I've used Heather as a trainer for all of my troublemakers over the years. She was able to get 2…read moreof my dog-aggressive dogs into dog groups off leash, which I never thought was possible. I've had them both in her agility classes following their training and they both had a lot of fun. The best part is that in her class if your dog acts up, everyone treats it like a learning experience and is totally respectful instead of making you feel like you've got the bad dog. I've tried other trainers in the past, and most of them are good at basic obedience, but I've never had anyone who is ACTUALLY able to correct and improve behavioral issues, and in fact, some of them have made them worse. Heather has always been completely honest in her assessments of my dogs and will honestly tell me if she thinks there is a limit to what she can do, unlike other trainers who will tell you they can fix every behavior. She is also very honest about the work I will need to put in to make sure they continue to behave after she's worked with them. I don't trust anyone else to care for my dogs when I have to board them. I know they will get attention, exercise, and be safely cared for while they are at BFA.

From the owner: Best Friend Academy is a full service dog facility that offers boarding, boarding training, day…read moretraining, training classes, and daycare. Best Friend Academy's dog training and boarding facility is located in the peaceful countryside west of Kalamazoo in Southwest Michigan, just outside the small town of Gobles. We are here to help train your dog or love on them while you are away!

Gail runs a world class dog training service. She gets to…read moreknow her clients, and actively listens and advises. I went every week until I had to move. Highly recommend

Hands down the best dog training experience in Kalamazoo. Gail does a great job individualizing…read moreinstruction, teaching basic obedience skills in a group setting and managing to identify and respond to individual family situations and the particular needs of the dogs in class. She provides no nonsense training tips and techniques above and beyond the basic training exercises. These alone are worth the price of class. She is results oriented and the progress made in classes is seen each week. We couldn't be more impressed, motivated or happy that we signed up our pup and ourselves for her classes.

Pam is absolutely amazing at what she does. I thought my dogs were beyond help with barking and…read morebeing aggressive. From what we learned with Pam even just during the first training session my dogs changed so much! Pam taught us how to be the pack leaders. we train a few minutes every day and now my dogs obey consistently, walk without pulling, wait for food/treats, don't jump at people or constantly bark. I have well behaved dogs that can be in public, walk in crowds, and go with me anywhere we want to go. This was one of the best investments I've ever made. my dogs are happier and I feel confident my dogs won't have aggression issues. From the beginning Pam has been available and helpful, providing us great information, answering questions, hopping on calls, and coming back out for more training. Now, we get to do monthly pack walks with her and other clients to continue to instill good behavior and communicate effectively with our pups. If you feel like your dog is beyond help, or you just wonder if your dog will ever be able to go for a leash walk CALL PAM!

Pam has done a phenomenal job assisting us in training! Our 3 year old mini aussie has severe…read moreanxiety from improper breeding and lack of exposure as a young pup. She has helped my fiancé and I set boundaries in our household and further our relationship with our pup. We were absolutely lost with what seemed to be aggressive tendencies in our dog and feeling like we were failing her. We are SO thankful for all that Pam has done to help us!

Nice place for your pups to enjoy and meet new pups highly recommended I want to take my dog the…read moreprices are too high for my pockets

This place is ADORABLE, and is so homey and comfy!…read more Thank goodness for Southwest Michigan's Superbook, because without their awesome coupons, I never would have found the Crate Escape (buy one, get one free day of doggy daycare)! Their main room has rugs, chairs, and sofas for the dogs to lounge and rest on, as well as plenty of room for them to socialize. We boarded our Coraline there for a few nights once, and periodically bring her in for a day of daycare. For overnight boarding, they have private areas for dogs that range in amenities. Some will have their very own personal seating area, and bed, or there are also crates for them to sleep in if they need that. Coraline LOVES this place. As soon as I let her out of the car, she starts lunging for their front door. When she gets home from a day of daycare, she goes off to a quiet corner to nap right away, which I take to be a good sign because hopefully, that means that she wore herself out having fun with her little furry friends there! We've been to other places in town, but like this one the most because it always feels so warm and inviting. Two warnings: 1) They require reservations for day care and boarding. We were told the last time we dropped her off that they wouldn't take our dog for daycare again unless we called ahead of time (obviously, we didn't know about the reservations-only policy because no one ever told us about one before then), and 2) it's CASH ONLY, which is a pain because I seldom have cash on me. Luckily, there's an ATM at the Walgreens down the street. (The website doesn't list much information, AT ALL, so call, or stop by to grab some informational sheets from them.)

We have used Tip Top Tails twice and have been extremely pleased both times. The first time Mr. and…read moreMrs. B. hired Holly to help them with some separation anxiety their foster dog was experiencing. Holly was a wealth of knowledge and set out a clear plan that made it easy for my parents to follow. We were able to set up a simple schedule and re-set their daily routine to include Holly's training games which helped improve their foster's situation. Mr. MVP and I recently hired Kelly to help us with our senior Aussie and her dog park issues. We are members at Meadow Run and our senior Aussie, although a huge fan of the park, is not a fan of the wild puppies and the erratic running and playing. She has also grown very protective of our younger Aussie and started to get bossy when another pup wanted to play ball. Both of our Aussies know all their commands at home, but at the dog park it can be hit and miss. Kelly helped us set up easy and very reachable goals to work on with our senior girl to help her understand that playing dogs are just happy dogs and she has nothing to worry about. Her behavior improved almost instantly. Per Kelly's suggestion we also started working on commands more seriously at the park and both girls have been doing amazing. We picked Tip Top Tails above the other trainers in the area because they focus on positive reinforcement, only. I heard from a friend who used another training company that they use squirt guns to spray water when the dogs do something wrong and choke collars for correction we wanted absolutely nothing to do with that. Kelly and Holly use treats, positive commands and the jolly routine (which is something we had been using for about a year already, which was so nice to hear!). Holly met with Mr. and Mrs. B on a Sunday at their house and we met with Kelly at Meadow Run on a Saturday morning - both private lessons. Tip Top Tails has group lessons, puppy classes and a whole bunch of other class options. We just signed our youngest Aussie up for a private dock diving lesson next week at Meadow Run with Beth, another trainer at Tip Top. We would highly recommend Tip Top Tails as a training option. Mr. MVP and I have read all the books and done weeks of research and even though we knew a lot of the information Kelly shared with us, we still learned quite a bit.

Great experience with the trainer Beth, she seems to really know and love her work. They keep…read moreclasses small and manageable.

Great fun to train our 4 goldens after 47 years . Helpful tips, calm patient skills taught.read more

The staff is awesome! If you're looking for a place that…read morewill pamper your pup Kim's k9 is the place to go!