Smart Dogs Training & Lodging

Our rescue, Dante, was 90% wonderful but 10% impossible. He barked at everything & nothing, had severe anxiety and lacked doggy manners. We worked with a trainer in our home, but hectic work schedules created problems with implementation and consistency leaving us all frustrated. We were at the point of deciding whether or not Dante would be better suited with another family. The Smart Dogs 15-day Lodge & Learn program was our savior. Kristy & Ian have created a doggy palace in their home! While it looks like a country club, it is an elite in-home training facility. Dante was also taken on field trips to test & enforce his new learned skills. He came back to us a new dog! He is obedient, confident, and in more control of his impulses. Who knew our rarely used treadmill would now be a staple of Dante’s day? We still have extensive homework, but Smart Dogs laid the foundation we all needed. So, if you’re looking for a miracle, revelation or phenomenon, for your dog, don’t give up! Send your dog to Ian & Kristy at Smart Dogs. You absolutely will not regret it.

Kristy and Ian at Smart Dogs trained our 4 year old teacup poodle, and we couldn’t be happier! We sent Meesha to doggie boot camp, and the results were wonderful. She was a stubborn little 4 lb. spitfire, but with consistency, knowledge, and a firm but gentle touch, Meesha is a calmer, happier, and better dog! Kristy and Ian also provided us with guidance as we transitioned Meesha back home. If you are contemplating dog training, Smart Dogs will undoubtedly provide you with the results you are looking for! ~ Missy & Nick Patti

We recently finished 15 days of “Lodge and Learn” at Smart Dogs. We are first time dog owners and needed some help with our 10 week old Ozark Mountain Dog, Yogi. He was nipping and biting, chewing on my rugs, the kitchen table, etc. He wouldn’t walk on his leash, wouldn’t come when we called him, and would not sleep in his crate and would have accidents in the crate. On his first night home he walked on his leash through our entire neighborhood with out any problems at all AND he slept in his crate ALL night long with out ANY accidents!!! Since he has been home he has not chewed on anything but his toys. He is a much calmer dog. I can’t say enough nice things about Kristy and Ian. I was apprehensive about leaving our new puppy to strangers. But once I met Kristy and Ian I knew he was in good hands. They are wonderful and really know what they are doing. They make you feel at ease right away. They were very good about communicating with us on Yogi’s progress. They even sent us pictures of him training. You can tell that Kristy and Ian love what they do and that they truly love each of the dogs they are training. I wouldn’t trust Yogi with anyone else!! You will be very happy with Smart Dogs training!!! Thank you, Kristy and Ian!!!

When we first adopted Cody, we had pictured many different things. Never once, however, did we envision the issues that we experienced. The biggest and worst one had to be the fact that our adorable new puppy had no issue whatsoever urinating in the house and even in his crate—and then laying in it. This occurred several times a day! We were giving him baths almost daily. It was horrible. While I hate to admit it, we actually considered bringing Cody back to the shelter, even though my family and I were completely in love with him. Instead, as a last resort, we called Smart Dogs. If someone would have told me that my dog would have virtually no accidents after just a one-hour session with Kristy, I never would have believed it. That’s exactly what happened, though. Kristy and Ian have taught us how to interact with Cody in a loving but firm way, establishing him as part of the family but also letting him know his role in our “pack.” Cody is a wonderful and friendly pup who makes everyone who meets him want to get one of their own! He has earned a tremendous amount of freedom now! He is a joy to walk on a leash; he rings a bell on our back door whenever he needs to go outside; he is amazing with our children; he sits, stays, heels, comes… I could go on and on. We’ve only had a handful of sessions with Kristy and Ian, and we look forward to many more! I can’t say enough positive things about Smart Dogs! I recommend them to everyone I know who has a new puppy or an “old dog who needs to learn new tricks”! Please, please, PLEASE call them before finding a new home for your dog!!!!!

We have a 5½ year old plott hound rescue named Sophie. She had several issues, but she is such a loving dog that we wanted to see if we could do something for her anxiety, barking, and mild aggression. We were at our wits end. Sophie was the leader and I knew it was our fault we had to do something about it. Googling Dog Trainers brought us to Smart Dogs. I sent an email on a Saturday and Kristy called me back in just a few hours. After a few minutes of talking to Kristy on the phone I knew that we had found our answer to Sophie’s problems. Kristy came to our house and worked a bit with Sophie and our other dog Thunder and we made a list of Sophie’s issues so that Kristy and Ian knew what to work with her on during her 15 day stay at Smart Dogs. Kristy kept me posted on Sophie’s progress thru text messages, emails and phone calls. When we picked up Sophie after her stay she was like a completely new dog. She is so much calmer, doesn’t bark as much and we have not seen any aggression in the week that she has been home. We could not be happier with Kristy and Ian and the way they worked with Sophie. She learned to walk with other dogs, walk on a treadmill, and run with a bicycle. I bought a bicycle and Sophie and I will be hitting the streets. When we picked Sophie up Kristy and Ian went over everything we would need to know to keep up on her training and we have worked hard on it. We have never caged any of our dogs, but we bought Sophie a cage after Kristy suggested it and she seems happy in there at night. When Kristy comes to our house for the next training session I hope that she is happy with what we have done. Kristy and Ian treated Sophie as if she was their own. I highly, highly recommend Smart Dogs. The money is well worth it to have a happy well-adjusted dog. I have no regrets and would not hesitate to bring another dog to Smart Dogs.