SongDog Kennels

I’m not one to normally post reviews, but this one seemed necessary. Our dog, Oliver, was six years old when we sent him to training with Jason. Oliver was aggressive, stubborn, and a liability around our son and guests. I did not want to place him into a new home and I had heard about SongDog MI Dog Training. After speaking with Jason, I was confident that this was the best chance we had at getting Oliver the help he needed so he could be a part of our lives. We signed him up for the five week behavioral therapy program. It was worth every penny and more. He has returned home a brand new dog. Many people did not have hope in Oliver, but Jason did. He is amazing with our son, completely manageable, and such a happy and confident dog now. We are forever thankful!!! HIGHLY recommend. I can’t wait to send him back for maintenance training.

Listen. If you're contemplating dog training for your pup - consider it divine intervention that you found Tiffany and Jason. Don't even think twice about choosing them. They are the crème de la crème of humans and trainers. I have a three year old Lagotto Romagnolo, Maeve - she is my whole world, my baby. I was feeling very uneasy about the thought of sending her away for training. During my initial conversation with Jason I felt immediately at peace with both him and his approach. Throughout Maeve's stay, Jason and Tiffany maintained regular communication. Thank goodness for the pup-dates - it was incredible to see Maeve's advancement as the time progressed. They are patient, intentional, compassionate and genuinely care about the success of the training. On pick up day they spent a lot of time working with me directly to ensure I had the knowledge and confidence to execute the training in real life. They made the process entirely fun, relaxing and made sure I was comfortable with the best practices. Maeve and I now have a common language, confidence in each other and the ability to communicate effectively. Jason and Tiffany have a special gift - a magic about them. They poured so much love and care into Maeve. I am beyond grateful that they are willing to share their talent - it's truly a blessing.

When I rescued my German Shepherd Harley, she was 16-months old, had excellent house manners but knew nothing about the "outside" as she had come from a hoarding situation. Over the course of the next year and a half, I was able to teach her little things like not to be afraid of the sound of leaves under her feet and how use a flight of stairs, and some basic commands like sit and down. What I did not know how to help her with were the most important things: her impulse control, a solid consistent recall, consistency in obeying commands, and especially her worsening reactivity to other dogs. The dog reactivity was the worst. Even seeing a dog at a great distance sent her into an adrenaline-filled bout of angry barking, aggressive lunging, scrambling, leaping, and insanity...most of the time. Other times she would just pant more and dance around and I could easily walk her away. But as time went on, her reactivity just increased and it became more unpredictable. What I did know was that I was in over my head. I needed a trainer, but who could I trust with my dog? I didn't want her to go to just anyone. I love my dog and I wanted her to be trained by someone who is actually educated in canine/animal behavior; someone with experience, someone professional. Finally, a trusted friend recommended Jason and SongDog Training. She too had reactive dogs, but she had taken her dogs to Jason's board and train program and was over the moon with the positive results, especially in terms of addressing the reactivity. I got in touch with Jason at SongDog Northern Michigan Dog Training. We discussed what the training would look like and all that it would entail. My mind was made up, It had to be Jason. Upon arriving at the training center, I felt instantly at ease. The setting is peaceful, beautiful, and the facility is well maintained. It was immediately apparent that Jason and Tiffany truly do love dogs. They have a professional approach which is at once patient, consistently firm, and reasonable. Harley could tell. She seemed to take rather well to them upon arrival. During the weeks that followed, I received a weekly update in the form of photos and videos which told me how well she was doing. When it came time to pick her up, Jason was thorough in walking me through the training process and the transfer of training. I left there feeling confident not only in Harley and her abilities; I also felt confident in my ability to maintain consistency in using the skills Jason taught me. Yes, taught ME; a dog needs to be able to look to its humans for guidance, and Jason taught me the skills needed to successfully be that person Harley looks to for that guidance. Since arriving home, I have noticed positive changes in her behavior toward other dogs, her responsivity to commands is great, her recall is excellent, she seems happier, more confident, and less anxious on walks. She no longer eyes other dogs in a suspicious, hackles up manner, ready to rumble. And she has even appeared appropriately friendly or neutral toward other dogs. Time spent with Harley is now more enjoyable than I ever thought possible! Thanks to Jason, Harley is now the dog I knew she could be. She is calmer in public than she was previously. She looks to me for guidance, rather than making impulsive decisions and reacting on her own. Also, thanks to Jason, I know what to look for in the event Harley does have a momentary slip into an old behavior, and I know how to effectively correct and handle that moment should it occur. Furthermore, Jason has checked in to see how things are going and has made himself available should I have any questions, which is really helpful and speaks to his dedication and commitment to helping dogs and their owners succeed. I very highly recommend Jason and SongDog Northern Michigan Dog Training. He is helping people and their dogs learn how to effectively communicate and work together as a team.

I am truly amazed at the training that actually worked for my dog, a 4 year old GBGV. Not only was the training excellent, the time spent with me to ensure consistency and follow through with the methods that work was invaluable. I am forever grateful to Jason and Tiffany for teaching and LOVING my dog when he was in their care. I can also contact them with any questions or concerns I have and get redirected as to how to handle any situation that I present to them. The time away from our dog was difficult, but the results far outweigh not having him underfoot for several weeks. I strongly recommend choosing these two dedicated and loving individuals to train your dog to be the best it can be. It is worth every penny. I am forever grateful to Jason and Tiffany.