Stable K9 Training

We had an amazing Board & Train experience with Brooke from Stable K9. Whiskey, our long-haired German Shepherd, was given up by her previous owner after his life situation changed and came to us at 4 years old with a number of problems that made integrating her into our family very challenging. Whiskey's breeder, StrongArm German Shepherds, recommended Stable K9 to us. Whiskey was VERY reactive - dogs, people, cars (especially delivery vans!), rabbits, squirrels! She would just go nuts whenever she encountered these triggers. Walking Whiskey was such an awful experience that I wouldn't let my wife take her on walks out of fear that Whiskey would pull her down on the icy sidewalks. People on the trails would see us coming and go the other way as they saw me struggle to control this dog. There were 4 training goals we asked Brooke to focus on: 1. Walks with a loose leash and does not react when exposed to a trigger. 2. Greeting guests. She got so excited, barking loudly, jumping up, nipping at their hands or clothes - before submitting, rolling over on her back and just wanting tummy rubs. People were visibly uncomfortable with her during those greetings. 3. She wouldn't tolerate nail trims. Click-click-click across our floors. Even tried muzzling and getting a vet tech to trim them but she was so uncomfortable we couldn't put her through it. 4. She did not come when called and remain - combined with the reactivity, we were concerned for her safety. She WANTED to catch those cars! Brooke was great about working with us to define these goals and manage expectations on what we could expect after 3 weeks with her. She provided updates to us over text, including videos of Whiskey's progress. Watching Whiskey's behavior in even the earliest videos, I told my wife that Whiskey was making a liar out of us. She was behaving so much better. Did we get everything we wanted? Nope - but we've had dogs before and gone through obedience training with other dogs and knew it was a process; that's why we prioritized what was important to us. Whiskey came back to us MUCH improved. She walks very nicely, maintaining a loose leash and sticking to my side. She tolerates nail trims - which is huge! She's still working on greetings, come and stay - but she's making progress and Brooke has given us some guidance on how to improve that situation. Stable K9 provided Whiskey with a solid foundation we can build upon. Great experience and we will be attending additional group training sessions with Brooke and Stable K9 in the future for sure.

Brooke has a great set up at Stable K9 for 1-1 training and exposing dogs to as much stimuli as possible. My dog is pretty reactive to dogs due to fear, and Brooke spent 3 weeks working on crate training him, exposing him to other dogs, and walking him in public stores and places. There's still a ton of work to be done to get him where he needs to be, but Brooke was able to get his reactivity to a level where I can "break through" to him even when he is being reactive. Definitely wish I lived closer to her, so we could do the weekly classes as my dog still needs some work. But she was nice enough to give me references for similar classes near me!

Brooke and Stable K9 did miracles for my dog. I knew he was going to be a challenge as “doodles” can be, but the results were more than I hoped for. From an unruly teenager to a much more relaxed and well behaved dog. Brooke was able to eliminate so much anxiety from both my dog and myself. We look forward to continuing to work with Brooke and Stable K9 at their weekly classes. Thank you so much.

Brooke at Stable K9 was amazing! Our 11 month old pitbull was a complete knucklehead - jumping, biting (playfully) and no leash control. After 2 short weeks with Brooke, she came home a respectful, confidant dog. She trained the dog AND the owners.. setting us up for success. Lots of great suggestions for continued growth and options for future classes and involvement to keep our dog on the right path. Highly recommended for all dog breeds. Brooke is AMAZING!