Ultimate Canine

Words can't describe how grateful I am for Ultimate Canine. I experience progressive hearing loss from chemotherapy 12yrs ago and was in need of a hearing assist service dog. I had met a patient's service dog from Ultimate Canine many years ago who was amazing. I thought at the time if I ever knew someone who needed a service dog I'd recommend Ultimate Canine. Little did I know that someone would be me!! After speaking with multiple service dog trainers there was no doubt that Julie and Ultimate Canine were the top choice. My initial concern was bringing a new dog into my home with an 11yr old Jack Russell Terrier. Before Fernando (my service dog) arrived I took Teegan for lessons onsite at Ultimate Canine. Carissa did an amazing job working with Teegan (and me). Being onsite was great, as there were other dogs and trainers in the same room offering great distractions that Teegan had to work through. Carissa was able to get Teegan to do many of the things I was unable to do the previous 11yrs. After a series of lessons Teegan was fantastic on her leash with no jumping, no pulling, and sitting/staying in places I needed her to both at home and in public. I was truly amazed at how obedient she now was in places she was previously tough to handle. She no longer showed fear or aggression with other dogs and humans. Joby from Ultimate Canine did a great job providing 3 days of home training with Fernando after his service dog graduation. Joby's ability to not only teach me about Fernando and how to work with him, but also how to handle introduce Fernando to Teegan. I often told Joby that the way Ultimate Canine did the 3 day in-home training was perfect. Joby would reply, "we've been doing this for quite awhile and have had very good results", which is so true! Having multiple days to work with both dogs together and ask questions as needed was invaluable! It's also great to still be able to communicate with Joby if I have any questions or concerns. I've had Fernando for a month and he's exactly what I envisioned and more! The first night I had him we were walking and he stopped/alerted me to someone coming up behind us. He did this multiple times in the first few days and I will admit to having happy tears as I realized I could now resume the life I wanted with my little personal protector keeping me safe when I couldn't hear things or have the ability to localize noises I did hear. Julie described the service dogs and little Navy Seals and that's exactly what he's like. Always by my side helping me when needed. It's unreal how locked into me and my movement, emotions, and needs. I highly recommend Ultimate Canine! Whether you need a service dog or have a dog who needs some work with various behaviors, they are truly the best!! I've met many people who have worked with Ultimate Canine and Julie and the first thing they say is, "She's amazing!". There's a reason why police, the military, and many other notable organizations use Julie, Carissa, Joby, and other team members to train their dogs!

If you’re looking for a trainer who is knowledgeable, professional, and genuinely cares about dogs, I highly recommend Joe at Ultimate Canine. We started with five in-home sessions when our Bernese Mountain Dog was five months old, then enrolled her in the two-week Stay & Train program at 7½ months. The combination was exactly what we were looking for. The in-home sessions taught us how to work with our dog, and the Stay & Train helped her become reliable even in high-distraction environments. Our goal was a well-mannered giant-breed dog who would be enjoyable to live with, confident around people, and a pleasure to take anywhere. Joe helped us transform a puppy who liked to jump, play bite, and pull on the leash into a well-mannered dog with reliable obedience and excellent leash manners. A month after training, she’s doing great, and the skills have held up because we continue practicing them at home. What impressed me most was Joe’s approach. He genuinely loves dogs, and it shows. His training is kind, respectful, and fun, so she was always excited to work with him. He also took the time to explain why dogs behave the way they do and tailored the training to our specific goals and questions. During the Stay & Train, he proactively kept us updated on her progress, and even afterward he has remained available whenever we’ve needed guidance. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Ultimate Canine to anyone looking for a trainer who truly invests in both dogs and their owners.

When we got our second set of German Shepherds a few years ago, I knew we needed to find a trainer who could help us build a strong foundation from the beginning. We worked with another trainer and thought everything was going well, but eventually our youngest GSD began showing reactivity toward other dogs and moving objects. Unfortunately, our previous training experience didn’t give us the tools we needed to overcome those behaviors, so we stopped going and hoped for the best. For the past year, every walk came with worry and uncertainty as I worried how she would react. After months of researching trainers in our area, I came across Ultimate Canine and finally made the phone call. After speaking with them, I immediately knew I had made the right choice. They were incredibly helpful, understanding, and supportive. The first Tuesday in June changed our lives for the better because of trainer Joe C.! In just this past month, Joe has not only helped our GSD make amazing progress, but he has also taught me so much about what I need to do as her handler. He has reassured me that my dog is capable of meeting expectations, and he has given me the confidence to continue working with her. Joe is extremely knowledgeable and does an amazing job explaining what both the dog and the handler need to do to work together successfully. He makes training easy to understand, relatable, and achievable. And that the dogs will teach us along the way! To everyone at Ultimate Canine, especially Joe, thank you for everything you do! You have made me excited to continue training and working with my GSD's. We truly appreciate the time, patience, and dedication you put into helping dogs and their owners succeed! :)

Incredible training, people, high caliber and personal who love what they do…we cannot say enough about how amazing our new dog from Ultimate Canine has been . This place is beyond - and their experience, where their dogs go (police, schools, medical, rehab and family etc!) says so much Thank you Julie, Sheila & team! If you’re a busy person or family like ours (or a mom like me who says “we’re not getting a dog) this is for you or if If you want a well-trained dog that can truly fit into your life, Ultimate Canine is exceptional. Whether you already have a dog that needs training or you’re starting from the beginning and want help finding the right puppy, their team is the top. Our experience started when we first connected with Julie. From that first conversation we knew we were in good hands. The puppy we had originally seen on their website was no longer available — it had already been placed at a nationally recognized rehabilitation center, which immediately told us a lot about the caliber of dogs they produce. Julie let us know another litter was coming from their preferred breeder in Lafayette and personally evaluated it to help find a puppy with the temperament that would best fit our family. (Other trainers had told us her ability to evaluate temperament behavior personality is unlike anyone they’ve ever seen do this …. & Everything she predicted about our dog has proven to be exactly right. She has decades of experience but truly he is calm, very smart, loving and has great ability to absorb new info as well as adapt to different people and surroundings - things she picked out in him within weeks of birth.) We are a busy family with two working parents and active kids, and our children had never had a pet before. Because of that, we wanted to start with the right training from the beginning rather than trying to fix behaviors later. That decision has been one of the best we’ve made. Our trainer Sheila spent significant time with our dog both at their facility and in real-life settings so he became comfortable around people, kids, and everyday environments. When it was time for him to come home, she spent nearly an entire day with our family for what they call a “puppy graduation.” She walked all of us through his routine, commands, and how to continue reinforcing the training — making sure everyone understood, especially the kids. Even as a puppy he came home with a strong foundation. We can walk him without him barking at every animal he sees. He heels, sits, lays down, comes when called, stays, goes to his kennel or mat, and understands “leave it” or “drop it.” He’s still learning of course, but he consistently responds to these commands, which makes it much easier for us to reinforce the training and truly enjoy him. They also took time to understand our lifestyle — knowing we sometimes work from home or bring the dog to the office — so they trained him to calmly settle on his mat in those environments. I can now bring him to the office and he lays down quietly even when people are coming and going, which is impressive for a puppy. Perhaps the simplest example of their training: we were able to leave him with an in-law over 70 who hadn’t had a pet in more than 40 years, and we had zero concern it wouldn’t go well. That alone says a lot. Ultimate Canine trains dogs of many breeds and ages, from family companions to dogs placed in professional environments where temperament and reliability matter. They also offer boarding and continued training, which we will definitely use. These aren’t just professionals — they are professionals who truly care, and that shows in everything they do. I highly recommend Julie and the entire Ultimate Canine team.