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    Harold Hamilton - Master Dog Trainer

    4.3 (11 reviews)
    Closed 10:00 am - 6:00 pm

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    Private dog training

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    Our lovely boy before this tragic turn of events

    I'm writing this as someone who was close to the situation and saw the aftermath of this training experience. My best friend's Cane Corso was sent to Harold for a 3-week program. Before that, he was a well-behaved, extremely loved, super friendly, and social dog. When he came back, he was underweight, scratched up, and had developed behavioral issues that weren't there before. He was not the same boy that we entrusted Harold with. We later learned he had been given anxiety medication during training, without a proper veterinary evaluation. Not long after, he had two bite incidents, which made rehoming impossible. Less than two weeks after returning home, he had to be put down. This situation caused a lot of pain. We all miss our sweet baby boy. I strongly recommend asking very specific questions about training methods and medical decisions before working with any trainer.

    If I could give zero stars, I would. This man is a SCAM ARTIST. Please steer clear of him and for the love of God, do not trust your dogs with him. He claims to guarantee training for the life of your dog -- that's a lie. Harold had my dog for 3 weeks and he came back completely different, and not in a good way. My dog came back with his ribs showing, visibly skinnier, and covered in cuts and scrapes on his legs. It was heartbreaking. When Harold first came to our home for an evaluation, he charged us $150. During that visit, we told him that our beautiful Cane Corso suffers from anxiety. He looked us straight in the eye and said, "Oh, I work with anxious dogs all the time. This is nothing compared to the dogs I've dealt with. When I'm done with your dog, he'll be a brand new boy." That gave us hope. We trusted him -- and paid him $5000. Our main goal was to help our big boy with his excitement, especially around guests. He LOVES people and tends to jump, which not everyone is comfortable with, so we wanted to simply tone that down. Instead, we got a traumatized dog in return. He was heavily medicated without our consent -- Harold gave him anxiety medication without ever taking him to a vet or reviewing his medical history. No evaluation, no permission, just gave our dog a cocktail of meds that we later found out can cause aggression in dogs. What kind of shady vet, gives a trainer medication for a dog she has never seen nor have a chart for, all dogs react to medication differently The day he returned home, Harold and his assistant casually told us the dog had been medicated "to help with the transition." That same day, our dog bit his assistant. 5 days later he VISCIOUSLY attacked my dad causing him to go to the hospital and get a tetanus shot. Two weeks after that, he attacked again causing my father to get stitches but this time the Department of Health got involved because it was the dogs second attack and now he needed to quarantined to make sure he didn't have rabies. Our dog has never been aggressive. We've had him for 3 years, and he was sweet, loving, and well-socialized. We simply wanted to curb his excitement around guests not end up with a broken, reactive dog. Multiple vets and trainers have confirmed that Harold uses fear-based training, which severely damaged our dog's mental state. They also warned us that my father, (which was my dogs favorite person) must stay far away from the dog while the dog is being quarantined in the house, we were urged to let the dog go asap because it was no longer a safe situation for any of us but especially for him. Now, because of this *trainer* we're being forced to put our dog down. No shelter will take him due to his bite history. They've told us it wouldn't be a safe environment for the other dogs, and even if they did take him, he'd likely be euthanized anyway... which means all roads led to the same heartbreaking fate." We've spoken to multiple vets and experienced trainers who all agree: Harold uses outdated, fear-based methods that destroy a dog's trust and confidence. They also said giving a dog medication without proper vet oversight is not only dangerous -- it's completely unethical. Harold refuses to take responsibility. No refund. No apology. No attempt to help rehome the dog he damaged and he didn't even stop by to come check on us or even call. When we call him all he does it blame it on the dogs anxiety which he was well aware the dog had..... This is heartbreaking. Losing a dog is like losing a family member. Please don't be fooled by his sales pitch. He broke our dog. He took our money. And he left us with trauma and heartbreak. Stay far away. And Harold -- we have photos, videos, voice recordings, and even footage of you giving me permission to record. So before you try to deflect or deny anything, remember: I was given full consent by YOU to document every encounter.

    Blossom is a 4 year old Saint Bernard with the sweetest personality toward people, but at age two, she started to show jealousy and aggressiveness toward the other Saint Bernard in our home. This behavior increased and we began having expensive vet visits and, finally, were considering rehoming her. I had had Saint Bernards since 1979, often multiples and have rescued hundreds of them for rehoming but I have zero training skills with this type of behavior. A friend from my vet's office highly recommended Harold for his work with her Great Dane, so I gave him a call. He recommended a 2 week stay with him. Now, let me tell you, I was 100% AGAINST doing off premises board and train and I made my feelings clear to Harold, who remained very polite and explained to me the whats and whys to this type of training. I was still skeptical, but felt I had no other choice, so I let him take her. I was so worried. Three weeks later, she came home and when the other dogs in house immediately started barking at her as she entered the house (the were behind a barrier), something miraculous happened....Blossom totally ignored them and continued walking next to Harold and went to the room we designated for her to decompress with her crate until she could readjust to our home. She knew her commands VERY well and was very quiet, but still as lovable, and when she was walked on lead, she was perfect!! We continued with Harold's classes and she continued to listen beautifully to both my husband (who is her favorite person) and me. Watching the other dogs in the class was just amazing. EVERY SINGLE dog did everything you see in his videos. Sure, there were a couple of renegades who did not obey 100% of the time, but there were in training and learning new skills. Harold's entire staff is really fantastic. They are friendly, professional and very committed to the success of you and your dog. Thank you, Harold, for give so many wonderful skills to both Blossom and my husband. He needed training as much as Blossom and you taught him to have both fun and responsibility with and for her. His interactions with our other dogs have vastly improved as well. Has is truly talented and has a very special gift with dogs and very organized process. I highly recommend his group training as well. Nancy, Bob and Blossom

    Renatta P.

    I had a very wild Doberman that didn't listen and destroyed everything. Unable to control him he broke my foot because he don't listen when i said to stop jumping on me. That's when i knew it was time for a real trainer. Someone referred Harold to me and he gave me a "new dog." After the two weeks my Dobie listen and i had full control of him. I can take him anywhere with out any surprises. Worth every dollar. Thanks Harold.

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    Review Highlights - Harold Hamilton - Master Dog Trainer

    He needed training as much as Blossom and you taught him to have both fun and responsibility with and for her.

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    LB Dogs

    LB Dogs

    (3 reviews)

    I rarely leave negative reviews, but after this experience, I feel obligated to share what…read morehappened. First, I want to say that Marty's wife, who handled our scheduling and communication, was lovely and kind. Unfortunately, our experience with Marty himself was the complete opposite. My family has owned dogs our entire lives, and my father owned a pet store in Lawrence for over 30 years. We have worked with dogs for decades and have never experienced anything remotely like this. We contacted Marty because we have two loving, well-behaved dogs, both under 5 1/2 years old. They are not aggressive. Our only concern was their barking when someone comes to the door, an Amazon package is delivered, or another dog appears on the TV. With our first baby due in September, we wanted help managing that behavior. From the moment Marty walked into our home, the appointment felt off. He didn't introduce himself to us or to either of our dogs. One of our dogs barked, and instead of calmly assessing the situation, he immediately snapped at that dog. That startled our other dog, who has some stranger anxiety. I started explaining that she gets scared around unfamiliar people and does best when someone approaches her gently and gives her a chance to warm up. Before I could finish, Marty shushed me and told me not to speak. He then began pursuing my frightened 20-pound poodle with a leash. She ran upstairs into our master bedroom, and he followed her inside and shut the door behind him. She continued barking from inside the room. About two minutes later, I suddenly heard her shrieking in a way I had never heard before, sounding extremely frightened. I immediately went upstairs. Marty came out of the bedroom and casually said, "You may want to come up--she left you a present." I walked into my bedroom to find urine and feces everywhere--not just on the floor, but splattered on the walls and all over our bed. This is a dog who has never had an accident in our home. Marty simply said it was because she was "afraid." My dog immediately ran to me shaking uncontrollably. She was covered in urine and feces and was visibly terrified. What upset me just as much was the complete lack of concern afterward. There was no apology, no acknowledgment of the damage to our home, and no offer to help clean or make things right. When I politely said that today clearly wasn't the day because my dog needed a bath and was obviously distressed, Marty responded, "If it's not today, then it's never because I'm not coming back." At that point, I asked him to leave our home. Every trainer has their own methods, but I cannot understand ignoring an owner's explanation of their dog's temperament, chasing a fearful dog through her own home, shutting yourself in a bedroom alone with her, and continuing until she became so frightened that she lost control of her bladder and bowels. We sought professional help for a very common issue--doorbell and delivery barking before welcoming our baby in September. Instead, our dog was terrified, our bedroom was left covered in urine and feces, and we were left cleaning our walls, bedding, and floors after what should have been a professional consultation. I sincerely hope no other family has the experience we did.

    Marty is the best trainer I have come across by far! My dog had the WORST separation anxiety and…read morecould not even be in a room without me. After only 2 sessions there was already a MAJOR improvement. Not only is Marty extremely knowledgeable, he makes the training process enjoyable! I am a crazy dog mom and could confidently recommend Marty to anyone looking to correct any undesirable behaviors their dog may be exhibiting.

    Maximum K9  Service

    Maximum K9 Service

    (51 reviews)

    If you are reading this, your search for dog training stops here. This is the place you need and…read morethey will change your life! This sounds a little over the top BUT I'm not lying. I tell our trainers Katie and Nicole all of the time that they are life savers. We brought our puppy here at 1 years old - a small wild, energetic Jack Russell who knew every time I was on a video meeting to bark his head off and embarrass me EVERY TIME! Walks were out of the question since he would pull on the leash to the point he would choke himself... sitting on the deck was a nightmare in our own backyard because he would bark at the wind (yes, the wind), the leaves moving, the birds and obviously the neighbors. Does this sound familiar? I questioned my decision of getting a puppy and then I found Max K9. We did a 3 week Board & Train where I was super hesitant of dropping him off (because no one wants to leave their baby anywhere), but they were so good with sending video progress and pictures and including my husband and I in the process. I joke with everyone that I think they implanted a program into his brain! Lol! The transformation was unreal. We were instantly able to communicate with him and actually go on a walk.. outside in the real world. What a breath of fresh air, literally! Max K9 has given us the ability to live an active lifestyle and have our pup enjoy it with us. Hikes, traveling, morning walks, trips to the store, brewery visits, long car rides out of state... you name it. I would do it all over again if I had to without a question. So if you've made it this far, thanks for reading. I hope this helps you make your decision to having a better relationship with your pup and enjoying life with them every step of the way.

    I am SO thankful for Sherry at Maximum K9. I don't know if I can put into words how helpful she has…read morebeen in training our Stormie. Stormie is a rescue who we adopted in 2019 and underwent 2 surgeries in 2021 due to bilateral CCL surgery. She was cooped up for an extended amount of time during recovery. We were unable to take her outside without her reacting to other dogs and sometimes even people. Stormie even gave us difficulty when we wanted to go for a short walk. It was so frustrating and difficult taking her out in public that we needed help. We have heard of Maximum K9 from many of our friends and even the great reviews I've seen on dog groups and online. I called to inquire about the types of training (group vs. individual) and it was clear that we needed to take private lessons. We signed up for a package of 6 lessons with Sherry that were one hour long for 6 consecutive weeks. Our first day, Sherry got to know about Stormie's behaviors - positive and negative, what we were having difficulty with and what our goals were. Sherry worked with us each week when training Stormie (and me) on how to modify or progress a skill. We learned how to heel, which we never were taught from another trainer elsewhere, and the importance of heel. We were given homework on what to practice from the training sessions to continue our work outside of the facility. Sherry helped Stormie become less dog reactive in a safe manner at Maximum K9. Stormie was slowly exposed to the board and train dogs in the facility that had various levels of size and temperament. Each week, Stormie learned how to follow her commands and not react to different dogs. With Sherry's consistent training, Stormie was able to heel with me in a circle with other dogs and sit next to them without any reaction at all. I cannot find the words to thank Sherry for helping Stormie and myself. I came into Maximum K9 with Stormie trying to pull my arm off and reacting to dogs in the lobby to now leaving with my arm back intact and her in a nice heel. I will refer all my dog lovers and friends to Maximum K9 and Sherry going forward! Thank you again!

    Harold Hamilton - Master Dog Trainer - pet_training - Updated September 2026

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