Kodiak K9 Training

I spent a lot of time doing research on board and train programs and ultimately went with Kodiak for two reasons: a) they were much more responsive to my questions, especially Ellie, when I was doing the research; b) they seemed to really care about the owners and their dogs, not just about the training. My dog [R] is a border collie mix that has shown a desire to work, so I decided to train her as a working dog. I adopted her as an 11-week old puppy from a shelter. She had typical BC behavioral issues around 5-6 months, which is when I sent her with Kodiak: leash biting, leash pulling, nipping, barking to get attention, jumping on people, impulse control (acorns, sticks, worms, and more) and reactivity to dogs and people. One thing I will tell fellow dog owners: do not expect a magic wand to fix everything in 2 weeks! It's a beginning that requires consistency and patience from YOU for months afterwards to get to a great place, especially if you sent a 6-month old puppy to the board and train. That said, this was worth every penny. Here's why. Megan was our dog trainer. She was very kind, attentive, and persistent in working to solve the issues that I had with my dog. I REALLY appreciated her after-training support, especially when [R] started having meltdowns at home. I sent videos, asked questions, we talked, and she finally just came out to visit to work with me and [R]. I am happy to report that the meltdowns have gone extinct, thanks to Megan's guidance. [R] still has her days, which is to be expected with an adolescent BC. What I really value about Megan and Kodiak and how much they include the owner in the behavioral improvement of our dogs - that is so important. Here's where we are now, about 2 months after the B&T. Keep in mind that my dog is still an adolescent puppy with an absolutely insane amount of energy: a) Excellent loose leash manners; sits at heel when I stop, self-corrects to sit next to me if she goes too far ahead; still working on off-leash obedience - most challenging: recall, heel, and giving back a sock/hat/something she stole that she shouldn't have. She has learned "give it," but sometimes she will want to keep it and run around with it. b) Much less reactivity to people and dogs; she will not bark back at dogs barking at her. I have been able to keep her focused on me about 90% of the time c) Better greeting manners; she still tries to jump once in a while, but she has learned that she gets more success when she sits and lays down, so she does that more often and is rewarded for good behavior d) Much less leash biting, nipping, and barking. Megan taught me how to do some come-sit or followship drills to get her back in focus and that works like a charm d) Much better impulse control; she rarely goes after acorns and sticks, and is more focused in her heel e) Much improved behavior in public spaces: Home depot, grocery stores, work, and outdoor public spaces. [R] still turns into a gremlin from time to time, but she is getting better every day. My family, friends, and neighbors have noticed a big improvement. I whole-heartedly recommend Kodiak, and am so grateful for Megan as [R]'s trainer! Thank you!

We cannot say enough wonderful things about Megan and the training she provided for our 11‑month‑old Bernedoodle, Zoey. We chose the two‑week in‑home training program, and the transformation was nothing short of amazing—Zoey came back a completely new dog! From the very beginning, Megan was professional, responsive, and incredibly thorough. She sent us daily updates and pictures so we always felt connected to Zoey’s progress. At the end of training, Megan took the time to come to our home and walk us through every command, patiently showing us how to continue Zoey’s training ourselves. She even kept Zoey a few extra days when our drop‑off times didn’t align, because she wanted to ensure she had enough time to go over everything with us properly. That level of dedication speaks volumes. It’s clear that dog training is more than just a job for Megan—it’s her passion. She truly enjoys working with dogs, and it shows in the care, attention, and results she delivers. Thanks to her, Zoey is better behaved and we feel confident continuing the training at home. If you’re looking for a trainer who is skilled, compassionate, and goes above and beyond, Megan is the one. We are beyond grateful for her and highly recommend her to anyone looking to bring out the best in their dog!

Background story: Four years ago we adopted the sweetest 2-month old mixed breed Schnauzer-Terrier. Although he was a little feisty, Phineas did well in Puppy Kindergarten and even puppy 1st grade. However, as he grew, he morphed into a medium-sized terrorist adult dog. When he attended Obedience Training at 2 years old, he had was ‘THAT’ dog that all the other dog owners kept their dogs away from. From Day 2 of class, the instructor kept him barricaded in the back of the classroom to keep him from disrupting the others. Needless to say, he never ‘graduated’. In our neighborhood, he was ‘THAT’ dog that walkers, joggers and dog owners avoided so they wouldn’t be subject to his lunging, barking and other aggressive behaviors. I had my rotator cuff torn twice when he dragged me facedown. We knew we had to get help on the second occasion he bit our daughter’s dog, requiring the poor little pup to get emergency surgery. After searching and calling a few places, we decided to send Phineas to Ellie and Jake at Kodiak K9. We originally signed him up for a 2-week Board and Train. We expected that he was going to be a challenge for them. Initially he told Jake to back off by barking and showing teeth. Jake handled it beautifully and in a few days those trust issues dissolved. We loved that Jake and Ellie treated him like part of their family. They kept me updated daily with pics and videos of his progress. His behavior improved daily. He was even able to go on field trips to places like Tractor Supply and Home Depot to practice his manners. After the 2 weeks were up, he had made great progress, but because he had been a ‘special’ case, a 3rd week was recommended by Jake as reinforcement. It has now been a week since Phineas was returned to us. His new behavior has greatly improved our lives. We no longer need to make an effort to avoid our neighbors, school buses and garbage trucks on our walks. Other dogs can still get him riled up but his reactivity to that is not as bad as it used to be and he continues to improve. He got a little excited on the day my daughter brought her dog over to us to dog sit but with a little effort we were able to Phineas to go to ‘place’ and he left her alone after an initial good sniffing. One important part of the training is Ellie training us to maintain Phineas’ training. We are so happy that we sent Phineas to Kodiak K9, and especially Ellie and Jake, who have proven to be extraordinary trainers. We wish we had done it sooner. I know this is long, but I write this in hopes that it will help other families who may be dealing with an over-the-top reactive dog and perhaps even save their dog’s life. Don’t wait until a tragedy happens; get them trained with Kodiak K9.