Texas K-9 Academy

Liz came to our home to help us work with a lab we were fostering. Our lab was having a lot of anxiety around cars when we walked and did not seen to know any basic obedience commands. Liz was very patient with her and showed us what to do so that she could continue learning and get better. The training we got helped or lab Foster get adopted to a great family. I would definitely recommend her and actually have recommended her to a friend having issues with her new rescue.

I contacted Liz to train my very cute, very sweet, but very stubborn German Shepherd. She was amazing with her!! When we picked her up Liz worked with us and our dog before leaving, answered any questions we had. Liz was great with calls/texts if I had further questions and came to our house to work with her in our setting on a few things we were working through. I would highly recommend using Liz for training your puppy/dog!

We started looking for a professional trainer because Milo, our 8 month old HIGH ENERGY lab pup, was running our home and our lives. The older he got, more and more undesirable behaviors started to emerge such as barking incessantly, extremely demanding, hyperactive, and actions that could result in him getting hurt through counter-surfing and jumping on the range / oven when they were hot, to name a few. We didn’t know how to resolve any of this and nothing we tried worked. Through my search for a trainer, there were a couple of things that were very important to me in sending my dog off …I needed to know where my dog was and that he would be well cared for. We learned of Texas K-9 Academy through a personal recommendation (the owner of a young dog that had been trained by Texas K-9 Academy) and DFW Lab Rescue – all of which gave them glowing recommendations. Upon speaking with Liz Kelly (owner), I learned all the dogs sent to them for training are treated as members of their family, reside IN their home, and we would drop him off and pick him up – so would know exactly where he was. After reading all their reviews, speaking with Liz directly and knowing we needed professional help with Milo, we committed to sending him to Texas K-9 Academy for their 2-week board & train program. Texas K-9 Academy runs a tight ship…we were required to send in current vaccination records prior to Milo being allowed into the program, submit a questionnaire describing his behaviors, sign a medical treatment release form, etc. All these things we greatly appreciated as in my mind, it speaks to how seriously they take the welfare of the animals in their care not to mention the success of their business. During Milo’s time at Texas K-9 Academy, communication about his progress was always timely. Finally the day came we were able to pick him up. When we first saw him, we were so impressed with how far he had progressed - he was almost like a different dog but still happy, healthy, and loving. Liz spent a tremendous amount of time showing us what Milo had learned; then observed and coached us while we worked with him as well. Through Milo’s training process, we were able to learn some of the things we were doing wrong with him such as unintentionally reinforcing bad behaviors just to keep peace in the house. After training, we now know how to better channel his energy and reward good behaviors. Liz takes a serious, vested interest in the dogs she trains and wants the best for them and their families. Approximately 3-4 weeks after we brought Milo home, Liz was in our area (1.5 hours away) and made it a point to come see how Milo was progressing. This turned out to be a blessing in disguise because about 5 days before Liz came to our home, Milo started a rebellious streak and was resisting commands. It was amazing to see his response to Liz…just her working with him for a short time that evening got him back on track. Plus he was so happy to see her! Additionally, it was a lot for us to absorb when we picked Milo up but anytime a question has come up, Liz is still right there for us providing direction and feedback. In my opinion, having your dog trained is an ongoing commitment from the pet parents too. To this day, Milo tests us all the time and tries to take us back to where we were before his training. He’s smart, still tries to get his way. We’ve found success with Milo requires that we continue to consistently reinforce his training every single day. Practice each command over and over. Sending Milo to Texas K-9 Academy was one of the best decisions we’ve ever made. We wouldn’t be where we are today if it weren’t for Liz and her training program. Milo is a much happier, calmer dog now - he understands the rules and what we want. We’re much happier and relaxed too…Milo’s such a pleasure to be around now. We would not hesitate to recommend Texas K-9 Academy and if we get another dog, Texas K-9 Academy is exactly where it will go too.