We just finished our 3rd training session with our giant black lab. The results are great! Krystal did a great job showing us how to help Vader focus and gave us some invaluable tools to help keep him on track. I highly recommend Sit Means Sit to anyone that is having trouble with a energetic dog! read more

Great experience at Sit Means Sit, Austin, TX. I'm currently working with Danielle to train my one year old German Shepherd. I am amazed at how fast she is learning and progressing after just four lessons. It's been a fun experience for my dog and I and it's so rewarding when people tell me how well behaved she is. read more

I adopted my dog from a shelter two years ago, and he has suffered from intense anxiety issues from day one. I enrolled him in the three week board and train program, and am incredibly impressed with the Sit Means Sit method and staff. They sent me personalized email updates every couple days with attached videos of my dog during training sessions, and then broke the videos down to explain key points. It was awesome to be able to follow my dog through his program, and learn from his sessions as he experienced them. The emails are also a great reference tool to help continue the program back home. Training is a lifelong commitment, so don't expect your dog to come home perfectly behaved, and then stay that way. The onus lays on you as the owner to maintain the training. However, Sit Means Sit does a wonderful job laying the foundation for your dog, and then teaching you how to continue it. The staff is friendly and competent, and truly care about giving you the best possible experience. After the three weeks were finished, and I picked up my dog, they continued to follow up with phone calls and emails to see how everything was going at home. A follow-up one-on-one training session is also included in the board and train program, which was very useful in assessing how I was doing as the owner, and answering questions that had arisen over the previous week. I feel like we are now a part of the Sit Means Sit community, and I can turn to them if I ever have questions in the future. Thank you Kelli, Alexandra, and Misia! read more

This is an initial review that I will update over time, but I've had such a great experience so far that I feel like I should review SMS now. I've considered training for the past couple of years for my reactive GSD but took a while to pull the trigger due to nervousness and just generally avoiding the problem because that was easier. I've had my GSD since he was a baby pup and he is the most gentle easy going dog, great with kids, tiny puppies and other dogs once he gets to know them. My problem has been protectiveness and reactivity. He's protective of me and our house (good as a guard dog!), but this made taking him for walks around other stranger dogs or our neighborhood impossible as he would lunge and go nuts barking at any other dogs we saw. He's over 100 lbs so this is clearly a problem! It also scares the bejeezus out of the other people and they look at me like I have a killer on a leash and why am I trying to walk him near them and their dogs. Lovely...He also goes bananas barking at dogs walking in front of our house, and barks like crazy when anyone comes in the house. Friends that he knows, he quiets down quickly and proceeds to cover them in kisses. New friends of mine that he hasn't met, he barks at them like they are axe murderers coming to get him and his family for a few minutes and generally scares the bejeezus out of them also. When he is in this protective mode he doesn't listen to me at all and I'm the ridiculous girl trying to yank her 100+ pounds of muscle dog away, all while protesting "he's really sweet I promise!!" So, after reading tons of reviews, I decided I would finally get brave and take him in for a consultation with Troy and Shelly, which I was nervous about. I arrived and went in by myself and asked the front desk where I should bring my guy in. There was a room just off of reception that was private so it was really easy for me to get him out of the car and into the consultation room without fear of him seeing another dog and going nuts barking and embarrassing me. The consultation with Troy and Shelly sold me. By the end of that conversation I was pretty much ready to pay them whatever they wanted to work with him. And yes, the cost is expensive, but pets are expensive. If he needed a $2k surgery, I wouldn't hesitate, so why wouldn't I be willing to pay this to improve the quality of his and my life for the rest of his life? Anyway, the consultation was extremely informative and Troy immediately took Hudson's leash and held him for the entire time so I could concentrate. I never felt pressured to buy anything and I could tell that they are doing this because they love what they do and really want to improve the lives of dogs and their owners. Every option was explained to me with the pros and cons, regardless of price. I signed him up for the two week board and train and I picked him up a week ago, today. Is he a perfect soldier? No, of course not. But can I tell that he has learned how to listen and be respectful? YES. We are only on the first baby step and still have a private home lesson and many group classes to go. But, so far, he has been much calmer and more polite just around the house and he actually looks to me and listens to me for permission for things like getting on the couch, going outside, or when it's dinner time. During our at home lesson we'll be working on his reactivity toward other dogs which will be our biggest hurdle. Throughout the process Trisha has been EXTREMELY responsive and helpful with any and all questions that I've had both during our pickup lesson and over email and phone about things we've been practicing at home. I have really felt super supported and like I can really do this because any question about any scenario I have, I get an answer back that makes complete sense with all of the rationale information behind it. I really can't believe the amount of attention given to their clients post training, it is awesome!! During the two weeks he was gone, I got videos every other day of what they were working on, along with really detailed emails going through what the video was working through. I will update this as we go, but so far I can't say enough good things about the level of attention and professionalism from the trainers both pre, during and post board and train. Oh, and if you are one of those people stressing about the ecollar training...come on, just put it on your hand, it is not hurting the dog. I've found it so effective in keeping his attention because it allows you to poke him or tap him on the shoulder at the exact time you are giving your command which is so effective in him actually hearing what you are saying and paying attention. If your friend or spouse is tapping you on the shoulder persistently, it's not hurting you, it's annoying you enough to say fine, what do you want! SMS is awesome, worth the money and so educational. I feel like a better dog owner already. I can't wait to see how we both progress. read more

Troy and Shellie are wonderful, don't waste your money with anyone else. I have a vizsla who is very (very) active and with their training, I have been able to let my pup off leash and have the confidence that she will not run out into the street. She actually listens to me, with or without the collar on. Some people might think that the collar is a cruel way to train. I ask that anyone with concerns/questions, to go to a free session and see what this is all about. I have never "hurt" my dog. All the collar does is say "Hey, please look at me". I have actually taken her collar off in public places and let people feel what she feels. They look at it a completely different light. I have to say that the training was a little bit high, however, having the piece of mind that your dog will actually come when called is priceless. I have gotten nothing but wonderful complements on how wonderfully behaved my dog is! read more

I met Troy at the Pecan Street Festival in April. They called me to set up a consultation with my recently adopted dachshund (with one bad leg) to evaluate behavioral issues. While I had tried other methods, my dog was having big problems with socialization and was constantly fearful when on the leash, out in public, etc. Anything that moved would cause him to be on high alert and stressed out. He's just over 3 years old, and was probably on the run for a good share of his life. My dog, Snoopy, and I worked with Jacob for three sessions. In less than two weeks, my dog went from mostly unmanageable in public to a star pupil. I can now safely take him out in public, take him to group classes, and be confident that he will be happy and comfortable in unusual surroundings. I'm amazed at how well he's doing in such a short time. They're not a hard-sell outfit. I saw immediate results when they put the e-collar on my dog, and it's used as a tool to help reduce distractions and build confidence for my dog. In the space of less than 3 weeks, Snoopy now is able to walk well on a leash and doesn't get distracted by everything, does "place" very well, and he is now able to enjoy plenty of attention because he's so well-behaved. (He's a magnet for kids of all ages, and relishes all of the attention he gets. He gets rewarded for behaving well by praise and being loved on by everyone he meets, so I have to rely less and less on the training collar.) The collar is used for a relatively short time, so that my dog understands that he should focus on what I'm doing, not on what all of the distractions around him are doing. He gets high praise for doing the right thing, and the collar is never used for punishment. I'm very happy with the results from this company. They helped me turn around my dog's behavior issues very quickly, and helped me to understand what to do in certain situations to keep me and my dog safe and comfortable. I'm looking forward to group classes (the package includes group classes for life) so that we can both continue to learn new things with other dogs and their owners. read more

Ashley is absolutely amazing. She changed our lives by helping us focus our dogs and make them well behaved members of the family unit. We can take them with us wherever we go without fear of leash pulling or barking or jumping. Our life is so much better because of Ashley... come to Sit Means Sit and ask for her. You will be SO glad you did. read more

Sit Means Sit is an incredible place for your dog to learn. Duke, my black lab, was rescued as a 1 yr old. When I got him all he did was pull on his leash and go hide anytime something loud happened. After the training through sit means sit I began to recognize the potential Duke had at becoming a really special dog. Through continued training with The Go Team, Duke is now an official Therapy Dog going out and helping others. I would recommend Sit Means Sit to everyone considering training for their dog. It is a great investment into a loving relationship between you and your dog. read more

Sit Means Sit has been a God send. We, as first time dog owners, were frustrated with our 2 year old lab not listening to us, pulling us on a leash, and just all together crazy because of her energy. She is such a sweet girl, but we were having to be limited on the fun stuff we could do with her. Walking was definitely not an enjoyable experience, and going to the lake was even worse. She is a huge water dog and we were always so anxious about taking her to the lake in fear she would run off, see a boat and swim to it, or just not recall if something dangerous was around. We finally decided she needed some serious training. We had some basic manners training when she was 8 months old, but it obviously did not work. So we found SMS and fell in love! The trainers were nice, helpful, and wonderful with answering all our questions. Kelli was AWESOME! Our pup went to a 3 week board and train and when we picked her up, we were in tears of how amazing she was doing! She was the same exact fun loving girl but actually listened to us. It's like SMS spoke her language and finally got her to realize what we've been asking her to do. Now its all about keeping her commands consistent, and continuing her training at our house. She has been doing LOVELY with all of it. We take her to the lake at least 3 times a week and never have a single doubt she'll be safe, listen to us, and have fun. I would absolutely recommend SMS to anyone with obedience issues. They treated our pup, Reagan, like she was one of their own. We cannot even begin to describe the happiness of having a well behaved dog, and all the adventures we can take her on now that she's trained. read more

Our dog is a 30lb mix mutt with possible pitt and dachshund in her. She has the tendency to act up, pull on the lease and growl at other dogs. So far so good! 3 weeks in and we are learning a lot! (Both us and our dog) She has picked up on all the commands but needs practice. Sit Means Sit helped guide us through 3 sessions and now we begin group work. Obviously our dog is not perfect but we are making every effort to keep on with her training. We joined the year program, so we will check back in 3 months down the road! read more

Sit means sit is great. When we adopted our dog we were 'forewarned' that he wouldn't ever be off leash or able to go to dog parks. They turned out to be very wrong as he does both of those regularly now. Sit means sit trained our dog really well, he was always excited to see Nate in the mornings and would wag his tail endlessly. He gets to run off-leash nearly every day now and goes to a dog park/dog day care once a week. read more

Hello, Hello, I just wanted to share my amazing training with Sit Means Sit in Austin,TX. I have 2 pit bull/boxer mix girl/sister doggies that had tones of energy and strenght that basically dragged me everywhere. They are rescues and aprox 2 yrs old so I was working with old habits they got away with in the past, but right away I saw a diffrence with the training. Even on the 1st day of comming in to the office I was shown what I was lacking in understanding how to treat them. I feel even closer to my girls and they respond so sweetly to me, I can't thank you all enough for you help and support with Nelly and Kelly. I plan on keeping up their skills on the weekend classes as well as mine :):) read more

When you use muzzles on a dog that bites then you throw them with the muzzle on into a pack situation is very cruel. It is equal to dog fighters who use bait dogs. The dog you did this too is now so aggressive they may have to put the dog down. A dog park is not a place to teach, it just trains the dog to fight instead of working with their owner. read more

Over $600 (cheapest package) for an electric collar training program. Only seemed to stress my dog and didn't do much to change her behavior. read more

Findley was having trouble (as a 6 month old) controlling his energy. 1 week with Sit Means Sit and he is so well behaved. From Nate to Carrie and all those that touched Findley - they did a wonderful job. Highly recommend them. read more

It hasn't been the quickest process in the world, but after spending a LOT of money to work with the staff at Sit Means Sit, my dog is finally on the right track. It is a daily commitment between you and your dog, so don't expect them to do all the work. But they have given me the tools I need to have a healthy, fun relationship with my pup, and I deeply appreciate that. read more

Whether you have a feisty fido like me, or you're just looking to get some additional skills and behavior work for your mild mannered pooch, Sit Means Sit is the place to go. Troy and his talented team of trainers are the best around. We did a multi-day drop off training initially, and have continued with the weekly group classes which are offered with the program that we chose for 1 -year. Our dog "Polly" was a rescue, and while as sweet as can be, she came to us with some rude behaviors that needed to be addressed. The team at Sit Means Sit treats each dog, and their "issues" individually, and works with the dog owners to produce satisfactory results. We have enjoyed our experience, and I think that you would too. read more

Words cannot express how much sit means sit has changed our lives. We have an adorable dog, with a very large personality. We loved her before but we love her even more now that all of the behaviors that were aggress and troublesome are manageable. They gave our puppy a way to be happy and us a way out to help her be successful. They really made all of our lives better. Five stars isn't enough! read more

We came to Sit Means Sit because our puppy was out of control and we were out of ideas on how to resolve it. Jumping on guests, not coming to us in public areas, poor behavior on a leash, you name it. Two classes in and I can't believe the progress. Our puppy is allowed to do SO MUCH more now that we've learned how to communicate with each other. My family is happier and my puppy is happier. This was just a great decision. read more

Sit means Sit has changed our lives! Our dogs are well behaved and we feel confident as dog parents when we take them places or when someone visits. What I most want to highlight are the people who are at sit means sit. Shelly, Troy, Danielle, and Jacob are the folks we have worked with most. Every business has a make it or break it advantage, and it all depends on the people who are part of it. Shelly and Troy are wonderful, kind and dog loving people, besides being excellent dog trainers. They are genuinely nice and really CARE about you and your pups. Danielle is a great dog trainer and really cares about you as their client and takes an interest in knowing your dog and building a bond with them. Jacob is calm and may come off as laid back but his dog training skills are going to let you know he means business! Troy once helped us and gave us some training tips for our foster dog who isn't even a sit means sit client. I knew from that very moment that they really genuine LOVE what they do and care about their clients. We and our two pitties look forward to group training classes every week and love seeing the people! read more

Sit. means Sit is wonderful and most especially Cortnie who took care and trained Blizzard for his two week stay with her. We adopted Blizzard from APA in Feb... Blizzard is a 1 yr old Great Dane/ Retreiver mix who had spent over 1/2 his life in the shelter we loved him as soon as we laid eyes on him... When we got him home we realized Blizzard had some issues... He wanted to show how much he loved us by chewing on our arms and legs and continually wanted to be on top of us....blizzard has not yet realized he is 80lbs instead of the 10lbs he thinks he is. :-). We were at our wits end... We had to put him out on the balcony or in his crate for much of our family time and if he wasn't on top of us he was getting into everything!!! In come Sit Means Sit and saved our relationship with this great dog. Blizzard went to live with Cortnie and her dogs for two weeks....we got plenty of video updates on how he was doing and then the day came where I picked him up!!! Finally we missed him so much! Cortnie spent a little over an hour going over commands and how to train Blizzard at home so his learning can continue one week later we got a home visit to see how we're doing and to work on any issues in the home. I can also email or call with any questions...and the weekly group lessons are great... We've had Blizzard back for little less than a month... Today we went for a walk in a new area... I didn't have to touch his leash once.... They're were runners, dogs, stray cats, and dreaded teenagers to distract us but Blizzard did amazing... Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would be walking or playing fetch w/o a leash!!! I love these guys!!!!! read more

Training our dog at Sit Means Sit Austin was the best decision we have made. We adopted Leo from the San Antonio Animal Shelter when he was 1 year and 2 months. We were both first time dog owners so we were getting frustrated with trying to train him ourselves. When we would use treats, he quickly figured out when we had treats or not. If we didn't have treats he wouldn't listen at all, when we had treats, he only listened when he wanted to. He wasn't socialized before we had him, and after he was attacked by a dog who was off leash he became reactive. After two more incidents we decided to find training that would help with his aggression and his obedience. In comes Sit Means Sit. Our consultation was with Carrie and she had full confidence in Leo's ability to be trained. We started the training question with a lot of struggles. Leo would push the limits every day with training, Carrie assured us that as long as we were persistent he would eventually come around and learn that we are the leaders. After a few days, we uncovered a dominance streak a mile wide in Leo that led to him barking and growling at me and biting at my legs. after finally getting him to stop, I felt like I was sinking. I felt completely helpless, like no amount of training will ever help, definitely nothing that we could ever do. After emailing Carrie, she called me and we taled through that I needed to do anything to make sure I felt comfortable. We had an in home visit scheduled in a couple of days and she urged me to hold on. My boyfriend had to be the one to take him on walks since I was too afraid to. I was even scared of petting him. During our in home visit, Carrie worked with Leo without a muzzle to show what we should do in order to stay under control. Then we sensitized Leo to his muzzle and took him outside again. I was convinced that he would need the board and train program because I did not think that I would be able to do it. After Carrie worked with Leo, she hand the reigns over to me. I was shaky at first but Carrie's confidence in Leo and especially us as trainers gave me the confidence to handle Leo. Progress with Leo was slow. The biggest thing that has helped is Sit Means Sit's impulse control. Leo now listens perfectly without any distractions! I never thought we would get to this point where I find walks enjoyable because he isn't pulling on the leash and ignoring us. He is so much happier all around as well. A completely different dog. We are still working on distractions and his reactivity, but he improves every day. The group classes have also been a huge help. The other great part about this program is that they don't use punishment. Their training is all about building up dogs' confidences and the confidence of their owners! I have no idea where we would be without Carrie and Sit Means Sit, or even if we would still have Leo and for that reason this has been the best thing that could have happened to us, especially Leo! Carrie has continually supported us with any of our concerns and been there to build us up when we were at a low and give praise when we have success. I would recommend them for any one who wishes to train their dog in a positive effective way! read more

Sit Means Sits has helped my little guy so much, more than that, they have helped me help Rolo. Rolo was a rescue pup. As a litle puppy, someone found him with 3 broken legs and took him to a Vet. The vet took very good care of him but he didn't get a lot of socialization while he was recovering. Rolo has such anxiety when it comes to other dogs close by him, he actually, "screams" and goes "agressive". It got to the point that I could not take him around any other dogs for fear he would get hurt or hurt another dog. I could see real progress with only a few sessions with Shelly, and Troy.They have always been prompt to answer my questions and help me train my Rolo. They have given me the ability to be comfortable taking him out and have the tools I need so Rolo can enjoy a better life. When we had our first demonstration, I was completely sold. Troy had Rolo paying attention to him that all the other dogs and children in the park were not even an issue. It was AWSOME. I almost started to cry because I new that this was the begining of a happier Rolo read more

We love the south Austin group class! We've been clients for about a year and a half (signed up for lifetime group classes) and the weekly practice and reinforcement has been great for our pup and for us. Ashley is an awesome trainer, for both the dog and the person. She is very straightforward with her teaching and helps you understand how you communicate with your dog. We love her positive attitude, no nonsense approach, and the fun environment she creates every week. read more

Yes, the training is costly, but it's very much worth it. Our dog, after two private training sessions, is safer and more relaxing to be around. We initally contracted with Sit Means Sit to learn how to stop our dog from bolting out of the house and yard when the door opened. Now she is content to stay in the house. In all, she is a more content pet. We have an e-collar to use for training, but I've found that even without the e-collar, she's more pleasant than ever. I appreciate Shelly and Troy, the owners, for their passion and willingness to share their gift with me. My family is better off because of US learning how to communicate with our pet. read more

Thanks to Ashley, we have a new dog! Ashley's work with our dog, Blu, has been both effective and loving. Blu is now a better walker and is responsive to commands around the house. We left Blu with Ashley for 5 days for boarding and review and Blu came back with all of her lessons fully re-enforced. Ashley also has been a pleasure to work with and has been responsive to our difficult schedules. She is very client centered, both in regard to us and to Blu. We would recommend Sit Means Sit and Ashley to anyone seeking to enjoy their dog. read more

Couldn't be happier with my experience with Sit Means Sit! The staff are all very experienced and knowledgeable and after just my first session with my dog I left feeling amazed how quickly they were able to teach him new things. I saw great results right away! read more

We had an amazing experience with Sit Means Sit in Austin! We met one of their trainers, Cortnie at our first orientation meeting and immediately could see her passion for helping dogs (and people!). After reviewing many options for training we settled on a "Board and Train" program where our dogs would go stay with Cortnie for 2 weeks. One of the key factors for us in choosing this program and Cortnie as our Trainer was seeing Corntie interact with her own dog "Ready". We got to see that Ready still had a personality and actually enjoyed doing the tasks given. It was not a punishment. It was just the next job. My favorite part of the program was getting videos sent home showing how they were progressing and their interactions with other people/dogs. We were so surprised at how fast they learned the skills! We've had them home for about 2 weeks now and our lives have made a complete 180! We now have peace in our home and can have guests over again! read more

I have tried several training programs/trainers to no avail regarding my dog's most bothersome behaviors and anxiety. With Sit Means Sit I finally have progress. We have more training to do and it takes dedication but my dog and our relationship are worth it. read more

I am so thankful to have discovered SitMeansSit! I adopted my dog (17 lb terrier mix) 4 months ago and it soon became apparent that, although he was a sweet and smart dog, he had some pretty severe separation anxiety issues (ultimately leading to a noise complaint from my apartment complex). SitMeansSit was the best reviewed dog trainers I could find, so I set up the free consultation with Carrie at the north location and ended up choosing the 1 week in home board and train (with Carrie), which also includes a year's worth of group classes. I was so impressed when she dropped my dog off after the week long training - she took her time explaining everything and showing how to reinforce the training. We then had a follow up private lesson before being cleared for group classes (my dog and I recently transitioned from the transitional to advanced classes). I no longer deal with the separation anxiety issues, and my whole idea of what a well trained dog looks like has expanded dramatically. I will definitely bring any future dogs I get to SitMeansSit! read more

We have a 9 month old terrier mix puppy that is a lot to handle and we finally broke down and decided to do a more intense training than what is offered at Petsmart. I met with Carrie for our consultation meeting and it was so wonderful to just sit and have her listen to my laundry list of issues we were having with our dog. We talked for almost an hour. She showed me the facility and demonstrated some of the skills we would learn with one of her dogs, which was quite impressive. So far we have gone through three private lessons with three different trainers and are very impressed with what we have learned so far. Every time one of the trainers would take our dogs leash and teach him something new I would think to myself "there is no way he is going to do that" and sure enough he eventually did! The staff takes great notes after each lesson so even if you don't get scheduled with the same trainer they will literally know about every triumph and struggle you and your pup went through during the previous lesson. We would definitely recommend this entire team to anyone who is needing a more hands on, thorough dog training session. read more

I have to say, we tried a low-cost dog training competitor with my dog, Brie, about a year ago, and the results were sub-par. By the end, Brie knew how to 'sit' and also how to run our house like her own personal dog day camp. I finally caved and called Sit Means Sit. The prices are still competitive for the type of services they offer - but if you want a group class where your dog gets no attention than this NOT the place for you. We signed up for the package of 3 individual classes and 3 group classes - plus you get the collar included. Within one session Brie was clearly on the road to becoming a new dog! We were afraid to even take her outside, and leash walking? Forget about it - more like her walking us. We had an episode with her bolting out the front door when we first moved into our home, which scarred us completely about taking her outside. By the third class, Brie was outside being LOOSELY held on a leash and learning how to walk like a normal dog! The collar was easy for her to get used to (harder for me) and she's not frightened when I put it on - so it clearly doesn't hurt her. Troy was so patient and stern with Brie, she quickly looked up to him more than us because she trusted his guidance! I would definitely recommend Sit Means Sit to anyone. If they can tame my crazy wild-child, they can do anything. read more

I had an awful experience with Sit Means Sit in Austin. Empty promises and terrible customer service. The trainers seem like very nice people but in my opinion shady sales people. After my consultation with my dog, the program was reviewed for me. I paid for a year membership which was suppose to be unlimited classes, private and group. Come to find out you are basically only given 3 private lessons and then they deem your dog good enough to only need group classes. These private lessons are 10-15 minutes at the most which was really frustrating especially with my next point. When scheduling these private lessons they choose locations that only accommodate the trainers. Obviously the trainers have multiple sessions, but please organize and staff better to provide South Austin residents accommodations rather than driving a hour in traffic to a North location for a 12 minutes lesson. I was also told upon signing up there would be South Austin group classes during the week but when asking about them a month into training they said they are not starting those yet leaving only the North option for during the week training. Also, they do not EVER answer there phone!!! I have called many times only to have to leave a message which then gets returned as if they are vetting the messages. Scheduling is a nightmare!! When setting up my private lessons I asked for a schedule of openings they may have so that I can plan ahead and choose and was just told to give them a date and time and they will tell me if it is open. Just very poor experience with them, enough for me to want to leave this review. Once again the people I met seem like nice people but I regret wasting any money on them which ended up being quite a bit for very little service provided! read more

Sit Means Sit was recommended to us by friends who had gone through the 2 week board and train program. We are so happy we decided to go for it! I have always trained my dogs myself without needing professional dog training. That changed with our 3rd Australian Shepherd, Ryder. Before 'Sit Means Sit' Ryder was a very anxious dog that felt the need to "go to war" with anything that made him nervous or scared him. He was very unpredictable and we were concerned about not only his safety but the safety of other dogs and small children that were near him. Cortnie trained Ryder and showed him that he did not have to be in control and could trust that we would take care of all circumstances so he didn't have to. Since Ryder has been home from training, he truly enjoys having a job and listening to us for his next command and is so well behaved! I feel completely in control now in public situations that Ryder is focusing on me and not what is happening around him. Cortnie was awesome with sending us videos and keeping us informed on his progress while he was away as well as answering concerns we had. We cannot wait to enroll our younger Australian Sheperd next! I would highly recommend Sit Means Sit. read more

Sit Means Sit came highly recommend to us from an acquaintance. We were a bit skeptical as we were unsure if you could teach our old dog new tricks. We have an almost 6 year old chocolate lab who is extremely sweet, full of energy, and loves to love. We went to Sit Means Sit with a list of 5 things we would love to see improved in our Lilly. After careful consideration, we decided to send Lilly to SMS trainer, Cortnie for one full week! While it was difficult to be away from her, we were excited to see her results upon picking her up! Cortnie took great care of Lilly and provided us video updates throughout the week so we could see her progress. We were blown away after watching her first video after just a couple of days. And after the full week we were so excited that Lilly had learned to walk on a leash (very well), stay in her place (for long periods of time until we released her), not jump on people, not rush through doorways ahead of us, and most of all just listening to us. Sit Means Sit not only taught Lilly but they also taught us in how to handle her and how to communicate best with her. Dogs need structure and all they strive for is to please their owners. It's amazing to us because Lilly is so proud of herself now! I truly believe it's because we are communicating better with her and she is now able to understand what we are asking of her! We are looking forward to continuing our training and joining the group classes that SMS also offers. Thank you SMS and Cortnie! read more