FDF Canine Services

SERIOUSLY THE BEST MONEY I’VE EVER SPENT!! We adopted a bonded pair of 2 large labs from a local animal rescue back in NOV 2022, one of them being a male 88 lbs 2 y/o chocolate lab. While my husband and I are both lifelong dog owners and have previously been able to work through aggressive behavioral issues with another one of our dogs in the past, this time we just couldn’t get past Tucker’s resource guarding (socks, shoes, hand towel,ect.) on our own and we needed some help. We didn’t want to return him to the rescue and we certainly didn’t want to live in fear in our own home either; so I reached out to a member from the rescue and FDF Canine Services was one of the trainers that they recommended for the type of issue we were having. I reached out via their website, they responded promptly and I spoke with Joe about our concerns. Tucker is a big boy and 99% of the time he was a loving and playful pup, but that 1% of the time when he gets caught resource guarding, then starts to growl and snap… it can be very scary  That’s a big dog with the potential for a big bite! Joe was incredibly knowledgeable and discussed his approach to working with dogs of all different kinds of issues and the tools they use for training. I was on board right away because I knew this wasn’t going to be some program where we were going to be just constantly bribing our dog with treats. We put down our deposit for the board & train and they had an opening 2 weeks out. On day 1, we met with Joe in person and discussed the resource guarding and some other basic obedience behaviors we would like worked on. 4 weeks later, we returned for our 2 hour return home lesson and I COULD NOT BELIEVE THAT WAS MY DOG!!! He was still a goofy, excitable and playful 2 y/o pup, but he was so disciplined and had impulse control, he was a perfect little soldier boy! The home lesson was incredibly informative and we worked through several different training exercises going over how to properly communicate and correct your dog without confusing them or creating conflict. Listen to what he says and actually apply it, don’t go home and keep correcting your dog the way you were before. AND DO THE HOMEWORK!!! Don’t just open it up and read it once, read it every single day that you are training at home with dog. Your dog just put in 4 weeks of hard dedicated work (and so did Joe & Allie) so that your dog could live their best life, now it’s your turn to put in a solid 4 weeks of training every day so that you can re-connect with your dog and enjoy every moment you have with your dog. Keep in touch with the trainer and ask questions, they are here to help us stay on track. And want to see us and our dogs succeed  I promise it’ll be worth it, I feel more confident with my dogs than I ever have and I am not afraid or nervous to take them out to large gatherings were before I would have been afraid of them being over stimulated and reactive. I already have 2 friends who were so impressed with Tucker’s behavior, before and after his training, they are reaching out to FDF to schedule for their dog’s training. I can’t say enough great things about Joe & Allie, they saved my Tucker’s life! Let’s face it, families don’t adopt large breed, full grown dogs that have black mark on their record for aggression, even something as mild our situation. I will always recommend FDF to anyone I meet while I am out with my dogs if they comment on how well behaved they are. And even if they don’t comment on it, I’m probably going to tell them anyway ;)

We’ve been using Allie & Joe for 5+ years and trust absolutely no one else with the care of our pets. We have 5 dogs, each with their own personalities and challenging quirks, and they care for each of them much like their own. Without fail, after they’re picked up from their vacation the pups are well worn out and tired from a week of playing and having fun on the farm. We got daily pictures, status updates, and could tell the dogs have a home away from home whenever we’re gone.

After searching for a daycare for months, I found FDF, and I’m so grateful I did. My pup was afraid of larger breeds but he’s found friends in all sizes at FDF! I’ve tried the bigger chains and I felt uncomfortable leaving him. He gets so excited when I tell him “we’re going to see his friends”. He knows exactly where he his the moment his feet hits their driveway. I never have to worry about him again. They send pictures of his day and have even made accommodations for a medical condition he has. I know he wouldn’t get this treatment and love anywhere else! Thank you FDF for all that you do for Brooks and so many others!!! Bonus is I’ve heard so many great things about them after I’d already chosen them. I love that I have friends and rescues that also use them.

I was glad to learn of a daycare closer to home, so I gave them a try. They were a little hard to find. There is a sign at the street, but when you drive down the road, there are a few houses. I didn't see a sign on any of the buildings and had to Google the address number to find which house it was. There are no cameras which other places have. I like to be able to check in periodically to see how they are doing. I thought I read on their site that they send updates through day and pictures, but that must be for boarding dogs as I didn't get any. They have a big fence up, so I don't know what the play area looked like. I know they said they are putting turf down. I know there are pictures online, but it's not the same as seeing it live. They charged for the trial day, which no other place has ever done. I wouldn't have cared, but one of the guys said it was a trial day, yet another one said you still pay for the day.