We adopted our puppy Storm and knew we needed to get our shy and scared puppy socialized so she…read morecould grow up to be a great dog. We started with puppy socialization classes with Colleen and were very excited to see how she interacted with the pups and their pawrents. She answered lots of questions others had about crate training, positive reinforcement and behavioral issues. We decided to put Storm into puppy obedience school so she'd learn how to interact and learn a few basic commands. She loved it! It took us a few classes to get her to be more comfortable but she's adjusted into a great dog and we know part of that is from the great training she received when she was only four months old. We also enrolled Storm into the intermediate course, because emergency recall was a concern of ours. Storm made lots of friends and enjoyed running around the classroom and drinking ALL the water! We also tried some one on one training with our older dog, a six year old Maltese with anxiety and leash aggression; but weren't able to really get to the root of the problem as every time we had Colleen over Jessie (our dog) acted like an angel! Colleen did give us some great tips on working with Jessie on leash aggression. If you're looking for some tips on training and obedience school for your furry legged children then we'd recommend giving Colleen and her team a call; we weren't disappointed and don't think you will be either. We've never used their dog walking service. So we can't speak to that.

Dog Tranquility and it's owner Colleen Dermott have truly been life savers for our family. Over…read moremany years and multiple dog training experiences, I can honestly say that our experience with Dog Tranquility and Colleen is the best we have ever had. She is very passionate about what she does and cares very much about customers and their pets alike. We have adopted dogs for years but two of our current pups were getting along so badly that they were having fights that drew blood. Since we adopt for life, giving one or both up was not an option. Colleen worked closely with our dogs and educated us as owners to address the issues. It was not easy but within only a couple of sessions Colleen had our dogs starting to peacefully interact and over time they have now become good friends. On the rare occasion when we have an issue, we now know how best to address both in the heat of the moment and afterwards to bring the two back together. I am hoping to continue working with Colleen to focus on additional basic obedience and training and to continue to address some lingering behavioral issues. I don't write a ton of reviews, preferring to only write when I have extraordinary experiences and this is one such case. I highly recommend Dog Tranquility; Colleen's experience and training far exceeds usual obedience & training options and the outcomes have been far more meaningful & longer lasting than other options we have tried.

Lisa is awesome. She really understands how dogs think and she has great insight into their…read moremotivations. She was able to help us overcome a difficult house-training situation by providing strategies that really work, and she did this in a single session. I was impressed.

Lisa is great! Very calm and knowledgeable! She worked wonders with our high energy pup!read more

Ridgeside was recommended to us by a neighbor with a very well mannered dog. We have a 4 yo…read moreBluetick Coonhound that had a few issues that we couldn't get past on our own. Initially we checked out the Ridgeside Instagram account and then after contacting them for additional information we decided to sign Flossie up for the 3 week board & train program. We were given our trainer's contact info in case we had any questions or wanted additional info prior to the start date. Gina picked up Flossie and for the next three weeks we got pictures and videos every day of Flossie's training progress plus also information for us to learn about the training. All of this made the transition back home easy and seamless. Gina's instructions were clear and concise and she also made sure that we understood the hows and the whys of training. Since Flossie has been home Gina reached out to see how things were going and said she was available if we had any follow up questions. We are very happy with the outcome and feel the training really firmed up our loosey goosey training up to that point. Gina gave Flossie the foundational training she needed in order for us to meet our goals with Flossie and we couldn't be happier with the outcome.

We couldn't be more thrilled with our experience at Ridgeside K9 in Winchester, VA! We signed up…read moreour Labradoodle, Theo, with Ridgeside K9 with high hopes that they could get us back on track, and Kenny and Sarah Foster absolutely delivered beyond our expectations. From the very first interaction, Kenny and Sarah were professional, warm, and genuinely passionate about what they do. They took the time to understand the pain points that we were experiencing with our new puppy, Theo's personality and tailored their approach to fit him perfectly. I was overseas on vacation, but they shared the progress and transformation pictures and updates every day. Theo is more confident, focused, and responsive than ever. What really impressed me with Ridgeside K9 apart is the care and dedication that Kenny and Sarah brought to the 3-week transformation and the dedicated work with him. It was easy to tell this isn't just a job for them -- they truly love working with dogs and it shows in the results. Theo came home happy, well-behaved, and I could tell during the 2 hour turnover session that Theo had clearly bonded with his trainers. If you're in the Winchester and surrounding area and looking for exceptional dog training, look no further than Ridgeside K9. Ask for Kenny and Sarah -- you and your pup won't be disappointed!

Long post but please read the whole thing…read more My husband and I hired Mark because our dog was aggressive towards strangers. He was very responsive and we set up our first meeting for a Sunday. When I got home from work the Friday prior Marks card was on our door. I assumed he was just scouting the location. On Sunday 15 minutes after our appointment time he wasn't there and I called and left a voicemail. 30 minutes after our appointment time I called and left a voicemail. He returned my call a few moments later and said there was a mix up he thought the appointment was Friday when he left the card. It was odd since he did not call me that day but we agreed that people make mistakes and to give it another try. He was very reluctant to meet us after business hours and preferred daily appointments. This was rough since we both worked but the first week I had two sessions with him at lunch time. My husband couldn't be at these and he needed to learn about it also so we scheduled another Sunday appointment. Again 15 minutes past the appointment time he didn't show up and I left a voicemail. 45 minutes past the appointment time I called and left another voicemail. He called back 2 minutes after our appointment would have been over and said he was running late but it was too late now to do another appointment and would have to reschedule. My husband called him back and explained that he needs to respect our time since we respect his. He promised it would not happen again and that if he was running late he would call us prior to our appointment time. He then PROMPTLY cashed the $500 check we wrote him on the first training appointment day which we understood wouldn't happen until all 6 training sessions were finished. Regardless the next few sessions went well he called in a timely manner when he was going to be late. Our dog started to realize that we were in charge and his aggression died down quickly. The last day of our training was supposed to be the test and we were going to a dog park to prove he learned what he was supposed to. 15 minutes past the appointment time we left a voicemail. 30 minutes after the appointment time we asked him to call and reschedule. It has now been THREE days and he has not returned the call. We were shorted one appointment but honestly I wouldn't want to work with him anymore anyway. Nothing he taught us was extraordinary and having to keep track of him was not worth it. It is a bad business practice and we are out the money. I WOULD NOT recommend him.

Our recently adopted (newly neutered) 2 yr old pug was a huge problem on leash: always pulling,…read moredistracted, chasing after squirrels, cars, everything. He was also rather aggressive to other dogs, trying to dominate them. In the beginning, I had wanted to make sure he got plenty of exercise, but my inability to manage his behavior was not making it easy for us to take long walks, and I felt bad that my lack of skill was keeping him indoors so much. Stress! We wanted to take him to some group training classes, but none were starting at the time and we needed help quickly. I checked out yelp and found Mark, who had very good reviews. I called him, told him about our situation and he was very interested in helping us. We had a good, long conversation, where he offered his thoughts about why our dog was behaving that way, and what we could do now to alleviate some problems. We met a few days later. It was obvious Mark had good energy because our dog, who gets overexcited with any newcomer, seemed to relax very quickly when Mark arrived. Mark observed me and my dog and saw that the dog, though he listened, was rather reluctant to listen and act, and this was a problem. I am a first-time dog owner and so I didn't think it was strange that our dog would lazily respond to my commands. Mark showed me how to get the dog to respond enthusiastically, what kinds of incentives to use, how to adjust my voice and petting. We moved outdoors to work on the leash. Mark showed me some techniques to get our dog to Heel, which worked rather well. Mark gave me other hints and tips to work on outdoors. We all were working very hard and felt like we accomplished something! We had another lesson with Mark, who taught us some new commands, which our dog seemed to pick up quickly. We worked outdoors again, our biggest challenge, and Mark again showed us techniques to keep our dog in check. What I found interesting in these sessions is that Mark is training the owner more than the dog. Mark showed me how to be a stronger leader, whom my dog would respect and follow. I have learned a lot and my dog obeys me more enthusiastically, though we have some way to go. But I definitely feel Mark gave us great tools to mold our dog into a great companion. Mark is very interested in giving you what you want in the lessons. He is a good listener and freely offers lots of comments and advice. He encourages you to call him outside the lesson when you need additional help. He really cares about your dog and wants to inspire the dog to listen to your commands. Overall, Mark is great and I would recommend him wholeheartedly.

Jennifer is a godsend! We went to another trainer and he made us feel like we were at a lost cause…read morewith our Goldendoodle, Winnie, who began developing aggressive and reactive behaviors over a span of a year. Through our initial consultation, Jennifer provided a positive, reinforcing way to assist us with training utilizing science, animal and human behaviorism with tons of analogies in between! She has a warm personality and I felt at ease with her. She really loves and understands dogs, and was very open minded! We decided to add another puppy to our family and setup another private training session with her after we realized that Winnie was having trouble adjusting to our Sheepadoodle, Linus. Jennifer helped us reading their body language and put them into situations where they would understand and respect each other. We also received homework which we worked on diligently, and now they're literally best friends! I was only hoping to have them co-exist with each other, but I'm so happy that they're getting along. I would highly recommend Jennifer and her team at Lead With Fun, as they really do understand dogs! They also have a variety of different classes as well outside of private training.

We've had Jen work with both of our dogs, with excellent results…read more Our lab mix, Cthulhu, was leash aggressive with absolutely horrific social skills and Jen help show us what was stressing our dog out and how to work with our dog. We now have a dog that is much nicer on the leash and is able to play nice with other dogs. Three years later, we fostered another dog named Ellie. Ellie had no manners and we wanted to adopt her, but we needed to make sure that she got along with Cthulhu. We used Jen again to identify the issues and sources of apprehension between both dogs. Both dogs get along well now. We also have Ellie enrolled in Jens obedience class and Ellie is responding very well. The training techniques that Jen uses make it very easy to understand how to train your dog.

I am very late in writing this review, but I wanted to share how meaningful my experience was. I…read moreenrolled my puppy, a red standard poodle, in her classes, and very quickly realized she was exactly the kind of trainer I had been searching for. She is clearly knowledgeable and skilled, but what truly sets her apart is her holistic approach and genuine care for animals. She treats every dog as an individual and tailors her training to meet each one's specific needs. That same thoughtful approach extends to her human clients. During this time, I was dealing with significant health challenges and was not able to attend every class. She kindly offered makeup sessions, which I deeply appreciated. When she learned that my absences were due to my health, she checked in on me personally and even asked if it was okay to call me at home to see how I was doing. Her compassion meant more to me than I can easily express. She showed more care and concern than many people I have known for decades. Anyone looking for a dog trainer should go to her, not only for her expertise, but because she is genuinely kind, attentive, and deeply invested in both her clients and their dogs.

I took Hazelnut here when she was a pup. She's now an AKC Grand Champion and I am back with he…read moredaughter. Bringing her pup feels like full circle, which says everything about my experience. April is knowledgeable, patient, and incredibly effective at tailoring guidance to each dog's temperament and each handler's skill level. I especially appreciate how she focuses not just on obedience, but on building confidence, socialization, and a strong relationship. Seeing the progress from one generation to the next has been really special, and I wouldn't trust anyone else with those critical early training foundations.

We sent our 3 year old golden to Controlled K9 for a board and train program because we were having…read morechallenges with her on walks and when guests would come over to the house. From the initial consult with Kenzie, we felt very comfortable with how she approached training and her experience. When Charlie came back after 4 weeks, it was such a big change! No longer did we have to worry about leash pulling, picking up trash on walks, and being overcome with excitement whenever guests would visit. We can now enjoy our dog all of the time. We take her on long walks, she joins us at restaurants and events around the neighborhood, and overall is a much better behaved dog without losing her personality. We could not be happier with our experience with Kenzie.

My husband and I can't say enough good things about Controlled K9! We recently adopted a two year…read moreold German Shepherd who was well behaved in the house but a true terror to walk on leash (pulling and severe reactivity towards other dogs). Controlled K9 came to our home to evaluate her and recommended a four week board and train to work on basic obedience, leash manners, and off leash recall. We loved that she was taken in as a member of the family during her "boarding school," and they provided regular photos and updates on her progress throughout. She returned to us her same happy, sweet self in the house, but basically a new dog on leash! The Controlled K9 team trained us on how to continue her training, and remained super responsive to our follow up questions. It's incredible to see the transformation and we're so grateful to the Controlled K9 team for changing our lives - and Zoey's - for the better!

Our dog Perly loves going to Dogtopia in Springfield to play in the romper room once a week…read more Everyone that works there is very nice, cares about the dogs and we know Perly is in great hands there.

Employees when I called to inquire about services gave conflicting information about their…read moreservices. What was relayed does not match Dogtopia policy. There is no "free" meet and greet and stay per the employees. The "stay" is mandatory and charged after per the employee when the larger Dogtopia company said that was complimentary. Not worth my money to take off work to do a temperament meeting and then forced to have a "stay" before a trip to test things out.