Woof Works Training

Woof Works Training is a fantastic place to begin or continue dog training. They have a great setup for year-round training with a wide array of tools onsite. While it’s called "dog training," as the handler you receive invaluable instruction that trains you to be the best owner your dog could ask for. THE TRAINERS: Mike owns Woof Works and is a master trainer of both pets and handlers. He has a clear, empathetic teaching style packed with experience, giving deep insight without ever feeling overwhelming. Rachel is another instructor who is absolutely fantastic. She is energetic, focused, and projects strong, calm leadership for both dogs and handlers. My wife and I love seeing them work together. They maintain seamless coordination, reinforcing the exact same principles for complete continuity regardless of who leads. We are currently in our second 10 session package. OUR STORY: We have two dogs:Maggie, an 11 year-old, 30lb Staffy mix, and Hange, a 2 year old, 45lb Pointer mix. Last summer, we brought 1 year old Hange to Woof Works for an evaluation with Mike because she was a jumper, demand barker, and under-stimulated. We discussed dog behavior, core training pillars, and how to stop our puppy from training us. Maggie, while a great pet, had long-standing resource guarding tendencies and could be dominant with other dogs. We decided to hold off on a 10-session package until the holidays for financial reasons. Looking back, this was our biggest mistake. Between August and December, tension escalated. Hange would encroach on Maggie’s boundaries, Maggie would overreact to control space, and Hange being younger, bigger, and stronger would tangle up or bite onto Maggie. In December, Hange latched onto Maggie’s head during a resource dispute under my desk. Maggie needed emergency care, sedation, and sutures for a 2 inch full depth laceration above her ear. Anyone who has experienced a serious dog altercation knows how violent, scary, and discouraging it is. That single ER vet visit cost significantly more than the training package would have. To add urgency, we found out in September that we were expecting our first baby, due in May. We had a hard deadline to establish a peaceful home, so we immediately bought a 10 session package. THE TRANSFORMATION: Mike and Rachel matched our urgency instantly, giving us a clear blueprint: -Keep the dogs safely separated while restructuring household rules so humans are in firm control. -Address resource guarding directly. -Provide Hange with healthy physical and mental energy outlets. By early spring, Mike and Rachel facilitated joint sessions in a neutral, controlled environment. By the 3rd or 4th session, both dogs were working off leash 2 feet apart, maintaining eye contact with us, and doing polite check-ins with one another. Just two months before our baby was born, two dogs who had been in a severe fight were calmly existing side by side. WHERE WE ARE TODAY: After our baby was born, we transitioned to walks where my wife pushes the stroller while I comfortably walk both dogs, one on each side. Eight months ago, I wasn't sure if we could keep both dogs. Now, thanks to the disciplined framework Mike and Rachel taught us, we have a safe, structured, and happy home. There have been probably half a dozen rides home from training where my wife and I were near joyful tears about our progress. Because of the controlled environment and protocols we established at home, everyone remains completely safe. Our interactions with our dogs—and their interactions with each other—have kept improving. Nothing in dog ownership is guaranteed. We don't take our current peace for granted and will continue training. But if you have a dog exhibiting unsafe behaviors, do not wait. Schedule your first session with Woof Works Training as soon as you can. Mike and Rachel demonstrate the highest levels of professionalism, care, and sincerity, and the work they did with our family was truly life changing.

We can't recommend WoofWorks enough. They have been absolutely instrumental in Mac's progress. We adopted our cattle dog mix from Texas in January, and he came to us with significant fear and reactivity. Walks were stressful, meeting new people felt impossible, and navigating the world around other dogs was incredibly challenging. Mike and Rachel took such a thoughtful, patient, and gradual approach to earning Mac's trust while teaching us how to communicate with him effectively. We learned so much about balancing different training techniques and tailoring them to our dog's needs. We participated in private lessons, 2-hour drop-offs, home visits, and board-and-train, and every step made a meaningful difference. Rachel was especially wonderful. She was so patient with both Mac and us. it was an emotional journey for us to cope with Mac's struggles and she was very supportive. We're now able to enjoy walks, manage challenging environments, and have built so much more engagement, confidence, and trust with our dog. We still have work to do, but we now feel empowered with the knowledge and tools to continue making progress. I was also impressed by the variety of dogs and goals they work with, from newborn baby preparation and reliable recall to show dogs and dogs with special needs. Most importantly, we always felt that they genuinely cared about Mac and were invested in his long-term success and well-being, not just getting through training sessions. Their focus was on long-term progress and success, not just quick fixes. We're incredibly grateful for everything they've done, and we'll definitely be back for recall training in the future!

We’ve had a great experience working with both Mike and Rachel. Charlie came to us as a timid shelter puppy, and with their guidance and positive training approach, he’s grown into a much more confident and well-adjusted dog. They’ve helped us understand how to work with him while giving him the skills and confidence to navigate new situations. We appreciate their knowledge, professionalism, and practical advice, and would highly recommend Woof Works Training to anyone looking for quality dog trainers.

We could have not asked for better partners than Mike & Rachel. We adopted our rescue pup Jack at 3 months old as first time dog parents we really did not know where/how to start. Mike/Rachel were incredibly patient and accommodating and ended up training Jack as much as us. We have learned so much from Woof Works and have an incredibly trained dog at only 1 year old. You are missing a golden opportunity if you do not partner with Woof Works

I had an excellent experience working with Mike at Woof Works. He listened to the concerns I had with my pup's behavior and what I was hoping to accomplish through training, and worked with me and her to build the skills and confidence needed to set her (and me!) up for success in stressful situations. At nine years old, I was worried Rosie would be too set in her ways and/or have physical constraints that would limit her learning, but Mike tailored training to meet her where she was at and proved you're never too old to learn new tricks. Owners, too! Thank you, Mike and team, from two happy and better behaved customers!