KJ Ranch

I can't say enough good things about Carol as a person and a herding dog trainer. She is very compassionate and encouraging. She is willing to work with different herding breeds and knows how bring out their strengths. She raises and trains Australian Sheperds and all of her dogs are happy and love working stock. Her stock are all well trained and cared for and are great for training beginning dogs and their owners.

This review has been a long time coming. My fiancé, Sandy, and I saw Carol for an evaluation with our cattle dog. Thankfully, before going to Carol I spent several months working with a herding trainer not local to Idaho. With the other trainer, they never smacked or hit my border collie. If a correction was needed, a water bottle filled with rocks at the end of stick was hit on the ground. Never at my dog, or even in close proximity where the dog would shy away from it. All of the dogs I witnessed at that facility were willing and excited to work. Knew the commands beautifully and without fear. This was not my experience with Carol. Carol brought out a young cattle dog that was being boarded for training. I immediately saw a dog that was fearful of Carol, cowering at her voice and body movements - even with just walking. During the evaluation, Carol smacked my cattle dog in the face, twice, with her rake. When my cattle dog was trying to escape from the arena and hide near my fiancé, she said “he’s just confused.” A confused dog doesn’t cower and try to escape. After we left, our cattle dog wasn’t the same and it was because she killed any confidence he had. That is bad compulsion training. Even with good compulsion training, the dog doesn’t cower away or work from fear, they work from a desire of pleasing the handler and you would NEVER know compulsion was used. I have previously worked with herding dogs, and spent a lot of time around personal protection dogs, detection, military and police dogs, all using proper compulsion training and none of those dogs were fearful. Do not take your dog here.

Couldn't speak more highly of KJ Ranch and the women who own and operate it. Would highly recommend for anyone looking to have their dog trained, or for someone to learn the art of herding livestock. The animals (both livestock and the dogs) are #1 priority. They are treated with respect and receive outstanding care. The owners are absolute delights and have extensive experience training dogs for general day-to-day work as well as for competition. I feel grateful to have found this amazing community of dog lovers. You will too.

Had a friend board her dog here and pick him up up with an absolutely mutilated neck. Apparently Carol requested they use a bark collar during his stay there. The collar prongs had begun to embed in his neck/throat, blistering and scarring the whole area around it. The vet said that it was due to never being taken off or checked during the 10 days the dog was boarded. He is a short haired white dog, and the damage would have been very apparent to anyone looking at him. Carol lied to my friend and said the injuries popped up the morning they had come to pick him up from Carol’s place. Carol Gerkin refused to pay the vet bill and refused even a refund. Do NOT leave your dogs with this place.