an obvious choice. They didn't make me feel like a terrible owner or that I had a spoiled and terrible dog like other places had done. The facility clean, well-organized, and designed with your dog's success in mind. I was nervous leaving my pup for 6 weeks but with the visits and frequent videos and texts updates was put at ease. It was so fun to watch her progress, and her confidence increase during her time there. The team is very knowledgeable and compassionate to dog and owner. I was impressed by their desire to meet the needs of the owner's family (top goals in mind) and adapt training plans to that. We specifically asked for our pup to be able to run with us and run alongside us biking and the team practicing those skills with her. I also noticed that during a training session they were attentive to my dogs odd obsession with my watch and they themselves started wearing a watch on the same arm to desensitize her to it. I am so happy with my dogs new skills to go into public places and not lose her mind. She is calm and attentive and has the skills and I have the tools to help her. It has helped us know how to effectively communicate to her and set proper expectations. We are so thankful for what this board and training experience has given us with our dog and the years to come. I would recommend them to anyone!