Spot-On K9 Training

We adopted a 13 month rescue dog, Bella who is 40% Husky, 30% Australian Cattle dog and 20% American Bully. She looks like a black wolf with blue/white eyes, very striking. She needs a ton of exercise and is very independent and willful. We signed up with Stephen and spent 6 weeks with leash and e-collar training, that have enabled us to confidently take Bella to off leash exercise in Central Park almost daily. Stephen is easy to work with reliable and very knowledgeable. We highly recommend him and would go with him again with further training needs.

I called Spot-On K9 training at a time where I felt I had exhausted all of my options for my reactive 1 year and a half golden doodle, Cairo. Cairo is a very affectionate dog but has struggled with anxiety and reactivity towards other dogs since we got him at 4 months old. He would lunge and bark extremely loud in public and I could not get him under control. Cairo would not pay attention to anything I was doing in this heightened state as if he was stuck in a tunnel vision. Walking him caused me a lot of anxiety due to feeling embarrassed and even shame for not being able to control him. I started to solely rely on my backyard for his using of the bathroom and his exercise. However, I realized this was not fair to him and was not good life for a dog. Prior to calling Stephen, Cairo had gotten kicked out of a board and train due to aggression second to his separation anxiety in less than 4 hours. I realized a board and train would not be helpful to Cairo and made the call to SOK9T. Cairo was so bad that when we had our first session in Central Park, Stephen already knew who the problematic dog was in a park full of so many dogs. Stephen just observed the first few minutes on how our dog Cairo behaved first hand. Once he made his assessment, he taught us how to train Cairo with the proper tactics. I also appreciated his honesty because he explained that even with all the training, Cairo does not have genetics on his side as anxiety is often what you get with golden doodles. As a result of learning all the tools and tactics on obedience and how to foster bonding, Cairo has become a very obedient dog and less reactive towards people and dogs. He still has some anxiety that he may not ever 100% overcome but with the roadmap Stephen has given us, I now feel confident in helping Cairo overcome his fear and live a more fruitful life. It is so important to find a trainer that is actually passionate about dogs and Stephen is that person who loves helping people and their beloved pets. P.S. This picture was the first time Cairo was able to be calm in a park full of dogs and I saw the progress!☺️ Thank you Stephen!

We got our German Sheppard puppy Mila at 2 months old and right away we knew we were in trouble. She wouldn't walk on a leash, pulled hard and barked at everyone. She would bite and play rough, I have scars to prove it lol. We knew we needed help and started researching and found Stephen on google and took a chance because he has excellent reviews and we are so glad we did. Training with Stephen has been a life saver, he helped transform Mila after our first training session. He provided us with so much knowledge and techniques to help us in our journey with Mila and her road at becoming a more obiedient, social dog and more importantly our best friend. Thank you Stephen!!!!

Stephen is not the first trainer my husband and I have worked with however the results from working with Stephen has exceeded our expectations. Before starting SOK9T our dog Z would excessively pull on the leash and was very reactive to other dogs, to the point where walking him was very stressful and not enjoyable. After our first private lesson with Stephen, we saw an incredible difference in Z's behavior on walks and I would say walks became much more enjoyable. We also wanted to work on Z's off leash & recall. In the beginning I had doubts it would be possible, and did not have much expectations for Z to be able to run around off leash. By the final class, Z was walking around Central Park for over an hour off leash with amazing recall and a calm approach towards other dogs. Stephen was an amazing trainer, he uses both positive and corrective training tools to ensure Z learns boundaries and makes positive choices. Stephen goes above and beyond, answering all our questions and concerns with detailed explanations and plenty of material after each class for us to reference while practicing on our own. Although our private lessons have ended, Stephen still offers free monthly group lessons to reinforce the training learned during our private lessons and is still available to support and answer any questions we have. It has been an amazing experience that has exceeded our expectations and we would highly recommend this training to anyone who wants to give their dog more freedom but still understand their boundaries.