Tri-State K9 University

My husband and I recently took our dogs for a private session with Bobbi Jo and I cannot say enough positive things about our experience. We learned so much about our behavior and our dogs behavior! We left the session with two unrecognizable, very trained and calm dogs! What she does is amazing. I cannot recommend her enough to anyone struggling with getting your dogs under control. If I could give her unlimited stars I would. She was a game-changer for us and our pups!!!

I genuinely wanted this experience to work out, but unfortunately it did not. I regret spending nearly $500 here. I scheduled a 90-minute private lesson for my 1-year-old dog to address some recent reactivity and overstimulation. Upon starting the lesson, I was immediately instructed to use harsh leash corrections and was strongly encouraged to purchase a prong or e-collar. During the session, I was told to sharply yank a slip lead every time my dog barked. When I hesitated, the correction was demonstrated on my dog. This approach did not reduce the behavior and instead increased his frustration and stress. I later learned that these techniques are widely considered outdated and are no longer recommended by many modern, evidence-based trainers because they focus on suppressing behavior rather than addressing the underlying emotional cause. The e-collar was then tested on my dog. He immediately became quiet and stayed close to me, which I initially interpreted as improvement. After following the same instructions at home, my dog’s behavior deteriorated noticeably. He became fearful, disengaged from training, and lost confidence. When the collar was removed, his behavior gradually returned to baseline. This made it clear to me that the methods were not working for my dog and were actively hindering progress. I contacted the trainer to share these concerns and was advised to continue using the collar despite the clear regression I was seeing. The collar was not eligible for return, even though it was barely used and less than a week old. For context, my dog has completed multiple training courses elsewhere and holds his CGC. The issues I sought help with were limited. Since returning to a positive-reinforcement-based training program, we have made significantly more progress in a short amount of time than we did here. Based on my experience, these training methods felt outdated and ineffective, and they did not address my dog’s emotional needs or long-term behavior. I strongly encourage anyone considering training services to research current, science-based training approaches and ensure the methods align with their values before committing.