Alpha K-9 Obedience

My wife and I can’t thank Michael enough for his skills and insight when helping us address our new pet’s challenges. We picked up our new dog, Eiger, in November from his foster home. We knew that he would present some special challenges, as he was extremely afraid of noises, new places, and even us. He would simply drop and pancake when we attempted to lead him on a leash, even to take him out to go potty. He would also sit, stare into the distance, and drool. We were completely lost and confused about what to do. As with our other dogs, we thought that engaging a “dog trainer” would help us with our new pup. But the initial trainer quickly admitted that Eiger had very special needs, far beyond typical training and even her expertise. Our neighbor had employed Michael for her new pup and was impressed, so we thought that we’d give him a call. Our first phone conversation with Michael lasted nearly an hour. He seemed very confident that he could help. On Michael’s first visit to our home, he admitted that Eiger was one of the most extreme cases of fear that he’d seen, but felt confident that he could help both us and our very frightened pup. Michael explained that Eiger was very scared, but needed to understand that we “had his back”. He also said that we needed to “release his brain”. I must admit that we didn’t quite understand or have a lot of confidence in what he was saying. But what Michael said began to make sense as we progressed through his training sessions. Michael didn’t simply instructed us to do something, he explained why we were doing it and what it would mean to Eiger. As an “Animal Behaviorist”, Michael seemed to have special insight as to why Eiger did what he did and how we needed to change his actions. His guidance wasn’t simply commands or practice sessions, like those that we had used with previous pets. He provided a true understanding of why Eiger was doing what he was doing and how we needed to help modify those behaviors. Today, after 8 sessions with Michael, Eiger is a completely different dog. He’s happy, walks with confidence, and now greets visitors without fear. We now understand what Michael meant by “Releasing his brain”. We would have never, in a million years, thought that we’d see these dramatic changes in that little frightened dog that we brought home 5 months ago. Thank you Michael for your knowledge, insight, and guidance. You’re help has transformed a frightened, insecure dog into an outgoing one who loves to hike, isn’t afraid of new people, and generally seems to want to learn more. You’re the best!

Michael is a rare find in that he has the scientific education as a behaviorist but he's also incredibly intuitive when it comes to understanding what the dog is thinking. Our dog Zeke responded to him immediately and I knew he was the right fit. Honestly, the most important part was training us to lead our Pittie mix rescue dog properly. Don't give up on your dog - contact Michael for help! You won't regret it.

Michael’s training was SO helpful for our 3yo German Shorthaired Pointer, Cedar. Cedar was fearful when we had new people over and often resorted to aggression towards our guests, but Michael gave us tools to make sure Cedar is comfortable and does not react with aggressive behaviors. In addition, we were able to work on walking on a leash, ignoring triggers outside, and just overall respect for us, all without using food/e-collar as a motivator, which is super helpful since Cedar is not food motivated when any distractions are present. We always knew Cedar was smart and sweet, we just didn’t have the tools to bring that out in him, and now we have seen such a change in these training sessions. We had pretty much given up on bringing new people to our home, but now, with our new tools, we have introduced new people and he is snuggling with them on the couch within 10 minutes - we never thought this was possible with Cedar. I’m so grateful for the tools Michael gave us and I would definitely recommend him to someone with our similar situation!

We engaged Michael to address anxious behavior exhibited by our pup Juno. As a rescue that experienced early trauma, she has struggled with reactivity towards other dogs, some people and cars. Within a few sessions, Michael has taught us how to appropriately correct problematic behaviors. It has been so wonderful to watch Juno transition to a more relaxed and happy dog! We tried other dog training programs and they did not yield reliable long-term results. Michael's methods are simple and effective. It is evident that he has remarkable connection to the dogs and is committed to optimizing the dog / owner relationship. So thrilled we found Michael at Alpha K9!

Michael's approach to training really resonated with us and our puppy. My husband and I sought out his behaviorist support to help with our strong-willed lab. We learned a new philosophy of training and picked up tons of tools to improve our dog's skills as well as our own as owners. We continue to use these tools even now that we've finished training. We appreciated Michael's graduated approach, ensuring our dog learned one skill well before advancing to the next. We also like the short bursts of training where you had time to assimilate his learning. It really worked! We learned to teach him to be gentle with our baby, stay out of the kitchen, walk perfectly on leash, and other general commands. Our dog has greatly benefited from our leadership. We also enjoyed chatting with Michael as he shared lots of stories from his past experiences! We highly recommend working with Michael!