The Happy K-9 Training & Rehabilitation

Nelson and his staff have been nothing short of AMAZING! Our puppy Dallas went in for training and has grown to love Nelson and the team. They are beyond professional, great with communication, and passionate with what they do. Training is impeccable, facilities are so clean. Our dog had extreme separation anxiety and Nelson helped break that in such a peaceful way. He takes his business very seriously and is dear to him, and it is SO REFRESHING to see this. It makes us, as dog owners, feel comfortable knowing our dog is in a safe, positive, happy, and knowledgable environment. We recommend The Happy K-9, Nelson, and his team to everyone!

I adopted Emmy, a three month old Shepard/American Stanfordshire Terrier mix three years ago. She was very sweet but from day one suffered from terrible separation anxiety. Not having much experience with separation anxiety I fed into it because I felt bad, not understanding the long term effects it would have on her mental status. She progressively became more and more dependent and needed to be my side and now, my boyfriend’s side every minute or she would cry and bark. It didn’t matter if we were gone for one minute or a few hours, she would still have the same adrenalized response. She needed a while to settle down; it was exhausting for her and us. Her anxiety mixed with a dog attack on a trail last year led her to become extremely reactive to dogs. She did not have the right coping skills to manage her thoughts which led to poor decision making: leash reactivity/pulling, dog fights, inability to deescalate, etc. Realizing what her mind must go through on a minute to minute basis was heartbreaking. Imagine being so anxious that you need to be with someone at all times and if that person is gone, you have a panic attack. We tried everything including CBD, Prozac, exercise, sound machines, anxiety vests, and (other) trainers. Nothing worked until I found The Happy K-9 Training and Rehabilitation/Nelson Mendoza on one of my friend’s instagram stories. She raved about the progress her dog had made after working with this program. After an evaluation by the Happy K9 owner Nelson, he assessed that Emmy would need 5 weeks at his board and train program. While it was one of the hardest decisions to make to not see our dog for 5 weeks we can both confidently say it was the best choice we’ve ever made for her. I can’t give enough praise to Nelson and his happy k9 team. They treated Emmy like she was family. We figured we would be quite emotional over the duration of her trip but the communication and updates showcasing her improvements put us at ease. Nelson’s philosophy on owner-pup relationships put everything into perspective. It gave her tools to make better choices and be able to cope with stressors more efficiently, much like how humans sometime need help in this regard. Nelson taught us how to lead and advocate for Emmy so we don’t just have an emotional relationship, but she can count on us for guidance. Her personality has not changed, she now knows how to manage her thoughts and decisions in a positive manner. We have only had Emmy back home for three days but have already seen a remarkable improvement. Our walks have been enjoyable, she greets us with a non adrenalized response, and is finally able to mentally and physically relax. We are overjoyed and know she already has a better quality of life, as do we. If anyone is having mild to extreme behavioral concerns about their dog, I strongly recommend happy k9 rehabilitation and training center! I would choose them over and over again. It is worth the investment as it will lead to a better quality of life for your dog and for you. Don’t lose hope! We can’t thank you enough, Nelson and happy k9 team!!

Nelson and his wonderful staff at The Happy K-9 changed our life with our dog, Buzzy. He had become so leash reactive to other dogs that we were only able to walk him at off hours and had to anticipate and avoid other dogs; and even that did not always work. He also did not come reliably when called and would jump excitedly on visitors. In short he was, although sweet, quite a spoiled brat. We had tried other training and countless books and on-line searches to no avail. Nelson was very kind, understanding and non-judgmental and assured us he could work with Buzzy and took him into the board and train program. He was in continuous contact with us with updates, videos and photos and we could tell that Buzzy was making so much progress, especially considering how beside ourselves we had become before. He is like a different dog now; and we feel confident we can take him anywhere and are able to incorporate him into all areas of our life like we wanted to. That being said, all the wonderful qualities of sweetness and goofiness Buzzy had still exist. Most of all Nelson is supporting us in our abilities to continue with Buzzy's journey to polite canine behavior. We would give the Happy k-9 our very highest recommendation and could not be more pleased with our pup's transformation.