Like so many people I love my dog, she's an active member of the family and a constant source of entertainment. She is funny and always willing to chase a ball, go for a walk or swim in the lake. Shes equally as comfortable just hanging out at the house. Not too long ago our Lucy decided she was getting older (now almost 2) and no longer had much reason to listen when called. After all she had a full belly, comfortable home, a family who loves her and besides there were too many lizards to chase. Why bother to listen? Was our little girl growing up and seeking her independence or, just acting like a dog with no clear understanding of what I wanted? It didn't take long before we called the SMS folks and made an appointment to learn more. We signed up within 45 minutes, still had questions, and pushed on with the training. I'm happy to report that the training program has worked well for all of us so far. We actively try to train with her at least 30 minutes a day in different locations with new distractions. Lucy is just as fun loving and entertaining as before training with a new twist...she listens when called and tends to be less impulsive. Don't get me wrong a lizard can still get her attention. But now I know that she'll come to me when called. I love having a dog who listens most of the time. I would highly recommend their services to others. Troy and his trainers speak dog! read more

We are having a great experience what Sit Means Sit. Our new beagle/Dachshund mix has a whole lot of energy and is pretty stubborn, but we are really learning how to get her to pay attention and channel that energy. It's as much a training process for us as it is for her. Our trainer, Carrie, is excellent. She really cares about our issues and works really well with all of us to focus on our training needs. I really appreciate the guidance and knowledge Carrie provides to us. I wish we would have done this type of training with our first dog, but I feel now we have some useful tools that will still helps us with him and our new puppy. Can't thank Sit Means Sit enough for the knowledge and skills to help us live together and have a happy environment for both human and dogs. read more

Sit Means Sit totally transformed our dog from a good dog into an obedient, well-mannered puppy. We did a three week all day training program and I can honestly say you get out what you put into the training. We worked hard with our puppy each week in between each session on the homework Nate gave us and we sure saw the changes each week in our dogs behavior and listening. We are still working with her to continue building good habits, but now we can walk her without pulling, take her off leash while hiking and know she will listen to us and have her remain on place while we have company over. We are so excited to continue into transitional and group class! We are so grateful to SMS for all of the hard work that went into training Maddie! read more

I contacted them for help with my newly adopted dog's aggression issues towards my young children. Growling, snarling, snapping which I fear will lead to a bite. The girl that called me was completely unhelpful and the only thing she suggested was to "keep them separated". Didn't seem concerned at all about the safety of my kids. I needed help and instead was dismissed because it wasn't a "training" issue and rushed off the phone. read more

I never thought my dog reactive and socially awkward German Shepherd could ever walk with me off leash through the neighborhood or make as many friends as she has!! She's so easy and fun to live with. Thanks SMS! read more

Thank you Sit Means Sit! I never thought I would be able to walk my dog off leash at the park or have him come back when playing with other dogs! My dog Preston was always pulling and barking at other things and was very excited around other dogs. You guys helped me build reliable attention and a positive relationship with my pup! Now he goes to Zilker Park and plays with the other dogs and I can have peace of mind knowing I can call him back when I need him. read more

Troy: thank you for your follow up, online. First & foremost the day my Husband & I picked up Zoe we were asked to do check her out, physically. We did not think to look under her collar to find the bare spot, instead it was found 2 days later which would mean this happen in your care. My first reaction when I saw Zoe, on the day of pick up was that the collar was WAY too tight, which in my opinion, was likely why there was a bare spot. Your Manager agreed & so therefore I felt understood, that's when I told her that I appreciated her taking responsibility for the incident. I was also told this was not the first time that it had happened to a dog & that I could apply a Bactine- type ointment to her wound. I appreciate where you are coming from as a business owner but I feel a responsibility to give my own personal experience to other dog owners who would be considering this service in the future. read more

Our dog was a menace ie family members would no longer allowed us to bring her over. Barked incessantly. Thank God for Kelli and Sit Means Sit. Its like we have a completely different dog. Great experience. Great process for both dog and owners. read more

I have no doubt that the training methods used by Sit Mean Sit work! In fact, I witnessed an extremely well trained dog, trained by the trainer that was demonstrating his training tactics on our dog. All appeared to be fine during the demonstration, though I could tell my dog was stressed from his surroundings and what he was experiencing. As hard as it was to watch, I had convinced myself that I was doing the best thing to correct my dogs bad manners. All seemed well enough, until I greeted my little fellow at home after work the same day of the demonstration. My dog was left with two large burns around his tiny little neck and he whimpered as I tried to pick him up to examine him. He was also incredibly shaken and scared. The burns are easy to see on my dog, as he is a hairless breed. The trainer personally assured me that the shock collar in no way, shape or form would harm my dog's sensitive skin. He was wrong, and I find Sit Means Sit negligent; they specialize in dogs, yet they are not aware of what their training tool can do to animals, or perhaps they just disregard their inhumane treatment of innocent animals. Imagine putting a humans skin against a fully heated electric cook top coil- that is the burn that my dog experienced. The vet says my dog will be OK, he was given pain meds and an ointment to help the burns heal. After he recovers, I intend to seek a dog trainer with more humane ways to train animals. I recommend thinking twice before visiting. I hope that no other little animal experience the level of hurt this training method has caused our dog and my family. I am honestly surprised this business is in Austin of all places! read more

We love training our dog with these guys. We did the board and train with Krystal and it was the best choice we ever made for our dog. Now, we're doing the group classes and our dog is progressing like a rockstar! There's nothing better than being able to control your dog in public spaces, but her added confidence and trust in us is even more impressive! I highly recommend! Totally worth the money!! read more

I bought a Yelp deal and went to them to learn about their training methods and why their shock collar is humane. I came out of there thinking that this is not a good way to train a dog without severe behavioral issues. Also, I detest hard sells and the meeting ended with a buy it now and you get a better price. And it's only $1000! I am just inherently suspicious of these kind of sales. What a waste of $50! I suppose wisdom is expensive :-) read more

I adopted a sweet little rescue in August of 2012. He's incredibly sweet and loving, but very high energy and not prone to listening. When I was researching training schools for dogs, Sit Means Sit had great reviews and seemed like it could give him the attention he really needed, because I knew a group setting just would not work for my little one. At the initial meeting the trainer was nice enough, if a little condescending. I told myself that it was just because he was an expert and wasn't trying to be rude. Spoiler alert, I was wrong. This trainer remained rude throughout the process, every time I dropped off or picked up my dog, despite paying an obscene amount of money (including a "rescue discount"). Scheduling was a nightmare. On more than one occasion they changed my pickup/evening lesson time at the last minute, despite my telling them from the start that I'm on a strict schedule at work and couldn't leave early. I ended up having to send my boyfriend to pick my dog up on multiple occasions. But the most horrifying, awful thing I want to talk about is what their "safe" collar did to my dog. Every single time I went there I was chastised and treated like a fool for not having the collar on "tight enough." The trainer would then tighten it so tight that I could see that my dog was uncomfortable, but the trainer insisted that it needed to be that tight. They also kept turning up the power on the collar to the point where my dog would yelp in pain every single time. After a few weeks, I took the collar off to give him a bath and to my horror saw that the collar HAD BURNED PROD MARKS INTO MY DOG'S NECK. I absolutely, 100% DO NOT recommend this service to anyone. Every time I see Sit Means Sit as a vendor at an event I have to fight the urge to go up and tell everyone to run fast and protect their fur baby from this torture. Hands down the worst experience I've had. I DO NOT put that collar back on my dog and I don't recommend anyone else does, either. They WILL be rude and condescending toward you, they WILL hurt your dog, and they WILL charge you an obscene amount of money for the "service." One star only because zero was not an option. read more

I normally don't write reviews, but feel like this one needs to be written. I chose to check out Sit Means Sit because of the reviews that I had previously read. Before I go into my experience, I want to give you a little back story on my dog. I rescued him when he was 6 months old. I was having a problem with him getting out of our gate and although, all he wanted was to go up to people that were walking by to get love, he kind of looks like a mean dog (he's a boxer pit mix), so I didn't want people to perceive him that way because he wasn't. Now about my experience. I was on my break from college and wanted to get my dog into training before the next semester had begun, so I was in a bit of a time crunch. My main concern with my dog was him getting out of our gate. I also wanted to be able to take him places because he didn't do well in car rides or walks when he would see other people or animals. Like I mentioned earlier, I read reviews from yelp and thought I'd give Sit Means Sit a try. When I set up my initial visit, it seemed to go well. We tested what we were told was a "training collar" and decided to give them a try. When I think about us testing out the collar, we were able to test is on the lowest level possible, so it didn't hurt us. Every time you give a command to your dog, the collar is used. All the collar did was make my dog fearful of humans. My dog was never an aggressive dog and only after the 4 visits that he had with four different trainers each time, he is now considered to be aggressive. Not only did it make his behaviors worse, but I wasted 1,000 plus dollars. Our last visit we had was with a trainer I had never met, and lasted a whole 20 minutes if that because of the weather. That lesson was never discounted, rescheduled nor did I receive a follow up call. I have yet to hear from Sit Means Sit to see how my dog was doing which makes me feel like they genuinely didn't care about my dog. Because my dog wasn't improving I decided to give the place that I was going to initially take him to a try. I can't tell you how much he has improved and how much better the overall experience has been. He has worked with one specific trainer, and she absolutely loves him and truly cares about helping him improve. She never shortens his lessons, if anything, she keeps him longer than his scheduled time because of the progress he's making. She does not use any form of "collar" to get him to do what she asks hims to. The agency I am taking my dog to now actually studies the behaviors of dogs. I feel extremely terrible for allowing my dog to experience pain when he shouldn't have and don't want anyone else to experience what we did. read more

I've worked with Misia, Troy, Kelli & Vivian. All of them have been beyond helpful with my two fur babies. Their scheduling for private/ group class is so easy and works perfectly with my hectic schedule. Would definitely suggest!! read more

Bringing my dog here was a mistake. I really wanted to like this place, but it was awful. It should be called Zap means Zap. They did not even teach my dog to sit, but they zapped his throat with an electric collar dozens, if not hundreds of times, and all to get him to stand on a prop. For two days, all they taught him was to stand on a prop while getting zapped on his throat. I still feel ripped off by the third day of class. The trainer was supposed to give me a 30 minute lesson at the end of the day. When I arrived, he did not want to give me the lesson because he had heard that I was thinking about not finishing the training. It was not because I had said I was not going to finish, but because he had heard I was thinking about not finishing. So he did not want to give me the lesson that I had paid for. He ushered me out the door, and I had to get wet because it was pouring outside, but he did not care. And I paid hundreds of dollars for this? Four different people asked for feedback, and I can assure you that they were not interested in any feedback. They all interrupted me as soon as I started telling them what the problems are. And they give conflicting instructions. First trainer: go to a park. Second trainer: do not go to a park, just take your dog out in the yard and then train in the house. Third trainer: you should make it fun, go to the park. Which one is it? They also give conflicting feedback. One trainer told me they had only taught my dog one skill (to stand on a prop) because he would only do it for a few seconds at a time. The next trainer told me that if my dog did not do it right at home, I was doing something wrong because he was doing it perfectly at their training facility. Which one is it? Who is giving me the real feedback? So I lost over $600 and got no training out of it, at all. Nothing. They can come up with all kinds of euphemisms for their training methods (stimuli, a touch, a tap, or my favorite, "just like going to the chiropractor") but none of that changes the fact that they zap dogs on their throat hundreds of times with an electric collar and then tell you that they cannot teach anything to your dog unless you are willing to zap your dog on its throat too. With so many other places that rely on more positive and enjoyable methods, why bother with this place? read more

I had a consultation today with one of their trainers. If you want an honest answer, go to these guys and don't waste your money at another place. The person who met me was amazing and explained how they worked. (They do use an e-collar, which he put on my hand to feel. The way that they train you to do it, it will not hurt your dog.) I just got my first dog so I didn't know if I was training her correctly. I can't believe how honest these guys are-- he actually told me he could help her out with jumping on people at their lowest rate and that I might be able to do it myself with a few tricks. I don't want to get him into trouble, but this was so NICE to not be ripped off. I know businesses need to make money, but honesty it's so liberating when businesses are honest. If you have ANY trouble with your doggy, take them here. They are amazing and refreshingly amazing. Plus, your dog will love them. read more

Starting out, my dogs were already extremely well-behaved. I have always done treat-training, and had always been adverse to any form of "collar training". It became very clear to me, however, after working 9 years with my Spaniel/Collie mix, that walking off-leash and recall may never happen if our methods didn't change dramatically. This is when I began to explore additional training... I went to our complimentary session for Sit Means Sit, with Troy (owner of the Austin location), expecting to come away feeling great that I had yet again, bypassed the wretched "shock collar". Well, the good news is (in fact it is all good news), that we will never use a shock collar, as (to my surprise) the new collars used are attention grabbers through a "stimulus" and not a shock. When Troy hooked the collar around my arm, and pushed the button, I realized that the pulse delivered is best described as being similar, if not exactly like, a light pulse you might receive for muscle stimulation at a physical therapy appointment. NOT PAINFUL AT ALL, but instead just enough to get Macy's attention, when her nose gets the better of her. Even more convincing was the statement and instruction that I heard that first day, and still over and over in group classes, and with our trainer Cortnie: 'The collar is NEVER to be used for punishment, and ONLY to get their attention'. And it never will be! Still, when we started, my 9 year old was reluctant to cooperate with the new training technique, and instead simply refused to do anything! As I was about to give up, Troy came over and tried. Turns out - Macy had no idea of what I wanted her to do, or what the collar meant, but instead got confused and "shut down". Troy was quickly able to clear up the meaning of the pulses to Macy, and now, after 4 lessons (and a decent amount of work on our end), both of my dogs are walking off leash, and coming EVERY time they are called! The BEST part is - they are excited to do so! Then there is Cortnie... I did not know it at the time we had trouble, but as it turns out, Cortnie's dog had the exact issues with the training that my dog did. She knew exactly what we needed to focus on, exactly what to do, and how to maximize our training, using the skills we already had, and new ones associated with the collar. She is ALWAYS calm, and seems to always know the answers as to how or why the dogs are doing what they do. In our most recent individual session, we had mostly run out of "run of the mill" things to learn, so Cortnie suggested we teach Macy a trick. I suggested, "roll over", one that we had tried and failed in the past. I then stepped away for a minute to get something from the other room. 2 minutes later, I walked into my living room, and Macy was rolling over and over! She now does so simply by saying "over" (she learned this 3 days ago). Shortly after starting with Sit Means Sit, my other dog, Molly (a Great Pyrenees mix, who by nature is extremely stubborn), passed her CGC test, and this weekend is accompanying me to Houston for the "Go Team Therapy Dog Training"! In short, and as I have always known, my dogs are amazing! They both have wonderful temperaments and clearly have always wanted to do the right thing. What I have learned through this training with Sit Means Sit, is that it is not only about their desire to do something, but them simply understanding what it is that they are expected to do. They get it now.... They completely understand and I can't recommend this training enough! It is the best thing I have done both for the safety of, and for the ever-rewarding relationship with my dogs! read more

My dog has been training with Sit Means Sit for 6 months now and I could not be happier. I initially found them through yelp reviews well before I even started to look for a dog. I believe in being prepared, so I wasn't going to get a dog until I could afford it and have the time. I think people being upset that they are pricey is silly. A business has the right to charge what they want just as you have the right to not do business with them. Don't get mad at them for you not being able to afford something. In this case, I truly think you get what you pay for. Anyway, I went in for my free consultation the day after I got my 2 year old pit. They were super nice and answered all of my questions. I opted for the package that includes 3-4 private lessons and a year of of group classes. I payed around $1000. After the very first week, I had a completely different dog. It was amazing. Now, I should point out that my pup didn't have any major behavioral problems. We went in looking to learn basic manners. But after that first week, she was walking beautifully at my side and not forcing a hello on any person or dog. After 3 weeks, she was staying wherever I told her to stay for as long as I wanted, was waiting for permission to eat (after I put her food down), was waiting for permission to enter and exit the house, and was just generally listening to me. After 6 months, she has many other tricks up her sleeve and we I regularly get complimented for my dog's wonderful behavior. It's all because of Sit Means Sit. Now, you should know that this is a program that you have to participate in. They can only do so much. You are the one living with your dog and it's your responsibility to work with them. The trainers teach you how to do everything, but it's up to you if you do it. They have 3-4 group classes a week and are looking to add more. Group is awesome--go to it! Also, I have had some moments when I felt like I couldn't wait for group to talk to a trainer (I may be an overbearing first time dog mom) and so I called them to ask a question. Usually within an hour, they either call or email me back and never seem annoyed with my crazy questions. When I noticed my dog was guarding toys around other dogs? They told me exactly how to fix it and within a week of working on it every day, that behavior completely disappeared. When I was nervous about introducing my dog into another house that already had a dog? They walked me step by step on what to do and it went seamlessly. Pretty amazing service! If you take advantage of everything that your package offers, then $1000 turns out to be quite cheap. When I get another dog, I will most certainly use their services again. Highly recommended. read more

Sit Means Sit Dog Training - Group class - Pet Training Near Me - Austin, Texas

I adopted Dmitry my doberman from PAWS in Kyle at 1 year old. He is super hyper and doesn't really listen. I know he really really wants to but his attention span is like a nat. So I spent about $1400? and sent him with Jacob the trainer for 7 days. He lived with Jacob for a week. When I got Dmitry back he was so calm and well behaved! They use the shock collar method which until I shocked myself I was skeptical. It felt like a vibrating cell phone but with 21 levels. It gets his attention so he can listen. Then you treat him after he does the thing you want. Dmitry walks off leash right next to my leg and turns when I turn, sits, place, come, off(the couch). They didn't teach him quiet but he doesn't bark much anyway. It's so much easier to take him to auditorium shores to play ball off leash. I broke the fee up into 3 payments. It included the remote and collar, and a trampoline bed. They also have lifetime free refresher meetings on Sat and Sun in case you aren't keeping up with the training. It was a lot of money but i didn't want an out of control doberman terrorizing me for 12-15 years. It's been almost a year and Dmitry has regressed a little but it's mostly my fault because I can't walk him off leash in my neighborhood anymore. Some crazy lady called animal control and I got a vicious dog warning. ??? Dmitry is like a cocker spaniel trapped in a doberman body. His best friend is a kitten! He is the most well trained dog I've ever met other than Jacobs German shepherd. Some people are so scared of their own shadow. The animal control officer laughed when I told him he was trained and said it's legal for him to run off leash in the parks if he is on an 'electronic leash' the collar. read more

Well worth the money. Troy, Trisha, and Misha have all been great. My dog is learning so fast! They have given me really useful strategies for training my dog in the future. read more

Edit: They saw my review and contacted me right away (wasn't sure who to contact with my concerns since I had many people training). They refunded me one private lesson. I'm still quite upset because I paid $500 and have absolutely no training to show for it and a expensive collar. I moved cities but there is still a Sit Means Sit. I think it would have been more beneficial to contact the company and offer training so I would at least take something from the experience here. Original: I am desperately seeking relief for my Australian Shepard. He can be reactive to the point where it is hard for us to control. We never know what dog will set him off. However, he only acts out around the apartment but never on "common ground." After a couple trainers we decide to try a new approach, the e collar. He responds well to it. However, I don't feel like I got a lot from the expensive package I purchased. After a consolation, it was recommended we do 3 private sessions and 3 group. 1st session was adjusting to the collar and learning "place." This session was lengthy and helpful. "Place" is one of our new favorite commands. 2nd session was at a park. Pretty much all of it was working on "heel." However, he already knows heel well. All he needed was a 5 minute touch up but not almost a whole session. 3rd session was the most disappointing yet. My boyfriend was up to speed on the training so he stayed while I went to work. The session was over in 30 minutes! I was shocked when he called me telling me it was over. This session was focused on running into another dog in the apartment hallway. However, he reacts to bigger dogs and they did not have a dog bigger than him. Then I was told to attend fiesty fidos class. The only thing I regret about this class is not walking out 5 minutes in. It was terrible. Yes, I understand the concept. Yes, maybe it was a off day. However, we clearly did not belong there. It was pretty much a hour of my dog shaking in the corner while all the dogs were triggering each to the point where we couldn't move on with anything educational. After that I don't want to attend any group classes. I was already iffy but that class really left a bad taste. It kind of seems like a scam. If you spend over $1000 maybe it will be helpful. At close to $700, I received basic training (all of which I have already learned with previous trainers). There wasn't much help with the issues of reactivity. read more

I contacted Sit Means Sit because my Goliath was having food protection issues and basically anger issues. He had attacked 2 of my other dogs. I took him for a 2 week board and train. I was very nervous to leave him for 2 reasons. I was going to miss him terribly and I was concerned leaving him with people I didn't know. Would they be good to him, would he be scared .... etc. I was a very worried Dog Mom. They sent me videos of his training, which was great for 2 reasons. One was able to see what he was learning, and two I got to see him. Being able to even see a video really helped with missing him. When the 2 weeks was finally over, I went to pick him up. We had an hour of training at pick up and i was impressed with him and they were very good at training me! I also had to learn how to continue training. But what really impressed me and made me very happy was watching the interaction between the trainers and Goliath! He was very happy to be with them which took away any worries I had about how they had treated him. When we left he actually looked sad they weren't coming home with us! Since he has been home I have really enjoyed the new Goliath! He not only listens better he wants to! He really enjoys the training time. We had people over for Super bowl they brought their dogs, there was a lot of playing and food dropped on floor, because life happens. My Goliath was great the whole evening never had any problems! I definitely recommend Sit Means Sit and I am so very happy I took My Goliath to them read more

Our dog Sam just returned from a week with Danielle. We have taken him to our regular week end haunts and heard repeatedly "is this the same dog?" We (my husband and I) still need to practice our consistent commands, etc. But I am confident with the future support of Sit Means Sit we will improve! Highly recommended. read more

A+Mazing! Our Greater Swiss is all puppy and hard to control at times. We needed something to help us with his pulling and jumping. After the first session we noticed a major difference. The trainers are very very good at what they do with Pollo and us. I highly recommend! read more

I can't even believe how much of a difference one week made! My dog is so well behaved now. I can have friends over and tell her "place" and she goes and STAYS on her bed. She comes when I call her and is a genuine delight. It was expensive but when you realize you are going to have a dog for hopefully 15 years, well worth the investment. read more

I have nothing but good things to say about Sit Means Sit Austin. Yes, there is a collar involved, but trust me, the use of the term "shock" collar is entirely offbase and misinformed. I researched various dog training approaches, read the comments and reviewed photos in Sit Means Sit Austin's Facebook page and took advantage of their free consultation. Troy and Shelly run a first class business, and it's obvious at the heart of it all is their love of dogs. One of the very best things is that you have an option to sign up for lifetime group lessons. In our case, our little mini-Aussie needs exactly that--she is fearful aggressive with strangers and her group lessons are slowly but surely bringing her around. I love dogs and consider them part of the family and am so happy to have found Sit Means Sit. Highly recommend! read more

Now that I've learned about positive reinforcement and the research behind that, I will never use this company or method again. But it wasn't all negative: however, I've never seen my dog so depressed in my life when I got him home, it wasn't that he was just tired either. They constantly emailed asking how things were and reached out if anything was coming up, which is very nice. After having to fix a lot of what I learned through them though, I've learned that they don't teach replacement behavior. It's basically just like say no constantly instead of showing them what to do instead. I actually had to stop after a few sessions because my dog had a reaction to the collar. They were very kind when it came to getting a refund for the rest of the package. Even after this they offered to help without the collar. Which I appreciated. Basically the only thing I got out of it was the command place. read more

Thank you Sit Means Sit. We have spent most of the day out front enjoying this beautiful day. Three weeks ago Lola would not have been able to be out with us. She spent her day on "place , come or lets go" all day! Thank you for what you have done. I can tell that Lola and I have already made even more of a bond than we had before. I owe that to Sit Means Sit, and specifically you. I appreciate the knowledge/training you have taught us. read more

My husband and I were at our wit's end with our rescue dog, Sam. He has severe separation anxiety (even on prescription meds) and was becoming increasingly destructive (scratching at doors, urinating all over the place) and really, really barky. On walks, he'd lunge and bark at other dogs and people. He'd bark at anyone who came into our home. With a baby at home, a crazy, destructive dog was just more than we could handle. Picture me on walks with a baby in a stroller and a psycho dog dragging me (and the stroller) down the street. But it was really his destructiveness that was pushing us to the limit. Taking him to Sit Means Sit was a Hail Mary. I very candidly told Carrie at our consultation that if we couldn't get Sam under control we could have to give him up...which was the last thing we wanted to do, but was a scenario that we were now having to seriously face. Now, as other reviewers have mentioned: dog training is expensive! I knew it would be costly going into it and looked for board and train programs specifically because I knew we needed an immediate solution--not a 6-months-from-now solution. If we hadn't been so desperate, I don't think we would have pursued training. But now, I don't think we will consider getting another dog until we can afford to send them to Sit Means Sit and will include training costs as part of our dog ownership financial responsibilities. Fast forward to Sam's homecoming from Board and Training: Wow. There's part of me that wants to say, "He's a new dog!" But, he's not a new dog. He's the same Sam, just much more relaxed and obedient. He goes to his "place", sleeps in his "kennel" (after previously being completely neurotic when we tried to crate train him), and is very easy on walks. Granted he's not perfect (although it's only been a week), but Carrie warned us that coming home would be the biggest challenge (as he will likely want to revert to old habits and we would have to be consistent with our training and rules). But we are keeping with the program! And it's an easy program to keep with! Which brings me to my last reason to recommend Sit Means Sit: Carrie explained to me that Sit Means Sit's training philosophy is meant to be incorporated into YOUR life. We had taken Sam to another trainer, for an hour and a half session, almost a year ago. We really enjoyed it and they had some really interesting feedback and insights on Sam, but their homework for us required us setting aside chunks of time on a regular basis to play certain games with Sam, etc. As new parents, this quickly became totally unrealistic. I am lucky if I get to shower each day, more the less have 30 minutes to play with my dog. I am sure for some people, the opposite is true and they want to spend as much time as possible playing with their pups. But for us, Sit Means Sit was literally a lifesaver and has allowed us to find a way to keep our dog as a part of our family. read more

We love sit means sit! We found our dog on the street when he was about 6 months old. He was reactive to other dogs and walking him or taking him anywhere was a nightmare. We found sit means sit and it has been fabulous. The private lessons were great and the group classes are amazing. We love being able to take our dog every week if we can, the unlimited lifetime classes are invaluable and our dog loves to go. We are able to take our dog for walks or to the park without dreading it all because of sit means sit. If you have a reactive dog I would encourage you check them out, you won't regret it. read more

The consummate professionals. Our dog - and therefore our family - has truly benefited from the services of Sit Means Sit. Any negative reviews you read are from people who don't understand that this business is intended to assist you in training your dog, rather than just training your dog for you. If you want someone else to do all the work and train your dog for you, you probably don't understand what dog ownership really means and what it truly means to bond with an animal. These guys are truly excellent and I wish I could give them more stars. read more

My adopted puppy had a difficult life before being brought to the shelter. At 6 months she was pretty traumatized from being thrown out of a car window. She trembled when anyone but me looked at her and was extremely anxious and not house trained. I enrolled her in the board and train program and Krystal was fabulous with her. She has so much more confidence, no longer trembles whenapproached and follows most commands. She LOVES Krystal ! I highly recommend the program. Even though I have had dogs all my life and trained 2 of them, this puppy was just too traumatized for me to deal with. I appreciated the communication during the training and the group classes afterwards. read more

Honest and caring people. The program is amazing. It has helped my dog build confidence and true inner happiness. This program will be continuously used in our household and passed on to every dog we own future and present. read more

We had a 1 year old black lab we thought was going to be impossible until she was a lot older. We couldn't be more happy with the results from Sit Means Sit. Walks are now pleasant instead of stressful. Keeping the training equipment allows us to continue the training. We were also convinced we wanted to use Sit Means Sit when we saw the trained dogs as crazy as ours that had been trained and behaved and listened amazingly. The trainers are super nice, good at explaining how the training works, and they are very personable. All around a great experience. read more

My dog is 2.5 years old. Although he was fairly well behaved to begin, when around distractions and other dogs listening went out the window. When on a leash he would pull at times if he got excited. After only one class my dog had learned place and tactics to break his habit of pulling on a leash. After 3 weeks my dog walked on a leash with ease, heeled when off a leash and follows place with or without other dogs around. Fantastic program and would definitely recommend it to anyone looking to fine tune the skills of your dog. read more

Our dog Reagan was a real problem child. He had severe anxiety couples with aggressive reactions because of that. Despite his scary first impressions Sit Means Sit in Austin took him on and went above and beyond anything we could have ever hoped for. They connected us with trainers around Texas and in the local area that work for them that could truly help Reagan and after dedication and constant follow through we practically have a new dog and they have truly made us a part of the Sit Means Sit family. Any problem that comes up they are always there to accommodate and assist us and offer honest advice. They are always willing to challenge Reagan and help us through any issues we come across! They have helped us in more ways than I could ever say and we will be forever grateful to them for helping us show the world just how awesome our dog is! Thank you all! read more

We love Sit Means Sit! We have worked with basically every trainer here (Carrie, Cortnie, Krystal, Kellie, Troy) for about a year now with our rescue dog who was VERY resistant to our attempts to train him anywhere else, using any other methods. What a difference! Our little guy is so well-behaved now, tons of people in public comment on how patient he is and how well he listens. Sure, getting over the sticker price takes a little bit of guts, but if you love your dog, it is 100% worth it. Plus, they are amazingly supportive throughout the entire training process. About 6 months after we started training, we had an incident where our dog tried to bite two different groomers. Sit Means Sit got us in to see a trainer for extra private lessons that same day. They also made extra private visits to our house when we couldn't make it to group class. They will give you personalized strategies in both the private and the group classes that will help you and your dog learn to communicate. Plus, you never feel lost in group class. If you or your dog are struggling, they will always take extra time to help you through the exercises. We couldn't be happier with Sit Means Sit and recommend them to any owner or pet. read more

Desiree is our pit rot mix. She was found in a dumpster and we adopted her. She had trouble adjusting to having two other poodle mix siblings and would play or fight over food etc aggressively. Sit means sit has transformed our home dynamic and she is now enjoying life and is no longer a fear of my other dogs. She goes to parks , and doesn't hesitate to stay right by my side. Carrie is her trainer and we just LOVE the effort, kindness and professionalism she puts into everyday she spends with our dog. She clearly loves animals like myself. It was a huge deal to me that Desiree would succeed. And now she will and she will be with us forever. Carrie drives all the way to our house in the country and works with my horrible work schedule. It is the ONlY way to go if you are wanting to get immediate, consistent results. I would encourage any pet lover to contact sit means sit and ask for Carrie. There are many different opinions on the collar used. I was nervous because I am incredibly soft when it comes to animals and their treatment. I was completely intrigued when I found out how responsive my doggy is and it is clear by her responses she is in no pain. It is common sense to use as directed by the obviously compassionate trainer, at least the one I have. If there is a dog that others may consider unwanted , why wouldn't t you try this to help them survive and blossom ? My dog is now confident in her home and does not rough house aggressively or give any indication of aggression. My dog Desiree and I are proof that this works. If someone is not getting results from this program, it is in my opinion there may be lack of effort and commitment from the owner. It takes practice on the humans end, but is incredibly rewarding if the love and patience is there for your pet. Don't give up on your dog, sit means sit can help get you and your dog trained properly to help your dog succeed and live a happy life. Ask for Carrie because she spends the time to understand your situation and make it work. read more

I have an Akbash, and this breed is claimed to be one of the hardest breeds to train. Jacob was my trainer, and he did an amazing job not only helping my dog with her aggression and teaching her commands, but he also did a fantastic job of educating me about changes I needed to make as an owner to ensure training was successful. I highly recommend Jacob and "Sit Means Sit". read more

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