Thackston Farms Dog Training LLC

Cosmo—Challenge Accepted Hunter was amazing with Cosmo. Cosmo was a fearful and aggressive 3-year-old dog, reacting and charging at both dogs and people and we were failing to find a way to change that behavior. We were not comfortable letting him interact in a lot of situations and we knew we needed help. Even on our initial visit to Thackston Farms, Hunter started working with him making corrections, diagnosing, guiding, and rewarding. By the end of the meeting, Cosmo and Hunter were sitting side by side---not hugging each other—but side by side. We knew this was the right place for Cosmo. Cosmo hung out at the farm with Hunter for four weeks. He went through one-on-one training, field trips, play, and Cosmo’s parents had a couple of lessons too. At the end of the 4 weeks Cosmo was more confident and so well behaved. He had strong basics both on and off leash –including heel, come, place --which was fantastic, but the biggest transformation for Cosmo and our family was Cosmo’s consistent ability to walk past people and dogs and not charge or react. Thanks to Hunter, Cosmo now gets to go to stores, parks, beaches, and his favorite –car rides. If you need a dog trainer, Hunter is not afraid of a challenge, and he has the knowledge, instincts, and love that is required to bring out the best in our dogs.

My husband and I travelled abroad for the first two weeks of May 2024 and I was really worried about finding a place for our dog Waylon to stay for that long. Waylon is a high energy dog that has some separation anxiety and behavioral issues. When we would board him at a regular boarding facility, they let me know that Waylon would not settle down and would need medication. I reached out to Thackston Farms Dog Training and talked with Hunter Thackston (owner/operator) for almost an hour on our first call. He was very willing to answer all of my questions about his training process, facility, vaccine requirements, etc. I could really tell that he truly cares for dogs and wants every dog/owner to have a great experience with him. We decided to enroll our dog Waylon in Hunter's 2 week board and train program while we were gone on our trip. I was very honest with Hunter during our first call that Waylon has expressed reactivity towards other dogs and that he can be a lot to handle. When we went to drop Waylon off, Hunter immediately put his collar he had on Waylon and started working some commands. I could tell Waylon really took to Hunter. I asked Hunter to send me updates throughout our trip and I was so happy to see that Hunter sent me pictures of where he took Waylon to a hardware store to practice his on leash commands. When we picked Waylon up, he was a different dog on a leash, knows all the basic commands, and we can even walk him past other dogs now and he shows no reactivity towards them. Hunter reassured me that Waylon was great during his stay. Waylon even tried to jump in Hunter's van when we were leaving because he thought he was going to do some training. I am so thankful to Hunter for the work he put in and the relationship he developed with Waylon while we were gone. My husband and I will be doing another board and train program in the future. I highly recommend Hunter and Thackston Farms Dog Training!

Hunter is great, and I definitely recommend him for any dog training or boarding. I have a boxer lab mix, and I couldn't take him anywhere before I sent him for training. He would pull the leash constantly, jump on people, and would sometimes show aggression to other dogs on our walks. We did hunters 4 week program and now I can walk him around off leash if I wanted to. It's truly incredible the difference he can make in 4 weeks. And now I can take my boy with me when I go somewhere.

We have a caucasian shepherd pup that was a little difficult . Hunter was recommended by one of my local vets I use so I reached out to him . I took Teddy to meet him for an accessment and instantly out of the vehicle Hunter took control and handled Teddy like a pro . I worked with Teddy and Hunter in public at several locations to learn how to handle him in a populated area s Teddy is wonderful now he can walk trough lowes or tsc and not want to eat everyone. Highly recommended Hunter and his 4 week board and train.