Brianna is extremely knowledgeable about dog behavior and psychology. She explains the root cause…read moreof any issue you may be having and doesn't just address the symptoms, but helps you to address the root cause. I love her philosophy of calm dogs and she has helped me and my puppy a ton over the last 6 months. She truly takes each dog as it's own case and works to find tools that will work best for that specific dog and owner, which I really appreciate. My puppy has been pulling on walks and we are working on impulse control - she has helped me frame my approach with my dog and move toward calmness in everything we do. I would highly recommend her services to anyone struggling with any dog issue! She also provides a lot of resources on her social media and always is friendly and responsive when you reach out to ask follow up questions. It honestly is a great rate for the level of service she provides.

Brianna is truly amazing at what she does. I found her flyer at a local pet store and am so glad…read morethat I did! She has a wide variety of techniques and approaches in training my dog. She also gives me as owner tips to implement in the training to put my dog at ease! Looking forward to the continued sessions with her and my dog. I would highly recommend her to anyone for dog training and any dog behavior issues.

Brandi and Perry did an awesome job training our 10-month-old mini bernedoodle. She is a pleasure…read moreto be around now. The e-collar training is absolutely life-changing. I wish I had done this sooner- it would have saved me from a lot of stress and aggravation. Communication with Brandi was awesome. She was always quick to respond and gave us updates with pictures everyday. It's definitely a worthwhile investment to have an exceptional companion for the next 15+ years!

I can't say enough good things about Brandi and Perry Bailey of RSK9. Their work has given my pup…read moreand I so much freedom and balance. Pebbles (blue heeler, 1.5 years old) would never listen to me, would not sit or lay still, and had a lot of other obedience issues that caused her to be stressed or confused. She was a TOUGH dog to train and I was concerned I couldn't find the solution for her to get basic concepts. This view has completely changed since working with RSK9's 3 week program. I would HIGHLY recommend them and their methods - you can tell they genuinely love working with dogs and it's made a huge difference in giving my dog the chance to find real rest at home. They send DAILY updates with photos and videos which was so nice. This isn't a regular class or something you just pay for; it's truly an investment that you and your dog will be using for the time you get to share together. Side note: it's worth doing 3 weeks versus 2 weeks. At the 2 week mark is when Pebbles really started to understand her marks and cues. From here there is so much more that can be refined and Brandi/Perry really capitalize on that threshold being crossed!

Fast Response time and honest self assessment on not being able to train my reactive dog.read more

Amanda has a calm presence around dogs! So grateful for her expertise as she's worked with my…read moredog...a 70 pound guy who's sweet, but stubborn. Highly recommend!

I absolutely love this company!! The first meet and greet, Kate and her colleague came to meet our…read morepuppy and go over in detail what was expected during her dog walks, training, habits etc. we have been customers for almost a year now. 100% reliable, caring, pay attention to detail and my dog loves her caretakers! The best part is our work is both mental and physically tiring so to come home to a happy tired dog is worth every penny. They also communicate in detail with photos, map of their walk, what your dog did and a report card on the visit. A huge THANK YOU to our team Natasha and Steve! You are all amazing at what you do and so happy to have you on our care team for our dog!

I have been very pleased with the quality of service our dog have been receiving with Kate's K9 Pet…read moreCare. They have been awesome in understanding my needs and care for my dog. Having them taking care of and walk him through out the day and making sure his needs are taken care of before they leave gives me a sense of peace. I have also used their overnight service and was felt very comfortable knowing, the only change my dog would have is the fact that I wouldn't be there but his routine will still be the same.

Our family highly recommends Controlled K9! We adopted our boy Mortimer last year after he had been…read moreliving as a stray, and we were really struggling when he came home with basic manners, reactivity, and having him settle in with our other dog. We ended up sending both of our boys for a six-week board and train with Kelia. It seemed to only make sense to send both dogs so they would have the same baseline training. Kelia was amazing! She kept us informed just about every day with videos and texts so we could see that the boys were happy and making progress. When Kelia brought the boys home, she spent a few hours with us, showing all the commands and techniques that she taught them, so we had a seamless transition. The "place" command alone has been lifechanging. (Although as you can see in the picture, they sometimes refuse to use separate mats, LOL.) We use the command before we feed them, initially when guests come by, and when we just need them to settle down a bit. It has reduced the stress and chaos in our house tenfold, and we actually can see the boys relax when they know they have a place to go and chill out. Kelia also gave us the tools to make leash walking and general obedience so much more successful. There are a lot of options out there for training. What set Controlled K9 apart for us was (1) our boys lived with Kelia, her family, and her dogs during training - they were not staying in a kennel and were in a real-life, loving environment, and (2) the promise of lifetime, free follow-up support. The boys have been home now for about 3 months. The training has stuck, and we feel like we really have the tools we need to make life pleasant for all of us, including the boys. Kelia has also proactively checked in to make sure things are going well, provided tips on the best way to reinforce training, and has responded quickly when we have follow-up questions, including offering a visit. Over three months later, we are still completely satisfied with the training and support provided by Controlled K9 and Kelia, and we would use them again in a heartbeat.

We have been raising a Great Pyrenees mix puppy (who rather looks like a Border Collie) since she…read morewas 9 weeks old. She is (too) smart, friendly, playful, easy to teach but very stubborn. And this last personality trait caused several issues. She grew used to the freedom of a large property and was very resistant to being on a leash. Pulling and too excited to walk nicely. She loves playing with our 7-year-old but was too rough, jumping and nipping. She had an electric fence collar that she respected when she wanted to, and would recall when she felt like it. Our home training was ineffective as she grew older and as she started to develop new bad habits, we were looking for training options. Finding Controlled K9 for Board and Train was the best scenario as we had an upcoming month-long family trip planned. Lexie was so confident with her from the first moment that we didn't question that we were leaving her in the best hands. We regularly received pictures and videos showing her progress and we could see how our puppy was doing. It was unbelievable. After 4 weeks we got back an almost different dog. At first we were concerned that she might have lost her puppy spirit, but she returned to her cute silliness and endless affection very quickly. Meanwhile she had learned great manners. Walks on the leash without pulling. Stops when we stop. She stays at the property line and waits until we return. Runs with our child without jumping. She recalls reliably despite distractions. And no longer chases the cats. And a bonus, we can now even take her out in public easily. She calmly stays next to our table without bothering other people or dogs. She learned Respect. And while not perfectly, we have been able to maintain the learning. Thank you Lexie! And thank you Controlled K9!

Thomas has helped us a lot with learning to work with our Akita "Carter". Not alway the friendlyest…read moredog in the world but Thomas has been able to help socalize him, and is one of the few stranger that Carter lets into the house with out a problem. We interviewed a few dog sitters that just weren't interested in working with a dog with "issues", but Thomas took on the challenge and we are the lucky winners of his doing this. I can't thank him enough for now letting us have vacations again and not having to worry about Carter at the Kennel (he never was happy there) or at home alone with just some one letting him out. He had 6 mile walks, lots of TLC and supervised play dates. Giving us peace of mind to enjoy our vacation. Thomas had the insight to work up to gaining Carters trust and knew just how to work with a large scared dog. I would recommend him highly.

I have used For the Love of Dog for over a year walking my Vizlsa and my two Greyhounds. I would…read more and have recommended them to friends. I trust their walkers completely and have never had a problem with them. The prices are competitive, but the communication between Thomas and the clients as well as the work ethic of the company is what puts them above the rest of the walkers in the area.

Both of my dogs love the dog-walkers from unleashed pet! Not only has this team always been on-time…read moreand followed my helicopter dog-mom requests to a T, they're all very kind, trustworthy, and patient and loving to my four-legged girls. Our household feels very lucky to have discovered the unleashed pet!

Be careful of this one. Will agree to watch your pet and cancel on you at the last minute leaving…read moreyou thrashing to find a replacement two days before you have to leave the country. Not willing to try to find a win-win situation in a difficult position and will ignore you if you have a concern or question things in their contract. They are on the expensive side too....Good thing I found out early. This is not someone I'd want nor trust to watch my babies. I recommend looking elsewhere. I'll be sure to pass on to my military family because we don't need the added stress in an already stressful situation. Would give zero stars if it were an option.

I would not recommend this company. I sent my dog there for two weeks and she did not learn…read morecommands. Now I need to still have her trained because she's not following commands so I would think about another company before going to this one.

Too much reliance on the e-collar before my dog was ready for it. Tucker had no idea what the…read moreverbal commands meant. Trainer spent 8 weeks on same commands...none to very little progress. I got better results on my own at home without an e-collar. Even after talking with the trainer about my concerns, it was ignored. Huge expense for little return!

Chose this company to watch our cat while we were on a trip last month. Staff were attentive,…read moretimely, and sent frequent updates while we were away. Pricing was affordable and fair for the work involved. Got some extremely kind comments from every staff member that showed their genuine care for and experience with animals. Would recommend to anyone in the area.

I have been using Alexandria Pet Care for years to care for my fur babies when I'm out of town…read more Their care team is very responsive, and they always provide details/pics of my pets to put my mind at ease. Their client app is user friendly and allows me to change pet care information effortlessly. I would recommend them in a heartbeat. Thank you, APC for all that you do!

Sundogs is not currently serving the Alexandria area as they have relocated towards West Virginia…read moreas of a phone call today. However, they provided a really patient recommendation and listening to current situation with good hearted advice. Thank you for the recommendation.

We adopted a second dog with an unknown history. She is about two years old and very fearful. She…read moreis afraid of people, noises, fast movements, being touched on the head, being looked at, a stiff breeze, days that end in y, and oxygen (probably). She gets confidence from following our older dog, but on her own, she simply goes dog-atonic and hunkers down in a corner. I was afraid of how fearful she was, so I was not sure how to proceed. I had gotten her as far as I could on my own, which was that she would allow me to sit next to her, and, if the other dog was being loved on, she would briefly come in for a momentary pat. Peggy came for a behavior consultation. I can't remember how I found her, but I appreciated that she listed her prices on her website. I love dogs, but I'm still conservative with my money. I know one behavior consultation will not be an end all, and the real investment is not in dollars, but in my time. I needed to be trained on how to help this quivering autumnal leaf of a canine. Peggy sat with us for two hours, showed us training methods that felt more like play, emphasized praise over punishment, and encouraged certain interactions with our hound. We learned so much about how our pup is viewing the world. Something as simple as not looking at her can help so much! Her enthusiasm is contagious, and her love of dogs really shines through. You know that saying about if my dog doesn't like you than I don't like you? Well, Peggy progressed so quickly in those two hours with our pup that i could not help but welcome her into my heart. The response she got was remarkable. I've just signed up to take a group lesson with Peggy. I have high expectations!