Active Dogs of Asheville

Joey has made a big difference in my dog's life as well as mine. Jacky is an anxious high energy rescue with a gigantic heart and a joyful approach to his environment. The people who rescued and fostered Jacky, found starving in Memphis, don't think he had the opportunity to learn from his mom and litter mates so he does't understand dog cues. Additionally, his foster family believed that Jacky probably lived through some abusive experiences during his first four months of life. Joey's calm and patient demeanor coupled with his keen observation of Jacky's triggers and responses has allowed Joey to gently reshape Jacky's reactive behaviors without diminishing his natural high energy curiosity. Maybe even more impressive is Joey's patience, understanding, and willingness to spend time with me in an effort to increase my ability to provide the best support for Jacky. Joey's training tips are practical and individualized to be the best help for Jacky and at the same time are things that I can easily implement when Joey is not with us. My confidence in taking Jacky for long walks in areas with lots of distractions has increased significantly because of Joey's work with both Jacky and myself.

Joey has been working with our dog, Darla, for around 6 months. We were a little overwhelmed with her activity needs (mental and physical needs) after adopting her in November of 2024. As a working breed, she is high energy; she is both incredibly intelligent and incredibly stubborn. Thankfully, we met Joey through a mutual friend, and we feel so lucky to have him working with Darla. Joey takes Darla for a 1 hour adventure at least once weekly (usually to our local park) and his sessions provide both physical and mental exercise. We have learned that a tired beagle is a better behaved beagle, and her sessions with Joey have been an essential part of our weekly routine. We love receiving photo/video updates of their sessions, and Joey is always really great at communicating any issues/questions. Darla has also boarded with Joey on two separate occasions, and she always looks like she’s having more fun during our vacations than we are :) she loves the company of his two dogs, Penny and Wiley. We have complete peace of mind when she is in his care, and we are so grateful. I’m pretty sure she would move in with him if she could. Lastly, with his experiences in dog training and in veterinary medicine, Joey has helped guide us/advise us through Darla’s training journey, and we have made so much progress with her over the last 6 months with his help.