Wag Time Dog Training - Don Kirkish

My wife and I adopted a Frenchie rescue. He is such a loving little guy until somebody new comes into our house and then he goes into protective mode…barking and being aggressive. We sought training and by God’s grace found Don! We have only been through five lessons and it has been life changing! Things we thought were impossible Don trained US to solve in a very short period! It has been transformative! He only uses leash and voice commands! It does take commitment and practice but if you love your dog, DON CAN MAKE THINGS WORK! it has made an incredible difference. My wife and I are SO much more comfortable and confident! Don teaches YOU how to train. He is an amazing coach…patient yet very focused. We still have about 5 lessons left and we couldn’t be more excited about our future with our little Frenchie, Benny! IF you want results with a humane approach (no treats or shock collars) DON IS EXCEPTIONAL!!! I know this might sound like a “commercial” but couldn’t be happier!!

Don has been such a find! My wife & I acquired 2 New Zealand Huntaway pups from my niece when her dog had pups. I've always had lab mix rescues & this herding breed was a huge change. After attending group obedience courses we realized the male needed 1-1 with a trainer to address leash issues & the female had separation issues from her brother. That training for 8 weeks didn't get results. They were super smart but needed MORE if we were ever going to get to have them as "travel" dogs - anxiety in the little girl & reactiveness in our little man. Enter Don. He came to the house and in the first 2 sessions had made such an impact on our interactions with the kids, and their responsiveness, that you wouldn't have recognized us as the same group! We've been working for many more weeks now, getting guidance and coaching, and we're now ready for the ultimate challenge - going to a restaurant with the dogs - who would have thought! :-) We can't recommend Don enough for anyone who wants a great trainer for their dog!

I called Wag Time because we relocated from a country environment to a suburban one. Our 100lb dobie wasn’t used to all the excitement in his new neighborhood and he became reactive towards other dogs. It’s been a long hard road for us but I’d have to say we finally turned a corner thanks to Don’s help. He has given us the tools to redirect our boy. When he had a vet appointment they asked me if I’d sedated him because he was so calm. That is huge for us! Don has alway kept our line of communication open between visits and that’s been very helpful. I would highly recommend Wag Time to anyone considering dog training.

We called Don when we needed help after some fights with our newly blended dog family. He immediately helped us put tools in place to keep us all safe in our home while providing training that was logical and easy to follow and practice between sessions. He helped us to realize that our situation wasn’t hopeless, and with attention, focus and consistency, we can safely manage our brood with less stress. Our dogs have responded well to Don and his training methods, and we are grateful to Don for helping us when we desperately needed it.

I love my little border collie very much, but he is a handful ! He can be very sweet, but his high anxiety lead him to viciously bark at every person, dog, and squirrel on the street, and made our walks and other situations distressfully tense. At one point, I had to realistically consider the possibility of putting him down for his seemingly unmanageable behavior. I initially took Bodie to a beginners obedience training course with Albree dog training. During those sessions he would completely shut down (kept laying down with ears pinned back staring at the ground), and no progress came from it (if anything he was a bit worse). Upon pressing the instructors for assistance, they told me Bodie likely had bad genes (and/or eye problems?) and that there was basically nothing I could do. I had a hard time believing this was the case because he is incredibly smart and loves to please. In desperation after a few escalating incidents, I reached out to Don at Wag Time dog training. I was initially concerned by the cost of instruction, but after literally the first lesson, I saw my dog make incredible progress. I was able to make him heel (which I hadn't been able to figure out in the year I had him), and now, he actively ignores anything that would normally be a huge distraction. I still don't trust Bodie with new people and don't think I'll ever be able to, but Don's techniques showed me tools and ways I can manage him in almost any situation. He is a way happier and confident dog for it, and I a much more fulfilled dog mom !