Atlantic K9 Training LLC

I have a 90+ lb German Shepard (Tutli) who became extremely leash reactive at around 7months. Pregnant with a three year old daughter, I had exhausted myself and all of my own training tools. I sent tutli to a 2 week train and board at Atlantic K9 and it was life changing. Of course it's a not one and done fix (which was promised to me by a number of other training facilities who assured me I'd have a "remote controlled dog", which is both not what I wanted and unrealistic), but with their guidance, I was able to maintain training and we've made huge progress. Now at 14 months, I am able to walk her safely in my neighborhood with my new baby. There is nothing more I wanted than a smart, safe, loyal family dog- thanks to Atlantic K9, that's what we have! She is perfect with my kids and a wonderful family pet. Could not recommend them more.

We had adopted Harry from a local rescue organization in November, 2019. Harry is a two year old, 20-pound ball of love, a mix of something, we aren't quite sure what, but maybe terrier or Havanese. He had a wonderful personality from the get-go, he just wanted to be loved. But as the weeks went by after we brought him home, we also saw he had some dangerous habits - the biggest one was dashing out after cars. And although he liked playing with other dogs, whenever we were on a walk and another dog would go by, he was just beside himself, barking, pulling, almost aggressively. And Harry, who only has 3 1/2 legs, because one of his front legs is just a stub, he was able to wriggle out of his harness a few times while on walks  and he would take off like a bullet, not listening to us at all, he was gone!  I was so afraid he was going to get hit by a car or run away. We tried going to traditional, rewards, treat based training, and he learned some basic commands. But those dangerous habits seemed very ingrained. Nothing we did was working. I wasn't enjoying walking him, I was always on guard. Then one day, while while we were together in front of my house, two hugs security type dogs walked by with their owner. Harry went crazy and suddenly he was out of his harness running full speed right at the two dogs. Their owner tried to control them, but Harry went right up into their faces. I lost 10 years off my life, how he came away unscathed I don't know - but I realized I needed to take his training more seriously and that I needed help. I called around many different places, but kept coming back to Atlantic K-9. From their detailed website, and then from when I spoke with Kathleen and Jenna, I felt this could be the answer I was looking for. I did have a lot of concerns though and they patiently talked to me and answered them all.  I didn't know much about e-collar training and I wanted to know things like: would it would hurt him; would it change his personality; would he be distrustful of me if we sent him away to boot camp after having rescued him?, etc, etc. They walked me through step by step of the boot camp process and their holistic approach to dog training. My husband and I made the decision to invest in Harry so he could have a safe, happy future for him. We both agree it was literally the best money we have ever spent! Dropping Harry off at Atlantic K-9 for his boot camp was easier than I thought because I did have confidence in Kathleen and her team already at this point. They are so warm, caring and professional. They sent me updates throughout his stay, and I could see he was getting along well with the other dogs. Because of his 3 1/2 legs he did get tired more quickly than the others, and they adjusted his training to accommodate his needs. When Harry came home, he was exhausted from his hard work of learning new things, but his personality hadn't changed at all. In fact, he seemed more loving and settled knowing his boundaries.  Kathleen did a session with myself and my husband to teach us how to keep up the training at home. I was skeptical if this was all going to really work - but I can't tell you how the training transformed Harry and his bad habits. But I know with my own bad habits,  I usually wind up regressing back to my old ways, but Harry has not. We have to give minimal corrections - he just knows what to do and he does it. He's so well behaved and happy. As I write this, it has been five months since his training and he is still on point. I had a second follow up session with Kathleen and she took Harry and I into the woods with one of her dogs - and we off-leashed Harry for the first time. Something I never thought I'd be able to do! He listened so well, stayed right with us, and enjoyed the walk so much. When dogs walk by or cars whiz past, he is calm, cool and collected! But he's still our fun loving Harry, he's just so much safer - and I'm so much saner. I can't thank Kathleen and her team at Atlantic K-9 enough. I recommend them with a grateful heart! Sam Trapani, Georgetown, MA

Can’t recommend them enough! We sent our lab mix rescue to their 2 week boot camp program when he proved too difficult for us to train. Our biggest issues were barking, pulling on leash, and not coming when called. They fixed all of those issues making all of our lives drastically better. We can now go for walks without a struggle, he’s no longer pulling or barking at everything he sees, and we can use the heel command when needed. He’s now living his best life running off leash at the beach, dog park, etc. as we can trust him to come when called. This has literally been life changing for our family - we can take the kids and dog out together without being stressed the whole time. Communication was excellent, methods were made clear, questions were answered. The trainer took her time with us going over everything when we picked him up. Photos posted daily. Price on par with other similar programs in MA, but I truly believe the quality of this place is better than others in the area. 100% would recommend and if we ever get another dog we will definitely send them to Atlantic k9!!

My dog began behaving aggressively about the time she turned 2. She was a rescue and I do not know much about her history before she came to us at 6 months. I was worried I'd have to keep my dog muzzled and always on a leash because of her behavior which was scaring me and the runners and cyclists she had begun trying to chase and terrify. She has an extremely high energy level and needs to run wild in the woods or beach every day to be happy and good. Anyway I had heard about Kathleen and Atlantic K9 training through two local dog friends and I signed my dog up for 2 weeks of bootcamp with Kathleen. My husband was nervous and upset because of the thought of negative reinforcement scared him. Long story short my dog came home after two weeks happy and under my voice control (after my lesson with Kathleen) . I can walk her easily on leash now and I can let her run free with me keeping her close and under voice control now. I can't tell you how good and friendly she now behaves towards strangers when I'm out and about with her. Kathleen and her trainers saved our dog from a very different kind of life than the one she has now. Thank you Kathleen!