We adopted our dog, Junie, from a shelter in August 2025. She was around a year old. On walks, she…read morewould bark at other dogs and sometimes people which made walks miserable and embarrassing. Indoors, it was jumping, and a constant need for attention and stimulation. It felt like she couldn't relax, or didn't know how, or maybe just didn't want to. So by extension, we couldn't either. We live in an apartment and even just taking her to the rooftop relief area was becoming a hell. I went down the same training rabbit hole many people do. YouTube videos weren't helping. They didn't explain what to do if the method in the video didn't work--which they never did for me. We decided to do some weekly training classes with a dog trainer we found through Rover. She taught Junie plenty--like any German shepherd, she's a very quick learner. She was trying to use counter conditioning to help Junie stop reacting so strongly to other dogs. And while Junie learned a lot, things weren't getting any better. She understood all the commands, she knew what was expected of her, but she almost never chose to do what we asked. It felt like we were constantly competing to be the most interesting thing in her world and we were fighting a losing battle. It was extremely frustrating and we were tired. It was clear to us that there was something important we were missing. We so badly wanted a dog we could bring to breweries, hikes, and backpacking trips and we were starting to wonder if we weren't a good fit for Junie. Assuming you've also been down the internet dog training rabbit hole, you've probably also seen people talk about how board and trains are a waste of money. We were nervous, but Tom came highly recommended by a friend of ours and we were at our wit's end. We didn't want our lives to be so entirely ruled by our dog--it wasn't healthy for any of us. We reached out to him in October and she stayed with Tom through the month of November. Best decision EVER. We were right about there being a missing link--it was our relationship with Junie that needed to be adjusted. Yes, we are her loving caretakers, but we are also people she needs to respect and listen to. It's now January and we can take her anywhere that allows dogs. She will stick by our side in a heel without a leash, whether on a sidewalk, at the beach, or in the forest. She can walk past a dog a foot away without reacting. She lays down next to our table at breweries. She stays in place until we release her. When she's playing off leash, she comes when we call her. We genuinely couldn't be happier! Here were my worries going into this: Would WE get enough training through this process to be able to continue things once Junie came home? --Absolutely. There was a learning curve of course on our end with the ecollar, but I truly did feel prepared by the time we got her home to continue her training. Tom is great at answering questions along the way and after your dog comes home. It hasn't even been 3 months since we adopted her--will it have a negative impact for her to have such a big change so soon? --If this is the position you're in, please don't keep suffering, just make the call! Dogs in general are a lot more resilient than we give them credit for. I honestly feel that sooner was better--it meant less time for her bad habits to get worse/more ingrained. No regrets here at all. Will the training stick? --Yes but it's entirely up to you. As long as you're continuing to keep your dog accountable, you'll definitely keep having the dog you want. Maybe my dog just needs more exercise? --I mean exercise is important, but you shouldn't have to exhaust your dog to get it to behave. We had started renting out Dog Yard through Roam three days a week to try and exhaust her. Probably exhausted us more than her lol. You can absolutely trust Tom and his trainers with your pup and I promise you if you've been struggling and things haven't been working--reach out to Tom! I can say wholeheartedly that this was the best investment we've ever made.

I want to start by saying how much I wish I wasn't the first person to leave a less than 5 star…read morereview. I really wish we'd had the amazing experience everyone else has had-It's why I chose Tom and Leaps N Bounds. My dog is a rescue who was found on the streets and drove several states away in a crate in a van-crates are traumatic to her. She had broken teeth and hurt herself in the past when kept alone in a crate. It's been hard to work with-for the first year we had her, someone always had to be at home and boarding and grooming were high-anxiety. I expressed all of this to Tom-of course my dog would be in a crate for training and I really hoped that training could help-but extremely worried that my dog would break another tooth. I expressed this exact worry to Tom almost every time we spoke. He even said to me once in reply that I "was so caught up in (dog's) past that I couldn't see her future." I thought maybe I was overly worried about it and decided to trust Tom with the training and gave him dog's Trazedone to manage her just in case she couldn't handle being in the crate. We got a couple of great videos about dog's training. He even sent us a link to the "maximum security" style crate he had her in on amazon and said he hadn't seen the problems we described. I was really excited for her to come home. When we went to the first homecoming owner training at his house, I noticed she still had dry kibble in her bowl, which meant our feeding instructions weren't being followed-dog gets a mix of wet/dry food and water. I asked about the leftover food and Tom mentioned that she'd been "bratty" in the crate recently and hadn't finished her food for the past couple of days. While this is highly unusual for dog, I dismissed it initially as stubbornness around plain dry kibble. Dog came home the next day, Sunday June 29. She was licking her lips a lot, but I thought it was anxiety. Wednesday July 2nd, I finally decided to look at her mouth, and was horrified to see her large upper right canine was chipped/broken so badly that the pulp was visible. This has been a massive and very expensive disruption in our lives. We want our 2 year old dog to have a long life with her tooth. Veterinary dental specialists are hard to find and come with 2-3 months waits. We've since spent many hours (and already over $1k) at emergency vets, xrays, and finding dental specialists who do root canals/crowns. We've can't take her to daycare or her cage-free boarding facility because she can't play with other dogs until it's fixed (per her vet). We've had to find in-home boarding people for pre-booked vacations and work travel. We finally got to see a dental specialist Thursday after a two month wait. The estimate for a root canal is $5-6k, and a crown is $10-11k. At that cost, our dog won't be made whole again, we have to settle for the root canal and annual xrays to make sure it's not infected. And we have to wait two more months for the actual procedure-still impacting our lives with no daycare, no playing with her friends. I gave two stars instead of 1 because dog is a lot better on her walks and can come with us to cafes and the market now which is great. But if I could do it again I would ask how many hours a day would my dog be in the crate, how closely will she be monitored, and what happens if she gets hurt. I'd listen to my gut about having my concerns dismissed and placed on me for "holding back my dog from her potential." You know your dog best, and if your dog is a rescue with related behavior issues, I recommend looking elsewhere for training. We did let Tom know when this happened, and all he offered was to have a call about it because "email is impersonal" (and leaves a paper trail?) but he didn't share what he thought needed to be discussed. As upset as I was at the time especially, I wasn't up for a chat about it unless it involved concrete resolution steps. There's been no follow-up since. I don't consent to my dog's name being used in any replies.

Rompas is wonderful! I was 8 mo pregnant when my dog had to have neck surgery. He came every day to…read moredo my dog's Physical Therapy and take the other pup to get some exercise. We will always trust Rompas in the future with our 2 beagles.

Rompas (the pet sitter from Seattle Dog Zen) was great. He was responsive and took great care of…read moreour dog while we were away. Compared to boarding at an off-site location, it was less stressful and less expensive. Rompas also took the time to post pictures of our dog so that we could see snapshots of their time together. When we arrived home, our apartment was in at least as clean (maybe cleaner?) condition than we left it. Rompas seemed to be very knowledgeable about how to interact with Dogs and how to discourage negative behavior gently. I highly recommend Seattle Dog Zen and Rompas specifically to anyone who needs in-home pet care or doesn't want to deal with the stress and expense of boarding a pet at the vet. It was a great experience and I will certainly be a repeat customer.

Our 2 year-old formerly wild child golden retriever Yeti completed his 3 week board and train with…read moretrainer Sami 5 weeks ago. We were SO thrilled with his progress that we booked our 11 year-old golden Komodo for a 4 session training program with Sami to teach him the same obedience, basic manners, loose-leash, and recall skills. I'm excited to report that Komodo graduated with flying colors yesterday and we also learned so much in the process! Thanks to Sami and K9 Command's balanced training, David and I learned the skills needed to effectively train our dogs and help them live their best lives! Yeti used to bark at everything. People, dogs, animals on tv, and more. His lunging and barking would scare people away, including our extended families. Komodo also started picking up Yeti's bad habits - not listening, leash tugging, and excessive barking. Nothing was working, and we became really limited in where we could go with the dogs and who we could be with. We've seriously done more together in these past few weeks since Yeti and Komodo's training than we have in all of Yeti's life! Now we take the dogs to restaurants and shops, our soccer games, hikes, paddle boarding, family events, and more! Our 6 year-old nephew used to be afraid of Yeti and all dogs in general. Today we brought the dogs to his birthday party, and he kept saying over and over "Yeti's so well trained!" He even enjoyed playing fetch with him and petting them both while they calmly sat in a room filled with tons of kids and activity! I can't tell you how many times people came up to us saying what "good boys" the dogs were as well. :) Sami, you are an incredible trainer and thank you, thank you, thank you, for truly changing our lives! We are so grateful!

i Sent my dog for 3 week in house training. When I got him back he was still exhibiting all the…read morebehaviors that I asked them to correct. No change at all. Not sure what they did with him for 3 weeks but it wasn't training. Big waste of money. Do not use them. They do not know how to train a dog.

Jordan Dove is my favorite professional dog trainer. Jordan treats every human and dog with…read morecompassion, curiosity and hope. I have enrolled my 2.5 yr old dog, Woody, in excellent group and private training lessons through several dog training organizations over the past two years. I have received my best dog training advice and outcomes with Jordan Dove. I have experienced Jordan's guidance through group classes and private lessons. Since meeting Jordan and experiencing success in group lessons I sought out private dog training sessions with her. I have finally experienced long awaited breakthroughs with Woody. He is calmer, happier and easier to walk with and engage with other people now. Throughout his life Woody has shown heightened excitement and reactivity toward dogs, rabbits and squirrels. It has been difficult to manage his behavior on walks and in public settings. Woody also exhibited demand barking whenever I stopped to talk with people on walks. Jordan seems to understand Woody and me keenly and has given valuable insight and guidance how to help Woody, (and me!), feel more comfortable and safer amid various distractions. I highly recommend that people choose Jordan for dog training classes, private lessons and advice. You and your dog will thrive under her leadership. Woody loves, trusts and listens to Jordan. When she works with him his tail is always wagging. Happy dog, Happy handler.

Jordan is a fantastic trainer for our Labrador retriever! She takes time to get to know you and the…read moredog to understand the behaviors that you want to change and goals for your training. Provides detailed notes so you have instructions on what to work on between trainings! She is also just a great person to work with! We have been doing private lessons but are also using her walk and train service while we are out of town. I would highly recommend her to help you with training your pooch!

I started with a dog training class and now my boy is in Nosework! He LOVES IT! This class has been…read morea game changer for his behavior and mind! He keeps very busy with mind games when the weather is crummy.

Fox K9 is a fantastic dog training company. I run a dog rescue. One of our dogs was returned to us…read moreafter being adopted for over two years because the adopters said she was attacking the other dogs in her home. The owner of this company worked with her for months. Now our dog is a happy, safe with other dogs, companion. The owner taught a husky to "place" and "heel", not an easy thing to do. Use Fox K9 for your dog training!

Sophia worked with me when she was based in the Bay Area. We have a Border Collie mix that was…read morerefusing commands when off leash, a big deal when walking in open areas with my toddler. She not only helped me regain authority with the dog, but I now reach out to her as needed and she coaches me from afar! Her training has given us the best possible environment for the dog.

Tiger is fantastic! She is great at what she does. Theodore our dog had an amazing time while we…read morewere out of town. 10/10 recommend.

Tiger has been a part of Luna and Lola's lives for many years, and we truly couldn't have asked for…read morea better walker, boarder, and caretaker. She's incredibly knowledgeable--especially when it came to Lola, our rescue pup with anxiety--and always approached her with such patience, compassion, and understanding. Luna and Lola absolutely loved their adventures with her, and it was clear they were not just well cared for, but truly loved. While we're so sad she's moved to Washington, we're incredibly grateful for the years of support, trust, and care she gave our pups. Wishing her all the best on her new journey--any pet and parent would be lucky to have her!

Our family adopted through True North Rescue and had a fabulous experience…read more From start to finish its clear the organization is fully dedicated to the highest standard of welfare for the dogs they rescue. Many people and organizations we encountered treat animals, especially dogs, as a transactional commodity they are entitled to buy and "own" at their discretion. Not True North. Their approach includes temperament testing the dogs, assessing what type of family may be the best fit for their needs, a thorough and highly detailed interview and application process for all prospective adopters, multiple meet and greets to ensure ideal placement, and extensive follow up after the dog has been homed. This process ensures that what's good for the family, but ultimately what's best for the dog, is the final outcome. While it is time consuming, and not all families are open to being held to this type of standard, personally we couldn't be happier with the outcome. The end result is a happy, well adjusted dog, expertly incorporated into a family who will work to give them the best life they deserve. Post placement we continue to be impressed with the practically 24 hour on call support and encouragement their officers provide and have on multiple occasions turned to them for guidance on how to ensure a happy and healthy home for our whole pack. The officers and board who run the organization are tireless in their efforts, spending nights and weekends dedicated to the rescue and the dogs they serve. Each team member we met was compassionate, professional, and dedicated advocate for GSDs and their welfare. Anyone considering adopting a GSD or looking for a worthwhile cause to support financially (they survive off donations as a non-profit!) I highly recommend True North!

Thanks for the best rescue I could ever hope for. He's so friendly and a great cuddler. Thanks for…read morethe great work you do.