Grand Rapids K9 - Dog Training

Great experience and I would recommend spending the money up front for a good trainer. In two sessions Tony trained us on the fundamentals of being consistent and know what to be actively looking for through stories and hands on training. The outcome was an 1.5 year old giant schnauzer poodle who behaved on a leash and was conditioned to the invisible fence in a positive way. The two hour sessions are necessary and really more training for the owners. If they recommend a training tool, I’d recommend getting it for the next session to train on.

Tony came for a consultation for what we thought was an aggressive behavior in our dog and quickly could see that it was actually fear and lack of confidence that was causing said aggression. He was straight up and honest about every aspect of the training and what he thought and knew could be done for our dog moving forward, which we appreciate to the highest extent. Overall he was very professional, patient and calm with our german shepherd and didn't push him too far or yell at/belittle him, which we have experienced with "professionals" in the past. This company and Tony goes above and beyond what I think they/he probably needed to for just a consultation and we are excited to work with him going forward.

So let me start off by saying, I wasn't sure what to expect from the training at first. I have a "pandemic pitty" I like to call him that was great with everyone (other than being jumpy from excitement) and never had an issues with other dogs before the big shutdown. When everything shut down, he was only a little over a yr old at the time and recently neutered. He was stuck home with 3 school aged kids doing virtual school and a toddler in the middle of winter. Long story short, he was in a high anxiety environment for an extended period of time during a critical time of his development. When we started going back out around extended family he once knew, he became more unsure of the world and who he could trust with his people and even more reactive to other dogs. He nipped 3 people in the last year and started escaping the backyard why chance he could. His behavior became so unpredictable and we couldn't trust him. Because of his age and breed now, I had limited options. I could spend thousands on a board and train program, thousands on private training, continue to risk others safety with his unpredictable behavior or euthanize. (For anyone thinking a rescue was an option, hate to break it to you but if you tell them your dog has nipped and/or bitten someone before, they won't take them. And if you think not disclosing those details would be ok just to make sure he could get placed, please seek help.) I talked with so many trainers and facilities and they all suggested he needed a board and train or extended length in person training because he needed the basics covered and then his "aggression" could be worked on. Every. Single. Person. Told me he was aggressive just by hearing my concerns. I emailed GR K9 as a last ditch effort after seeing they put focus specifically on behavior modification. That's when we met Tony. After our chat, I knew this was the best choice. First of all, he never once in that phone call flat out told me he sounds aggressive. He said, I need to see him in person because it sounds like it could be a number of things but I can't diagnose a dog over the phone. He also said, from the sounds of it, a board and train program won't work for him very well because part of his issue is his attachment to his family. So we scheduled our first appointment for him to meet us in person. (Notice he didn't try to sell my this bank breaking program or 8wks worth of sessions before even meeting us to see if it would fit!) I made sure my son was present as they are very much attached to each other. First visit, Tony came in and the first 45min my dog would NOT calm down. Through the appointment Tony not only watched the dogs behavior but also explained to me why he was doing it, how it develop led and what we can do to change it. Not once did he call my dog aggressive. He did recognize the behavior problem and we put a plan in place going forward. He worked with us at our level which for us meant at home, WITH ALL MY KIDS and on the very things he needed work on. We didn't spend 6 hrs teaching him how to sit or stay or come because he could do that stuff already (and to think all those other programs would've wasted so much time at while not addressing his actual issues). We addressed his defensive issues with his family. Not aggression. Which had I never met Tony, I wouldn't have known the difference to address it properly. My dog went from barking at any and everything even after telling him to stop to now me just saying the magic word. My husband thought it wasn't going to work. Until the other night when he used to magic word and miraculously, it worked. I could go on but Google only lets me put limited characters so I'll say this. If your family is in need of behavior modification for your dog, you will not waste energy, time or money going with GR K9. If it weren't for Tony my dog would've been euthanized a month ago and my son would be heartbroken. I can't express how grateful I am for this company and Tony for doing what they do best.