My dog Addie has the best recall of any dog at the dog park. She did the three week board and train program and really did do so much better. The trainer actually came out to my dog park a few weeks later to help me with better follow through on the training. This is a great company! read more

I have been taking my dog to Ridgeside Tidewater for over a year and am very pleased with their service. The entire staff is always professional and my dog is happy when he sees where I am taking him! I highly recommend their services. Thanks Matt and staff for making my dog feel part of your family! Clark N. read more

Great K9 boarding, friendly staff. The canine training is exceptional, staffed by professional & competent trainers. Made a big difference for our pup. read more

Ridgeside K9 Tidewater - Ridgeside K9 Training - Pet Training Near Me - Williamsburg, Virginia

We did a 3 week Board and Train. Brandt worked with our rescue and we are so happy to see how much progress she made. She didn't even know her name when we got her, and was basically a puppy in a grown dog's body. She made slow progress with us in training, so having an extensive program helped her excel. She has so much more confidence now and so do we. We got almost daily updates and pictures and it was great to keep up with her progress through the weeks. read more

Ridgeside K9 Tidewater - Pet Training Near Me - Williamsburg, Virginia

My beautiful 3 year old German Shepherd Jackson died after a 4 day board with Ridgeside k9 Tidewater on Penniman Rd. On his last day there, 10 minutes before my scheduled arrival, I received a phone call telling me I needed to take him straight to emergency vet. He died the next afternoon at Coastal Animal Referral Emergency. I was in touch multiple times during those 4 days. Never at any time did they mention he was unwell. He was barely hanging on to life when we got to the clinic, so dehydrated they couldn't draw blood, and heart rate so faint no blood pressure could be taken. My dog would still be here if I never came across this facility. I posted the above review to Google and the owner replied the following: "Kelsey, we are heartbroken from the loss of Jackson and we hope you find healing in due time. There's more depth to the situation that is important to note. Jackson, being a high - anxiety dog, had completed trial runs of daycare prior to his boarding. The staff members were familiar with his "quirks" (Skittishness,nervousness, reactivity, etc.) For the duration of his 79 hour stay we kept in touch, and we discussed his nervous behaviors, attempted bites during an attempted bath and his skittishness - to which it was agreed that sounded like normal behaviors. As soon as his illness and distress from the illness presented itself you were called and notified. We truly wish this had a different outcome, and we are sorry for your loss." As you can see, he talked in length about Jackson being a "high-anxiety" dog. Jackson was nervous to be away from me, but considering this boarding facility also is staffed by people who train dogs, I assumed he'd be in good hands. I was wrong. In the response to my Google review, they have shown themselves to be dishonest as well. They claim they were in communication with me regularly. Not true. They only communicated when I reached out and directly asked about my dog. They claim there was regular communication about anxious behaviors. Not true. After 2 days there, I was told he had trouble settling in day 1 but was doing "great" day 2. They claim now that he tried to bite when they attempted a bath. AND that I was informed which is a lie. Regarding the bath, the text said "he wasn't having it" If they truly felt my pup was SO anxious and reactive, why would they push him even further into distress with a bath? I should have been called, notified he was having bathroom problems, and that he needed to go home because he was too skittish to be bathed. They didn't, they pushed him past his comfort zone, remember that this is a TRAINING facility who didn't think that maybe, just maybe, a bath might be too stressful on already stressed dog. They should've notified me and had my contact pick him up. Perhaps Jackson would've stood a chance. They told me when I dropped him off, the only reason a dog would have to leave care was if they tried to bite a staff member. Not only was I not notified of this supposed attempted bite, but they didn't send him home according to what they claim their own policy to be. At the end of the day, no matter how anxious or skittish my dog might have been, that's no excuse for him to end up dead. A professional facility should've been aware of his deteriorating condition. But at the VERY least, should have called me to have him picked up based on all their behavior claims. read more

See all

We adopted a 2.5 year old fox hound who had spent several months in a shelter. She came to us with a lot of baggage. Fearful, not willing to walk on a leash and no house "manners." After a board and train experience with Matt and Morgan from Ridgesidek9 Tidewater, she came home a better version of herself that would have taken us years to uncover. Matt's patience, skills and knowledge of dogs made him a great match for our dog. He spent hours at our house to help transition her home and teach us how to continue working with her. She's now confident and well adjusted. No longer scared of everything from darkness to a car door shutting. She listens to direction, heels and spends her days being a happy dog. I highly recommend the board and train experience with Ridgesidek9. Thank you, Matt and Morgan! read more

Ridgeside K9 Tidewater - Pet Training Near Me - Williamsburg, Virginia

Amazing customer service! They work with me and my work schedule, which is constantly changing, to make sure my dog is well taken care of!

Buckle up - this is a long one.... I am honored to share my experience with Ridgeside K9, specifically with trainers Matt and Morgan G. My two young rescues came to me with a bit of baggage from their prior lives - a shepherd mix from another home and a terrier mix from the hard streets of Texas. They could be playful and loving, but also exhibited significant insecurity and reactivity, toward dogs and people, including several aggressive episodes of resource guarding and otherwise harmful behaviors towards other animals, which led to several visits to the ER for the other animal. As a result, I changed my home situation. I had worked with other trainers over the years for some of my previous dogs, but none of my previous pups needed this level of rehabilitation so I also felt it was important to enlist a professional to help me define a new baseline for them. I spoke with Matt at Ridgeside K9 (RSK9) at length a couple of times before I finally decided to work with RSK9. A former military K9 trainer, Matt and his wife Morgan (M&M) have an extensive history of training dogs and training people (who work with dogs). Matt picked up my dogs, and true to form, my insecure terrier nipped Matt. Matt didn't react but he let my terrier know that wasn't appropriate. I was half-certain my girls would be returned in a few days because they were so fearful and reactive. But each day M&M would send positive reports and a couple of photos showing me that they were hanging in there and making progress. M&M had their hands full with my two and their other trainees, but if I wanted to speak with one of them, they'd do their best to fit a call in. Frankly, after the first call, I didn't need any reassurance that the pups would be ok; it was more about being excited about their progress! Turnover was a huge deal. SO much great information from M&M. They spent hours with me but it went by so quickly. The entire time, M&M helped me begin to understand how my dogs think, and showed me how to observe and learn how they communicate with me and one another. It was truly fascinating and eye-opening. M&M are SO knowledgeable and want us all to succeed. They were so proud of my girls and how far they had come from that first nip 8 weeks before. I know my dogs will rely on me to continue to build on the strong foundation that M&M built. It won't be easy to incorporate the information and practices into daily life - it is literally learning a new language that I need to practice every day. But I committed to my dogs that life with me would be as secure and free as possible. I believe, as M&M do, that this is just the beginning of amazing. At the end of two months, my pups came back with new confidence and a strong baseline that would open doors that I was sure would never be opened. Ridgeside K9's M&M are two badass, compassionate, and thoughtful dog and human trainers who want their 4- and 2-legged clients to succeed. Thanks to Matt & Morgan G at Ridgeside K9, I have no doubt that we all have the tools to make that happen. read more

Super easy reservation system for doggie daycare. Drop off and pickup were a cinch. My pup came home tired and happy!

This business takes care of dogs yet will not allow a customer to see anything except their lobby. They claim insurance prevents this but other local companies allow a customer to see where their dog will play, eat and rest. I would never take my dog somewhere I cannot have the data to assess. I have no respect for that. I also do not believe that insurance says a customer cannot be in the parts of the building their actual dog is in. read more

I am so grateful to Matt & Morgan at Ridgeside K9 Tidewater! I went to Ridgeside for help with my new rescue dog, who, after just a couple of weeks with me, was attacked by another dog. After that she became hypervigilant and ready to take on every dog she saw. After 4 weeks with Matt & Morgan she has become a much calmer, relaxed, and focused dog. She can walk at heel instead of dragging me off toward scents of other dogs, when seeing other dogs I now know how to keep her focus on me and not them and we can walk past. She can stay in place at home, and sit beside me while I talk to neighbors outside. Now that I know how to communicate with her I can teach her more and take her with me to so many more places. Their training has opened up a whole new world for her and our family. Thank you Matt & Morgan! read more