Island Dog Obedience

Our 5 month only labradoodle, Pixie, just finished a two week training session with Island Dog Obedience. Her trainer was Ryan and I could tell from our first meeting that he was going to be great fit. Ryan took the time to explain how the program works and I knew we were Pixie good hands for the two weeks. During the training period, Ryan sent us pictures and video updates show the progress she was making each day and we were amazed each time. When it came time to for pickup, Ryan once again took the time to explain the importance of continuing to enforce the training for best results. We are so thankful for the work Ryan put in with Pixie and will definitely be recommending his services to friends. Thank you!

Maria was a life saver. Shaka (6 months old Bernedoodle) has always been the kindest dog but he loved to cause trouble and every time we came home we’d find broke plants, chewed up toys or dog prints on our bed. You can imagine that our 3 year old son wasn’t very happy to see his favorite cars missing 2 wheels or his lovey being ripped apart. Strolls were a workout for the entire family and almost impossible to do alone with a toddler, a stroller and a puppy. After 2 1/2 weeks with Maria we got the most wonderful, well behaved, kind and loving dog back. He’s still the same gentle soul. He still knows how to play and be silly but he learned to follow our commands and respect us. I can take him anywhere and every 2 minutes people comment on our well behaved Shaka (…and the fact that their dog would never listen in a grocery store). He knows how to heel, never runs in front of the stroller or grocery cart, sits and waits patiently, can be leash free in all kind of environments including the beach, stopped barking at other dogs and stays in place or in his kennel when we ask him to. Maria hands you all the tools you need and once you get your dog back it’s up to you to keep the work up. Since he’s back we are incredibly motivated to walk, work and play with Shaka and we are super proud of him. We are forever grateful.

Our doodle puppy was doing great with training when at home, but she’s not very food motivated, so when we went places with distractions, I had no leverage. She cared nothing for the treats and I didn’t know how to get her attention and train the behavior I wanted. So I reached out to Island Dog Obedience for help. In all honesty, I was very, very hesitant about the e-collar at first. However after meeting with Maria, learning more about it (modern e-collars work similarly to TENS machines they use in physical therapy), and trying it on myself, I decided to go for it. Maria and her team are wonderful trainers and they worked their magic with our pup! During the 2-week board & train, I got photos and videos every day with updates. She went on adventures every day, stayed in the trainer’s house, and I felt comfortable knowing that she was being cared for like part of the family. At pickup, Maria gave me a tutorial on training techniques and tips on places to go to continue off-leash training. Our pup came back to us with her same sweet personality, but now with wonderful manners! No more jumping, reactivity to dogs is much less, leash walking is good, and she’s even great off leash. She did try to slip back into her old ways at first, but she very quickly realized the new rules apply everywhere. You do still have to continue the training after they come home, but it’s practicing a behavior they already know as opposed to teaching a new one, so it goes much more smoothly and quickly. I can’t recommend Island Dog Obedience highly enough! We’re a loyal client, we boarded her when we traveled, and our second pup will be going for her B&T in a couple of months! Make the investment into your pup’s training, it will be worth it.

Our Doberman puppy (5months) did a 2 week board and train with trainer Ryan. At first I was a little nervous leaving our baby for so long as any dog parent would be! But I can say with confidence that I am so grateful that we decided to do this program. Being able to leave our dog Deuce with a professional trainer who spent 24 hours helping to correct unwanted behaviors, teach manners, and overall clean up with commands for our puppy has given us even more confidence in him. We could instantly tell that Ryan had a heart of gold and truly cares for these dogs. He is so patient and the love and confidence he gave Deuce gave me such a peace of mind knowing we left him in good hands. Our puppy is now much more attentive to us when we give commands. We see him self correcting himself before he does anything unwanted. We really wanted to work on Deuce's separation anxiety and his socialization with other dogs which Ryan worked on! He sent us daily updates with pictures and videos. Deuce had so much fun with the other dogs + went on an adventure to the park or beach or hiking etc every day! I also have comfort knowing I can text Ryan with any questions with Deuce's training. Thank you so much Ryan from my family to you!!