I adopted my approximately 6 year old Lab mix ("Fletch") in early November 2021 and he soon began…read moredisplaying some behaviors that concerned me. I knew that he was really smart and sweet but didn't understand the root of the behaviors and where to begin with training. I was impressed with the many positive reviews of Jeanie with Bark Busters VA Beltway and after an introductory call with her I knew she was the right fit for Fletch and me. Fletch responded to the techniques and exercises shown to me by Jeanie immediately and by the end of the first session he was like a different dog. He was listening and respecting me in a way that he had not previously. Jeanie gave me several exercises to practice with Fletch in between our first and second session and he has continued to make progress every day. Subsequent sessions have built out further training goals such as loose leash walking, ignoring other dogs/critters/people while out on a walk, and being respectful and calm when guests are over my house. Her positive approach to training, experience in working with a range of different behaviors, and clear love for the dogs she works with has really made a difference for Fletch and me. Highly recommended!!

I am amazed at the level of success my dogs achieved after one session with Mark. The techniques…read moreare based on tone and posture as opposed to harsh techniques or treats. Mark simply breaks down the behavior and how to speak dog so your pup understands what you want from him. It's amazing how responsive dogs are when they have clear direction from the pack leader. I highly recommend Bark Busters. They guarantee their training for the life of the pet. You've got nothing to lose and a lifetime of joy with a well behaved dog to gain.

Mark is amazing!!!! He is so compassionate and is able to produce results . I have a now 8 month…read moreold 65 lb. retriever and he is beyond manageable and polite!! We also have 3 small poms and Mark has worked through the issues that have arised along the way with them. I couldn't have done it without him. I can't say enough about how happy I am. Great trainer and friend to Tank and great human being is a bonus! :) Debbie cafferty

From the owner: The Polite Dog provides compassionate, personalized training for you and your dog. We work directly…read morewith you both to address unwanted behaviors, improve communication, and enrich your connection. Our goal is to help you build the relationship you’ve always wanted with your dog.

I am very late in writing this review, but I wanted to share how meaningful my experience was. I…read moreenrolled my puppy, a red standard poodle, in her classes, and very quickly realized she was exactly the kind of trainer I had been searching for. She is clearly knowledgeable and skilled, but what truly sets her apart is her holistic approach and genuine care for animals. She treats every dog as an individual and tailors her training to meet each one's specific needs. That same thoughtful approach extends to her human clients. During this time, I was dealing with significant health challenges and was not able to attend every class. She kindly offered makeup sessions, which I deeply appreciated. When she learned that my absences were due to my health, she checked in on me personally and even asked if it was okay to call me at home to see how I was doing. Her compassion meant more to me than I can easily express. She showed more care and concern than many people I have known for decades. Anyone looking for a dog trainer should go to her, not only for her expertise, but because she is genuinely kind, attentive, and deeply invested in both her clients and their dogs.

I took Hazelnut here when she was a pup. She's now an AKC Grand Champion and I am back with he…read moredaughter. Bringing her pup feels like full circle, which says everything about my experience. April is knowledgeable, patient, and incredibly effective at tailoring guidance to each dog's temperament and each handler's skill level. I especially appreciate how she focuses not just on obedience, but on building confidence, socialization, and a strong relationship. Seeing the progress from one generation to the next has been really special, and I wouldn't trust anyone else with those critical early training foundations.

I am so grateful for Amy's help with my dogs. She came up with amazing solutions for them. One of…read moremy dogs has anxiety and pottying outside issues, older dog. She came up with unique solutions just perfectly designed for her and her needs. Within hours and days she showed so much improvement and happiness. Anxiety resolving. My other dog had issues with a new dog door and getting into garbage. Again she used unique solutions just for her and now she goes through the door no problem and is has calmed down getting into the trash do to new eating habits and feeling enriched. I strongly suggest hiring Amy, she will help u find real solutions in helping your furry family members. Liberty in Denver,co

Amy completely changed our home life for the better. It was a total 180. When we came to her we…read morewere at our wits' end with our cat Colonel Brandon. He was constantly meowing and begging and jumping on counters and stealing food and we had no clue how to relate to him anymore or how to redirect or change his behavior. Amy was so patient and kind with us and gave us TONS of new ways to address these issues. She basically taught us an entirely new way to relate to Colonel Brandon. We had been very passive cat owners and now have a great routine that has made him and us a lot happier! Thank you Amy!!!!

Very nice, clean, and thorough facility otherwise ruined by lazy daycare employees…read more In the daycare, the dog to human ratio is 18-20:1. The dog monitors just sit on their phone all day, not monitoring the dogs, and only lift a finger once dogs start physically fighting, and then its right back to their phones. Again, beautiful facility, head guy at the front desk was great too. This place has potential, just needs to hire employees who at least act like they care and actually monitor the dogs.

We now take our second dog here, not just for grooming but also daycare. Our first dog was very…read morenervous about being groomed, hence why i did it at home. But being very pregnant I couldn't and room him here, he didn't even cry when going and was not trying to run out the door when being picked up. Now our second doggy is a puppy, from day one they have been super sweet, even taken videos to show me how his grooming is going. Then i also took him to daycare once in a while he he got older and will continue. They truly are excited to see the doggies :) the rates are reasonable, the staff is very nice and the place is very clean and nice. Normally i would groom my doggy but he enjoys it there so why not. They are much faster than me as well plus he gets doggy daycare so that's probably why lol

Our family highly recommends Controlled K9! We adopted our boy Mortimer last year after he had been…read moreliving as a stray, and we were really struggling when he came home with basic manners, reactivity, and having him settle in with our other dog. We ended up sending both of our boys for a six-week board and train with Kelia. It seemed to only make sense to send both dogs so they would have the same baseline training. Kelia was amazing! She kept us informed just about every day with videos and texts so we could see that the boys were happy and making progress. When Kelia brought the boys home, she spent a few hours with us, showing all the commands and techniques that she taught them, so we had a seamless transition. The "place" command alone has been lifechanging. (Although as you can see in the picture, they sometimes refuse to use separate mats, LOL.) We use the command before we feed them, initially when guests come by, and when we just need them to settle down a bit. It has reduced the stress and chaos in our house tenfold, and we actually can see the boys relax when they know they have a place to go and chill out. Kelia also gave us the tools to make leash walking and general obedience so much more successful. There are a lot of options out there for training. What set Controlled K9 apart for us was (1) our boys lived with Kelia, her family, and her dogs during training - they were not staying in a kennel and were in a real-life, loving environment, and (2) the promise of lifetime, free follow-up support. The boys have been home now for about 3 months. The training has stuck, and we feel like we really have the tools we need to make life pleasant for all of us, including the boys. Kelia has also proactively checked in to make sure things are going well, provided tips on the best way to reinforce training, and has responded quickly when we have follow-up questions, including offering a visit. Over three months later, we are still completely satisfied with the training and support provided by Controlled K9 and Kelia, and we would use them again in a heartbeat.

We have been raising a Great Pyrenees mix puppy (who rather looks like a Border Collie) since she…read morewas 9 weeks old. She is (too) smart, friendly, playful, easy to teach but very stubborn. And this last personality trait caused several issues. She grew used to the freedom of a large property and was very resistant to being on a leash. Pulling and too excited to walk nicely. She loves playing with our 7-year-old but was too rough, jumping and nipping. She had an electric fence collar that she respected when she wanted to, and would recall when she felt like it. Our home training was ineffective as she grew older and as she started to develop new bad habits, we were looking for training options. Finding Controlled K9 for Board and Train was the best scenario as we had an upcoming month-long family trip planned. Lexie was so confident with her from the first moment that we didn't question that we were leaving her in the best hands. We regularly received pictures and videos showing her progress and we could see how our puppy was doing. It was unbelievable. After 4 weeks we got back an almost different dog. At first we were concerned that she might have lost her puppy spirit, but she returned to her cute silliness and endless affection very quickly. Meanwhile she had learned great manners. Walks on the leash without pulling. Stops when we stop. She stays at the property line and waits until we return. Runs with our child without jumping. She recalls reliably despite distractions. And no longer chases the cats. And a bonus, we can now even take her out in public easily. She calmly stays next to our table without bothering other people or dogs. She learned Respect. And while not perfectly, we have been able to maintain the learning. Thank you Lexie! And thank you Controlled K9!

Kevin can teach you how to train your dog to be the perfect companion. We took Dog Obedience 1…read more(offered through Arlington County Parks & Recreation) when we adopted our first dog 10 years ago. Many adopted dogs later, we realized that we had gotten a little lazy. We took the same class this Fall with our two newly adopted dogs and we learned a lot and were able to teach basic commands and modify behavior in our 2 rescues. Kevin can help you with barking and other behaviors that you would like to change in your dog. He watches and corrects you if you are ding something not quite right to improve your dog training skills. Right away he read that both our dogs watch me, so wee need to be together in small group work and he'll watch and follow and let you know when you need to do X. We had a great experience and our dogs are so much better behaved.

My dog has done well so far, I saw a difference in walking on the leash after the first class. Good…read moretrainer, very helpful and willing to help with any issues or dog behaviors.

We took our labradoodle pup to this Pet-smart for grooming and we were amazed by how well Jesica…read moreworked on our pup. We had not so good experiences with other groomers in the area with them retaining the teddy bear look of our pup. We read raving reviews about Jesica's work at this grooming salon and decided to take a shot. I'm so glad we did cause she did a fantastic job! Our pup had some matting in her tail and ears and other places but she managed to keep the teddy bear look and tail length while taking off all the matting! She also accessorized our pup making her look so cute!!We will only bring our pup here as long as Jesica is still here!

The grooming was disappointing, especially for $81 (even with the new customer special). I chose…read morethe Dry Shampoo option because I didn't want to stress my cat out more than necessary with a water shampoo for a first-time groom. I don't even know if they did the dry shampoo - cat doesn't smell different. I specifically asked for the paw fur to be trimmed cleanly, but that wasn't done properly. The overall haircut was uneven and chunky, and the hair on the back end was still too long. While they did leave the tail bushy as requested, I had asked for a slight trim to shape it, which wasn't done. Additionally, the ears didn't appear to be fully cleaned--there was still visible wax in the outer ear. Overall, the results were something I could have achieved at home and done better. The experience at check-in was also frustrating. There was a long line at 8am with only one staff member present until about 8:30. I was told only one person handles cat grooming, and they were running late. Considering I got a call at 10:30 my cat was ready - it doesn't surprise me it was faster than expected given the quality. Unfortunately, I won't be returning.