Smart Dogs Training Academy

Jeff Todd is the truth! i was losing my mind caring for my rescue dog. Kwame was highly fearful anxious and aggressive. my hope was that things would get better with time but they were just getting worse. when i found Jeff i was honestly considering giving him up. Jeff taught me key tools for building trust in our relationship and building confidence in Kwame. he seems like a completely different dog! every day is better and better. i cannot wait to see what the future holds for this wonderful dog!

Jeff was very professional and a real expert at what he does. Prior to taking our 1 year old Australian shepherd (Bleu) to Jeff. Bleu was very aggressive to dogs and humans. Aside from this, he had separation anxiety (we couldn't leave him by himself at home alone). So me and my girlfriend decided to take him to Jeff to help shape Bleu up for 5 weeks. Bleu stayed with Jeff for 5 weeks. Within that 5 weeks we got to do hands on training with Bleu twice along with Jeff leading and instructing us. By the time Bleu was finished, he was a totally different dog and me and my girlfriend were astonished. Now Bleu doesn't bark at people, other dogs and we can leave him at home alone without any excessive barking/crying. Overall, Jeff is an amazing dog trainer and whoever works with him will not regret it!

Just finished our 8 training sessions with Jeff. He primarily does a bootcamp where he boards and trains dogs. Did not have the financial resources for our two, LARGE, mixed breed rescue pups. So started training with him when they were 8 months old. Took one dog, learned techniques with him then worked both dogs, on our own between sessions. He is very knowledgeable and skilled with dogs and people. Answered questions and provided guidance when realizing that each dog had such different personalities and responded differently to training. Though we contracted for training one dog, we came out with two great pups with the skills we learned from Jeff. You have to commit and work with your dog. You will get out of it what you put into it. Jeff is a great teacher, flexible, straight shooter and knows his stuff. Now our pups have a great basis for becoming great dogs. We know Jeff will be available if we need assistance in the future. Well worth the time and money.

Sending my two golden retrievers (2-year-old and 8-month-old) to Jeff for his 4-week boarding training program was the best decision and worth every penny. Jeff taught both of my dogs how to walk on a leash without pulling, how to sit-stay and down-stay - basically how to be calm, well-mannered dogs instead of golden goofballs! They are a pleasure to be around now and I love them even more. He is an expert in not just dogs but people. He was able to wean my very sensitive 2-year-old off of her anxiety medication and teach me how to train her through the things that frightened her. My biggest challenge was getting her into the car. She was terrified and refused to jump in, which led to me lifting a very unwilling 80-pound dog every time we need to get in the car. Because of her fear and the hassle, I avoided taking her places. After 4 weeks in Jeff's care, she came home relaxed and confident. My first goal was to tackle the car fear. Within one week I had taught her to happily jump in the car! She now goes in the car every day to go to the park, hiking, or out on errands. Without Jeff's guidance, she would be stuck at home. The world has opened up because she is now able to travel. Have you ever encountered an 8-month-old golden retriever puppy that can heel, sit and stay? Most are hyper, pulling, jumping, chewing, furry beasts, but life does not have to be that way. Because of Jeff's boarding training and my daily work with her, my 8-month-old can heel, sit, stay and come. That doesn't mean she is not still a puppy and full of energy, but I know how to communicate with her and she understands when I tell her it is time to sit and stay. She knows what I expect and listens to me. Thank you, Jeff, for giving me back two happy, confident, well-mannered dogs that I love being with every day! ♥️

Last year one of the most horrible things happened. My younger pup, who ironically I got to keep company with my older dog, attacked my 15yo frail beloved dog. My 15yo, I took out of the birthing sack and raised him since he was born. I had his mother and 2 other litter mates for all their lives, all of them growing to old age past 12yo. Armstrong, my 15yo, is the last of this amazing pack I had lived with for a decade. I only had a cat, so I thought Army needed another dog since he had never been alone before. I adopted a 13 week old malamute/lab mix from one of those expensive rescues. Sammy was the cutest loveable sweet puppy and adored Army and followed him everywhere. After a year, Sammy grew bigger than Army past his 85 lbs. That also put her in her adolescence time. After a unfortunate incidence with my neighbors small dog coming under our fence and into our yard, Sammy became aggressive towards Army. First she jumped on him and chewed on his leg, breaking no skin. Then, a week later she escalated to breaking the skin but just small punctures. At this point of course, I kept them separate unless I was supervising. When letting them out to potty Sammy jumped onto Army and bit his neck. I had to pull her off of him and he required stitches. 2 weeks went by and I was watching them carefully and only had them together when I walked them. Sammy seemed to be better. One morning I let Army go potty in the yard and was having my coffee at my desk. I decided to go check on them since they were out longer than usually. Sammy ran in and I could tell she had attacked again because her eyes were crazy and she had a foamy mouth. I feared another neighbor dog had gotten in our yard again. I went out. Could not see Army. My heart sunk. How could I have left them alone for even a few minutes? I called him. Silence. I called him and looked down and saw blood drops. I followed them and found him down in blood on the side of the house by the steps and doggy door. Sammy had gone for his femoral and his left groin was torn and bleeding and he could not walk. I called my neighbor and thank God she was home and we carried him into my car and got him to my neighborhood vet. They told me the bite was near the artery and they were not equipped to give blood nor do vascular surgery. I told them to do what they could and I was OK with whatever outcome. I knew he would not make it to transport him to a surgery center. Army made it! His rehab and first few nights back were sleepless and hard, but he is walking, eating, barking, peeing and pooing and doing all his dog stuff. I did not know what to do with Sammy. My solution was to invest a lot of money in building a kennel for her and send her to Smart Dogs boot camp with Jeff. I cancelled my 50th BD plans and used that money for my dogs that I felt I had let down. It was the best decision and per Smart Dogs website, it allowed me to "enjoy my dog(s)" again. Sammy laying next to me right now and Army is on the couch with the cat. It has been 6 months since she came home from training with Jeff. I purposely waiting all this time because I wanted to make sure the training and behavior modification stuck before I gave a raving review. Well, it has. Sammy is a different dog. And at the same time the same. She is still smart, loving and sweet, but she now understands I am the head of the household and family and she must behave within the rules of our "pack". It was difficult to send Sammy away for the extended period of time but it gave Army time to heal and when she came back, I did what I was supposed to, and we are now co-existing peacefully, and actually thriving and I have a loving pet family because of Jeff and Smart Dogs. The training and experience was better than I could of imagined. Thank you Jeff from all of us.