Houston DogWorks

I could not be more happy with my experience at Houston DogWorks. We have a very high energy Brittany and while I thought I was prepared, I was not. At all. By seven months old, Ziggy had the run of the house and my husband and I were exhausted. We tried e-collar training (don't go to that place if they come up in your research) with zero results, which left me even more frustrated than before. No kidding, I was walking five miles a day, doing the dog park and STILL had the most hyper dog ever. Enter Houston DogWorks. Josh, Kennedy and the whole team really focus on education not just control. There is a process and if you do your work with your dog, it is REMARKABLE. They also explain the WHY behind things, which I love. I feel like I now have an actual relationship with Ziggy, and my husband and I aren't going on 50 walks a day. Ziggy understands expectations and I'm finally comfortable taking him places. He makes real eye contact while waiting for commands and isn't just begging for treats. We loved the learning process so much and have stuck with it. I wish I could give more stars. Seriously. The team at Houston DogWorks will change the way you think about dog training. The way they train (you and your dog) is set up in a way that is absolutely best for your dog to live the most fulfilled life. Fun fact. What your dog needs is time with you that stimulates their brain and makes them think. I'm not talking about puzzle toys. I'm taking about training together WITH your dog. Not just a long boring walk.

My partner and I adopted a 1 year old 100 lbs. rescue. We researched, had correspondence, and interviews with multiple trainers and decided on Houston DogWorks. The owner, Josh and his staff offered a clear message: follow the techniques taught, put in the work and you will get results. My partner and I are so happy that we made the decision to train at Houston DogWorks. We went from having a rescue that nipped Josh during our first consult to a dog we trust around our toddler niece. People are constantly praising our boy for his obedience and good behavior. The one on one instruction was fantastic. The group classes were wonderful and provided our dog socialization through positive and controlled interaction with dogs who all understood the same rules. We really appreciated Josh's commitment to providing us a finished product. As long as we did the work he committed the time and resources to getting us the results we were after. If you are interested in a structured approach for behavioral based dog training that changes the way a dog makes decisions, then I would highly recommend Houston DogWorks.

Josh is one of the top dog trainers in the country (and I have met dozens of them). He offers real results for obedient dogs both on and off leash in a no nonsense approach. I met Josh when I wanted help with my reactive rescue husky. Instead of offering a "quick fix", he offers long term solutions which teach you how to train your dog...Josh has helped give me the tools and coached me how to train my dogs to be both well behaved in the house, polite around other dogs, a pleasure to walk on a leash and off leash reliable. More importantly, he has taught me how to train and teach my dogs on my own when I need them to do something new. Definitely more of the "If you give a man a fish, you feed him for a day. If you teach a man to fish, you feed him for a lifetime" approach. I think where a lot of people seeking dog training go wrong is they want the fish for the day. They don't want to learn how to fish because that requires a lot of time and effort to get results. They get upset with the results they didn't get for the work they didn't put in and then blame the trainer. Josh has made his knowledge and coaching available to me whenever I've asked. We now compete in dog obedience because of how much I enjoy training my dogs.

We did the puppy training and then the adult dog class. The adult class is $1500+ by itself (all must be paid upfront), doesn't have a set class time or program duration. Josh Wiggins (the owner) makes you sign an acknowledgment listing a bunch of ways they can upcharge you or unilaterally cancel on you while keeping the money (e.g. "at the discretion of Houston Dogworks, services may be terminated for failure to continue and/or apply the training work in the prescribed manner and/or on the prescribed schedule and/or if 21 days has passed between lessons.”) The "class" was a series of boilerplate email lessons for you to do on your own, then you have to schedule a time to meet in order to get the next lesson. Because payment is made in full at the beginning, there is no incentive for scheduling to be easy. It took multiple emails to get a response (many times more than 21 days). For example, I sent scheduling email requests on Oct. 1, 11, 20 and Nov. 3 before finally getting an appointment on Nov. 7, 2021 (Josh wasn't even present for this). One time they canceled the meeting same-day so I had to start scheduling all over. Based on some other reviews I've seen, it looks like my experience isn't an isolated one.

Paid ~$1500 for 10 (<1 hr) lessons in March of 2021. Had two lessons and, when submitting videos to Josh, didn’t meet qualifications to move forward. We had personal issues we encountered that pushed us out, yet we tried to keep up with a training and continued to send videos but our English Bulldog didn’t stay within 5’ in videos for us to move forward. Pandemic put a strain on us with familial issues. Not once did they attempt to contact us to see how we were progressing other than to say we were not there when we submitted said videos. It took a while (6 months) but we finally got into a good spot to progress but rather than work with us Josh said we would have to spend another ~$3500 to get back into training. I asked for just the videos but he wouldn’t even provide that. He felt taking the money without providing a service and blaming us for not doing what we were told absolved him of being, well conscience of others issues. To each their own, but as a consultant my ability to work with people and keep in contact with those who pay my rent means more to me than him.