Spot-On K9 Training

We worked with Stephen to help improve obedience (stopping while walking, stubbornness) and recall for our energetic, 3 year old lab Suzy. When we first started training, she was ignoring cues and very selective when obeying commands around distractions (especially dogs). Upon working with Stephen, we are now confident in our ability to have Suzy off leash around distractions due to her improved recall and ability to settle. We are so excited to be able to explore new places with our dog thanks to Stephen. She also LOVED Stephen to the point that she didn’t want to leave training sessions! Thank you!

10/10 recommend Stephen as your professional dog trainer! When I began classes for my 4 month old puppy, my puppy did not listen to commands and had a difficult time walking well on the leash. It was difficult to take her for walks since she would stop in the middle of the sidewalk and not want to walk any further, so we would have to turn back home. She also would not listen to basic commands, such as “come”, “sit”, “stay”, etc. which was frustrating as a new dog owner. I felt really lost with how to train her. After working with Stephen over the course of 5 sessions, I can say he is the most effective dog trainer I have come across over the course of my time having dogs. Now, my puppy walks with no issues and will walk right at the heel. She can go for walks as long as 2 hours now and will remain right at my heel the entire time. Another huge point of success is that she now stays in place until I call her name to release her, which is very important for when I have guests over. Stephen also had our puppy work on off-leash training. I feel very confident in her ability to stay close to me if she is off her leash or come back when I call her name, which is especially important for when she runs around in large fields or when we go walking on trails. Stephen was extremely attentive in each of our 5 private sessions, and he truly cares about you and your dog’s training progression. His professionalism, responsiveness, and kindness made training so seamless and made confidence-building as a trainer easy as well. Don’t hesitate to sign up for classes - using Spot-On K9 Training was the best decision for myself to learn how to approach training the right way and for my dog to build her self-esteem walking in the big city!

I contacted Stephen for private dog training after doing some online research about different classes/trainers in the area and saw all of his great reviews. We have a 9-month old Cavapoo and started with Stephen when she was around 6-months. While not really a problematic dog by any means, she does have typical overactive puppy energy and pulled a lot during walks in all different directions. The tools and tricks that Stephen gave us from the first lesson mostly solved her worst leash pulling issues within an hour. It's still a work in progress (as dog training always is), but it was a pretty immediate and drastic difference. During every class, Stephen offers a lot of various tricks and methods for whatever dog issues you might be having. He understands that there is no one-training-method-fits-all when it comes to dogs, and he is very flexible and helpful when brainstorming different solutions. Post-class, he always sends a follow-up email with a TON of extra information and guides to support whatever things we worked on during the class. I would definitely recommend Stephen if you're new to dog ownership and need someone to train your dog (and you!) on obedience and routines.

There isn’t a better behaviorist/dog trainer in the city than Stephen! Working with Stephen was worth every penny. He’s an extremely knowledgeable, no-nonsense and to the point kind of guy. His methods are humane and fail-proof. And he caters and adjusts his training to every client and every dog to make sure that we get exactly what we need out of these sessions. You can also tell he deeply cares about and has so much respect for animals. He will also guide you throughout the process and send you extensive materials to refer back to. My little girl has struggled with anxiety since she was little but she has gained a tremendous amount of confidence since we started working with Stephen. In truth, the training was as much for her as it was for me to become a better leader and dog parent. I couldn’t recommend him more to anyone in the area looking to improve their relationship with their pup and resolve any issue whether outside or in the home.