K9dness

If you want help training your dog to be calm, confident and feel secure in your home even when the routine is disrupted and life gets real, do not hesitate to call K9ness. I have had the good fortune to work with Megan, owner and founder of K9ness Dog Training, on two occasions with two completely different dogs over the past few years. In both situations, Megan saw to the heart of the issues that led me to look her up. She knew just what was needed and expertly taught me the steps and strategies to help my dogs become well mannered and confident. Most recently (June 2026) Megan helped me with the two year old Pit Bull Terrier mix that I adopted in March. The dog came to me with next to no training and no information about her history. I had two consulting sessions with Megan and then opted for a week long program. I AM SO HAPPY WITH THE RESULTS. My dog learned many positive and essential behaviors during her time with Megan. We set up goals for her so she could relax, gain confidence and become part of our household. Her training put us well on the way to achieving our goal. Megan communicated with me almost every day. At week’s end she made sure I understood what to do at home so the progress continued. Now, thanks to Megan’s intuitive, positive training techniques and instruction, when I ask my dog to Kennel Up, Go Place or Heel, she does so without hesitation. There are other behaviors, like waiting for me to cross thresholds first or lying down to wait for her meals to be placed on the floor, that I don’t even have to request. She has internalized these behaviors. She is capable of going anywhere I do, or remaining at home quietly in her crate. We enjoy hours of quality time together and I give all the credit to Megan.

Our experience with Megan has truly been life changing because were close to rehoming our sweet, high-energy 1-year-old lab mix because of unsafe jumping and hard leash pulling with small kids and a baby on the way. After doing a board and train period with Megan we have seen huge improvements and now have no doubt that we can manage all of these situations and rehoming is out of the question. Megan’s initial consultation was so thorough, she listened to my concerns and our specific family circumstances and tailored a plan for us. We honestly saw improvements after the consultation (see my comments about the feeding protocol below which she taught us during the consultation). We ended up choosing a short (6 day) board and train stay, and even though Megan was honest that there were limitations to what she could achieve in that brief period, she still delivered remarkable progress, and Megan’s plan and discharge instructions have been invaluable in helping us manage the behaviors that might still come up. After board and train we saw an immediate reduction in all concerning behaviors, general obedience, and self settling. Megan communicated frequently throughout the board and train so that I now have the tools to deal with any unwanted or risky behavior. Here’s a list of specific behaviors that she has helped with: - Pulling on leash (previously I stopped walking him entirely because I could not do it safely; he came home from b+t knowing heel and walking gently on the leash) - Jumping (he previously would jump multiple times every day, including racing full speed across our back yard and body slamming us) - Begging and getting in our space while we are eating - we have never even discussed this with Megan but it somehow was eliminated during board and train - Knowing “place” (go to your bed/place and lie down until I tell you it’s okay to get up) - Threshold training - he waits for permission to go in or out the door, crate, or gate - Knowing that if I say “down” it really means down until he’s fully calm, not just being in a down position. This has really been invaluable and I think represents one of Megan’s strengths as a holistic trainer - she set the expectation that he will be CALM before we do the next thing and that seems to have permeated into all of his behavior - Feeding protocol - he waits for permission before he eats - even if I set his food down in front of his face and stand there and wait, he waits for my permission before eating. As soon as she taught us / him how to do this, his overall behavior immediately improved, it sounds like witchcraft but no joke the feeding protocol seems to have sent him the message that I am the leader. Listing the behaviors doesn’t fully encompass the change that we’ve seen and it doesn’t include my experience which has shifted from anxiety ridden that someone will get hurt to totally confident in handling this strong young dog, two small kids, and my wobbly pregnant self. I would highly recommend Megan for anyone who has similar safety concerns and wants to be sure they can handle their dog calmly and confidently.