Ridgeside K9 Central Florida

Please don’t judge us, but my husband and I have always been cat people. Owning a dog was never on our radar. As a matter of fact we told ourselves and others that we would never own a dog because in our minds dogs were too much work, trouble and would just cause problems for us. RidgeSide K9 Central Florida, owners, Jay & Nikki and their team of experienced trainers changed that mindset for us. We fell in love with a surrender dog named Daisy that was trained by the Ridgeside Team. We are absolutely amazed at how well behaved this 42lb muscle bound dog is. She has settled nicely into not only our home, but our very busy workplace as well. She listens to our simple guidance because of the team’s training and their support to us as newbie dog owners. Again, we never considered ourselves dog owners, but Ridgeside K9 changed that and we absolutely love having Daisy in our daily life. Thanks again to Jay, Nikki, Taylor, Kendall and the rest of the team. You guys are truly amazing.

I can’t express here in a review just how much Ridgeside K9 Central Florida helped me with my wild little pup, Penny. I brought her in for their 4 week board & train program a little desperate and at my wits end. Nikki was my first point of contact and she took the time to go over everything that they do in that specific training program. Her clear and calm communication gave me hope that they could help. When I dropped her off that first day, I was greeted by Jay. He was very welcoming and confident that they could get us both into shape. This guy knows his stuff! Kendall was Pennys primary trainer. From the very start she approached her with calm and patient energy. She sent weekly videos of the process they were making that explained the reasoning behind the exercises they were doing. Her passion and love for dogs stood out! Ridgeside K9 Central Florida changed everything for Penny and I. Penny listens, takes lots of naps, plays, goes places with me now and loves the affection and praise she gets for being a good girl. I can not recommend them enough!

If you are searching for somewhere to take your dog for training, you can stop right here with Ridgeside K9. As someone who endlessly researches everything, looking for a place to board and train our dog was no different. I searched all over locally and nothing felt right until I came across Ridgeside, then after reading all the reviews we decided to reach out for a consult and we could be happier with that decision. I spoke with Nikki over the phone for the consult and 2 weeks later we were dropping our very excitable rescue bully York off for his board and train. During our drop off Jay and Nikki could not have been more kind and honest with us, answered all of our questions and you could really see they love what they do. We spent over an hour with them and before we left and we knew we made the right choice. Kendall was York's trainer and she did an amazing job (really, truly, that's an understatement). Our pup is extremely excitable and basic things like walking, listening and recall seemed to be impossible. Our goal was to be able to take him on walks, and other places that are dog friendly, and not jump on people when saying hello (because people are his favorite and he loves the attention). We didn't want to have to leave him home all the time not because he wasn't welcome somewhere but because he had no manners. With every update she sent us we could not believe how well he was doing. She celebrated his wins with him and it was evident she cared for him and genuinely wanted him to succeed too. When it was time to pick him up we sat with Kendall and she went over EVERYTHING, almost like we were getting a training session too! We also got a chance to speak with Jay who was out of town, but wanted to be sure he got a chance to speak to us too (in my book that says a lot about someone and the company they run). She answered every question we had and the way she spoke to us about York we could tell she spent quality time with him, she noticed traits he has and things about his personality. She is still answering any questions we have as they come up in our day to day, Nikki even checked in with a few days after we brought him home to make sure we were settling in well. After the board and train York is still York, but he listens better, walks better, and is all around a much more well mannered boy, which is exactly what we wanted. It was also important to us that he still had his personality, we didnt want that to go away and it definitely didnt. I could keep going on and on about how happy we are with taking York to Ridgeside and the success he had with Kendall, we are so grateful we have our pup to enjoy and take on adventures !!!! long story short- Stop searching. Take your dog here. You wont regret it. The people are great and it was worth every penny.

I cannot recommend Taylor and Jay at Ridgeside K9 Training enough! They just finished their 2-week puppy program with our 12-week-old Corso, and the transformation has been nothing short of incredible. When we dropped him off, he had zero training and was extremely nervous and unsure of everything. Jay (a retired Marion County K9 officer) and Taylor took him under their wing, and when we picked him up two weeks later, we barely recognized the confident, well-mannered puppy standing in front of us. He now knows all his basic commands, walks beautifully on a leash, and carries himself with a calm confidence we didn’t think was possible at his age. He’s even been “showing off” his new skills at home — it’s the cutest thing! Taylor was especially patient and wonderful with our nervous little guy, and the entire program was clearly professional, structured, and perfectly suited for such a young puppy. We’re so grateful they gave him such a strong, positive foundation. If you have a puppy (especially a big breed like a Corso) and want real results from people who truly know what they’re doing, go to Ridgeside Dog Training. Taylor and Jay are the real deal. We’re beyond thankful! Highly recommend, and can’t wait to continue training with them in the future! 🐾❤️

We had an incredible experience working with Jay and highly recommend his training program. Before we signed up, Jay spent over an hour with us talking through his approach and answering all our questions, which gave us a lot of confidence moving forward. We enrolled our 5-month-old Belgian Malanois/German Shepard mix, Dexter in a 4-week board and train program and the results have been amazing. Dexter had zero calm when we started. He was constantly “on”, jumping on everything, digging, and getting into anything he could. After completing the program, the transformation was huge. Taylor did an amazing job training Dexter! He no longer jumps, settles down easily, and actually has “chill” time with our family. The destructive behavior is gone, and he’s learned foundational skills - loose leash walks, place command, and reliable, instant recall. Beyond the obedience, the biggest difference is how much happier and more balanced he seems with structure and clear expectations. He’s so much more enjoyable to be around now. We are incredible grateful to Taylor and the work she’s done with Dexter and for setting us up for long-term success. Highly recommend.