Top Dog Boarding and Training

I first met Shawn at his display booth at Barrett-Jackson last year. Shawn’s incredible control of his gorgeous German Shepherd all while hundreds of people talking and walking by, was captivating. It just so happened that my wife and I just adopted a baby Shiba Inu at the same time and were due to pick her up in a few weeks. We were both new to owning a dog and I really wanted the experience for us -and the puppy- to be one full of love and also understanding of each other just like Shawn and his Shepherd that day. I wasn’t sure if a small breed like Shiba Inu would be able to learn and apply the same techniques and commands as a Shepherd or Malinois would, but again I was so intrigued with his dog’s strong grasp of commands that I approached Shawn for more information. He was so kind and patient with my many questions and assured me that there is no doubt our little Shiba can learn and apply the same commands with proper training. One thing that stuck out of our conversation was when Shawn said something to the extent that, “with proper training and understanding how dog’s think and respond to certain things, both you and your pet will have a much happier life together.” And that made total sense. Fast forward a few months, and we signed up for the full training package with Shawn. The lessons were fun, never rushed, and packed full of information for both my wife and I, and of course our puppy. We were shocked to see how incredibly fast our little strong-willed pup learned all the basic commands week-after-week by following Shawn’s simple, straightforward instructions. Matter of fact, by utilizing his techniques we were able to train her to do a handful of other cute tricks. Once you know how to apply Shawn’s knowledge, the possibilities of training a specific command/trick are endless. Given Shiba Inu’s are a Japanese breed, Shawn was also able to incorporate commands in Japanese on top of English. We use the Japanese commands when we mean business, or in a public environment to differentiate between other English words being said around her. It works like magic. My wife and I -and puppy!- couldn’t be happier with the results we’ve achieved with Shawn and his amazing team. We’ve always had plenty of love for our little girl, but now armed with Shawn’s incredible knowledge of canine behavior, we now understand how she thinks, what she responds to, and how to mark and reward her behavior. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you very much Shawn! There is absolutely no doubt that because of you and your training, the three of us are living the best and happiest life together. —-❤️ Nami

Bodhi (Belgian malinois mix) and I have been working with Shawn for over a year now and our LIVES HAVE BEEN CHANGED! Literally our lives were saved; I got Bodhi as a protection animal but was in way over my head when he turned out to be a reactive, dangerous, drama queen. He bit several people in his first year of life (being bit by this bad boy is NOT A JOKE) and I really believed there was no way we could live a ‘normal’ life together. Enter Shawn at Top Dog. We do private lessons here and Bodhi has not had any incidents of biting *knock on wood* since we came to Top Dog. All of the staff and trainers here are friendly, personable, and knowledgeable and I could not recommend them more highly. We had seen other trainers before and no one knew what to do with Bodhi. Within the first few sessions with Shawn, Bodhi and I both had better understandings of how to work with each other and I could not be more grateful for the potential we have unlocked. We have both learned so much — it’s just me and Bodhi against the world!