WOW...Dont waste your time with any other Dog trainers as Mike is TOP DOG !. He has always been in tuned with dogs and has a true passion in his heart for his furry friends.. It amazes me how he can think both , like a dog and a human...ha ha. Well that is probably why he is do good! :) So don't delay CALL Mike today! read more

I have had Murphy since he was 7 weeks old. He was a rescue from a Wish 4 Animals. He was loving and sweet. A few months ago he started becoming aggressive. There were three separate events in a 5 month span, not to mention the fact that daily he going after the cat. The last was with me. I called our Vet and asked for a specialist for aggressive behavior. He give me Mike Cruz's #. I called him immediately to set up an appointment. I told him we were in the middle of a financial crisis. He offered to make a payment agreement. Mike has saved my dogs life and my heart for Murphy. With in minutes Murphy was under control. That was a little over a week ago. walking Murphy and not letting him be the alpha dog! He was turning on a dime. The jumping is non existent, and he now no longer gets on the furniture when he wants, we invite him up to join us. I am able to open the door without him charging. Murphy now sits and waits to great people on command in a calm manner. Wow! never thought that would happen. The most important lesson is not the dog listening(though this is 1B) it's the owner 1AI This is a 50/50 training session. 50% owner, 50% dog. You are not able to train your dog, if you do not listen to Mike, what he says and what he does. Follow through, follow through, follow through!!!!!!!!! Mike's knowledge and communication was top notch . Murphy has three big personalities. Mike did not make any false promises, nor did he promise to create a miracle. What he did do is give us tools to use every day, so that people entering our home and encountering people or other animals while on a walk; are safe. He taught us how to be in control of our dog and a situation. Mike also give us another gift from his heart. He is a kind, compassionate, caring man. Who I believe truly loves what he does; and he does it well. He is a true professional, but friendly and definitely approachable. He welcomes questions and will actually give you the answer so you will understand it, No babble here. straight, direct and honest. We thank God for Mike, in so many different ways, for so many different reasons. I would recommend Mike to everyone I know. We liked him so much, that we invited him back for dinner (which we are setting up). Not to check the dog, but to just have a nice dinner with a new friend. Thank you Mike. Gerry T. read more

My boyfriend and I had a very aggressive and angry dog. I was very excited when my sister recommended Mike when she witnessed my dogs behavior. He came over and spent a substantial amount of time with us and by the end of the lesson, we seriously had a new dog! He explained to us the way a dog thinks and understands which made total sense. I do not have time to read dozens of training books that all say different things. This whole process could not have been better or easier. I now appreciate and understand my dog and life is a lot easier rather than daunting. I have e-mailed and called Mike since to ask a few questions and he has responded in a timely manner. Always very friendly and eager to help. He has a real passion and understanding of dogs. I am so grateful I was made aware of Mike. read more

Save your money. Everything in Mike's response below is what he taught in our home. We didn't "do our homework" because we requested an additional lesson without the choke chain or "bite" chain the following day -which was declined and offered a phone consultation instead. We still weren't satisfied and asked for a refund and we were sent a gag order to sign if we wanted to see our money back for the "guaranteed satisfaction or your money back." If you have any questions, I'm happy to answer them AND send you a copy of this ridiculous legal garbage we were sent in order for them to keep their money for nothing and for us to tell yelpers what it's really about. read more

I waited a month to write this review. I will admit... at first I was skeptical. How could someone teach me to train my mischievious goldendoodle puppy in one hour?? But, I was desperate... my puppy was running the house, having accidents, and getting into trouble. After 90 minutes with Mike, she was like a new dog! Mike taught us how to communicate with her, effectively punish her for doing wrong, and give positive reinforcement for good behavior. And, my 17 week-old puppy knows basic commands, and hasn't had an accident in the house for 3 weeks! Training a puppy is time-consuming and takes a lot of follow-up work, but now we have the skills needed. Mike LOVES dogs, and it shows in his work. I highly recommend the K9 Mentor - so highly, I've already referred two of my good friends. read more

We just added a new puppy into our family and decided we needed some dog training straight from the get go to get started on the right path. After much research and deciding, we went with Mike the K9 Mentor. It was my first time ever getting dog training so I did not know what to expect. Mike was straight forward from the get go and didn't try to sell me packages. When I told him I had several dogs that may need training he said he could either train them OR train the new puppy and I can take what I get from that and train my other dogs myself. I loved that! He was very thorough and made learning everything very easy! My puppy showed improvement immediately. I kid you not! My puppy was wild, non submissive trying to show an alpha personality. But after Mike showed me some techniques and leash training, he was a changed puppy! Immediately he learned to walk on a leash and in an obedient way! I would definitely recommend Mike to anyone and if I ever need dog training again, he would be the guy I would go to! read more

Ok, I wanted to wait a week or so before I left my review. I have a Lab/New Foundland mix, he is 6 months old. He has average energy, but he is BIG and TALL. His favorite past times are stealing anything off of counters and tables. He also pulled on the leash a little, nothing terrible but it did need to be corrected. He had also picked up some bad habits, like barking at everyone and growling too. TAlk about having an intimidating dog? Mike came out and spent about 1.5 hours with me going over basic dog psychology, then he spent another 1.5 hours working with me and my dog. I have been dilligent with our Alpha walks, twice a day. I never realized that my sweet dog was also stubborn. Anyway, its like I have a different dog. He waits for me to enter the house first, doesn't bark as much (not completely gone), and seems more relaxed. The only changes I would make it get 2 leads for in the house, they get horribly dirty and FAST. I would recommend this training to anyone who wants to have a well behaved dog with good social skills. Thank you Mike! read more

I trusted the consistently high reviews but was so extremely wrong and regret wasting my money and subjecting myself and my dog to Mike. My experience of Mike was that he was over the top arrogant, easily annoyed, and impatient. Even if he was knowledgable, which was not at all my experience, he is so domineering and intense that it's hard to hear anything he says. Similarly, the core of his approach is the use of the choke chain. That's fine for some and if used correctly but I wish I knew that was his approach before paying him $400. In sum, he literally came over, yelled and spoke at me, got annoyed and said "that's coming!"whenever I asked a question, didn't ask a thing about my dogs specific behavior, made my dog yelp with tail between legs, and basically degraded me. I hope he is better with dogs than he is with people. read more

We have a wonderful Maltese rescue that had lots of issues with other dogs, strangers, cars, housebreaking, etc. After one day with Mike she's a new dog. We've been so impressed with his common sense training methods. I can't say enough what a difference it's made. I wouldn't hesitate recommending Mike to anyone who needs help with their dog. A huge improvement in one lesson! Great dog training experience! read more

We've had Scottish Terriors my entire life and our 3 year old little guy is truly a terror. He lunges at bicycles, attacks blow driers, isn't a fan of big black dogs and the list goes on. We called upon K9 Mentor to help us in desperate times. Mike came in and worked with my husband and I as well as our adult children. It took only one visit and a couple of additional communications for us to gain the upper hand with our little guy. I would recommend Mike to anyone with a dog, young or old. He's extremely knowledgeable, patient, approachable and knows his business. Mike's a true professional. Thank you, Mike. We'll recommend you to everyone who has a pup. read more

Mike is the real deal! After one training my dog snapped right in place! Very good investment. Price is great for the life time info you get. read more

I was so curious to see how one training could make a difference, but it sure did with our new puppy! The concepts taught make a lot of sense and while they do require practice by everyone in the household, they do work if you do your part. Life is so much better when your dog is well-behaved! Thanks K9Mentor! read more

Highly recommend Mike! He has always been available for questions after we had our training. We have seen a huge change in our dog after we implemented the skills Mike taught us. read more

I had a relatively new rescue dog with nearly every bad puppy habit imaginable even though he's already nearly 2 years old. Simon was people and animal aggressive, barked incessantly, dug up our yard, ate our furniture, nipped at my kids, stole shoes and buried them in our backyard - you name it. Our call to Mike at K9 Mentor was our last resort -- after seeing all the reviews here I figured I didn't have anything to lose. He wasn't cheap but, after only spending a couple of hours at our house, the results were immediately apparent and worth every penny! My husband and I stood there slack-jawed as Mike took our formerly-aggressive dog on a walk, near people and other dogs, holding on to his leash with his EAR -- Simon didn't strain at the leash or even look at the people or other dogs -- he just looked at up at Mike for further direction. A few weeks later, Simon had regressed (he is apparently one of a very small percentage of dogs who is hard wired to be the Alpha) -- Mike was available and counseled us over the phone as to additional steps he suggested we take. It has been a lot of work and consistency with the training tools Mike provided, but we finally have a loveable dog whose aggression and other bad habits are under control. read more

I was lucky enough to win a session with Mike. Being skeptical, I thought I might not get much out of the free session but expected a sales pitch for further training. I was wrong! Mike was great at dealing with all of my issues in the one session, even taking extra time to make sure everything was covered. And no sales pitch to spend more money! He was wonderful to work with. My dog is doing much better since I began using Mike's techniques. I'm still a work in progress but my pup responds quickly when I use Mike's methods. A big thanks to Mike for all of his help! I highly recommend him as he will get FAST results and not string you along for more sessions than you need. read more

My new golden retriever puppy was exhibiting very frustrating behavioral issues and my brother referred me to Mike at The K9 Mentor. Mike's philosophy, knowledge and incredible passion for training is beyond reproach! I live in Las Vegas and have tried numerous dog trainers over the years...Mike's approach is easy (if you maintain consistency) and logical. I immediately implemented all of his recommendations with remarkable success! Thanks Mike! read more

Mike is an incredible trainer. We couldn't belive what happened during the first (and only) training session - it was like what you see on Dog Whisperer. Woody, our 5 month old golden retriever, was misbehaving and jumping and nipping/biting. With Mike's help, we've seen an incredible transformation with Woody. I'm so grateful that we made this investment in training...What he taught us will work with Woody and with any other dog we have in the future. An invaluable experience - thanks Mike!!! read more

MIKE IS AMAZING! I had the worst dog ever! He was a complete mess and was making my life a nightmare! We were on the verge of giving him to a shelter or just letting him loose in the woods! It was BAD!!! Mike walked into our house and within a few hours had me confident that we were going to have a great dog. He was professional, caring and just made sense! He even helped my 5 year old and 9 year old understand what we were doing wrong and explained all the steps to take to making our dog a happy one. We were given a plan to follow and did exactly what he trained us to do and have a completely different dog! I was blown away by how easily Mike was able to explain to us what we were doing wrong and what we needed to do to have a happy household. I can honestly say that he changed our lives. I recommend him all the time! We even got a new puppy and used Mikes training to raise our new pup and she is by far the best dog we have ever had! Mike doesn't train the dog, he trains you on how to truly communicate to another species. Call Mike! I promise you will not be sorry! read more

I cannot write enough good things about Mike. I would like to note that he has not yet met with my 11 week old puppy (we will be meeting with him in 5 weeks when my puppy is 16 weeks old). However, Mike has already spent numerous hours talking to me on the phone or sending email responses to all sorts of questions related to my puppy. He is so kind, caring and informative! The tips and tricks he's shared with me so far have been very helpful already. I cannot imagine working with anyone other than Mike, and am counting down until my puppy is 16 weeks so he can start training with Mike! Strongly recommend him! read more

Mike does such a wonderful job. He knows what he's talking about and can confidently teach owners and families how to take care of and train their dogs. My dog normally is afraid of men and barks and retreats and he was able to get her to be submissive and calm and wag her tail and ask him for affection and praise within almost no time. His techniques are on point and accurate. I have no doubt in his training methods. He is also very personable and professional. Throughly enjoyed our session. read more

Very VERY helpful. Mike didn't recommend his class because it wouldn't be worth the money for me, he says I'm doing well with training so far. Considering taking his class anyway to see how he interacts with dogs, read more

I can't say enough great things about Mike Cruz- The K9 Mentor. He is fantastic. We have a 10 week old Golden Retriever Puppy. Mike has taught us the basics as well as some advanced methods for training her. We have all learned so much from him. He is firm but uses a lot of positive reinforcement. His training methods really work and are easy to do ourselves. Mike is very easy to work with responds quickly to emails and phone calls. I would recommend Mike to anyone whether they have a puppy or a mature dog. He really knows his stuff. read more

Spoke with Mike about my dog's problem. He gave me his best advice free of charge over the phone. It was not what I wanted to hear but I can tell his honesty and professionalism for not just trying to charge me for a training that he thinks may not benefit any of us. I would definitely consider hiring him in the future if I have needs for dog training. read more

Mike (Owner) is awesome! I highly recommend his services. He has a lifetime of experience working with dogs and it is quite impressive to see him in action. He really understands the psychology of the animals and knows how to work with them on their level. Not only does he help train your dog but he also works with the owners and will teach you the correct methods to use moving forward. He has earned my business! read more

I had a dog that was showing aggressive territorial instincts. I had pursued various techniques to deal with her issues. Nothing was working. I liked the reviews I saw on Yelp for Mike and was impressed by his website, so I gave him a call. He was very upfront with us during our first meeting, and gave us some great advice and techniques. The was he interacts with and handles dogs is amazing. Unfortunately by our second meeting it was clear to us that our dog had issues that most likely could not be trained out. Again he was very upfront, professional, understanding and kind. He tried to help us as best he could (free of charge) to give us resources for rescues and what not. In the end we did have to put her down though. It was a very tough decision, but Mike made us feel as though we had done everything we could, and that we were making the best decision we could for the situation we were in. He offered and recommended that we let him help us make our next dog choice, and I will. In the end he only charged us for the 2 sessions, but helped us throughout the process. He was very responsive to questions and correspondence and such, and I got the feeling that he really cares about the people and dogs he is charged to help train. read more

When I brought my 4 year old dog Daisy to Mike, I was at the end of my rope. Daisy was a good dog but she was stubborn and I didn't think she'd change her ways. I had tried pet store classes before and saw little improvement in her behavior so I was concerned about trying again. The money back guarantee that The K9 Mentor offered was what convinced me to give it another shot as I had nothing to lose. And I liked the fact that the owner, Mike, was the person who would be working with her. The improvement that I saw after the first lesson was amazing! It was as if Mike had spoken to Daisy and gotten through to her in a way that nobody else had before. He taught both my fiance and I how dogs think and how we should communicate with her. And it worked! We've had Mike come out for a few lessons and have been pleased after every one. We want to make sure that she continues to be a good dog so we work with her using the techniques Mike taught us and would have no problem calling him back if we needed more help. read more

Mike was great! He came over last night to help us with our 80 pound german shepherd. He taught us to communicate with our little girl the way another dog would. By the end of the 3 hour lesson our dog totally understood her role and that we are the boss. We understand her a lot better also and how we can put her at ease by taking control and relieving her of this duty that she thought she needed to fulfill. She is very eager to please and more relaxed than ever. All this happened in a few hours!! Awesome! Mike puts things in a way that make perfect sense and are easy to understand. He will help you if you have any other questions down the road as well. All you need to do is give him a call or text and he will get back to you as soon as possible. We actually had a question this morning and he got right back to us with an answer immediately! He knows what he is doing and I can't recommend him enough. Thanks Mike! read more

I have a 6 year Brussels Griffon who has been a nightmare to walk because she goes after anyone within a 30 foot range. I went back and forth on hiring Mike after we spoke because of the price. We spoke a handful of times and he explained everything very clearly and explained the process. He then said if it doesn't work you don't pay. With so much BS out there it gave me the confidence in him that he really believed in his program. Mike was 5 minutes early and very professional in the way he explained everything. He constantly kept explaining why and what he was doing. When we were going outside to do "the walk" he went to the most crowded place possible. I was blown away how she calmly just walked by adults and even screaming children without so much as an afterthought. While we were doing "the walk" there must have been 4 or 5 people who asked for his card but he told them he was in the middle of a training and if they could wait he would be more than happy to discuss anything with them. By the time we completed "the walk" there was quite a group waiting. It is clear that he knows what he is doing and the proof is in the results. I walk her everyday around people and have had one quick bark when someone startled her but other than that she is a dream to walk. When he says one lesson is all you need he is being totally honest and I was every bit the pessimist going into it. He is the real deal and I tell everyone I come across that has a dog about his company and many have had the same experience as I have. If you're on the fence about the cost or think it won't work because your dog is set in their ways I assure you the decision to call the K-9 mentor will be a good one. Two thumbs up! read more

I have a Miniature Pincher named Sally who is sweet to me but not so sweet to everyone else. At first I thought it was cute because I felt like she thought she was protecting me. But I guess she picked up on that and the little bit of aggression she was showing got worse. When she went for the ankles of my neighbor's son, I realized that I had a problem and that her behavior was no longer "cute". I went to Petco to see what classes they had but they didn't give me any confidence that they thought they could solve the problem. I then found Mike on Craigslist, checked his website and liked that he seemed legit and that he had a guarantee. I could tell when we spoke on the phone that he was professional and confident that he could solve the issue. He mentioned that he would teach me how dogs communicate with each other so I could do the same thing and get quick results. I wanted to believe it but had some doubts. But I figured I had nothing to lose and scheduled a session. Wow! It worked! His technique was simple and very effective! When he started, he told me his goal was to keep the number of lessons to a minimum and hoped he could teach me everything I need to know to solve the problem in 1 lesson. I again had my doubts but he actually did it! 1 lesson was all it took - I know now how to communicate with her and make clear what behavior is acceptable and what isn't. He also stressed the importance of balancing corrections with praise which is important to me. I liked Mike, his method and his prices. I would recommend him to anyone who has a hard time getting their dog to behave and understand what their owner expects from them. Night and day difference. Thanks! read more

Mike Cruz is the K9 Mentor and he is worth every penny spent and more! He was efficient from the moment he returned my phone call, set up the appointment, sent the paperwork via email as promised and arrived on time for the lesson. He explained everything he would do carefully and thoroughly giving us a good understanding of why he was doing what he did with our dog. He went over the time allotted but seemed more interested in ensuring that we got exactly everything we needed to turn our rescue dog into a well-behaved pet than adhering to his time schedule (we were his last appointment of the day). He endured some indignities from our sweet, lovable dog with good humor and grace. His methods are working and we now have a dog that understands who the alpha is in our pack! We are very appreciative to have found Mike (a local pet store gave us his card) and to have been the recipients of his vast knowledge of and love for dogs. Thank you, Mike! read more

I called Mike to find out about training for 1 1/2 yr old dog. When I started talking to him about her behaviors, he said we have a dog with aggressive tendencies. He said we could train her, but the aggressive tendencies would always be there. It's part of her DNA. He told me to talk it over with my family, and let him know what we'd like to do. He said if we decided to re-home her, he would provide tips and suggestions on what to do. After our family discussion, we decided we would re-home her. I called Mike today, and he returned the call the same day. He gave me a great step-by-step process to re-home her, so we can try and find the best home for her. He offered his time and advice - free of charge. I am so impressed with Mike. He's very caring about your situation and your dog. His feedback was instrumental in making this decision. We are thinking of trying a different dog. It would be different, because we know who we can turn to for help the next time! We are sold on K9 mentor and Mike! read more