Canine School of Behavior

The trainers and owner of Canine School of Behavior have changed my relationship with my service dog. I cannot thank them enough for the work that they put in both with my dog and myself. I feel so much more confident with my dog and our bond has strengthened. I would recommend Canine School of Behavior to anyone looking to build a healthier relationship with their canine companion or working dog and to get their dog into shape.

The short of it: My 9 year old male vizsla, is a whole new dog. The long of it: I’m the third owner of a 9 year old vizsla who was re-homed due to resource guarding issues that lead to biting. Upon his arrival, we immediately went into weekly one-on-one training and uncovered a mountain of behavioral issues. I was given a lot of training tips and techniques, which I maintained at home. We had wins and losses but his underlying behavioral issues remained. Last summer, I tried a new trainer/sitter. They had issues. He recommended a 4 week board and train, which I did in the fall, that resulted with the recommendation to either permanently drug the dog, put him on a farm to live out the rest of his life or euthanize him. The dog came home with a chip on his shoulder and was ready to fight over every little thing. I was at the end of my rope. Then I met Allie. She recommended an assessment. I did an invisible eye roll. But I went. Our conversation was different. She was very pragmatic and scientific. She made points that resonated. I wanted to believe she could help but was highly sceptical given the previous experience that we had just come through. I had just spent a boat load of money and wasn’t ready to spend more but after mulling it over for a few days, I bit the bullet, dipped into savings and signed us up for the 10 day board/training program. I liked that this 10 day training included three training sessions with me + we had one follow up a week after completing the program. Upon my first training session, I could see he was already more chill. On the last day, when I picked him up we did this one exercise where we planted meat all over the floor and he had to “leave it” and oh my gosh, I could not believe my eyes. We went through the mine field of chicken and he never even looked at it. Now, the proof was really in the pudding the next day, when we went on our normal walk in our neighborhood. He found a beef stick on the sidewalk, which I only saw once he had it in his mouth. I immediately told him “leave it” and he dropped it. He just dropped it. I was stunned. I praised him and exchanged it for cheese. And we’ve maintained it for nearly two weeks. This is huge considering his guarding issues. He’s less anxious. He seems just calm, similar to how my other vizslas were at this age. He’s a shop dog and he’s not overly crazy when he sees his favorite customers. He’s not jumping on people. He's not reactive toward squirrels. He listens to my commands almost always immediately. He’s less whinny, like almost completely. He still challenges me at times but his acting out has decreased tremendously. In the last two weeks he’s acted out 4 times. It used to be a treat when we had one day without a single challenge. My husband thinks the dog has been switched out for another because of how different he's acting. And to think, the previous trainer's recommendation was to euthanize him. Thank you so much to the team at Canine School of Behavior. I know he interacted with multiple trainers but I specifically met with Jon and Steven and they were so great to work with. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

Dear Allie & Canine Staff, I just wanted to let you know how appreciative we are for you guys! Jax came home so well behaved, so much calmer, and we can’t thank you enough. I honestly thought 4 weeks with your 5 days on, and 2 days off, was going to be really hard for Jax and me. BUT it was the best routine ever!! You guys are truly amazing, kind, and patient. During this process, I was extremely nervous but realized he was in great hands. I wish you all the best. And Jax misses you guys! Warm regards, Jana Levy + Jax