We adopted our dog, Junie, from a shelter in August 2025. She was around a year old. On walks, she…read morewould bark at other dogs and sometimes people which made walks miserable and embarrassing. Indoors, it was jumping, and a constant need for attention and stimulation. It felt like she couldn't relax, or didn't know how, or maybe just didn't want to. So by extension, we couldn't either. We live in an apartment and even just taking her to the rooftop relief area was becoming a hell. I went down the same training rabbit hole many people do. YouTube videos weren't helping. They didn't explain what to do if the method in the video didn't work--which they never did for me. We decided to do some weekly training classes with a dog trainer we found through Rover. She taught Junie plenty--like any German shepherd, she's a very quick learner. She was trying to use counter conditioning to help Junie stop reacting so strongly to other dogs. And while Junie learned a lot, things weren't getting any better. She understood all the commands, she knew what was expected of her, but she almost never chose to do what we asked. It felt like we were constantly competing to be the most interesting thing in her world and we were fighting a losing battle. It was extremely frustrating and we were tired. It was clear to us that there was something important we were missing. We so badly wanted a dog we could bring to breweries, hikes, and backpacking trips and we were starting to wonder if we weren't a good fit for Junie. Assuming you've also been down the internet dog training rabbit hole, you've probably also seen people talk about how board and trains are a waste of money. We were nervous, but Tom came highly recommended by a friend of ours and we were at our wit's end. We didn't want our lives to be so entirely ruled by our dog--it wasn't healthy for any of us. We reached out to him in October and she stayed with Tom through the month of November. Best decision EVER. We were right about there being a missing link--it was our relationship with Junie that needed to be adjusted. Yes, we are her loving caretakers, but we are also people she needs to respect and listen to. It's now January and we can take her anywhere that allows dogs. She will stick by our side in a heel without a leash, whether on a sidewalk, at the beach, or in the forest. She can walk past a dog a foot away without reacting. She lays down next to our table at breweries. She stays in place until we release her. When she's playing off leash, she comes when we call her. We genuinely couldn't be happier! Here were my worries going into this: Would WE get enough training through this process to be able to continue things once Junie came home? --Absolutely. There was a learning curve of course on our end with the ecollar, but I truly did feel prepared by the time we got her home to continue her training. Tom is great at answering questions along the way and after your dog comes home. It hasn't even been 3 months since we adopted her--will it have a negative impact for her to have such a big change so soon? --If this is the position you're in, please don't keep suffering, just make the call! Dogs in general are a lot more resilient than we give them credit for. I honestly feel that sooner was better--it meant less time for her bad habits to get worse/more ingrained. No regrets here at all. Will the training stick? --Yes but it's entirely up to you. As long as you're continuing to keep your dog accountable, you'll definitely keep having the dog you want. Maybe my dog just needs more exercise? --I mean exercise is important, but you shouldn't have to exhaust your dog to get it to behave. We had started renting out Dog Yard through Roam three days a week to try and exhaust her. Probably exhausted us more than her lol. You can absolutely trust Tom and his trainers with your pup and I promise you if you've been struggling and things haven't been working--reach out to Tom! I can say wholeheartedly that this was the best investment we've ever made.

I want to start by saying how much I wish I wasn't the first person to leave a less than 5 star…read morereview. I really wish we'd had the amazing experience everyone else has had-It's why I chose Tom and Leaps N Bounds. My dog is a rescue who was found on the streets and drove several states away in a crate in a van-crates are traumatic to her. She had broken teeth and hurt herself in the past when kept alone in a crate. It's been hard to work with-for the first year we had her, someone always had to be at home and boarding and grooming were high-anxiety. I expressed all of this to Tom-of course my dog would be in a crate for training and I really hoped that training could help-but extremely worried that my dog would break another tooth. I expressed this exact worry to Tom almost every time we spoke. He even said to me once in reply that I "was so caught up in (dog's) past that I couldn't see her future." I thought maybe I was overly worried about it and decided to trust Tom with the training and gave him dog's Trazedone to manage her just in case she couldn't handle being in the crate. We got a couple of great videos about dog's training. He even sent us a link to the "maximum security" style crate he had her in on amazon and said he hadn't seen the problems we described. I was really excited for her to come home. When we went to the first homecoming owner training at his house, I noticed she still had dry kibble in her bowl, which meant our feeding instructions weren't being followed-dog gets a mix of wet/dry food and water. I asked about the leftover food and Tom mentioned that she'd been "bratty" in the crate recently and hadn't finished her food for the past couple of days. While this is highly unusual for dog, I dismissed it initially as stubbornness around plain dry kibble. Dog came home the next day, Sunday June 29. She was licking her lips a lot, but I thought it was anxiety. Wednesday July 2nd, I finally decided to look at her mouth, and was horrified to see her large upper right canine was chipped/broken so badly that the pulp was visible. This has been a massive and very expensive disruption in our lives. We want our 2 year old dog to have a long life with her tooth. Veterinary dental specialists are hard to find and come with 2-3 months waits. We've since spent many hours (and already over $1k) at emergency vets, xrays, and finding dental specialists who do root canals/crowns. We've can't take her to daycare or her cage-free boarding facility because she can't play with other dogs until it's fixed (per her vet). We've had to find in-home boarding people for pre-booked vacations and work travel. We finally got to see a dental specialist Thursday after a two month wait. The estimate for a root canal is $5-6k, and a crown is $10-11k. At that cost, our dog won't be made whole again, we have to settle for the root canal and annual xrays to make sure it's not infected. And we have to wait two more months for the actual procedure-still impacting our lives with no daycare, no playing with her friends. I gave two stars instead of 1 because dog is a lot better on her walks and can come with us to cafes and the market now which is great. But if I could do it again I would ask how many hours a day would my dog be in the crate, how closely will she be monitored, and what happens if she gets hurt. I'd listen to my gut about having my concerns dismissed and placed on me for "holding back my dog from her potential." You know your dog best, and if your dog is a rescue with related behavior issues, I recommend looking elsewhere for training. We did let Tom know when this happened, and all he offered was to have a call about it because "email is impersonal" (and leaves a paper trail?) but he didn't share what he thought needed to be discussed. As upset as I was at the time especially, I wasn't up for a chat about it unless it involved concrete resolution steps. There's been no follow-up since. I don't consent to my dog's name being used in any replies.

What a great experience! I've never done dog training with any of my previous pets... But I knew…read moreright away with my new puppy that there were some hurdles that we would have if we didn't. Susan's shy confident class was exactly what we needed! She gave us the tools and the feedback to not only train our dog, but to train us on how to best interact and react with our new dog! We implemented everything we've learned and we're seeing results! Very thankful for the time spent! Thank you!!

PUPPY DAY CAMP is a great investment in growing your dog's social & obedience skills. Maisie, our…read moreField Golden who has boundless energy thrived at PDC. She loved being able to play with other pups & we continue to benefit from her willingness to follow commands & her good manners when on & off leash.

Took on the interesting challenge of our Doberman puppy--all 40-60 lbs of him, so far--with great…read moresuccess, guiding us from a place of feeling confused and uncertain, to more confident and seeing real progress. For example, our puppy used to pull badly on walks, and would also hit his limit quite early on (like, two blocks) and want to return home. He was so keyed up he couldn't even take treats on walks. I couldn't understand how to make progress. Joyce helped us interpret his behavior, and worked through our endless series of walking aids (various harnesses, head halter, prong collar, various lengths and styles of leash..!) until we found an effective combo. After a few weeks of consistent work, we took our first successful walk all the way to the dog park! I am so excited for our dog's continued progress being a good dog out and about in the world. Thank you for helping us, especially when we were really discouraged.

Joyce is an incredible trainer and a wonderful human! Shortly after bringing home my puppy Harper,…read morethere were some biting/herding behaviors that I couldn't manage on my own. During our first session, Joyce taught me the basics about dog's behaviors, my role in the relationship, and the power of positive reinforcement with training. She provides a write up after the first session that I've referred to many times in the last few months. I signed up for additional sessions and it is safe to say that Harper and I are better dogs/humans from our time with Joyce. In ~8 weeks, Joyce trained me how to train my puppy and provide the structure she needs, and taught Harper how to harness her intelligence and curiosity for good. We've both come so far, thank you Joyce! I would highly recommend Joyce to anyone.

We usually have my mom or my husbands parents or siblings watch our pups when we go out for a…read moreweekend or so but in this particular instance were not able to get anyone so we used this in-home service from a recommendation from a neighbor. Everything was great. Total professionals here and very trust worthy. It's great to have a back up place for something like this. We do take our pups with us as much as we can but sometimes you go places they can't go and sometimes you can't get relatives to watch them, this is the next best thing. We did use another service closer to us once before and was not as good. These folks are definitely good. 5 stars!

Our dog loves loves loves Jaime and that means we do too! She is so knowledgeable about dogs and…read morecaring she even visits him through our fence when she comes to walk neighbor dogs. She always sends updates and pictures of their walks together when we are out of town and is always very communicative about their walks. We trust her with our pup completely!

Steve and his team of trainers at Nitro K9 are the real deal. Both our young dogs have benefited…read morefrom Nitro's level 1 and 2 classes, and so it's very easy to recommend Nitro if you're looking for a trainer. It is worth acknowledging that Nitro makes use of prong and e-collars in their training method, and if you have concerns about these tools, I am happy to report there's nothing to be concerned about. I have witnessed my dog gaze up lovingly and with attention at Steve while under his guidance on a prong collar; you could feel the genuine connection between trainer and dog. This kind of experience was enough for me to put any concerns I had aside and welcome the training. It's also worth noting that Steve himself can be a bit of a personality, unafraid to speak his mind and get into a range of discussion topics. Underneath the personality is a genuine human, who wants nothing more than for dogs to receive the training that will most help them get along inside the home and the world. Thanks, Steve and Nitro K9 for your help with our dogs!

After suddenly losing one of our dogs in October 2025, our 10 yo Doberman was so heartbroken. He…read morebecame critically ill, resulting in over $5,000 in emergency vet bills and little improvement. We swore to no more dogs but then we saw Mia, a 9-month-old, Doberman puppy found on the street in LA by animal control. Her leg was degloved, necrotic and filled with maggots. She was intercepted by a rehab, received amputation and much needed medical attention. We followed her story for a couple months, hoping she would find a home, but she didn't. Somehow, we caved, did the unthinkable and flew to Los Angeles, scooping her up and driving her back to Washington in a rental car mid-winter. She was terrified, ferrell and full of dominant "spicy" energy so we booked an appointment with one of the top positive-treat-based trainers with reactive-dog expertise in the state, to help us introduce our dogs upon return and it was a disaster. Our senior exploded in pure terror, barking and lunging. She tossed treats; they ignored her. Twenty minutes in she shrugged, said she had "no magic wand," sent us home and refunded half our session. 2 days later she emailed us suggesting we rehome Mia to a foster "for our safety" which felt like a slap in the face. The very next day we thoroughly researched every trainer in Washington, and Nitro K-9 stood head and shoulders above the rest. I emailed Steve and he called back within minutes with genuine understanding, zero judgment, got us in within days and made our 2-hour commute in separate cars well worth it. In the first ten minutes Steve had both dogs calmly obeying, walking together on leash, and listening! He instantly saw what the other trainer missed: our senior was fear-reactive, meaning he was scared. Steve and North have taught us clear communication and connection with our dogs. They've taught us how to properly command quick correction and full attention using high-quality prong collars, like a mother dog's natural nips. No pain, no fear, no endless treats or bribes, just genuine praise, affection, and connection, the way real bonds and parenting work. He showed us how to step into calm leadership so our dogs could relax, trust, and stop carrying the burden themselves. He stayed by our side through every panicked text, every "what now?" and our dog's transformation is nothing short of miraculous. Mia is happy, confident and loves her big brother now. Our senior knows his role and is playing with her like a puppy again. They love each other and actually enjoy being together! If you're a reactive, rescue, fearful or high-drive dog parent, have been let down by "treat-motivated training" and have avoided prong collars because of the myths, you have been misinformed like we were. Don't give up, stop scrolling and call Nitro, I promise you won't regret it! IWe are forever grateful!

My husband, our golden retriever puppy Ember, and I, absolutely loved attending Puppy Preschool…read morewith Linda! It was informative for us owners and had nice goals to work towards each week complete with a worksheet to cover what was discussed in class! We both felt she covered the material in a way that addressed the best learning style for everyone, including our pup! She was so friendly and easy to work with. We also attended Puppy Playgroup, and were sad to "age" out at 18 weeks, BUT we loved our time there too! Ember loved getting a little bit of her extra energy out and meeting new friends! We will definitely recommend UCLA to all of our friends and family!

Linda is a very experienced dog trainer. I love her technique of positive reinforcements to teach…read moredogs. My Basenji has been attending UCLA Dog classes since he was a couple months old puppy. He now learned so much. Not only doing dozens of tricks, but listen well with our verbal demands. I highly recommend!

I absolutely love Ahimsa and the training they provide…read more My puppy went to Puppy elementary, kindergarten, and puppy and teen playtimes. Though there were a few skills that were repeated, it was more building on the skill (like with distractions). Amber was wonderful and explained the skills, modeled them, and gave tips if there were struggles. Of course if one doesn't practice outside of class, they won't see as much progress especially with a skill the puppy struggles with (mine needed extra help to focus on me when distractions were present). We've continued to practice and my pup has grown so much. The puppy playtimes were also incredibly helpful as they help d me learn what appropriate play was, how to correctly pup if he was engaging in an inappropriate behavior, and learn my pup's cues for needing a break or space during play. Absolutely helpful and I wouldn't have known this had I chosen to social at a dog park without folks with expertise. Next we want to try a Nose works class for our pup. He gets so excited going to Ahimsa!

My fiancé and I were recently anxious first-time puppy owners, and I cannot express how strongly I…read morerecommend attending their training sessions and puppy play dates. Wynona and the other trainers create a safe, supportive environment for both puppies and owners to learn and make friends, all while still allowing the pups to just be puppies.

It just occurred to me that I have never left a review for Seattle Canine Solutions. Shame on…read moreme!! Sharon helped me years ago and I still thank her (in my head) every day for teaching me how to be the best 'Pack Leader' to my best friend on four legs... Nola (The Wonder Dog)! Nola rescued me when she arrived at Seatac (from a Texas shelter) back in 2013. It was obvious from the start that my sensitive girl had been through some tough times and I was going to need some help in figuring things out. Sharon was incredible, right from the start! She taught me how to be patient and understand Nola's behavior... and most importantly, how to react and 'check' my own behavior. Sharon taught me so much in such a short period of time. Although Sharon, Nola & I haven't met 'on the regular' in many years, I still call on her when something pops up. I also like Sharon a bunch (as a person) & consider her a good Pal! So... in short, SHARON ROCKS! I highly recommend her to anyone who wants to be the best Pack Leader they can be... and a little bit more :)

We met with Sharon once and think she is AMAZING! She has invaluable experience and advice, and we…read morecan already tell that she will make a huge difference in our lives and our dogs lives. We adore our pups and see that we can all benefit so much more from positive reinforcement/ training. Our pups have been stressed on our City walks and we are optimistic we can enjoy this and much more with the right tools and training. We just adopted a sweet rescue after losing our much older dog and Sharon is gonna help us and our other sweet dog have fun and be a family. She is that good, we trust her and are going to take all of her suggestions as it means so much to us. Seriously...look at these two... we are lucky that they already love each other...now we just have to ALL be better behaved!