King K9 Academy

As senior citizens raising a large breed dog, my husband and I knew we needed to be confident, and successful about his behavior. We also knew that we needed help. We wanted a dog that was reliably well behaved with us, and others. We enrolled our Norton in the one-week puppy session, at about 4 months, and saw such a big difference in him. The skills we learned made raising a puppy fun and gratifying. Norton has completed 3 levels of training, and at just 16 months old he is truly a joy to be with in every situation. Norton is a happy and relaxed friend to us. Josh did not just train Norton, he also guided us in the best ways to enforce, and reinforce the cues and commands in kind, gentle, and calm ways. Because of Josh's expertise, and the time he spent with us, we are raising a true companion Upon occasion we have asked for help for a specific issue. Josh was very responsive and creative in working on that particular need. In our case it was to make grooming and bathing less strenuous for us, and more pleasant for Norton. Our experience with Josh has been wonderful, but that's not all. With Norton as an example, several of our family members have also enrolled their dogs of varying ages, all having great results. Josh's versatility in training dogs for individual lifestyles leads to success. The cost of training Norton has been incidental compared to the angst and limitations that a poorly behaved dog can create in any household. We will continue to enhance Norton's capabilities as he matures so that he can have a purposeful life.

Our bernadoodle is sweet goofball, but he was an anxious ball of energy -- barking at everything going past - real or imaginary, pulling towards passing dogs, and a general pain to be around. I heard about Josh from a friend who claimed that her anxious dog was basically cured - and so we signed Finn up. It is like night and day -- Finn is calm, knows and is secure in his place. Yesterday, I walked him 2 1/2 miles off leash, past dogs, cats and squirrels - and he was in a perfect heal. His barking has greatly abated. My whole family and the neighborhood is very grateful to Josh for providing the needed core in his training experience.

We brought our two Goldens to a King K9 board and train after they found a way out of their backyard fence and took themselves on a tour of Bangor. We wanted to focus on off-leash recall and build in other great pup practices more consistently (sit, stay, and place). I cannot speak highly enough about both Joshua and our pups' experience! We have a stubborn 8 year old who will not listen to anyone but me. Through trust-building and consistency, Oliver now knows that sit means sit / place means place no matter who is asking him. And we are able to take him for off-leash adventures with the comfort of knowing that he will reliably come when asked. It's the best feeling and he's so happy with this newfound autonomy! Then there's our wild child Willow. She's 3 years old and too smart and curious for her own good. Before, if she noticed that she was off-leash or made an escape from a fence, she would bolt - it was a game for her and she loves being chased. She needed the most support in not pulling when walking, impulse control (pesky squirrels), jumping on strangers, and recall. A lot to tackle but Joshua did this beautifully! We still have our sweet girl, but now she understands what's expected of her when meeting strangers (we sit and stay seated until released) and walks (heel, please). Since training, she's finally had the opportunity to swim (her favorite thing!) entirely off-leash and will reliably come when we ask. It makes us so happy to see her enjoy this freedom with us being able to ensure her safety. King K9 was hands down one of the best investments that we've made for our pups. We highly recommend reaching out to Joshua for all of your training needs! 10/10.