Sarah is an amazing trainer!!!! She took the time to demonstrate each skill and helped us at every…read morestep. She was so patient with us and our two puppies. We highly recommend her for anyone looking for dog training.

Our family was impressed with the training we received from Sarah at K9Elite! She was timely,…read morethorough, and more than patient with both our puppy as well as us human clients! She delicately showed us that we had as much to learn as our newly adopted puppy Bubba did! She informs you exactly what to expect before each lesson, asks if there are any particular struggles you'd like to work on and happily fits them in the course. We were given paper copies of each lesson with detailed items to work on as "homework", which was fantastic given our families' opposite schedules, we all had something concrete to read and see where exactly Bubba was at in his training if one of us was not able to attend class. We went from having an overly hyper, semi-destructive puppy with no boundaries to a playful, mentally and physically challenged pup who is now understanding that there are rules and rewards for following them. Highly recommend!

Absolutely love the staff at the dog shop!…read more I bring 3 of my dogs here. One for grooming and the others for daycare! All the staff has been extremely nice and loving the 2 years I have been bringing them here! Haircuts always come out exactly the way I want them too and I always have happy tired pups when I pick them up from daycare! I always recommend them to friends, family, even strangers who are looking for these services! Thank you guys for always treating my guys like your own!

Sent this is an email to The Dog Shop. No response. Does not speak well to their customer response:…read more "Sad to say I had an unpleasant experience at The Dog Shop Wednesday morning around 10. It had been a while since our four-year-old dachshund had been there for daycare, and I wanted to see how she would react. No worries there. She was thrilled to be back and obviously remembered it. The unpleasant part? The young woman at the desk was curt and uninformative. She reluctantly answered questions. Said she did not know how many pups were in the small dog room. Finally, without a smile, she did say coldly she'd put us on the list. Cheesch!" I would also add they are very hard to reach by phone during the day.

Essential Canine offers both indoors, outdoors, and private classes. I met Hitchcock…read moreserendipitously through her family, who still live in Forest Park, where I also reside. I was walking my vivacious puppy, Duke, and noticed that the woman passing by had a really calm dog, who happened to also be around Duke's age. The woman turned out to be Hitchcock's daughter; I mentioned I was looking for puppy training; and the rest is history! Duke and I first took private lessons with Hitchcock at our home, to learn the basics of loose-leash walking. The first couple of weeks after adopting Duke, I was about to go crazy, because he was such a puller while walking. Within the first lesson, I started to regain my sanity--and dignity! I knew Essential Canine was going to be my new best friend in training Duke to be a good little pup. Since then, we've taken multiple training sessions, both indoor and outdoors, with Essential Canine. I recommend graduating from private lessons at home, where there is less distraction, to basic obedience classes hosted in the training ring at Dave's Soda and Pet Food City in Agawam. Going to a foreign location to your dog increases distraction--shoppers, toys, new scents, and even Hitchcock's own dog--offer up new challenges to overcome. This summer, Duke and I also graduated from Essential Canine's Group Obedience Class, which takes place in the picturesque Hilltop Farm in Suffield, CT. We joined a class of similarly-aged puppies who were in need of group distraction, like us. Duke, per usual, was an energy ball, but Hitchcock gave me specific techniques for working with his high energy. "You've gotta be more exciting than everything else around" was one of the nuggets I've taken with me. If he's excited by the other dogs, I just act a buffoon and redirect his attention! I also learned that he's highly treat-motivated and will do just about anything for chicken or cheese. The thing that stands out about Essential Canine, and Hitchcock as a canine massage therapist and trainer, is that she really works to customize the training experience for each dog/human team.

Amazing trainer!! She is so experienced, and deeply understands dogs. She gave me great practical…read moretips to train my rescue :) I love that she was able to tailor her training to approach my dog.

My mom has a Yorkie and I like to get him groomed when I'm in town and this is where I always bring…read morehim. This particular Petco location came highly recommended by his vet who said that they do a good job at this location, and I have to say she was totally right. I can't speak to other Petco locations and since I already know what I'm going to get here I don't need to bring him anywhere else.

First time dog owner Went to Vetco…read moreWas told heartworm Script would be emailed Never got it Called them and they said they'd email it. They sent a text with a link.. Didn't print the script fast enough Link disappeared Now o havta call back again Wtf!!!!!!!

Great experience for us with our two dogs. It has taken some time, but we have been able to…read morecorrect many behaviors with Ashley's help. She taught us the proper way to use collars safely as well as other equipment for our walks. With her help we have learned to become the alpha in the household. Their reactivity is so much better now. I can feel confident I can control them in any situation.

We were a client. We choose not to be identified. I felt it important to report our experience with…read morethis trainer. We attempted to discuss our issues but didn't get anywhere.

We had our first session with Scot today and it was extremely helpful and informative. We saw our…read moreAmerican Bully respond positive to his direction right away and we addressed some issues that have been very concerning for us. He taught us how to effectively communicate with our dog and I feel very optimistic that we will have an even better relationship with our dog now.

Scott was good to work with. He put things into terms that we humans can understand and he…read moreconnected very easily with my Neuro divergent son, which I had some concerns, about if someone was going to be able to,..... but my son picked it up beautifully. Scott in very matter of fact, very black-and-white terms, which was very helpfu! And our dog is kind of scary. She's a biter and I think with Scott's help we may be able to end that and repair the way we look at our dog and our dog looks at us. I'm looking forward to seeing how things progress with our dog. Thanks for the help Scott.

We've had the absolute best experience with Dave and his wonderful team. From the very beginning,…read moreDave patiently walked us through his process, clearly managed expectations, and created a safe, nurturing environment for our Jingles. During the three weeks we were apart, he shared daily updates--complete with training videos and photos--which made us feel truly connected to Jingles' progress and growth every step of the way. Dave thoughtfully tailors each session to your dog's needs and leaves no question unanswered, putting you completely at ease knowing your puppy is in the most capable hands. Jingles now has a true home away from home, and we feel grateful to have found trusted partners in her upbringing. After all, it really does take a village!

We recently adopted a new puppy (Nala) to keep our 3 year old Golden doodle (Augie) company…read more Although the two dogs are siblings from different litters, they didn't immediately take to being together. Unlike Augie, who was always sweet and extremely mellow even as a puppy, Nala bit us in the face, barked, destroyed things in our home and terrorized Augie to the extent that he would run away from her. We weren't sure we could keep her because she was so badly behaved and seemed untrainable. In the span of 3 weeks, David transformed Nala from a challenging puppy into a dream puppy. She obeys all the commands, walks off leash in our wooded neighborhood, sleeps hours later than when she left and most importantly she is able to play well with Augie who now seeks her out and willingly allows her even to sleep in his own bed. David sent dozens of videos so we could watch her while she was in training and learn the language she was learning from David. He kept in contact and was even able to drop her off and meet our other dog for a walk with Nala. Without Massachusetts Dog Training, we would likely have given our wonderful puppy away and never realized what a gem we had. David helped to uncover Nala's true potential and helped us to realize how smart, sweet and special she is. We will be forever grateful for his wisdom, expertise and love for our Nala.

Ryan is absolutely amazing at what he dose! Our 2 year old husky respondes to him like we had never…read moreseen before. Ryan come out to our home in Leominster for an evaluation and he was so thorough and knowledgeable. He explained to us exactly what we could be doing better as dog parents to get the best results for dog. Turns out it's not always the dogs that need the training, it's the pet parents also!

From the owner: Professional Dog Training/Behavior consultations. Years of professional experience with all types…read moreof dog breeds.

Canine Behavioral Services helped my German Shepherd Dog, Gunny, lose weight starting with a 2…read moremonth stay at their facility. While there, he was able to socialize with other dogs (other than my pack) and people which he wasn't getting at home as I live in the woods, so to speak. Gunny returned with a renewed spirit, more energetic and social and walked easier on leash without so much pulling. Canine Behavioral Services continues to work around my schedule with weekly visits to teach us humans how to properly interact with our pets and to teach us what they're saying. If you have any issues with your dog, whether it be pulling on leash, weight problems, anti-socialization, aggressiveness, etc, I highly recommend Canine Behavioral Services as your solution! Rich Nocera Sandy Cabral Hope Valley, RI

Brian understands dogs, but he can be rude and unprofessional to people- especially women. He does…read morenot want anything to do with you while he has your dog, despite what he says. He will warn people that his communication is "direct," but that is inaccurate. His responses are dramatic cut-and-paste messages that often have nothing to do with your own request. My dog got what it needed from training, but lost a good amount of weight. When this was pointed out to the assistant, they reviewed their instructions- sure enough, the wrong amount of food was listed. It should have been obvious for a dog that size.

Mac loves this place! All I know is when I tell him we're "going go see puppies" (codeword for…read morePorter Road) his tail starts wagging. As we approach the driveway he is excited and happy. Mac can't talk so I rely on these signs to know he enjoys coming here. Also the reasonable, reliable owner and staff are alway willing to accomodate. Mac leaps into their arms when he comes.

unfortunately my dog had to spend 24 hours there, the staff was very incompetent as the owner was a…read morecomplete clown. once my dog was removed from Porter Road pet care he had to go immediately to the vet to be evaluated and was found to be showing signs of early dehydration and for the amount of food he ate when he got out he definitely was not fed there. I would highly recommend running for the hills with your dog and not leaving him at this poorly poorly facility.