RR Professional Dog Training & Boarding

I had my rescue pup Sullivan trained with RR Professional Dog Training at their Carlton, MN location. I have never had a puppy before and his mix of lab, blue heeler, and great pyranees made him a bit more than I was able to deal with. I was starting to see my world getting smaller while I tried to manage his behavior. I started with their day care training which was great and helped me get some basic training for him but as he got older and bigger I knew I needed more help. He was getting reactive to dogs we met on walks and constantly jumping on people and I was not sure if I was doing the right things for him. When I injured my hand trying to keep him from chasing a rabbit, I knew I (and Sullivan) needed more training. We did the 4 week in kennel training course. I have had him back with me for a week and I can't say enough good things! We walked this morning and met three dogs with wonderful behavior. He doesn't jump on everyone we meet and try to talk to. He comes back when called and leaves temptations when asked. He's not perfect but I feel that I have the tools to do the right things for him. I have follow-up training to do and they provide support and videos on what to do after the course. All the trainers and staff were super professional and helpful. I am feeling so positive about the fun times I will have with Sullivan in our years together because of this training.

Stinger went to RR Professional Dog Training. He was assigned to Sarah at the Carlton location for “Service Dog Training”. I was adamant because of the distance and it being winter (it was a 1 hour 40 minute drive both ways) but was struggling to find the kind of training I needed. I found them finally, I was so excited! We set up a phone call and I talked with Ram. I expressed that I have terrible anxiety and my dog would be needing to be trained for service and I have PTSD and Panic disorder. I requested that he would jump on my lap when he knows I’m having anxiety, to ground me and of course his basic knowledge like healing and no barking for being in public. They agreed and told me everything I needed could be done with them! The start was basic training with him the first couple weeks, which she said he already knew how to sit and go down that I had taught him. When I went to visit and do an exercise with him the owner walked in and Stinger was barking like crazy at him and settled down once he knelt down to pet him. When I picked Stinger up January 16th he was barking uncontrollably when they walked in the building and I could tell Sarah couldn’t get him to stop and it went on for a while. My heart sank because the barking was the most important thing that he shows he’s behaving and wouldn’t disrupt anyone by being my service dog. I have struggled with this most days and it’s extremely embarrassing when you’re in public and he barks. It’s a lot of hospital settings due to appointments and things. I told them what was happening and they said tell him “leave it and snap his collar”. That worked for a couple days. I don’t think that’s safe for his neck either the way Sarah showed me how to do it, it ultimately just scares him and I do not want to hurt or scare my dog when he should just listen to the commands.. Stinger is hairless. He requires clothing to keep him warm. Oct-Nov and Jan training months, I specifically stated he needs to wear his jacket outside. They sent me update pics and he was outside with no jacket each time. They called me and said Stinger has a cough, I was upset immediately and calmly said “have you been putting his jacket on? Because a dog can get a cough being too cold?!” She said the other dogs were puncturing it and that’s why he hadn’t been wearing it. I then said he has to wear it (AGAIN) and if it gets ruined I’ll buy him a new one. Well January with the snow he has boots. I told them he does NOT go outside without these on and he cannot be out there for more then 10-20 minutes. When I went to pick him up the 16th he didn’t even have his boots on walking from the kennel to me then we would be leaving. Lots of snow that day. It made me sick to my stomach, like was my dog being neglected of his needs? :’( The second time around when he was boarded for training he was not taught the up command for grounding like requested, she pretended she did but it was very obvious it wasn’t trained. I asked for heal to be involved with his training because he must have not caught on to it well the first time around. This was not done. When I went to pick him up she had me play with a toy with him. Zero training. I followed all of the new commands he learned, everything to a T and always asked if I was doing something right. Continued every day and still do try. It’s very frustrating :’( There were a lot of things the trainer could have done differently to make the experiences go better than they did. October 20th-November 14th - $2,400 (Picking up the 17th would have been a full 5 weeks). January 5th-16th - $1,700 (Picking up the 19th would have been a full 3 weeks) Training at Menards: November 20th - $75 December 2nd & 16th - $150 Training at McDonalds: February 2nd, 10th, & 23rd - $225

We just finished our board and train program with RR Professional Dog Training. This is our 3rd experience with RR. I called for an evaluation for our 6 month old mixed breed rescue (Lucy).They started with the eval, watching the skills she already had, her personality and most important asking what my goals were for her. We agreed on a 4 week program that included me for training during her stay and 2 follow up sessions. I was sent weekly updates on her activities, went to the training and follow up.This is a terrific program. They are organized and REALLY good at what they do. Our trainer was Sophie. She was wonderful, calm and had a great relationship with Lucy. She is home now and We have a new and improved Lucy. I believe she was given great care and totally enjoyed the extra playtime with other pups. EXCELLENT experience.

Ram, Daniella and their team run a good business. We have utilized their training (including off leash), boarding and grooming services for many dogs and many years. Any concerns we have are promptly addressed. They have no problem working with tougher dogs (and humans). We thought we may not be able to keep what seemed like a potential aggressive Giant, but with Tony and Rams attention we have a Gentle Giant with a lot of spirit. Our dogs have never come home ill and ironically seem very happy to go when they can. The grooming services are very good. When we inquired about training another dog, they advised us the best approach even though they could have made so much more money doing what we inquired. The animals are safe and the people are fair, honest and always willing to listen and adjust if needed.