K9KEY

Our King Charles Cavalier mix Toby started showing aggression toward visitors when he was about a year old. It worsened over the next year where he bit some of our guests and we were unable to control him in situations when unknown people came into the house. When we tried to keep him in another room he would bark and cry and throw himself against the door. We loved Toby so much but we were feeling desperate because we could not live our lives normally. We tried some training and medicine which didn’t work. When we consulted with Steve he understood how seriously we needed help and we felt confident that he understood dogs and their behavior and that he could help us and Toby. Toby stayed with Steve for 5-6 weeks. Toby now understands and obeys commands heel, stay, down, come and no most importantly we understand how to control him. While we still need to work with him we have the tools we need so we can have a peaceful home. We are happier and we believe Toby is happier. The Saturday trainings are so helpful and Will keep us from backsliding on the training. If you need help I highly recommend K9 Key.

Working with Steve and K9Key is probably the best decision we made. We were looking for boarding for our trip abroad for our female pitbull. She has some behavioral issues and we were very concerned with leaving her in a boarding facility where she wouldnt be let out enough and would hurt the progress we had made thus far with her behavior. Steve's assessment of her issues were spot on. Prior to her leaving to K9Key, she and I (female) had a rough relationship.. mostly with owning my position as the woman of the house. Since returning, our relationship has dramatically improved. Her response is dramatically improved. Her listening, attitude, walkability, literally everything we were struggling with improved. I have told everyone about Steve and K9Key. After boarding, we recieve weekly classes (paid for ONCE with boarding) and advice whenever needed. They truly care about the wellbeing of your pet - we HIGHLY recommend them and are so so thankful to have had them work with our girl.

Our 4 year old corgi, Leo, started showing signs of dog aggression and separation anxiety at around 1.5 years old. Even with help from other trainers, his behaviors got worse over the years. We couldn’t walk Leo without him lunging at other dogs and redirecting his aggression towards us. We couldn’t leave our apartment without Leo biting us and barking desperately. It was so hard because, aside from those situations, Leo is the most loving, loyal, and affectionate dog. By July 2020 we were finally at our wits end feeling stressed and defeated. Board training was never something we felt comfortable doing (I called 4 different places) until we found K9KEY. After meeting with Steve at our consultation, I felt a level of trust and comfort that I didn’t feel with any other B&T. Steve was honest and realistic about his expectations of Leo’s success. We spoke to Steve weekly and would get update videos and pictures of our boy’s progress. Leo was with Steve for 7 weeks and is now home. He is the same dog, just better. He is more obedient, no longer has separation anxiety, and we now have complete control of him on our walks (no more pulling or lunging). What Steve has taught us is that we cannot change Leo’s instincts and character. The most valuable thing we have gotten out of this experience is a foundation for us to work on with our dog. We are now able to communicate with him effectively and have complete control of him at all times. We just went to our first group class and Leo did AMAZING (proud dog mama). If you are in a similar situation that we were in, look no further. We are so happy we found K9KEY when we did. Thank you Steve and his team for changing our lives. Tom, Victoria, and Leo

My dog Kai, a 6 yr old husky-pitbull mix, started showing aggression towards other dogs once she turned 3yrs. After failed attempts to curb her growing disobedience myself and with a help of a trainer (weekly sessions) I started thinking of finding her a more qualified owner. As a last resort, I researched board & train classes and found Steve. What convinced me was good reviews, Steve's experience and the post-training weekly sessions geared towards owners learning how to avoid slipping back into old habits. I was warned it may take more than 4 weeks as Kai's already 6yrs old (it took 7 weeks), but it's been a life changer. From simple little things like no more pulling, to having her come back when off leash and distracted by wildlife, it's been amazing to see her do so well. There are things we are still working on, but with Steve's help I know how to do that properly, and we can enjoy more time outdoors.

Steve and co at K9KEY are worth every penny! I cannot begin to express my admiration of Steve's talents and commitment to giving dogs and their owners a better life together. If you’re considering putting your doggo in board and train because you’ve exercised multiple other trainer options in NY, like me, Steve is your guy. I will be honest, while my dog was away (please note that this was during the initial outbreak of COVID19) I was panicked that I had made the wrong decision, because Steve was not being as communicative as I had hoped and I was worried that my dog was not in good hands (because I didn’t have many updates at first). HOWEVER, I’ve now come to learn that Steve is a perfectionist, a professional, and a straight up guru. He kept Scooby for an additional few weeks to make sure he was satisfied with the training, and sent me videos to show me Scooby’s progress once I had expressed my concerns as an anxious dog dad. It’s hard being away from your dog (they’re like a child!) and you just hope that they’re being well taken care of. I can assure you that Scooby was attached to Steve’s hip when I went to retrieve him and seemed like he had learned a lot the obedience that he lacked before the board and train. The real win of this program is the complimentary group trainings that Steve offers for alumni after they finish the board and train process. Not only does this help you learn how to be a better trainer for your furry friend, but you are able to see how talented Steve truly is with dogs (he somehow keeps an eye on all 10+ dogs at the training at once and gives individual tips to us throughout the lesson- it’s very impressive). Before Steve I didn’t think I would ever be able to control Scooby, but now I have the tools and resources to give my dog the companionship he deserves, as well as the continued brushing up on his training at the group lessons. Thank you Steve!