Obedient Paws

I brought my 4 1/2 yr old female boxer/pit mix, Roxy, to Obedient Paws after she bit 2 different neighbors on 2 separate occasions. We just moved to the area from Mississippi, a more rural and quiet community, to this crazy busy and noisy area of Ocean View in Norfolk. Not only was she not properly socialized because, well... we just kept her home on our acre lot all the time and just around our immediate family. We didn't bring our dogs everywhere we went there like many people seem to do around here. That's just not part of the culture there. So she seemed perfectly fine in her quiet little bubble surrounded only by the few of us... until we had to move to a tiny duplex with a shared yard and 2 other neighbors constantly right outside our door. We were honestly shocked that she would ever act aggressively because she's always been the sweetest and most loveable dog, but clearly she was out of her element and uncomfortable with our new living situation (I was too, to be honest, I just refrained from biting people). Nonetheless, she did... twice. We were absolutely devastated, embarrassed, and did not know what to do. My husband wanted to have her put down and I begged him to allow us to try and have her trained since I was at a loss of what else to do. Adam at Obedient Paws came recommended by a former client that we met on the beach one day with her well behaved dog. When I contacted Adam he had me bring Roxy in for an initial observation. He agreed to take her on for 4 weeks (which turned into 5 actually) and work with her (and I) to control her new-found fear-based aggression. I've had her home for a couple of weeks now and I purposely waited to write this review because I wanted to see how she would actually adjust to coming home after her time there. It's easy to see that in a very controlled environment, like at the training facility, she can be controlled. But how would that translate in "the real world?" We have since moved to a more rural and quiet area of Yorktown and away from crazy Ocean View (thank goodness) and I have to say she has adjusted very well. We still don't have her around anyone other than family because we really don't know anyone here yet, and I'm SO NOT the type of person to bring my dog out to eat or go shopping. We just don't do that and don't plan on it. So I'm not quite sure how she will react if/when we ever do have people over, but I do know this... I will use all the info Adam taught me over the 5 week period to control the situation. I will not allow all that training be for nothing. I will say, I may not agree with some of Adam's methods, but I'm positive he has the dog's best interest at heart. He has a very strict method of implementing behavioral control with positive reinforcement through love and treats and correction through the use of prong and e-collars. If you're not into either of those (which I can totally understand because I wasn't either at first) I recommend you either try to be open minded or go elsewhere. There is no negotiable alternatives for these methods he uses. If you're like me, I've always treated my dogs like my own children and I guess that's where I went wrong because they aren't humans... they are animals, and at the end of the day they can sometimes act unpredictably as such in the case with Roxy. I think that's my best advice for anyone that is considering bringing their dog to Obedient Paws for training, especially ones that have shown aggression... They are animals and do not think and rationalize like a person, therefore we cannot hold them to the same standards. And for dog lovers like me I know that's hard to do sometimes. I am still working with Roxy on a daily basis and I definitely see a huge difference. She responds to all my commands very well so I have to say that the training did her a lot of good, and, in essence, spared her life. I know I need to introduce her to other people (and dogs) and I will try to do that... once I actually meet some people. Until then, we are happy to have a better behaved pup at home. Thank you Adam.

Adam and his team did a great job working with my dog during her bootcamp stay to help curb her anxious energy and lay a foundation for correcting several issues, including pulling on leash, being aggressive with other dogs, jumping on people, etc, resulting in a dog that is much calmer, happier, and obedient. He is very flexible and welcomed me to come in many times to make sure I had a good grasp on the training techniques. His set-up is great for the dogs and and provides a structured, fun, and safe environment for them to interact. She has since gone back for doggie daycare and definitely looks forward to me dropping her off!

Bringing my puppy Pitbull Deo’Gi to obedient paws was one of the best decisions I have ever made in my life. My puppy was 12 weeks when I brought her, a little young, but Adam and his team still agreed to work with me and the puppy. They are by far the most down to earth, easy to work with, knowledgeable, and genuine trainers in the area. I signed up for the 3 week boot camp, and after only a week I seen great improvement already. My pup stopped jumping up on people every chance she gets, stopped play biting, and stopped attacking people shoes on and off their feet. Prior to bringing my puppy to obedient paws I knew I was moving out of the state back to NY, so the timing and location was not ideal. However after the first consultation and constant communication with Adam, I had no doubt in my mind that I would still have my puppy stay, and make the travel from NY back to VA beach for her. I am so happy I made that decision, as I can’t imagine finding a better obedience school that not only train the dogs but also the owners. I highly recommend Obedient Paws, without any reservations.

We brought our 5 month old Goldendoodle Comet for a 2 week Boot Camp with Obedient Paws. Couldn’t have been happier with the whole process, well worth the investment! Adam and the Obedient Paws team are professional, educated, and clearly love what they do. Comet was a good pup when he was brought in, now that he’s back home he’s an amazing family member! He’s stopped chewing up rugs/furniture, resource guarding, jumping on everyone, nipping, will FINALLY sleep in his crate, and the list goes on! Can’t thank Obedient Paws enough for the work they put in with Comet and we’re looking forward to bringing him back for doggy daycare in the near future!