Great Pets by Brian KIlcommons

I am going to try to be fair. Summary: we asked for Brian Kilcommons’ behavioral opinion, and without ever meeting us or the animals, Brian Kilcommons’ recommendation was to euthanize our dogs. We spoke twice on the phone after two of our dogs got into fights and, separately, one nipped two adult male relatives. Very difficult behavior. In the first call, Brian said he would come do an assessment and that we could send the first dog to his facility for about $21,000 for 30 days and then the second dog for 30 days for another $21,000 (he charges about $700/day). On the first call he had good practical recommendations such as buying an air horn and removing bones and toys, and making sure any pet-caregivers sign waivers. He also recommended intimidation tactics such as banging on wire crates, and freely noted that not everyone is ok with that style of management. Eye-wateringly expensive, but fine. After the fights, whatever it takes for the closest thing my wife and I have to children, although I didn’t think we could afford $42,000, and I told him so. But we left it that we would be in touch on scheduling. After the latest fight, we called to see when he could come and if there was something he could do. He said, facetiously, that he would happy to take our money, but that quite simply we don’t know what we’re doing, we are out of our depth, it’s too late, and to euthanize the dogs. “At some point, in 6 months or a year, one of these dogs will kill the other” and preemptively killing one or both is the only solution (we do not have human kids, for the record). With my wife in tears, I thanked him for his candor. In fairness, we asked for his help, and he gave us his opinion. Now, the reason for the review: he may be right, I am not trying to detract from his supposed expertise (we never saw any of it since he didn't care to work with us, though he’ll certainly be happy to talk your ear off about it). But to make such a drastic recommendation, after two brief phone calls, not having taken the time to interact or observe the dogs nor us, neither in our home nor at his facility, feels irresponsible and unethical, particularly at the cost he feels justified to charge. I feel that potential clients should know this, as should those who referred us to him. As a side note, I, as others here, found him to be rude. He routinely says something like “I am not here to talk down to you, but…” right before he says something as though he’s speaking to an idiot (which, evidently, he believes us to be). I have often found professional dog people to be eccentric, so, whatever, comes with the territory, and I’m no snowflake. But to be so cavalier in attitude and tone with a drastic recommendation of killing a beloved dog, whatever the circumstances, without having done a professional evaluation, is hard to make allowances for. Brian Kilcommons was recommended to us by (extremely wealthy) people who had success with him and his methods. Of course, we never got to experience his methods. The problems we were told he had great success with were things like basic obedience and peeing on carpets and such, and obviously our family is not dealing with mere leash-pulling or jumping up on guests. To sum, if you have mild issues, a few tens of thousands to burn, and are comfortable working with someone who will literally shoot from the hip without getting to know you or your dog, maybe Brian Kilcommons is your guy, even if he tells you to put your dogs down without having done any work. There are a lot of positive reviews here, and that must count for something. Thankfully we got a second opinion and someone else upstate is willing to put in the time to understand the situation and the dogs, and will at least observe and work with the animals for 4 weeks at his facility—perhaps he has more experience with special needs situations. (And for about 25% of the cost of Brian Kilcommons). There are no guarantees with these situations, but Brian Kilcommons was not the guy to help us, both according to him and me. Do with that what you will.

Where do I begin? In the past, my dog Murphy was extremely difficult to walk. In fact, every outing turned into an MMA bout, and I would return home exhausted --both physically and mentally. Walking him was neither enjoyable nor relaxing. Murphy was a leash puller. And God forbid he saw another dog; it took everything I had to control his ninety-eight pounds of fury. I am now the proud owner of many pairs of “trendy jeans” that were unintentionally ripped after being dragged on the ground several times. Understandably, I was at my wit’s end. I love Murphy with all my heart and hated that we couldn’t enjoy more time together outside. I saw other dogs walking calmly and thought, “Why can’t that be us?” That’s when I reached out to Brian. Before our first session, we talked extensively on the phone about Murphy, myself, and my endeavor to change his behavior. He spent lots of time listening and assessing “our” problems before advising. Everything he said made sense, and his instructions were easy to understand. When I arrived for our first lesson, I felt at ease with Brian and fully prepared to work with Murphy. We practiced many techniques of redirection paired with positive reinforcement. Then while we were walking, a fox appeared. I anticipated the worst (which was wrong for me to do, but old habits are hard to break). Despite my initial reaction and much to my surprise, Murphy did not react and ignored the fox. It was as if Murphy was abducted by aliens and replaced with another dog!!! Well, I was amazed that after just one lesson —with the careful guidance of Brian—he is a changed dog. Murphy now walks quietly and calmly by my side. Now, I am able to go on hikes, to parks, and beaches with Murphy—something I used to dread. It’s great that I can take him to these places without having to leave him at home. My battles with him are over—no more exhausting walks. Our time together outside is now fun. Brian’s lessons were priceless. He is truly gifted at what he does and clever to recognize that “it takes two to tango.” I, too, needed to change my ways to make this work. I appreciate his frankness—he tells it like it is. He stresses consistency but, most of all, fun. He firmly believes in positive reinforcement and that loving words and praise are the best rewards. Best of all, Brian is a kind man with an excellent rapport with dogs. My dog Murphy can be aloof with strangers, but when he first met Brian, he was attracted to him as if they were old friends. To me, that’s important—dogs are an excellent barometer of people. The key to changing Murphy's behavior was gaining his trust through positive reinforcement. If I could give Brian ten stars, I would. He’s the best!

Four Paws Up! We left our 1 yo pup, Benji, with Brian for training and boarding during July 2021. Despite having worked with other trainers, we had a common list of city-dog issues – leash walking, sidewalk scavenging, recall -- and Brian addressed all of them. Benji came home happy and obedient, and strangers would hail him on Broadway as a ‘well-trained puppy’. When we returned two weeks later for a follow-up meeting w Brian, Benji was clearly overjoyed to see him again. Perhaps most importantly, Brian taught us and the pup to be better attuned to each other. Brian is the BEST…and we can’t thank him enough!!

I can not thank Brian enough for the change we have experienced with our dog, Crosby, over the past few weeks. Brian has helped us change our focus from correcting Crosby's undesirable behaviors to using clear communication, consistent expectations and generous praise. We are learning to nurture a positive, bonded relationship with him that is the true foundation of a rewarding partnership and a happy dog!