K9KEY

My dog Banks and I moved to Brooklyn in June. He has always been fairly anxious, nervous, sensitive to sounds and once we move to New York everything was amplified. Our block is fairly active, and one night a little girl threw a popper (not on purpose) right behind him, and after that he would not go outside. It was always a struggle, he would pee on the stairs going outside, we would either have to drag him or physically pick him up to bring him outside and it was not enjoyable for either him or us. We had him in training in Atlanta, but we weren’t consistent with it so he was not learning how to deal with new people, new animals, and new surroundings. After a couple of months, we knew we had to do something. Because of his breed (pit bull) we needed someone with some experience with strong dog breeds. Banks does not like new people or dogs right away. We contacted a few places, including K9Key, and came to the decision to go with Steve and his team for a number of reasons. 1) During the consultation, he was a very calm presence. He didn’t try to approach Banks, or have Banks approach him. He talked to us and was able to see Banks would be a challenge but he had high hopes. 2) the price of what you receive from this service cannot be beat. It is an investment to train your dog, and to know that your dog is in good hands is worth the money. After the board and train, you continue to get support through trainings every Saturday. 3) The board and train gives your dog the opportunity to be introduced to different people and be around other dogs (other clients and Steve’s personal dogs). With that said, your dog is never put into a situation that they are not ready for. The board and train is a 4 week program, but dogs may stay longer if they need the additional training for no extra cost to the owner, which is amazing also. Banks stayed with Steve for a total of 7 weeks. No, he did not forget us!!! Steve kept us up to date with pictures and videos the whole time, which was greatly appreciated. Since we have gotten Banks back, we continue to work with him daily, but we are now able to control him outside and get him to walk further than 15 feet past of our front door. We are able to go on walks to and through the park, which is a part of the reason we moved to where we did!! Even just yesterday on a walk, Banks had a positive interaction with another dog on a walk. This is something so small that is such a huge improvement in his behavior that I don’t think we would have gotten to without Steve and his team. I was so excited I texted Steve to tell him the good news!! Steve has very reasonable goals for dogs, and he also trains you as an owner on how best to lead your dog. He is very patient with me, a very nervous person which leads to a nervous dog, but he makes the training fun and personable even if there are 7 other dogs and owners in the class and he does that for everyone!! I can truly say that with Steve’s help, having Banks in New York is now fun and I am excited to see how much more Banks continues to improve. I recommend Steve with confidence to anyone!!

Where do I start? Gatsby, my one year old labrador, is a wonderful ball of energy. I have had him since he was seven weeks old and we live in Manhattan. I went through the very expensive at home training with another company in NYC, but nothing really stuck. Maybe it was me not following through all the time due to my demanding schedule but nothing really got better. Now I did some research as he got huge and was getting more and more aggressive -- Steve and K9 had some amazing reviews for board and train so I decided to do an evaluation... The second I saw Gatsby with Steve, it's obvious that he knew what he was doing. I was very scared that Gatsby wouldn't remember me, that he felt abandoned etc... Steve put all that worry to rest and we scheduled (around my needs) for Gatsby to go do the board and train. Steve was very responsive while Gatsby was there -- always returned my helicopter dad texts and would send pics and videos. I got to visit him two weeks in and it melted my heart. Gatsby spent 5-6 weeks with Steve and when I got him back - WOW. I really don't know how I can put into words what kind of amazing best friend I have back now living with me. He is still a 100lb 1 year old lab, but the amount of focus and tranquility he has now is mind blowing. Every single thing I wanted out of this came true, and it is truly priceless getting your best bud back like I did. The first night back, he slept at the foot of my bed, then moved over to the floor right next to the bed - protecting me. I have never seen this before and it was a dream of mine that came true. I'm already recommending him to my friends with dogs with any problem... I can't thank Steve and his company enough for everything and would recommend him to anyone who wants to see a drastic change in their best friend! Thank you Steve!!!!

Steve did a wonderful job training Benji. We got Benji at 2 months and from then on we saw signs of aggression, and alpha. At around 9 months it got worst and we needed to get him trained asap. He would bite my rugs, not listen to us, attack my boyfriend when ever he got near me, attack anyone that came near him while he had a bone and just hands down controlled us. Steve sent pictures and videos of his progress and even kept him for 4 extra weeks!! When Benji came home he had no aggression at all and listens when we say no. Steve really put Benji in his place and has made him into a great dog that we can now have under control. I would recommend his training to anyone that has a dog out of controlled.