Shayne was amazing! She is so knowledgeable and provided us with helpful information and advice. We…read morefill better equipped to train our new puppy.

Shayne is an absolute life saver. My Lab/Golden mix had excessive barking, separation anxiety, was…read morepulling on walks, and major jealousy issues. After he spent 5 weeks with Shayne in her Board & Train program, he came back home with all those issues resolved. I'm so grateful as I'm able to take him places I hadn't dreamt of only a few months ago. Do not be afraid of the tools that are used: E-collar and prong collar. When used correctly, they're safer than other "normal" tools such as harnesses. It's also important to take Shayne's advice and keep up with the training and structure she instills in your puppy. This will make your dog's and your quality of life so much better! Thank you Shayne! I definitely recommend reaching out to her if your dog is showing any sort of behavior you'd like to correct!

I've had the chance to see firsthand how much Melanie genuinely cares about every dog she works…read morewith. This isn't just a job for her--it's something she's truly passionate about. She takes the time to understand each dog's personality instead of using a one-size-fits-all approach. Her patience, knowledge, and calm demeanor help dogs build confidence, not just learn commands. She also does an amazing job communicating with owners so they understand the "why" behind the training and can continue the progress at home. If you're looking for someone who truly loves what they do and will treat your dog like family, I couldn't recommend Ryker Dog Training more. Five stars without hesitation.

We recently enrolled our dog in the Ruff Edges Program and I want to share our experience for other…read moredog owners who may be considering this program. For dogs dealing with fear and anxiety, they use extremely intense correction methods. We were initially open to these tools, but things went downhill very quickly. Day one involved towel rolls being thrown at our dog, loud air-canister interruptions, and immediate use of a prong collar. Rather than working at our dog's pace, trainer Mel dragged him along on the prong collar until he submitted. This is not an exaggeration, he was physically dragged while thrashing and panicking. It was shocking and honestly heartbreaking to witness. Right after this forced submission, she handed him to my fiancé, and shortly after our dog jumped up and bit him on the arm. For context: he is five years old and has never bitten anyone in his life. It was devastating. Dogs give plenty of warning signs before a bite (growling, lip raises, body posture) but all of those signals were suppressed as he was forced into submission. In his mind, the only option left was to bite to escape the fear. After the bite we were told, "Oh yeah, that can happen sometimes," and that if it happens again we should "hang him by the prong collar until he sees Jesus." Honestly, we should have walked out immediately, but we trusted the 'professional' and assumed this program was designed for dogs like ours, so it must work. The bite happened again at the next session, totaling three bites under Mel's supervision. We never "hung" our dog by the prong because that is abuse, plain and simple. Meanwhile, his anxiety skyrocketed. He began howling, shaking, and crying at any attempt to get in the car. He even bolted out the front door to avoid going, behaviors we had never seen before this program. By week three, our dog was losing trust in us. He stopped cuddling (which is completely unlike him), avoided closeness, and generally shut down. Heartbreaking, to say the least. After experiencing this firsthand, I truly believe these methods do nothing but force a dog into submission (when they "work") and when they don't, they create dangerous behavioral fallout. The techniques used here are unnecessarily harsh, rooted in impatience, and a blatant lack of respect for the animal. They claim the program is tailored to your dog, but when the methods failed, the only advice was to correct harder: hang him, use an e-collar, throw the towel harder. No alternatives, no adjustments, no real understanding of his behavior. That is not tailoring, that is pushing until the dog breaks. In researching modern training science, I've learned there is simply no justification for these outdated methods. They ignore what we now know about canine behavior and emotional wellbeing. These techniques appeal to owners who want fast control, not true behavior change. I love my dog. After this experience, I'm choosing the slow road, the one that builds trust, not fear. I don't want a dog who obeys because his spirit is broken. I want a companion. If you're considering the Ruff Edges Program, please understand the risks and research these methods thoroughly. I wish we had, and I regret staying as long as we did. "The dominance remedy is so out of proportion that entire schools of training are based on the premise that if you can just exert adequate dominance over the dog, everything else will fall into place. Not only does it mean that incredible amounts of abuse are going to be perpetrated against any given dog, probably exacerbating problems like unreliable recalls and biting, but the real issues, like well-executed conditioning and the provision of an adequate environment, are going to go unaddressed, resulting in a still-untrained dog, perpetuating the pointless dominance program." -- Excerpt from The Culture Clash by Jean Donaldson.

If you would like help training your new, head-strong puppy, I highly recommend Florenza, the…read moreowner of Rooby-Doo Canine Academy in Fresno. She emphasizes the importance of timing and consistency when training a dog. Our puppy got off to a good start boarding with her for three weeks of training before we took over. Teaching us, the owners, what we needed to learn to continue the training she had started, Florenza broke down our tasks into small steps and watched, either in person, via a video or on zoom, as we worked to emulate what she had taught us. She is very good about staying in touch, always writes follow-up notes and answers all questions. In addition, she a very nice person.

Both of my dogs Geralt and jack have both been in training with florenza and she is very talented…read moreand a special trainer and teacher. She has also taught me as well and I have learned so much from her. Florenza has taught us all the way from obedience, trick training, and scent detection as well as sport work! We are very advanced now but all because we had the best teacher and mentor. She is very knowledgeable and detailed oriented as well as only wants what's best for you and your dog. She really cares and it shows! You will have to put time and hard work into training but she helps guide you and makes you such a better dog handler! Thank you so much for not giving up on us and giving us the knowledge and skills I needed to help further my dogs training. Your simply the best!

I rescued a feisty yet adorable teacup chihuahua last year. So as a responsible and excited new…read morepet owner, I decided to get her some training so she'd behave. Amanda has been amazing with my dog! In only a couple of lessons, Kiwi has learned to sit, leave it, stay and tools to calm her down on walks when she sees bigger scarier dogs that she barks at. Amanda is a dog owner herself and highly skilled with zoology and biology degrees as well as advanced dog training certification. She's also very sweet to my dog. She is patient, kind, and uses positive reinforcement to teach my dog new skills. For an hour, my dog is challenged and rewarded for her good behavior. She loves it. And she loves the yummy treats that Amanda brings. She uses all natural treats, too, so they're good for her! After our lessons, Amanda writes out an email summarizing what we worked on and how to continue these lessons on our own to practice. It's a great guide to follow and to refer back to. When I've had other questions about her behavior or misbehavior, I can email Amanda and she always sends me a detailed response. She's just been great to work with! And the training has really helped my dog to improve. I'm just so pleased that I can't recommend her enough!

Sarka is friendly and loving toward my dog, and patient with me as I learn to better communicate…read morewith him. She is available to answer any questions I have about our lesson.

When most people take their dogs in for a board and train its usually to learn all the basic cute…read morestuff ( sit, down, stays etc.) my dog already had basic obedience down but he had some behavioral issues where he didn't like his head being touched and would lead to nipping/biting which made it hard to have him around people. Dash took Juice in for a month of conditioning him to be comfortable with head touching and not resorting to biting. That in my opinion is what makes a great dog trainer. its a harder problem to figure out and Dash worked with juice and he's been great since the month stay. Juice has been around strangers and has been more comfortable with people smothering/ loving on him.

Becky with Grow up Pup is an excellent trainer and pet sitter! We purchased her puppy package which…read moreincludes weekly in home lessons, with homework to do throughout the week. She is diligent in her lesson plans and is a reliable trainer. She has also petsitted for us several times and stayed in our home with our dogs. She maintained our house so that it was clean upon our return. She kept the dogs active, taking them on playdates and/or walks daily. She loves her pets as her own! Becky also is great to pick up dogs and take them on socialization dates, which has improved our dogs listening and interacting skills. would highly recommend!

Just finished a class with Scott. He is a fantastic trainer. My wife and learned a lot!! He made…read moreit enjoyable and learning was in bite size pieces. We had time to practice at home and come for more the next lesson. Now we are enjoying Riley more and going out with her is so much better. She doesn't pull on the leash, get distracted, sits when we stop, people are able to stop and pet her, she behaves with other dogs around .... I can go on and on but suffice to say, highly recommend!!

I came to Peacemaker Dog Training because I was having overprotection issues w/my dog. Plus he was…read morenot good on a leash, & he would bark/lunge at other dogs. Scott gave me the tools I needed to train my dog, & now he walks great on a leash & doesn't bark or lunge. I actually enjoy walking my dog now. Scott covered so much more in his classes than any other trainer I've been too. He's very patient, & wants you to succeed w/your dog. I would highly recommend him to anyone who is looking for dog training.