Signature K9 Training Academy

My 6 month old Doberman just graduated from the 4 week board and train program at Signature K9 Academy and the results were well worth the investment. Before entering the program my Doberman was starting to exhibit behavioral issues (whining, biting, jumping, etc.). After 4 weeks our pup’s basic obedience and behavior improved tremendously. Daniel has not only trained our dog but also helped trained us on how we should be handling our dog. Can’t thank Daniel and Kevin enough for what they’ve done for our pup. We will definitely be back to continue training when our Doberman matures and is ready for more advanced training.

We have a 100+ lb, 8-year-old German Shepherd named Tore with serious anxiety and aggressive behavior. He is a very intelligent dog and generally very obedient unless there is a stranger or another dog nearby, in which case he would become completely uncontrollable. We had paid many positive reinforcement oriented trainers to help us out when he was younger and less aggressive, which helped establish the obedience but did little to curb the impulse control and aggression. He was manageable for the first 5 years or so, but as we had kids and they got older we prioritized working with him less and less and he regressed into a very bad state. Up until about 6 months ago the aggressive behavior had never been targeted towards our family, however we had an incident where he gave my son a warning bit on the hand. My son had reached out to grab his collar to try to bring him inside and he didn’t want to go. The bite was definitely a warning and not intended to do damage, but still left a rather deep puncture wound and an even deeper relationship damage between the kids, my wife, and the dog. Our vet recommended euthanasia. We contacted numerous trainers who were either unwilling or incapable of working with him due to his age and the bite incident. We finally happened upon Daniel who was provided to us as a reference from one of the trainers who said no. Daniel was the breath of fresh air that we needed. After a brief consultation, he very calmly and clearly explained the root cause driving Tore’s behavior, much of which was frankly on us, which we expected. He felt confident Tore could be rehabilitated and that he could teach us how to manage him long term. Daniel accepted Tore into his 6-week board & train program where he takes the dog M-F, gives him back for the weekend, then starts again on Monday. Throughout the program Daniel provided updates on progress and was always available for questions. While this was not an overnight magic wand, we noticed an immediate and significant difference from that very first weekend that Tore was back in the house. We are now wrapping up week 7, the first week after conclusion of the program, and Tore’s presence in this house is a night and day difference. There are still hiccups (he is 8 after all), we’ve had the growling incidents when he doesn’t want to comply, and he still gets worked up at strangers and expresses anxiety in certain situations, but the key is that it is now manageable, and we can get it to stop without having to throw him in a different room. Further, it gets more quickly managed with each passing day and incident where Tore is put to the test. Do not get me wrong, Daniel will not help you if you are not willing to put in the work, and it is a lot of work. Full Stop. But I firmly believe that this man can rehabilitate any dog if the owner holds themselves accountable to the structure of the program. I appreciated Daniel’s communication style, once I opened the door for it our conversations took on a more casual tone that I enjoyed. I felt and continue to feel that Daniel truly cares about Tore and has a passion for what he does. He provided quite a few add-on services that most would have charged for and he didn't. For example, he helped us manage Tore for a vet visit to take a look at a potential leg injury (in-office vet visits were something I frankly didn’t think would ever be possible for this dog). He also offers boarding services at a very reasonable rate for his clients which is a huge win for us (he’s boarding Tore for us this weekend so we can go see family for Thanksgiving). Highly recommend Daniel’s services…and bonus - you’re supporting a veteran owned business if you hire him.