We adopted our dog, Junie, from a shelter in August 2025. She was around a year old. On walks, she…read morewould bark at other dogs and sometimes people which made walks miserable and embarrassing. Indoors, it was jumping, and a constant need for attention and stimulation. It felt like she couldn't relax, or didn't know how, or maybe just didn't want to. So by extension, we couldn't either. We live in an apartment and even just taking her to the rooftop relief area was becoming a hell. I went down the same training rabbit hole many people do. YouTube videos weren't helping. They didn't explain what to do if the method in the video didn't work--which they never did for me. We decided to do some weekly training classes with a dog trainer we found through Rover. She taught Junie plenty--like any German shepherd, she's a very quick learner. She was trying to use counter conditioning to help Junie stop reacting so strongly to other dogs. And while Junie learned a lot, things weren't getting any better. She understood all the commands, she knew what was expected of her, but she almost never chose to do what we asked. It felt like we were constantly competing to be the most interesting thing in her world and we were fighting a losing battle. It was extremely frustrating and we were tired. It was clear to us that there was something important we were missing. We so badly wanted a dog we could bring to breweries, hikes, and backpacking trips and we were starting to wonder if we weren't a good fit for Junie. Assuming you've also been down the internet dog training rabbit hole, you've probably also seen people talk about how board and trains are a waste of money. We were nervous, but Tom came highly recommended by a friend of ours and we were at our wit's end. We didn't want our lives to be so entirely ruled by our dog--it wasn't healthy for any of us. We reached out to him in October and she stayed with Tom through the month of November. Best decision EVER. We were right about there being a missing link--it was our relationship with Junie that needed to be adjusted. Yes, we are her loving caretakers, but we are also people she needs to respect and listen to. It's now January and we can take her anywhere that allows dogs. She will stick by our side in a heel without a leash, whether on a sidewalk, at the beach, or in the forest. She can walk past a dog a foot away without reacting. She lays down next to our table at breweries. She stays in place until we release her. When she's playing off leash, she comes when we call her. We genuinely couldn't be happier! Here were my worries going into this: Would WE get enough training through this process to be able to continue things once Junie came home? --Absolutely. There was a learning curve of course on our end with the ecollar, but I truly did feel prepared by the time we got her home to continue her training. Tom is great at answering questions along the way and after your dog comes home. It hasn't even been 3 months since we adopted her--will it have a negative impact for her to have such a big change so soon? --If this is the position you're in, please don't keep suffering, just make the call! Dogs in general are a lot more resilient than we give them credit for. I honestly feel that sooner was better--it meant less time for her bad habits to get worse/more ingrained. No regrets here at all. Will the training stick? --Yes but it's entirely up to you. As long as you're continuing to keep your dog accountable, you'll definitely keep having the dog you want. Maybe my dog just needs more exercise? --I mean exercise is important, but you shouldn't have to exhaust your dog to get it to behave. We had started renting out Dog Yard through Roam three days a week to try and exhaust her. Probably exhausted us more than her lol. You can absolutely trust Tom and his trainers with your pup and I promise you if you've been struggling and things haven't been working--reach out to Tom! I can say wholeheartedly that this was the best investment we've ever made.

I want to start by saying how much I wish I wasn't the first person to leave a less than 5 star…read morereview. I really wish we'd had the amazing experience everyone else has had-It's why I chose Tom and Leaps N Bounds. My dog is a rescue who was found on the streets and drove several states away in a crate in a van-crates are traumatic to her. She had broken teeth and hurt herself in the past when kept alone in a crate. It's been hard to work with-for the first year we had her, someone always had to be at home and boarding and grooming were high-anxiety. I expressed all of this to Tom-of course my dog would be in a crate for training and I really hoped that training could help-but extremely worried that my dog would break another tooth. I expressed this exact worry to Tom almost every time we spoke. He even said to me once in reply that I "was so caught up in (dog's) past that I couldn't see her future." I thought maybe I was overly worried about it and decided to trust Tom with the training and gave him dog's Trazedone to manage her just in case she couldn't handle being in the crate. We got a couple of great videos about dog's training. He even sent us a link to the "maximum security" style crate he had her in on amazon and said he hadn't seen the problems we described. I was really excited for her to come home. When we went to the first homecoming owner training at his house, I noticed she still had dry kibble in her bowl, which meant our feeding instructions weren't being followed-dog gets a mix of wet/dry food and water. I asked about the leftover food and Tom mentioned that she'd been "bratty" in the crate recently and hadn't finished her food for the past couple of days. While this is highly unusual for dog, I dismissed it initially as stubbornness around plain dry kibble. Dog came home the next day, Sunday June 29. She was licking her lips a lot, but I thought it was anxiety. Wednesday July 2nd, I finally decided to look at her mouth, and was horrified to see her large upper right canine was chipped/broken so badly that the pulp was visible. This has been a massive and very expensive disruption in our lives. We want our 2 year old dog to have a long life with her tooth. Veterinary dental specialists are hard to find and come with 2-3 months waits. We've since spent many hours (and already over $1k) at emergency vets, xrays, and finding dental specialists who do root canals/crowns. We've can't take her to daycare or her cage-free boarding facility because she can't play with other dogs until it's fixed (per her vet). We've had to find in-home boarding people for pre-booked vacations and work travel. We finally got to see a dental specialist Thursday after a two month wait. The estimate for a root canal is $5-6k, and a crown is $10-11k. At that cost, our dog won't be made whole again, we have to settle for the root canal and annual xrays to make sure it's not infected. And we have to wait two more months for the actual procedure-still impacting our lives with no daycare, no playing with her friends. I gave two stars instead of 1 because dog is a lot better on her walks and can come with us to cafes and the market now which is great. But if I could do it again I would ask how many hours a day would my dog be in the crate, how closely will she be monitored, and what happens if she gets hurt. I'd listen to my gut about having my concerns dismissed and placed on me for "holding back my dog from her potential." You know your dog best, and if your dog is a rescue with related behavior issues, I recommend looking elsewhere for training. We did let Tom know when this happened, and all he offered was to have a call about it because "email is impersonal" (and leaves a paper trail?) but he didn't share what he thought needed to be discussed. As upset as I was at the time especially, I wasn't up for a chat about it unless it involved concrete resolution steps. There's been no follow-up since. I don't consent to my dog's name being used in any replies.

We bought a 4-pack of 1 hour training sessions for our little corgi dog Porky online. Worked with…read moreMichael as our trainer and just finished our 4 sessions. Definitely the best dog trainer I ever worked with and we have worked with many in this area. Very pleased and happy we made the purchase. We worked on basic obedience with our dog and he made great strides. The first session Porky wouldn't even sit. By the end of the 4th session our corgi can sit, come, lay down, heel and will lay on bed or wherever we point on command. He would give us homework to work on and we would practice with Porky at home between sessions. We are confident now Porky will retain these commands and is just much, much better trained after just 4 weeks. I highly recommend working with Michael for any type of dog you may have at any age. He is very knowledgeable and easy to communicate with. You can ask him questions and he always had a good answer for us. He also is a nice guy overall. I will make referrals for him going forward and will also buy more sessions for our other Husky dog who could benefit from his training. Go see for yourself...you will not be disappointed I almost guarantee.

We brought our two girls to offleash for a two week board and train. Our trainer, Brandon, was…read moreextremely receptive to our concerns with each dog (husky and pit mix) and showed genuine love and admiration for dogs. After a long two weeks, our girls absolutely crushed it! Brandon was able to overcome the litter mate thing the girls had going on and sent home two very well behaved animals. The updates we received along the way truly showed Brandon's dedication and admiration to ensuring a great experience for us and the girls. I would highly recommend this veteran owned, and operated business to anyone.

I really enjoyed working with Tom. My 2-1/2 year old mixed breed Shih Tzu/Poodle was anxious and…read morehad begun barking at everyone and everything. He was good around other dogs in the home, but as soon as we were in public, he would lung and try to attack other dogs. It was not only stressful, but also embarrassing! I decided to hire Tom for 4 sessions and see if my pup Murphy still needed additional help. I also opted to meet Tom at his property in Renton instead of my home as he owns several large, high performance breeds and I wanted my dog to have exposure to them. I immediately started to notice a change in Murphy after our first visit. Tom offered practical, easy to use tools and commands, and showed me how to consistently implement them. He is an excellent teacher, flexible to work with, and his methods are very effective. He gave me confidence in my abilities to train my dog, and the desire to want to continue with individual training at home and outside the home. Now I have a dog I am very proud of and happy to take with me wherever I go. Murphy is still working on socializing, but I am happy to report we have visited several off leash dog parks, coffee places, Home Depot, and all different trails and walks through our neighborhood. He responds to my commands, and is a much happier dog because of his training. I would highly recommend Tom & TM Dog Training! Thank you Tom!

Tom and Heather are amazing to work with. We've four dogs. Our most recent addition was a GSD…read morerescue we found on the streets. He's very reactive and Tom is a dog whisper! He's given us so many training tools to manage him. Kingsley will be a work in progress, but understanding him based on the learnings from Tom has allowed us to feel calmer, safer and more confident.

I signed up for both group and individual sessions. I worked with Jeremy for the individual…read moresessions over a few months. He was really unorganized and never had a plan for any session. Most of the sessions felt like a waste of time with him repeating something he said weeks before. Didn't seem to listen to my goals or anything I said. The staff is really nice though. Marcus the owner is great but he isn't hands which is unfortunate.

This review is long overdue. I can't say enough about how wonderful Marcus, Jeremy, Diego, and…read moreMelissa are. We took our dog to them after some other trainers didn't know what to do with her, and they were the right place to take her! She was so dog reactive we could barely walk her (even though she loves to walk). She's now great on the leash. She's a whole new dog! If you have a reactive dog, this is the place to go.

We were told about Puget Sound K9 Academy by one of my husband's clients. We set up an appointment…read morefor our dog, Bento (a 4 year-old GSD), and Jamie interviewed him. We thought Bento was an aggressive dog, but Jamie said he was just reactionary so he was willing to train him. We have been working with Jamie for over five months, and we love his teaching methods. He is very skilled and provides us (the humans) with individual instructions on how to improve our dog and our own reactions to him. We have been dedicated to getting Bento to be less reactive and he is doing much better. We have walked the mall three times; once with a group of his dogs and twice with just Jamie. Jamie has an excellent assistant instructor when he needs him to be available. We are now working on agility training, which our dog loves. We love Jamie and will continue to have him train our dog for as long as we can.

We took our very reactive dog Milo and Jaime was a great help. He was very patient with US as well…read moreas Milo and we saw great improvement in Milos anxiety. I highly recommend K9 Academy for all your dog training needs.

Amazing! What you will learn from Randall is top notch! We have been taking our almost 10 month…read moreold English Cream retriever to Big Tree since about May 2020. Our boy Carl has learned so much BUT most of all we have learned more. Randall is kind and patient yet structured and such an amazing trainer. If you and your pet need training Big Tree Canine Obedience is the place to go! Mike & Kelli Harrison and Carl

From the owner: Big Trees K9 Obedience is a full service dog trainer offering Puppy Training, Private lessons,…read moreGroup obedience classes, dog boarding, Board and Train packages.

I got some useful training out of this, particularly around training with distractions, but I'm not…read moreentirely in agreement with their methodologies. The very frequent use of leash popping for a dog "thinking evil thoughts" just didn't sit right with me. My main issue is that I don't want my dog heeling (or doing any other behavior) with her tail between her legs in fear, I want her eagerly and enthusiastically participating. So I gave it a new command and used positive reinforcement only, and her body language completely shifted. Another example is the labeling of a dog as "having a temper tantrum" because it wouldn't listen to a "down" command. This is probably anthropomorphizing and not evidence-based. The trainer's advice to step on the leash and wait ultimately didn't work to get the dog in a down, and he looked very physically uncomfortable.

Was recommended from my niece! glad we brought out golden here for training. We did puppy thru…read moreCGC (4 classes) mostly with trainer Natasha and have had great results (that's been almost 3 years ago that we started) I tried another training center with our new golden puppy (since it was a lot closer) and I wasn't quite as happy so she started beginning home obedience here hopefully we will have as much success with this one.

Changing lives, one neutral dog at a time. Amani K9 are…read morechanging lives. Honestly, our Nyx (120# Cane Corso) had become a liability. We love her to pieces, but our sole focus was trying to manage her environment. Some of our "management" techniques included: cardboard blocking the slider so she wouldn't see and yell at the neighbors, or the squirrels; a heavy rope martingale harness to walk her to the car; blacked out the back windows of our car so she couldn't see out and yell at every pedestrian (and scratch at the windows); we could not walk her; she had to be completely sedated to be seen by a vet; we could only board her at a kennel an hour and a half away; she could not be introduced to visitors. Our goal was to keep everyone safe, but when we ended up at the E-vet with our Corgi (Lexi) we realized we were not up to the task and looked for help. Every interaction with Amani K9 has been professional, empathetic, direct and effective. From our first contact we felt supported and understood. We didn't know what to expect, but they were clear about what services they could provide and how to proceed. Our evaluation with Marianna and Synclair was so informative, it's clear they know and love what they do and want to help. We left that meeting feeling more hopeful about Nyx than we had been in years. We enrolled in the 8 week board and train, and not everyone in our household was completely on board. (8 weeks is too long, why can't we visit, when can we see her, when can we love on her) We were in it for the long haul though, and Marianna even volunteered to be the bad guy, because we were NOT managing Nyx, we were just delaying a potential catastrophe. The next lapse might be worse than just an E-vet visit and some stitches. Those 8 weeks flew by, and while we had 6 "sessions" to teach us how to communicate effectively with Nyx, it's a steep learning curve. Imagine learning a new language while also learning to tango and having to match words with movement AND remain grounded and neutral. It's a real strain on the brain, and we had some baggage we were carrying around. (How am I supposed to keep #105 (now) of determined muscle from going wherever she wants to go with this teeny tiny ribbon of a leash?) Marianna and Synclair are ultimate "hype girls" though, able to give constructive feedback while still pointing out all the right things that you're doing. At the end of those 8 weeks, Marianna brought Nyx home, walked me through all the important new processes we were going to incorporate, and then said the most helpful thing ever: "I'm not just walking out the door and you'll never see or hear from me again, I'm just an email away." After Nyxy's first day home, our local sceptic realized how relaxed and calm Nyx was, sleeping on her cot. It was inconceivable to him, based on the Nyx of before times, that she could be anything but miserable if she was held hostage in her "place". After Nyxy's second day, he asked when we would be getting a "place" cot for Lexi. It's work, it's constant and forever work, but the Nyx we have now is so much calmer and at peace than we ever could have imagined. In our attempt to "manage" Nyxy's environment, we had shrunk her world so much, it's a joy and relief to be able to expand Nyx's world for a change. Amani K9 changed our lives, and we will be forever grateful.

Amani K-9 are legitimate trainers. We entered our 15 month old dogo argentino in the 8-week…read moretraining program due to him previously being a adopted from the humane society and struggling with issues of anxiety, recall, tantrums, and self-regulations. After just four weeks when we went to parent train his temperament was so much different and he was able to work through his anxiety when it came to seeing other dogs, and outside distractions, follow commands consistently, and walk on a leash properly alongside us without pulling or just walking aimlessly. It has created a whole new level of respect in our relationship with our pup where he trusts us Amani K-9 are truly legitimate trainers. We enrolled our 15-month-old Dogo Argentino in their 8-week training program after adopting him from the Humane Society. He had been struggling with anxiety, recall, tantrums, and self-regulation. After just four weeks, during our parent training session, we noticed a remarkable difference in his temperament. He was able to manage his anxiety around other dogs and outside distractions, follow commands consistently, and walk calmly on a leash beside us--no more pulling or wandering aimlessly. This program has completely transformed our relationship with our pup. He now trusts us more deeply because not only did he learn how to regulate himself, but we also learned how to help him do so. He stays in place on his mat without following us around or begging for food--it's like having a completely different dog! We're so glad we chose Amani K-9. We feel more confident and connected in our relationship with our dog because we better understand him, and he knows exactly what we expect of him.

Shea is the best dog instructor ever!! Helped us make our crazy puppy into a civilized young man!!!read more

From the owner: Training Your Animal Friends: Passionate. Patient. Persistent. These are just a few of the…read morecharacteristic that describe us here at Pawsitive Dog Training School. We know that each dog is different and we'll work with yours to give them the specific guidance they need. Whether you're thinking about getting a new pup, have a new pet, own a pet with behavioral problems, or are taking your dog to the next show, we are here to help! We are offering 3 custom Board & Train options, along with private lessons with exclusive access to training equipment packages and boarding priority in the future!

Eric is incredible at his job! We've only taken a few lessons and my little gremlin has improved…read morebeyond what i could have ever imagined. Rather than focusing on training the dog himself, he teaches YOU how best to work with your dog to get the results you are seeking! And i really feel that he gets to know your dog and how it communicates and behaves and works based on that, instead of having a one size fits all approach. I really can't say enough how much i appreciate and believe in how he works , and i am SO thankful. Peppy was a very anxious rescue when i got him, and with some super simple exercises and trust built through Eric's methods, im now giving him haircuts and working up to nail trims, his recall was non existent before and now he comes right away most of the time, and he even was able to do a couple flights with me with minimal issues. A+++++ service!! Thank you Bridge the Bark!!!

You and your dog may hear Eric's jolly laugh before you can even see him, and once your dog knows…read moreEric that moment will become a highlight of their day. After working with several trainers, my wife and I were fortunate enough to find Eric and our dog (and our relationship with her) have changed for the better ever since. Eric has a depth of knowledge, breadth of experience, and rhythm of interacting with dogs that is rare and exceptional. He finds creative ways to shape behavior with positive reinforcement, compassion, genuine connection to animals, and the use of some of the quirkiest home-made props you'll see in the industry.