K-9 Defense

I had an outstanding experience with K9 Defense for boarding and training services. From the moment I arrived, I was impressed with the professionalism and dedication of the staff. They truly care about the well-being and development of every dog under their care. The training program is top-notch, tailored specifically to meet each dog's needs and abilities. My dog, Kona, not only learned essential obedience skills but also advanced techniques that have made a noticeable difference in his behavior and responsiveness. The trainers are experts in canine behavior, offering practical, hands-on advice for long-term success. We were dealing with reactivity issues and have learned a great deal. Our dog has made tremendous progress. The boarding facilities were clean, spacious, and secure, ensuring my dog was comfortable and safe throughout his stay. I appreciated the regular updates and the attention to detail, which gave me peace of mind knowing my dog was in good hands. K9 Defense exceeded all my expectations. Whether you're looking for training or boarding, I highly recommend them for their expertise, care, and results. My dog came back not only well-trained but happy and more confident. Thank you, K9 Defense! Shoutout to Chris and Mallory ❤️ We will continue to keep coming back.

K-9 Defense are fantastic trainers of dogs. I had my Belgian Malinois boarded with them for 7 weeks and had incredible results with my dog and even retraining they gave me for handling this high energy, highly driven Malinois. They are not cheap, nor should they be. I personally saw and experienced how they handle every kind of dog from potty training issues with small dogs up to highly sophisticated training for police and protection work. The staff is very forward and very honest about your dogs capabilities and how they can help. In my dogs time with them and training, they showed that they are experts at their craft while investing personally in the health, welfare and care of my dog. I entrusted them with my pooch and they took wonderful care of him. When my young Mal showed up for boarding after several interviews of my dog, they took in a somewhat nervous and tense pup and turned him into a highly confident member of our house. They took my pup that was uncomfortable I this world to a much higher level of confidence where it is more of this is his world and we live in it with the utmost of discipline in behavior. After the training there is plenty of follow up and check ins to see how my pup is doing because they care. :) using their techniques and psychology, I continually train and teach my Maligator more things to do. Because of his training at K-9 defense, my Malinois picks up new things almost immediately using their proven techniques that focus on the dogs drive and natural instincts. The did amazing things with my Malinois. It might be pricey for most, but if you need your dog trained right the first time or need the dog to be trained extensively for a situation you might be, I highly reccommend this team. They do great. They aren’t cheap. They are professional. They treat your dog incredibly and I would certainly do it again to achieve the results that I have now with my Belgian.

If you want the best of the best, K9 defense is it. Took my 4 month old German Shepard/Akita mix, Atlas for a 4 week boarding program. Atlas would be considered a Reactive dog, and didn’t have much confidence. Chris evaluated Atlas, suggested to bring him back after some bonding and some homework. I brought him back not once, not twice, but three times , free of charge and on Chris’s time. He was patient, knowledgeable, and did what’s best for the dog, and let Atlas feel comfortable enough to be accepted in. After a few weeks I returned to see Atlas’s progress, and Mallory blew me away with how well Atlas responded to her. He was 100x happier and more confident. Mallory is extremely patient, extremely educated on how the dog is acting, why it’s acting that way, how to correct and how to encourage. Mallory updated me on his progress throughout his program with detailed info and pictures. You can take your dog to 10 trainers or just get it done right the first time here. No regrets. Atlas wouldn’t step near sliding doors, we now walk thru Home Depot at rush hour with confidence. Atlas will definitely return a little down the road.

In January 2024, we came home with a German Shepherd puppy. We currently have a 4 year old and a 1 year old. We thought we could handle a puppy at that time. We brought him home and for the first few days he was fine. Knox (the puppy) was doing fine as he was still adjusting. Knox then began to get too comfortable and began chewing on the carpet, couches, nipping at the kids and chasing them around. We knew that we were now going to need assistance if this puppy was gonna stay in the family. A buddy of mine who works for a local police department recently became a K9 handler. He received his dog and training from K9 Defense and advised that they possibly do obedience training. I reached out to K9 Defense and staff member Chris contacted me right away and set up an evaluation for Knox. We met up and we began to chit chat about Knox and his current behavior. Chris realized that I had a pup that was lacking confidence and was super timid of the outside world. We set up a 4 week board and train program and they kept Knox. As days went on, Wes took lead on training Knox and he began to send us follow up videos. Wes is fantastic! Best part of the updates were the messages behind the videos. Everything he did with Knox had a purpose and a meaning behind it. Knox has since returned home and the transition phase has gone smoothly. Knox’s confidence is amazing, his focus is impressive, his recall is outstanding and his personality is gentle. Knox has been kind with my children and shows no signs of digression. Wes has been there every step of the way. He has been in constant communication with us anytime we have a question and has set a level of expectation for us as owners to continue to be responsible with such a great breed. This investment for our pup has been well worth it as we bring Knox into our family. We will continue training with Wes and K9 Defense as Knox progresses and matures. Thank you K9 Defense!

Who says you can’t teach an old dog new tricks?? I brought my 8 year old dog Duke to K9 defense to help me with reactivity issues. Duke had done lots of training with amazing trainers since he was 14 weeks. He knew basic commands, walked well on a leash, was properly socialized, and is just the sweetest pup ever! But due to many factors he became severely reactive and over the course of several years it had gotten so out of control the quality of both our lives was severely negatively impacted. Another trainer referred me to K9 defense and I’m so thankful they did. Duke spent 6 weeks in their board and train program and came back a completely different dog. He is calm and relaxed 80-90% of the time now. I can have him in the back yard without barking at everything (even birds were a trigger for him), I can have my windows open, and even drive without him barking at everything when stopped at red lights. Garbage trucks can go by with him outside and he completely ignores them (before his training he would lose his mind and run around the house aggressively barking… it was even worse if he happened to be outside). We have traveled to Massachusetts and back staying in hotels filled with other dogs with minimal/no reactions from him. We go for walks in our neighborhood and local parks where other dogs often go by. None of this was even an option before… not only did I have difficulty controlling him before but he would be on edge for hours, if not the rest of the day after being triggered. Duke isn’t perfect now but I didn’t expect perfection (not after 6 weeks or ever… he’s just a dog after all) but when I say his transformation far exceeded my expectations I truly mean it. But not only did they provide the foundation for Duke and I to live a normal life… they gave me the knowledge and tools needed to continue working on his issues at home (hence the ability to do all the things above). We work every day on building our relationship… and it has been filled with a lot of fun for both of us (I’m usually laughing at some point because my dog is a goofball). I love watching and helping my dog navigate uncomfortable situations with ever growing confidence. They gave me my dog back and for that I will forever be grateful! Thank you Chris, Mallory, and all the other wonderful trainers that helped my pup.