The Art of Dog

I was hesitant at first to send my pup to the board and train program as I’ve never boarded him in the past. Dave does a really good job at putting you at ease. He is very approachable and is very open to communicating your dogs progress to you while you are away. The results are unbelievable, I couldn’t stop smiling at the difference I saw the day I picked my dog up. The obedience on the leash is unbelievable and the place command has done wonders to calm my dog when he gets overstimulated with company over. Highly recommend to anyone considering!

TL;DR: Dave and staff did a great job taking Charlie from a rascal (see below) puppy to a well behaved dog who we love and enjoy doing all the things with (e.g. farmer's market, brewery patios, walking, etc.) Charlie is a Landseer Newfoundland, who Dave and staff trained for 3 weeks in May at the age of 6 months. Who Charlie was: Charlie was a counter surfing barker with a host of non-sense puppy behaviors. He would bark in your face when he wanted attention, when he was hungry, and when in general he was overwhelmed. If Charlie felt an emotion or instinct or was responding to a drive he barked. At 6 months, Charlie was already able to see onto counters, jump up, and eat even the stuff pushed waaaaayyyy back. Who Charlie is now: My wife and I honestly didn't know what to expect sending Charlie to a board-and-train. We always did the whole 1 year twice a week show up for puppy training classes. Would Charlie come back able to hop on one leg or do some other cool stuff? When people ask us what he learned or some variant of this. Our answer is pretty simple: Charlie learned how to be comfortable being uncomfortable and how to properly deal with his drives/instincts/feelings. Sure he knows how to sit, walk, lay down, etc., but that's not the secret in the Art of the Dog's sauce. The secret is Charlie being able to walk around Bidwell farmer's market without reacting to every dog he sees, all the smells, and people he meets. In short, he's just a more comfortable and confident dog. The other question we get a lot is: is it worth it? After writing this review, I'm contacting Dave to find out when he thinks Charlie will be ready for advanced training. Hands down, it is worth it.

We sent our 1 year old Lab puppy for a 3 week board and train, he had problems with walking on leash, mouthing people (when greeting), and just overall being a pest at times around the house. Dave was very responsive to all of our questions and concerns while Cider was away, I never had to be concerned for Cider's safety or well being. I was a bit reluctant to send him away since we have seen him every single day since he was 2 months old, but it was the best thing we could have done for him. Cider came back the same goofball he was when he left, but now has better manners, can walk well on leash and does everything we ask of him. If you are considering using The Art of Dog for training, DO IT!

Our sweet Stormie Gray really struggled with being dog & people reactive. We couldn’t walk her without her trying to lunge at the other dogs or continuously bark at people. We were embarrassed by her behavior and were losing hope. Thankfully we were told about The Art of Dog and instantly looked into them. From the moment Dave answered us, I knew everything was going to be okay. He paired us up with Mallory and we couldn’t of been more thankful for her. She was laid back, gentle and so informative. Mallory gave us the peace of mind we truly needed. She constantly reassured us (which I needed the most through this whole process). But as of today we finished our last class at The Art of Dog and Stormie has done a complete 180. She’s a brand new dog. We are no longer nervous to take her on walks or let her be outside. We are forever grateful for Dave and Mallory for everything they’ve done for us and Storm.