Katie is amazing. She is incredibly skilled, really knows her stuff, and has a rare intuitive gift…read morewhen it comes to connecting with dogs. She really works to help you and your dog develop a positive, trust-based relationship with a solid foundation of training and ongoing support as needed. But plan ahead! She is very popular and tends to book a few months out.

This review is probably almost a decade overdue. Katie has worked with me with several dogs, all…read morerescues, all with very different issues and personalities. Most recently she was instrumental in working with my beloved problem child, Sarita, a rescued pit bull with some very deep-seated behaviors. No, we didn't get her to a place of losing her intense prey drive, but we were able to make so much progress over time. Katie is amazing. (There were more problems training some of the other humans in my family to be consistent. That was on us, not on Katie.) That dog (now gone) will always be my heart, and Katie went very much above and beyond for us, over and over. She is amazing, honest, and a delight. I learned a lot from her, and I know absolutely that I will ask her to work with me and whatever next rescue joins my journey through life.

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!

Me and my dog had three sessions with Beth and it is super clear that she really cares for the dogs…read morethat she works with -- we had a great experience! Beth was great at listening to any and all concerns I had and I could clearly see my dog making progress throughout the sessions. Would definitely recommend!

Beth is the most talented and committed dog trainer I have ever worked with. She is very clear with…read moreher instruction and detailed with follow up homework to ensure success. She listens very carefully and comes prepared with everything you may need to train the behaviors you want in your dog. Beth is also a charming and funny person that you enjoy being around while in the process of training your dog.

My wife and I have had our dog Winston for almost 7 years. He's a good dog, but he would…read moreoccasionally be aggressive with other dogs and bark too much when we have guests or deliveries at the front door. We reached out to Connie because we were thinking of getting a second dog and wanted to get a "tune up" for Winston before we made that decision. The process to set up the initial meeting was thorough - we filled out an initial form, we talked with someone on the phone and we were provided with material to read before we ever met Connie. We appreciated the documentation as it set reasonable expectations about the process. When Connie came to the house, the first thing she did was ask us about our goals for the training. She's a great listener and really took the time to investigate our situation and ensure she truly understood the issues that we were having. Once she had gotten our story, she explained the root cause of the issues with Winston and educated us on how to better communicate with our dog. There was a lot of useful BarkBusters material that she shared that was specifically relevant to the problems we were having. Once we got past the theory, we did a few different exercises with Winston to put the ideas into practice. We saw an immediate impact with Winston after the first session. We felt more confident once we were equipped with the knowledge and skills to handle the problematic situations. We followed up on the homework that Connie shared and the results only continued to improve in the weeks following our initial visit. When she met us for the second time, she was surprised with how well Winston had responded to training and provided some small feedback about how we can continue to improve. We are over the moon with how much improvement we've seen with Winston and are so happy we worked with Connie! With the lifetime guarantee, we know we can reach out in the future if Winston develops other issues. Working with Connie was worth every penny and we highly recommend that others reach out if they're looking to improve their dog's behavior!

Connie is wonderful!!! she really takes her time and make sure to understand everything you're…read moreexplaining to her. She made me feel at ease that I can contact her at any time with any questions I may have. After spending three hours with her, I can tell, not only does she enjoy her work, but is very good at it. I highly recommend her.

Always positive reinforcement training. My girl loves the trainers there. Learning agility and…read morethe trainers are very patient and work with you.

Julis worked one to one with my rescue terrier mix. I was reassured that it will take some time…read morefor Sasquatch to trust other people. Sasquatch is always next to me, but has difficulty around men. Lots of work, patience and time.

Nicole is so amazing and wonderful to work with. She definitely knows her stuff. She helped my wife…read moreand I work on some obedience training with our 6 mo. old puppy as well as our other 5 y/o dog. Nicole was always very prompt and communicative. She sends you a summary of the things you cover after every appointment which is super helpful. I was really amazed to see how well she worked with the dogs, and how quickly they learned from her. My wife and I are certainly on a good path to getting our boys trained up now. I can't recommend Nicole enough. You will be glad you went with her.

Nicole has been instrumental in helping us with our reactive dog (Portie). From puppy and now to…read moreadolescence, Nicole has guided how we should train our dog and sometimes have to hit the reset button to get the results we desire - a dog enjoying his life to the fullest! She is responsive/punctual, insightful (thinking of new strategies), and effective (positive reinforcement leading to less impulse behaviors). She is also helpful with post-session notes so that we can remember all that we learned and use it in our training efforts! Nicole also dog sat for us at a hectic point in our lives and was flexible and accommodating to our schedule. We continue to use Nicole's services and entrust our dog in her care! Thank you, Nicole!

Everything was fairly nice, only complaint was young male employee with long hair being very…read moreinappropriate towards my daughter. Be cautious.

Bowwow has been great to my two dogs. The employees know them by name when I drop them off and are…read morehappy to see them. When I picked them up after a holiday trip, they gave us a calendar with pictures of them, it was very sweet! I always feel secure after I drop them off when I go on a vacation, I know they are going to be well taken care of! They are quick to call if they have any concerns. Will continue to take my pups here!

Eric is incredible at his job! We've only taken a few lessons and my little gremlin has improved…read morebeyond what i could have ever imagined. Rather than focusing on training the dog himself, he teaches YOU how best to work with your dog to get the results you are seeking! And i really feel that he gets to know your dog and how it communicates and behaves and works based on that, instead of having a one size fits all approach. I really can't say enough how much i appreciate and believe in how he works , and i am SO thankful. Peppy was a very anxious rescue when i got him, and with some super simple exercises and trust built through Eric's methods, im now giving him haircuts and working up to nail trims, his recall was non existent before and now he comes right away most of the time, and he even was able to do a couple flights with me with minimal issues. A+++++ service!! Thank you Bridge the Bark!!!

You and your dog may hear Eric's jolly laugh before you can even see him, and once your dog knows…read moreEric that moment will become a highlight of their day. After working with several trainers, my wife and I were fortunate enough to find Eric and our dog (and our relationship with her) have changed for the better ever since. Eric has a depth of knowledge, breadth of experience, and rhythm of interacting with dogs that is rare and exceptional. He finds creative ways to shape behavior with positive reinforcement, compassion, genuine connection to animals, and the use of some of the quirkiest home-made props you'll see in the industry.

Well I made a decision to let my puppy have a day with her own kind lol . This will allow her to…read moreengage with other dogs during the day and not be bored at home when work a 8 hour day! I met with the owner Josie very helpful. Nice place I believe my Sasha will enjoy the experience. Sasha will meet next week. Yeah I'll feel you more afterwards.

Great place for doggie day care. Our pup just needed a little more action and activities.read more

August responded right away and has been a great communicator. We were able to schedule right away…read moreand our first consultation went really well. He was so patient with our family and our dog. We look forward to more trainings with him.

I've been meaning to leave a review for August for ages! We worked with August for walk/train for…read moreour dog Brooklyn and he was wonderful. Brooklyn struggles with leash reactivity and August was so skilled and caring working with her and helping us learn how to better support her. He's incredibly reliable and was such a great resource. Beyond the work he did with Brooklyn, he saved the day one morning when I found a lost dog in my neighborhood. I wasn't sure where to take the pup so I called August for suggestions and he knew just what to do!