Steve and his team of trainers at Nitro K9 are the real deal. Both our young dogs have benefited…read morefrom Nitro's level 1 and 2 classes, and so it's very easy to recommend Nitro if you're looking for a trainer. It is worth acknowledging that Nitro makes use of prong and e-collars in their training method, and if you have concerns about these tools, I am happy to report there's nothing to be concerned about. I have witnessed my dog gaze up lovingly and with attention at Steve while under his guidance on a prong collar; you could feel the genuine connection between trainer and dog. This kind of experience was enough for me to put any concerns I had aside and welcome the training. It's also worth noting that Steve himself can be a bit of a personality, unafraid to speak his mind and get into a range of discussion topics. Underneath the personality is a genuine human, who wants nothing more than for dogs to receive the training that will most help them get along inside the home and the world. Thanks, Steve and Nitro K9 for your help with our dogs!

After suddenly losing one of our dogs in October 2025, our 10 yo Doberman was so heartbroken. He…read morebecame critically ill, resulting in over $5,000 in emergency vet bills and little improvement. We swore to no more dogs but then we saw Mia, a 9-month-old, Doberman puppy found on the street in LA by animal control. Her leg was degloved, necrotic and filled with maggots. She was intercepted by a rehab, received amputation and much needed medical attention. We followed her story for a couple months, hoping she would find a home, but she didn't. Somehow, we caved, did the unthinkable and flew to Los Angeles, scooping her up and driving her back to Washington in a rental car mid-winter. She was terrified, ferrell and full of dominant "spicy" energy so we booked an appointment with one of the top positive-treat-based trainers with reactive-dog expertise in the state, to help us introduce our dogs upon return and it was a disaster. Our senior exploded in pure terror, barking and lunging. She tossed treats; they ignored her. Twenty minutes in she shrugged, said she had "no magic wand," sent us home and refunded half our session. 2 days later she emailed us suggesting we rehome Mia to a foster "for our safety" which felt like a slap in the face. The very next day we thoroughly researched every trainer in Washington, and Nitro K-9 stood head and shoulders above the rest. I emailed Steve and he called back within minutes with genuine understanding, zero judgment, got us in within days and made our 2-hour commute in separate cars well worth it. In the first ten minutes Steve had both dogs calmly obeying, walking together on leash, and listening! He instantly saw what the other trainer missed: our senior was fear-reactive, meaning he was scared. Steve and North have taught us clear communication and connection with our dogs. They've taught us how to properly command quick correction and full attention using high-quality prong collars, like a mother dog's natural nips. No pain, no fear, no endless treats or bribes, just genuine praise, affection, and connection, the way real bonds and parenting work. He showed us how to step into calm leadership so our dogs could relax, trust, and stop carrying the burden themselves. He stayed by our side through every panicked text, every "what now?" and our dog's transformation is nothing short of miraculous. Mia is happy, confident and loves her big brother now. Our senior knows his role and is playing with her like a puppy again. They love each other and actually enjoy being together! If you're a reactive, rescue, fearful or high-drive dog parent, have been let down by "treat-motivated training" and have avoided prong collars because of the myths, you have been misinformed like we were. Don't give up, stop scrolling and call Nitro, I promise you won't regret it! IWe are forever grateful!

Not me crying on the way home from Puzzle's lesson today! I'm just so stinkin' proud of her and…read morehow far she has come with the help of A Canine Experience (ACE). Before we started training with ACE, several people were telling me to "give Puzzle back to the rescue " or "put Puzzle down" because of her behavior and the damage she was doing. It broke my heart because I knew she had it in her to be great - we just needed to learn how to work together. ACE taught us how. Our trainer, Lauren, was exceptional! I'm so thankful that she believed in Puzzle like I did. She changed both our lives! Puzzle is now the best friend I always hoped for and the goodest girl ever!

Porter is always happy when he comes home from "camp". He is a nervous boy who needs camp while we…read moreare away. We also had him in board and train. He came home a more confident and happy boy. He has great manners and is so much easier to work with at home. We are grateful for the staff. They really do love their job!

Me and my new puppy just started working with Michelle, already learning so much! She is clearly…read morevery knowledgeable and explains the rationale behind so many factors in dog behaviors to help us communicate and understand one another better. Very much appreciate she instills positive reinforcement methods to help grow the owner-pet connection and build trust. We can't wait to keep learning together. 10/10 recommend!

Holy cow, this is great! I've tried tutoring seminars and classes before, but Ready Pup Go is…read moresomething much more. Michelle is thoughtful and knowledgeable, but most of all curious about the specific details that go into my dog's issue, the circumstances surrounding it, and even acknowledges the influences of other 'stuff' in my life that may also be contributing to my dog's specific needs. Michelle has taken the time to talk through all of my concerns, and has brought several important issues to my attention; things that I just wasn't connecting to my dog's emotions and behaviors. I'm super busy with kids, job, etc, but Michelle was able to work with me, my schedule, and my family's specific needs and situation. I was feeling pretty defeated, like I needed to go get a PHD in dog behavior in order to fix some of these seemingly small issues that were becoming larger, but Michelle helped get me back on track so I could help my dog!

Always positive reinforcement training. My girl loves the trainers there. Learning agility and…read morethe trainers are very patient and work with you.

Julis worked one to one with my rescue terrier mix. I was reassured that it will take some time…read morefor Sasquatch to trust other people. Sasquatch is always next to me, but has difficulty around men. Lots of work, patience and time.

Me and my dog had three sessions with Beth and it is super clear that she really cares for the dogs…read morethat she works with -- we had a great experience! Beth was great at listening to any and all concerns I had and I could clearly see my dog making progress throughout the sessions. Would definitely recommend!

Beth is the most talented and committed dog trainer I have ever worked with. She is very clear with…read moreher instruction and detailed with follow up homework to ensure success. She listens very carefully and comes prepared with everything you may need to train the behaviors you want in your dog. Beth is also a charming and funny person that you enjoy being around while in the process of training your dog.

Never in a million years would I recommend Cloudine to anyone! She tied my dog up on her property…read morewith no harness or collar on. She used a slip tie knot so that if my dog tried to escape the tie around her neck would only get tighter. If you refer to her website injoydogtraining.com, she recommends that people use a harness for their dogs and that she keeps multiple in case one gets dirty. Mind you her dog is a bordie collie, mine was a bordie collie mix (people often confused the 2 dogs they were so similar). She also talks about how much damage can be done with a collar from the pulling. It seems she does not follow her own good advice. My husband was home the entire time, she could have brought our pup back to him at anytime. My husband went out and called for our pup but he didn't see or hear her. Cloudine never once said anything to him. I came home later that day to find our pup strangled to death on her property! There is so much more detail I could include like the fact that she never left our pup any water on a day that was 86.7 degrees or the fact that even after it got dark and she went inside for the night she still kept her tied up at the edge of the woods. Mind you there are bear and cougar sightings were we live all the time. I did contact animal control and they said "Cloudine should have used a harness or collar when tying up the dog and should have checked on the dog more often leading up to the dogs death." Please please please do not leave your pups in this woman's hands!!

I would not use Cloudine for the simply fact that she did not like my mixed breed pup that lacked…read moreChampion bloodlines. I did not appreciate that she ignored my feelings about the borderline abuse that she recommended for my pup. We did not train with her, only met and I knew from meeting her that she was not someone I felt comfortable training my dog.

Alexis is a wonderful trainer! My young dog was taught skills that will help us navigate things…read morelike sitting at a cafe and successfully walking through the Farmer's Market. Alexis meets each client where they are and adjusts accordingly. We loved Alexis' class and will be back.

Shawna is Amazing. We have friends that have used her and loved her so when we found the puppy we…read morewanted to train as my service animal as a disabled vet we met with Shawna. First, we started with puppy classes for basic manners. After that, we switched to service Dog Training. The video with the light switch is at her facility. The second video is at our house. For the service Dog Training we train at both locations. It is nice that she comes to our house once a week rather than us having to travel to her location only. Highly recommend. Nala turns 1 year old tomorrow and is doing so good.

I would highly recommend Shawna to any puppy or adult dog owners! For the first 7 months of having…read moreour first puppy, I read and watched fair amount of dog training books and videos, thought I had my pandemic puppy well trained and don't need a trainer. I was wrong! Those only sustained me through the first 6 months. When the puppy transitions into its adolescent phase, I encountered many challenges that I did not observe before and would like to address. I needed affirmation and correct ways to train immediately. Shawna was professional, prompt, and very pleasant to work with. She recommended the best approach (social walk club) and guided me through most economical way to continue my adolescent puppy's training. The program is so worth it with many customized tips and tricks. My puppy is so happy to be on the weekly social walk club program. Love his new friends and Shawna! I can see his steady improvements over just 4 visits!