The Northwest Dog Trainer

I’ve debated for several months about leaving a review, because my dog and I have moved on, but I want to give others the information I wish I’d had before signing up. My dog struggles with reactivity, and it got worse when we attended a Petco puppy obedience class (where he and another dog mostly just barked at each other from across the room for about an hour). I communicated this at our assessment with The Northwest Dog Trainer, and stated multiple times that my main hope was to get my dog acclimated to being around calm, nonreactive dogs and build our way up to being able to ignore even other dogs barking at him. I was impressed with the way Marcus evaluated and gave direction to my dog during the assessment, and they sounded confident that these goals would be attainable. We were encouraged to sign up for two classes every week for eight weeks, and we did. To be clear, I did receive some helpful instruction over the course of the eight weeks… but mostly in areas of basic obedience where my dog already performed well, and not in helping him overcome his reactive responses. We spent entire classes simply doing “sit, down, sit, down, sit, down”— which my dog already did reliably!— while ingesting enough treats to make him sick the next day. When we did interact with other dogs, we saw progress even by the end of class, but that was the exception rather than the standard. It was a roll of the dice whether we would even see another dog outside of entering and exiting class. I feel that we paid $2.5k to be warehoused. I don’t know if it was the twice-weekly structure or just a lack of organization and note-keeping, but it felt like every day started from scratch. From the beginning (“Why haven’t you been practicing with a box? Oh, you’ve been waiting to receive one? Here, just take this!”) to the end (“Wait, this was your last class? Huh!”), I don’t believe that my dog’s progress was tracked or accounted for, and he certainly wasn’t given the exposure and training I was led to believe we would receive. Clearly this training facility does work for some people, and I believe that certain trainers (including the owner) are attentive and analytical during the sessions, but that was not my experience. We left the class with a slip collar, shock collar, 11th-hour recommendations for a prong collar, and minimal improvement. I’m frustrated that we wasted time and money during such a formative stage of my dog’s life. The one positive I took away from the class was a habit of training for 30 minutes daily… though the majority of the methods taught in this class have since been discarded for ones that actually suit my dog’s personality and temperament. In summation: Caveat emptor. Despite the owner being a skillful dog handler, results will vary between instructors. Be prepared to keep your own records and strongly advocate for your dog’s advancement. Do not accept twice-weekly classes, as it does not accelerate learning and might contribute to you and your dog “falling through the cracks”.

I am an experienced dog owner with mutt breeds ranging from shepherd, rotti, pit, heeler mixes. When I rescued/ adopted a Cane Corso.(mutt puppy) I knew I had to do right by her and myself. I needed proper guidance with her breed. I gained confidence in handling her. I also had my Staffy in training here too. The biggest compliment anyone can say about your dogs is: wow they are so well trained! Yes they are. I worked very hard at it and thanks to NW dog training. I can brag that I have a 2 beautifully well trained dogs.

If you’re on the fence about booking an evaluation—do it. Working with TNWDT Team has completely changed my life in the best way. When we started in November 2025, my dog Cooper was 8 years old and very dog reactive. I had already worked with three different trainers (all vet-recommended) and was basically told he was a “lost cause” because of his age. It was discouraging, and I almost didn’t try again. One thing that stuck with me right away—when I asked, “What if it doesn’t work?” Melissa said, “Then you didn’t do your homework.” I signed that same day. I appreciated the honesty, and she was right. This training isn’t just about the money—it’s about the time and effort you’re willing to put in, which people don’t always realize. It hasn’t always been easy, but it’s been so worth it. From November to April, we learned how to truly communicate with Cooper. He went from not being able to be near other dogs without barking and pulling, to passing his Good Citizen Test in January 2026. I tell our story to everyone who compliments his behavior because I’m so proud of how far he’s come. I’m actually writing this after our Pack Walk today—Cooper did great, and so did all of our classmates. If you’re willing to put in the work, your dog is capable of more than you think. Sending so much ❤️ to the entire Northwest Dog Trainer Team. Thank you guys!

Before coming to the Northwest Dog Trainer, our two dogs embarrassed us. We were scared to take them out in public, nervous to take them on walks, and afraid to involve them in our lives. We couldn't have people over, and we were always rushing home when we were out. The trainers at the Northwest Dog Trainer helped us, not to just be able to take our dogs out into public, but to where we have fun and enjoy taking them places. In the span of 16 weeks they helped us train our reactive, aggressive, and at times hostile two dogs to where we were able to show the world their loving nature we had only ever been able to see behind closed doors in our home. Marcus and his team are incredible - passionate about what they do with the skills to match. From our first evaluation to our first attempt at the CGC and beyond they have always approached us and our dogs with an attitude that made us feel welcome, unashamed, and ready to help us tackle the issues we were facing. We never felt judged, and no matter what our questions or concerns were, they were always ready to listen and help. On top of their exceptional training program is the community that they have built. Community events, socials, pack walks, and more - the staff here has always made us feel welcomed and has always been eager to help us with any questions or concerns we had about our dogs. Where our reactive dogs made us feel so isolated, the Northwest Dog Trainer has not just helped us feel comfortable going out into our community, but it gave us one.