The Dog Wizard Lake Norman

We were very pleased with the training from The Dog Wizard!!! I worked with Melanie to determine the type of training (we chose private), and Michelle came to our house to work with our two Golden Retriever pups (9 and 10 months old) each Saturday for 8 weeks. Michelle did a wonderful job!! She was always prompt, patient, and has such a calm, easy-going demeanor! Winston and Woody listened to her immediately! My husband and I looked forward to Michelle’s visits! She communicated well with us! The positive reinforcement training methods are easy to learn and practice. I can actually take both Goldens for a walk by myself without them pulling on the leash! We can take them anywhere and are confident that they will behave. We plan to continue to practice the strategies Michelle taught, and look forward to possible “mini sessions” with other owners and their pets. So thankful we found The Dog Wizard and Michelle, and for the friendships we’ve made! 🤗

Our goldendoodle was raised freely on a farm for his first 4 months. He had never had a leash on or been in a domestic setting. We struggled every day for 4 more months and could not get control. He just graduated from the Dog Wizard and is an Angel! He went crazy in a crate and I was hesitant about leaving him for 3 weeks. We are now in control instead of the dog. You must make a commitment to continue the training and using the commands and rewards. Kassie took care of him like he was her own. She spent 2 hours with us upon his arrival home and did a follow visit to see if we had any questions. She posted videos and shared them almost every day. I highly recommend this team of wizards!

I have had a wonderful experience working with the Melanie, Kassie, and Michelle at the Dog Wizard. Gus had extreme leash reactivity and would redirect on me whenever a car, human, or anything that moved really, passed by. All the ladies there really went out of their way to figure out what tools would best work for him while walking and really worked on overcoming these specific issues. I feel great about the progress he has made and also love the fact that they go over every detail of their training with you. I feel like I needed the training as much as him so it's also comforting to know that you can always participate in one of their scheduled meetups or reach out to them whenever you have any questions. 10/10 would recommend.

We adopted our boxer mix “quarantine pup” in 2020 at the height of the pandemic. He was just a few weeks old at the time. He took on a serious role of home protector and by 2 years old it was necessary to enroll him in Melanie’s board and train program. He was over protective - growling and barking at all home visitors as well as pulling on his leash and growling at neighbors and other dogs on our walks. He could be quite intimidating. Though he never had an aggressive episode we wanted to be sure it never came to that. He needed serious work on his manners and impulse control. Melanie taught him other “jobs” - like staying in place - so he’s preoccupied from filling his home protector role. He no longer ambushes the door when guests enter. He can walk calmly on his leash while passing another dog closely as though they aren’t even there. He’s getting better at respecting space and furniture. Melanie was able to put down some serious groundwork for his training journey. We’re excited to visit her “pack walks” in the future to continue brushing up on skills and being close to other dogs who know similar commands. He went back to stay with Melanie with Dog Wizard again for boarding while we were on vacation over Easter and she shared these pictures with us. I highly recommend her! She cares for her animals and wants them safe and happy! It absolutely shows.