The Houndsman Canine Academy

I cannot recommend Adam and The Houndsman Canine Academy highly enough! I signed up for the 4-week day train program for my two young dachshunds and 20/10 would recommend for anyone who needs help with their dog but doesn’t have several hours a day for months to devote to training. Sending them daily for several weeks really helped to establish expected behaviors. Taking my dogs to The Houndsman Canine Academy was one of the best decisions I could have made for my girls and for me and was more than worth every penny. If you are considering sending your dogs to The Houndsman, do not stop, go directly sign up - you will not regret it! And for any of you out there with two or more dogs, I had originally only signed one of my girls up but quickly realized they both needed to have the same instruction so signed up the second one which was 1000% worth it. My girls were leash reactive to everything, pulled, barked at friends and foes, and generally made public outings super stressful, which was not good for any of us. We live in an apartment building, and it was getting so bad that I was worried someone was going to file a formal complaint about their behavior and noise! I had tried a few other local trainers prior to the Houndsman, but their training style was a treat-based, "wear them out and they will calm down" approach without a structured training program, which was decidedly unhelpful and ineffective. I tried following their directives for several months with absolutely zero improvement. We reached a breaking point when one of my girls got aggressive toward another, bigger dog and if the other dog’s parent hadn’t been so attentive, my girl could have been attacked. At that point, I knew I needed to find more comprehensive training that would effectively address behavioral issues. I will be the first to admit, I was a little nervous when I went in for the training evaluation - I was super worried that the training would be too harsh, or that my girls wouldn’t be their adorable selves once they were done. (There is a very military vibe about the place, Adam is a veteran, and I was afraid I was signing up for something that would involve harsh punishments, etc., like reform school or something.) Boy, was I wrong! There are no treats involved in training, but there is also no punishing. Dog parents are taught how to correct unwanted behaviors and celebrate good behaviors. In fact by the end one of my girls basically fell in love with Adam and would get mad when other dogs in training didn’t listen to him, ha! He is not only great with dogs, but great with people as well, and did a fantastic job helping me grow confident in my ability to handle the girls as well as he did. Not only did the training help them to not be so unruly; by installing me as the leader of our little pack, it’s helped reduce their stress and not be high-strung like they used to be. My mom recently came for a visit and is so impressed with how much better behaved the girls are from when she saw them last year, she’s trying to find someone with a similar training style in her own city. (Good luck to my mom, no one is better than Adam!) I have also received compliments and kudos from several neighbors in my building on how much better behaved the girls are post-training. Even the staff at the boarding facility I use when I have to travel out of town mentioned how much better behaved they are now, and how much less they are bothered (read: bark lol!) at the other dogs in the big dog group, which I know has to be helpful for everyone there, humans and dogs alike. It bears repeating, if you are looking for dog training that will yield positive results, there is no better choice than Adam and The Houndsman!!! Included in this review are some pictures of my girls being calm and relaxed while waiting to go outside, walking (previously they would be pulling like crazy and it was so tough with two of them) and doing an excellent job of staying in place while I am getting a treat out for them (absolutely unheard of until training!).

Drake has turned into the most amazing dog with the help of Adam and The Houndsman Canine Academy. Drake was taken into foster care and immediately rescued by us after being the longest resident of a local kill shelter. Drake came to us with high anxiety and no idea of what manners were. 4 weeks later, he now understands boundaries and the rules of being a dog living his best life. I can’t thank Adam enough for his patience and knowledge.

This household recommends Adam and the Canine Academy unreservedly and with enormous gratitude. Our two rescue pugs, Lulu and Cougar, came to us from traumatic circumstances and had no experience walking on leashes, socializing, or practicing good manners in the home. Adam’s calm, firm, consistent approach to training has led them from resistant, hyper-reactive and over-excitable patterns of behavior to cooperative, confident and largely calm behaviors. They no longer balk at doing all their toilet business outside; they no longer carry on like banshees as someone prepares their meal; they don’t pull and strain on their leashes when walking. In short, they have become Really Good Dogs.

Oscar Meyer Wiener was a brat - anybody who has ever owned a dachshund knows how stubborn and difficult they can be. Oscar was also a rescue and very leash-reactive. For a twenty-pound dog, it was surprising how miserable it was taking him for a walk. Well, it was more like being dragged to the end of the block. Adam changed all of that. We can now take Oscar on long walks, and he passes by other dogs, kids, cars, and moving objects like they aren't even there. Going for an afternoon stroll has turned from a torture to a joy. I highly recommend The Houndsman Canine Academy HUGE results in a short amount of time and worth every penny.