Smart Dogs Training & Lodging

Smart Dogs had immediate answers to a problem I have been trying to solve for 3 years. From the day I brought Molly into my home, she would guard resources from my very submissive dog Abby. Molly would hide something and then attack Abby when she walked by it. Abby never fought back and would not enter a room if she saw Molly staring at her. I monitored what was on the floor every waking hour to prevent Molly from wanting to guard something. I had been told to let the dogs work things out and focus on the basic training of sit, stay and heal. The basic training did help but the bullying would flare up any time Molly hid a “treasure”. A month ago the bullying increased in frequency as Abby started limping due to the cold weather. I had though the attacks just sounded ugly but did not hurt Abby until I saw Molly grab Abby by the face. Abby’s yelping broke my heart. I called Smart Dogs and Kristy was at my house the next day. Within 10 minutes she pointed out something I needed to do that would send a clear message that I am in charge of things in my house. She gave me a plan to follow that was simple and brought results in 24 hours. She said we needed to show Molly that I was in charge and to boost Abby’s confidence. Kristy gave me instructions on how to handle every situation that had potential of getting out of control to prevent it from escalating and to make it clear I was in charge. Everything she said made sense and if I had questions she was quick to respond. I cannot express my gratitude for the peace they have brought to my home. What I love the most is that they focus on what is needed for the personalities I have in my home. I wanted someone who would come to my home and see the interaction so I would not have to explain it. 10 days after Kristy came to my home, I realized the anxiety that had become so much a part of my life was gone. I know what to do and the dogs are getting clear messages from me on what is expected. Last night, for the first time since I have brought Molly home, the two dogs were lying next to each other.

Smart Dogs brought peace back to our household.We’ve always been a two dog house. We rescued London, a bichon/shih tzu mix, the weekend of our daughter’s golden birthday. She was thrilled and we were hopeful that the new dog would eventually help calm the anxiety of our 7 year-old shih tzu who had lost his life-long partner the previous year.After four months of using the same techniques we had used to potty-train our previous dogs, the puppy was still peeing in the house and now our older dog was marking inside, as well. We went to group lessons, read two books, and had already tried a different at home trainer. It seemed the only way we could restore sanity to our house was to find London a new home. As a last resort, we called Smart Dogs.The change in our household has been nothing short of miraculous. We explained the situation and Kristy helped identify behaviors and techniques that we could implement to change London’s behavior for good. Today, there is no more peeing in the house from either dog. How long did it take? You can’t fix a major problem overnight, but our dog’s behavior began changing for the better the minute Kristy came into our household. Sure, we needed to follow-though and do the work during the week, but after each visit we felt more empowered and peace returned to our household within a couple of visits.Unlike our experience with the other at-home training company, Kristy was not condescending and didn’t make us feel as though our dog’s bad behavior was our fault. By observing how we interacted with our dogs, she was able to quickly pinpoint simple changes we could make to regain control in our household.Finally, I think it is worth noting that Smart Dogs customer service goes above and beyond. We have crazy busy schedules, but Elizabeth who handles the scheduling has always worked to find a time that works for us. When we’ve needed to circle back with Kristy with a question about the training, she always responds that same day. If you are reading this review, you are no doubt considering whether an at-home dog trainer is right for you. When pets are behaving badly, it places an enormous stress on families. All trainers are not created equal. Ian and Kristy, the owners of Smart Dogs, are not only amazing at what they do, they are good people who focus on restoring peace in families, not just fixing pet behavior.

We have a 2.5 year old mix named Otis that is full of energy. He does not listen well and can be crazy at times. We looked into a few different training programs and were not really sure how beneficial they would be. We came across Smart Dogs and had done some research. We did not see one negative review of this place! We had our first session with Ian and we can already see a change in Otis. Whenever he would go on a walk, he would pull like crazy and lunge at anything from squirrels to leaves. Just after our first session, Otis is a pleasure to walk. He ignores other dogs and animals. Ian is very knowledgable, We cannot wait for our next session and to see what else Ian has to teach us!

Ian & Kristy are AWESOME! We were on the verge of giving up our French Bulldog, Lola, because of her wild behavior and terrible potty training problems. We made the desperate call to Smart Dogs and our situation dramatically improved after the first visit. We made the decision to let Smart Dogs take Lola into their facility because we have three small children that acted as a distraction for us in the training process. This was an absolute God send!! They taught us how to control Lola's craziness and most importantly how to properly potty train her. Kristy & Ian have taught us to feel confident as owners and we can now enjoy our Lola instead of resenting her! I highly recommend Smart Dogs for first time & seasoned dog owners. We can't begin to thank them enough!!