We're on our fifth class with K-9 Specialist Inc. in Miami, and I can already see tremendous improvement in our German Shepherd -- who's definitely a bit of a knucklehead! Freddy has been patient, professional, and knows exactly how to handle even the most stubborn pups. Every session is structured but still fun for both us and our dog, and the progress has been faster than I expected. I'm so glad we chose this team -- highly recommend Freddy and K-9 Specialist Inc. to anyone looking to bring out the best in their dog! read more

All I can say is wow. K9 specialist are the best in the business. They were able to turn my very stubborn English bulldog to an obedient certified service dog in just a few months. Our trainer William is super professional and extremely knowledgeable. He was able to pin point my dogs issues and correct them. He provided us with the tools and training that we will be able to use for a lifetime. Thank you K9 specialist and thank you William. I highly recommend them and I'm very pleased with my lifetime service dog Ace! read more

K-9 Specialist - Service dog Ace at the beach! - Pet Training Near Me

I worked with Dayana for almost 4 months learning advanced training for my mixed bully breed and she is FANTASTIC She is kind, patient and very knowledgeable. She got to know my dog very well and has been the perfect teacher for us. Dennis and the rest of the team is also amazing. I highly recommend them for all your dog-training needs, and remember, your dog will only be as good as the training and effort you put into it. We continue to go to Saturday trainings as a supplement and they're very useful. Don't call anybody else! read more

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K-9 Specialist was awesome. Our two furry boys were fighting for top dog and it got scary. K-9 assessed the situation and came up with a great plan and the right trainer. William was fantastic training our dog and teaching us how to control the dogs and get them to consistent well mannered behavior. Our dogs adored him even though he demanded a lot from them. At the end for our big dog it was not just dog and trainer, they became real friends. read more

I paid 1300.00 dollars for Basic Advanced training. We are short 7 classes and we get no response from Dennis or anyone else to complete the training. The original instructor kept rescheduling until he became a permanent no-show. Dennis promised to complete the training but now has gone Ghost. We are now February 2022 and we have not been able to complete training due to constant rescheduling read more

K-9 Specialist - Chance - Pet Training Near Me

Daviel was our trainer and we are so grateful for his outstanding and professional attention!!! We highly recommend him you won't regret it read more

he cheated us out of eight sessions. They will sell you a package and your stuck. Then he will come when he wants. Then he will stop comin. I also learned from an ex employee he buys trained dogs to look good. He doesn't train them Himself. read more

Dennis and his team went above and beyond training my dog. She exhibited some social issues. She is such a perfect girl after her training. Super social and well adapted as well as well adapted for travel. read more

K-9 Specialist - Pet Training Near Me

Yossi was amazing! He trained our golden retriever for 10 weeks. She learned quickly how to follow new commands and obey her owners more effectively (before Yossi she was in charge of us). She stopped destroying the house when we left her alone and became overall more comfortable and with consistent reinforcement she will no longer pull me down the street during walks. We are very grateful for Yossi! read more

They did not complete 8 paid sessions. dont get caught up with this guy unless you are a celebrity you won't get your dog trained properly. Our trainer always showed up high on mariguana and had no respect coming in a clean house with dirty shoes. If you call Dennis he thinks hes a big shot, there are other people here with missed sessions like myself. I dont think they can deliver what they say."your dog will be a soldier" sales talk... I have a high quality Doberman they started training when she was a puppy. I learned more from you tube, Cesear Millan, and Doberman Planet online. I hope I can help others from making the same mistake I made. Aimee Garciga read more

Hello! My name is Melissa. I contracted K-9 Specialist a few years ago to train my baby Blue. At the time she was 3 month old Doberman. I'm writing the review now because 4 years later were extremely satisfied with the training. We actually ended up getting another Dobe named Lexi and did the same training with her as well. I HIGHLY recommend them. read more

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Firstly, this is negative reinforcement dog training. Your dog will not enjoy it and I certainly didn't enjoy watching my dog get yanked my the throat with a prong collar to "submit" to him. My dog is friendly, and goes out in public all the time, around people and dogs at dog parks. Her only issue is she is scared of strangers who come over to our house. This is the reason I wanted a trainer, to help her protective instincts and to not bark at guests who come over. They said they could help. So I paid almost $700 up front for a 7 week (1 training session per week) program. Unfortunately, when the first training session came, the trainer was really rough with my dog. I had a muzzle on her in case she tried to bite since she didn't know him. She was freaking out when the trainer first got there (barking), but I really expected him to try and at least get her to like him so we can train. Instead he made me put the prong collar on and was pretty aggressive, yanking it several times until he felt he dominated her enough. She's only a 20 pound dog. The rest of the session he taught her nothing. She stopped barking at him but only because she was scared of him. I already told them she knew basic obedience and heeling and all that, but that I wanted to work on her relationship with people. But the whole session he just walked back and forth with her while heeling and if she didn't do what he said immediately--harsh yank with the prong collar. There was nothing positive about the training, nothing rewarding. She learned nothing new. And the rest of the day my dog hid under the couch and she was on higher alert then usual for days. I called the next day to talk to the owner about how I was uncomfortable with these training methods and he was rude, I couldn't even get a word in. He just talks over you. I tried asking about other training methods that wouldn't make my dog more afraid and he laughs, and he tells me my dog is not a friendly dog and just will never be friendly and no one will ever be able to pet her again. Ummm that is just flat out wrong. She has a blast out in the dog park nearly everyday around other people. There's many other training methods that offer a positive outcome for you and your dog and his way of thinking is just old fashioned, and no, I'm not going to choke my dog into submission in front of each new person that comes over to my house for the rest of my dogs life like the trainer suggested. After not being able to come to a agreement on the phone about a different training method for my dog, I asked for a partial refund, since we only used 1 out of 7 sessions. Of course he refused. So I'm out $700 but I'd rather lose the money then put my dog through that again. I definitely recommend a different trainer who cares about what's actually going on with your dog rather then just dominating it and spouting myths about wolves in captivity. read more

I hired K-9 Specialist after searching for trainers in miami I decided to train my two dogs with Dennis urrutia because the 25 years of experience that he has and one of miamis oldest trainers in my personal opinion he is the best of best he has a great deal of experience training all breeds extremely knowledgeable in the field of K-9S the results on my two dogs are excellent they are also certified as service dogs and they volunteer at miamis children's hospital I would highly recommend him to anyone without hesitation and if you go on his website he's also participated in so many charity events he donates his time to do demonstrations when ever he's needed he has a great heart but he's also very disciplined and serous at what he does best. read more

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Highly recommend Dennis , very professional , gives you the confidence to get the best out of your dog I have already recommended many people to K-9 read more

We are so happy to have K-9 Specialist back in our home to help with yet, another training session. After 10 years ago, Dennis helped with our Boerboel (who has passed away), Dennis is now back to assist with our 6 month old European Blue Great Dane. Today he came early to our appointment, prepared, and ready with a full plan after observing not only our girl (Kitana), but our family as well. We addressed all our issues and have a plan of attack. Better yet...we are on the calendar for this Friday! Thank you Dennis, and we are excited to meet your new team members and thrilled at the expansion of your business, but yet you have the same quality, value, professionalism, are reliable, and have great solutions to our issues! Blessings. read more

***UPDATE*** I now have had 4 service dogs trained and certified by K-9 Specialist... Impressive is the only word to describe their preparation, adherence, and demeanor... Well done sir Dennis Urrutia and trainer Lazaro Sotolongo...! I just became a Yelper to review this company... I had my dog trained and certified as a Service Animal by K-9 Specialist last year... Belle began her training at right around 10 weeks old... Dennis Urrutia, the company's owner, personally worked with Belle and I during critical stages of her training... The results have been nothing short of phenomenal... Belle is not only a fine Service Dog and pleasure to be around, but also a sure attention grabber wherever we go because of her sharpness and impeccable manner... Belle is well known and received, throughout the Hammocks area, at the restaurants and businesses which I frequent--and considered the standard by which they recognize legitimately trained dogs... I really have yet to see another dog this well prepared outside of the very few I have met at the group sessions that Dennis personally leads at the Hammocks Dog Park every 1st and 3rd Saturday of every month... If you are looking for the best in the business, this company is definitely it... I have referred several friends, people that have asked about Belle's training while out, co-workers, etc to Dennis personally and will continue to do so... Excellence is their standard and their results speak for themselves... If you're into top-of-the-line, give them a call today... The initial visit and evaluation are free-of-charge... read more

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I've been dealing with this company for years, the owner Dennis and his trainers are the best. They don't just train you and leave, always a phone call away. They are the people you can count on. read more

my name is Luciano, I hired the services of this company and within the term suggested in his contract (3 days) I canceled for personal reasons and Mr. Dennis did NOT return my money, very careful in hiring these people, they charge you the amount at once and do not respect their own contract. I DO NOT RECOMMEND THIS TYPE OF COMPANY, BE CAREFUL! steal your money. read more

Where to be begin? I have so many amazing things to say about Dennis Urrutia and his company K9 specialist! I met Dennis back in 2009 after getting my yellow lab, Aquiles. I needed someone to train him and after thorough research of several training companies I decided to go with this one and I am so glad I did! Dennis was always patient, kind, and with a great attitude during our training sessions. If I called him in between sessions he would always clear any doubts I would have at the time. I recommended him to my cousin to train her dog and he also did a stellar job! After a few years I got another dog and then another one and Dennis has always been there for me and my dogs! He is truly an amazing person and trainer. If you are looking for the best possible training for your dog, look no further. Thank you, Dennis! read more

Beware with this company!! Paid over thousand dollars to get my husky trained basic training I believe it was around $1300 and my dog didn't even learn how to sit!!!! Don't waste your money !! read more

I clearly said I wanted my dog to be trained to become a therapy dog. She did not learn anything besides not to pull . But I got a service dog vest at the end . As a matter of fact, she is currently with another trainer that is actually teaching her how to behave as a therapy dog. I am so mad I paid this company 1500 dollars, for absolutely nothing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I had erased the previous message but I will not erase this one. read more

Be aware of this company ... they charged me $1600.00 UPFRONT to train my golden retriever. 1000.00 for 10 training and 600.00 for service dog certification. If you can't make it to a class, they charge you 30.00 and they don't deliver what they promise . At the end of the class I was missing 1 class and he didn't give my dog the service dog certificate and didn't refund the 600 . On top he wanted to charge an extra 150 for a private class ..... a joke ! Their trainer ( Diego ) used to show up late, leave early and just talk through the class .... HORRIBLE . Don't waste your time or money read more

Hi my name is Maggie and I'm very pleased with their service.. I purchased poppy classes for my German Sheppard. My trainer Carina was amazing. She was invested completely on the training as well as explaining to me as she helped me train my puppy. I would recommend K-9 Specialist if you are in need of a dog trainer. read more

This is basically a scam. I could have received the same training for less at petsmart or petco. They make you pay so much money and promise perfection but I did not get that at all. I got simple basic training and since it was such a short time my dog didn't even learn half the things he was supposed to. I definetely do not recommend these people. Oh and not to mention if one day you have an emergency and have to cancel or reschedule a class time, they make you pay. Terrible! read more

I have never had a trainer come to me to train my dogs, I always had to lug around my dogs who mind you are trying to learn manners... not so easy! I was referred by my vet to try K-9 Specialist's. I gave Dennis a call and he called me back within a day. I explained I wanted to train my two dogs in a short time frame because we were moving. Dennis arranges a consultation the next day to meet my dogs. Dennis was very upfront, gave me all the details and packages that I could do in a short amount of time. I chose the 7 lesson package for each of my dogs. Dennis paired me with one of his trainers named Manny. He said Manny can handle your dogs... I have a 105lb Rottweiler and a 70lb German Shepard who both are extremely protective. Manny showed up prepared to train two monsters. Both wore a muzzle to be on the safe side. 30 mins in the muzzles were removed... Manny was such a gentleman and really took pride and love in training my two sweethearts. They could feel his care in what he does. I like to write a review when someone really stands out and Manny truly did for me... my two dogs really took to him and listened to all his lessons. Today was day 7 and the girls are walking so nicely without pulling my arm off. It is a bit sad to be done already with our lessons... Manny, if your reading this the girls and I will miss your lessons. We will for sure recommend to others to use Manny for training your dogs. Not only a great teacher but a nice person.. Thank you for the great lessons. read more

Dennis is a great trainer and worked with 2 of my dogs over the past several years. One was an American Bulldog and the other a Dog Argentino, both very stubborn dogs. I had Dennis for the first training and one of his employees for the other dog. I definitely preferred Dennis as the other trainer was not as knowledgeable and sometimes was not on time to our sessions. Overall, the training was very effective and Dennis and his team were always professional. They even did the first level of protection training with our dogs and they responded very well. I do recommend K-9 Specialists and am about to give them a call again for our latest Dogo that is exhibiting some problem behaviors. read more

Extremely money motivated only. About half way through the total lessons we felt as though we were being scammed. There is a reason why these guys want PAYMENT IN ADVANCE. We signed up and paid for 14 lessons. Our puppy had learned all the commands consistently by the 5th week. We then spent the next 7 weeks wasting our time REVIEWING everything she already knew just so K9 Specialists could say they fulfilled their obligations of lessons paid for. They will not advance your dog's training into what they consider "next" level training without you coughing up more and more money. I felt as though I was throwing a $100 bill on the ground every training day. And, if you are into treating your dog, well...like a dog, then these are the guys because the training methods are very harsh and rough. Every correction to your Pet is proceeded by the trainer yanking your dog's leash so hard the animal is forced into submission. And because of this, every training day when the trainer showed up, our dog would run and cower in the corner to hide. Our suggestion is that if you want a dog that is happy to be with you and wants to learn and respond to you out of love and affection, we, our family, suggest you find another training company. read more