Spot-On K9 Training

I came in with a 1.5 yr old rescue dog who knew no commands and now after four lessons, have a pup who can heel, sit, walking sit, stay and come and is starting to learn finish. More importantly, thanks to Stephens' patience and clear directions, I am now better trained to help my dog learn and can keep moving forward on a building a better partnership with my dog. I look forward to group classes when warmer weather returns and you can be sure that I will return to Stephen should any problems arise in the meantime.

Previously the only dog trainer I found helpful was over the internet/skype and I was looking for someone local who would combine positive training with consequences as my 6 year-old Havanese had some persistent problem behaviors as well as a need for reinforcement of regular obedience training (heel, place, recall, etc). I was confident after our phone consult and, now that the private series is over--feel very good both about the experience and the results. First, Stephen was positive not just with Pumpkin but also with me--encouraging me that I could do better as an owner and reinforcing both my effort and the progress. (I have worked with trainers who are judgmental/pompous and that is a NO for me). He also was always focused on exactly what my priorities were rather than a scripted plan of his own--and very flexible about what we focused on. Over time, I have seen my confidence in being Pumpkin's owners grow tremendously as well as her behavior--and I have even learned to be more realistic about my goals with her (and myself). At the end--completely worth the time I invested as well as the money. I would 100% recommend Spot-On K9 Training and look forward to doing the group classes in the Spring.

Our 2 year old dog hated being around kids. She was terrified when they moved, made loud sounds, etc. She would growl, bark, lunge, nip whenever they got too close. We have a lot of kids in our life and could not always easily keep her separated from kids. We worked with Steve to train her (and us) to better manage her interactions with kids. We worked on impulse control, place commands, and overall confidence building and consequences when she starts to react before it escalates. She's nowhere near happy to be around kids but she is MUCH BETTER. as we continue the work Steve taught us, we see progress every time. This gives us hope we can maintain her comfort and that of the kids around us in time.

Our 1 year old Mini Schnauzer is extremely reactive to other dogs, but he is the most affectionate dog and obedient at home. Our pup has completed a few private training classes and a reactivity group class at two of the best dog schools in the city, but his behavior did not improve at all. All we learned was to avoid other dogs, which is impossible living in the city. We decided to find a trainer specific for reactive dogs and found Stephen. He taught us leadership in addition to positive reinforcement. Within a month of training, our pup has improved more than a year we spent training him. It changed our relationships for the better. Our pup is now able to walk past another dog without any lunging and barking at another dog. We re-gained hope after training with Stephen. Not only he shows leadership, but also he treats my pup with kindness and affection. We highly recommend working with Stephen if you're struggling with training your dog and nothing else works.