Pat was amazing! He was able to teach us the skills to train our 1 year old Great Pyrenees/Golden…read moreRetriever puppy. After only 6 weeks, she's so well behaved, doesn't pull on the leash and is much better at obeying commands. Pat was friendly, always right on time and very knowledgeable. I've already recommended him to all of our neighbors.

We are so happy with Pat and James River dog training! I was hesitant at first because of the price…read morebut after reading reviews we signed up and we have seen such a huge difference in our dogs behavior. We love that the training is in the dog's home, where they feel most comfortable. Before committing to the training, we chatted with Pat for almost 2 hours during the consultation about what the program entails and what our main goals were. Things to note: this is prong collar training (we tried treat motivated training but found it didn't work too well for us bc we didn't always have treats), in-home training for both the dog AND owner. You also receive a training guide and can call anytime you need training on something with no extra fee. Our dog's anxiety has decreased significantly and everywhere we take him, we receive so many compliments on what a good dog he is! We highly recommend Pat and James River dog training!

Wanted to use them for puppy boot camp. First had to pay $100 for an evaluation. When we went to…read morebring him home the receptionist said he barked so much in the crate they had to move him to another room. We were not given any comments on how the evaluation went and were out $100 for no information. The owner said that since we lived so close he would try to move us up to a closer entry. This was last fall. Later we got a call saying he could start in January 2026. Another issue is that we decided to board both of our dogs for a weekend in September. When we brought them home both drank 2 bowls full of water each. I guess they don't water on the weekends? Just not a good experience all the way around. We found another place that took our pup within a week for boot camp and it worked out perfectly.

In essence, over several months, we had the worst training experience one could have. No…read morecommunication and no results. If I could give a rating of zero stars, I would. Below is the letter we sent to K9 & Co. when they would not refund our fees for "boot camp". If you love your dog, do not take it to K9. April 24, 2021 Mark Finch and K9 & Co. Retreat, We started coming to K9 & Co. with the intention of giving our new 8-month-old dog, Gypsi, a head start in obedience training as our elder patients are moving in with us. We wanted to do as much as we could to help our dog acclimate to new people quickly and avoid danger to them (e.g., jumping up on them, etc). We brought her in for day school and were told she "wasn't ready for that" but would benefit daycare in the meantime to socialize her. We dropped her off for daycare/day school from December 2020 through April 2021, two/three days per week.  Never did she get into day school save ONE time on March 5th, 2021. No report was given to us regarding what she worked on (if anything) on this date. Additionally, we called and scheduled a home visit for February 3rd, 2021. We received a phone call on February 3rd (the day of the appointment) stating, you "forgot we were scheduled"; so we scheduled another date on March 15th, 2021, again received a call cancelling the appointment. We got NO follow-up regarding rescheduling the home visit, and it was never discussed again. After slowly integrating Gypsi's routine into your day care several times per week and after formal evaluation on December 6th, 2020, you recommended "a tailor boot camp to help Gypsi". On March 15th, 2021, we dropped her off for boot camp and were told "we don't have time to follow up with you on a 'daily basis' or keep you informed daily on her progress and to remember no news from us (K9 & Co.) is good news".  However, your website states, "You work with the owners every step of the way"... I can say that none of our expectations were met. The cost of the "Boot camp" is fairly expensive, and after 2 days shy of 4 weeks, Gypsi had learned nothing. I'm not even sure she received any training at all. I suspect she was let out of her crate several times per day and fed, but no active instruction occurred. In fact, she had new abrasions and scabs on her elbows indicating excessive crating, requiring medical care as well as a urinary tract infection diagnosed by our veterinarian. We called many times to be updated on Gypsi's progress only to hear, "We are not sure what Mark has done. You'd have to talk to him." Your website indicates, "We take pride in working with our pet owners every step of the way in their pet's training process." This is false. We have never heard from or seen Mark Finch, and the only communication we received was after WE called your establishment and asked how Gypsi was doing, only to be told that essentially you did not know and that "No news is good news". I emailed a couple times to get some report on how she was doing only to get NO info other than "she's fine and adjusting..." We called a few times only to get the same short answers with NO details on how things were going and what was being worked on with her. We emailed asking for a date for her to come home along with some stipulations we have, with NO response... AND NEITHER ONE OF US HAVE EVER HAD ANY CONVERSATION WITH MARK FINCH (the elusive dog trainer)... On April 14th, 2021, I contacted Chase Bank to stop payment for $2500 to K9 & Company Retreat for services not rendered.

I was referred to Jemi in 2005, when my 15 week old Lab/Ridgeback mix required training. I sent…read morehim to Jemi for a one week boot camp and when she returned him to me, he was fabulously trained and well-behaved. Jemi followed up by providing me with thorough in-home training. I practiced what I learned everyday. Seven years later, he is still the perfect dog for my family. He understands No, Off, Sit, Up, Wait, Leave It, Down, Come here, It's Okay and hand gestures! He comes when I call him and I can walk him off-leash around people and other animals nearby. I can walk my 95lb dog in my Sunday best and in heels without him dragging me across the cement, dirt and grass. Because, Jemi taught me how to hold the leash and to show confidence both in my carriage, leash tension and voice. Jemi and her team work magic everyday! I refer Jemi, Teri, Beth and Julie to all my friends and colleagues with training needs. She is truly the "Dog Whisperer" of the East.

I paid Jemi for a week long puppy boot camp. My specific training needs for Sunshine were: return…read moreupon command, stay, and reduce aggression towards other dogs. When I opened the door to bring her home, Sunny escaped and ran into the road while Jemi stood at the door yelling at me saying "don't yell at her she'll come back." She did not. I had to catch her. When I got her into the car, I realize there was feces on her feet. Her coat was filthy. She lost a pound in a week because she was focused on getting my dog to eat two meals a day when I said a free feed was fine because it was better for my schedule. Sunny was so traumatized that my friends could not believe this was the same dog when I got her home. I will never forgive Jemi. She should be ashamed.

Very Friendly staff but I'm giving this place 3 stars for daycare services. I take my dog to two…read moreother day care places in the area and on her collar tracker she gets 45-50k steps every time. Apple Dog daycare actually boards their dogs in crates between the hours of 11-1 and 4-6, which means they aren't getting exercise which is the whole point of sending them to daycare. My dog only got 18k steps from 8-6 and she gets double at other facilities for the same cost. Additionally they have dirt instead of turf like the other places I go to which is just a preference since I have a dog that easily gets hair in her fur. My dog has high energy so this model may work for a lot of other dogs who want to give their dogs breaks in between play, I just would rather send to a daycare to get the biggest bang for my buck.

This is a pretty nice place to bring your dog if you need boarding or doggie daycare. Kyle runs a…read moregreat business and they take really good care of the dogs. The employees are very attentive to the dogs, interact and play with the dogs and treat them as if they were their own pets. We have used Apple to board our dogs as well as used them for daytime situations. Every time the dogs were taken care of and were tired at the end of their stay. Everyone working there is friendly when you are dropping off and when you are picking up your dog. There are also some dogs that greet you when you first come in. Make sure not to approach the fence where the dogs are, and be patient if someone else is picking up or dropping off.

Very friendly and accommodating. Knowledgeable about training dogs as well. Our pup seemed to do…read morewell. Definitely planning to go back

Fast and friendly service. Love the new location. Easy to find. Our dog came home looking good.read more

If you love your pet please don't take the risk of going here. Several other GREAT places within 5…read moremiles. This place is extremely dirty including mold. These dogs are neglected stuck in crates without water. The dogs sit in feces and urine. Vaccinations are NOT required to be updated. Many dogs are coughing and showing respiratory illness. The clients are NOT made aware. Outside time is limited in tiny unsupervised yards. The owner is NOT honest or transparent to the clients. Just an honest review from a dog lover. There are plenty reviews just like this,you don't have to look hard.

If you love your pet DO NOT BRING THEM HERE! She will let your dog sit in feces/urine and only give…read moredogs water when they are outside in group (which has caused many fights here.) The "enrichment" time she claims the dogs receive is actually 10 minutes or less for each rotation. "Enrichment" being movie time, story time or having the dogs participate in limbo. She does not check or care if your pet is ill or up to date on vaccines. She will let dogs with expired vaccines continue to come in. Vaccines including rabies, distemper, parvo, and boardetella. Dogs are always sneezing and coughing and ALWAYS in very small dirty kennels. The kennels do not always get cleaned daily (which leads to the spreading of infectious diseases) and they clean the kennels by spraying with disinfectant and water then vacuuming up all of the water. They do not scrub the kennels so there is still caked on dirt/waste in every single kennel. When they do get let outside they are not always being watched regardless of what she says. She is a liar and a manipulater. She is in this field for the money and will create every excuse possible to make sure her business stays running. She is rarely even there and when she is all she does is pretend to know all the dogs that come here daily all week long!! The employees sit inside while the dogs are outside in the FREEZING cold with no shelter. Dogs have died from escaping or being choked to death by tight slip leads and the employees responsible for this still ACTIVELY WORK THERE TODAY. She will let your dogs play in group with injures and not inform you until you pick your dog up and see it for yourself. These poor animals do not deserve this treatment. If you board here please reconsider. The staff is not being paid what they are promised and fights happen all the time. All of the vents and drains are covered in mold. (Call and schedule a free tour to see for yourself) If the staff is outside with the dogs they are not aloud to kneel or sit down and pet them because it could cause fights (resource gaurding). I have worked at many kennels professionally for 3 years and this is not the way to run any facility. Your pets deserve love and basic care with transparency to the owners, not lying and cheating you out of your money. YOU ARE NOT GETTING WHAT YOU PAY FOR. I'm not reviewing out of hate but out of safety and love for these poor dogs. This is ABUSE. I'm not sure what more I can do or who to call. There are plenty of other reviews like mine right here, on yelp, facebook and on indeed. If you would like other suggestions there are plenty more loving and professional dog boarding and daycare facilities in RVA. If you don't believe me go take a tour of the whole facility, look at the ceiling vents, go in the kennel room you will see. They don't get water. How is that ok for weeks on end? If your dog is boarding they are only letting them out for water 4 times a day. If they are in daycare they only get water twice a day. If your dog is sick she won't tell you. She will make up excuses and tell you not to bring them to the vet?? 3 employees have quit in the past 24 hours bceuase of poor management, lack of communication, and mistreatment. I have already contacted the better business bureau and other resources for further investigation. If you have any information or other experiences please comment to help save these poor pups. GOD BLESS

Responsive and helpful. Very knowledgeable staff and so friendly. Can't wait to start our pup next…read moreweek!

We took Archie for his first puppy play school today and I'm so glad we did!…read more We worked on a few different commands (sit, stand, eye contact, and touch) and then they're was socialization time. Our dogs are elderly so he doesn't get to play as much as we'd like and this was the perfect thing. It took him a while to warm up to play time but when he did, he was great!

No, just no. After bringing our dog here for years I witnessed the owner use archaic and out right…read moreabuse of our dog right in front of me. Makes you wonder what goes on behind the scenes when one is NOT around! I grabbed the dog's leash from Dodie's hands, hightailed it out of there and never returned. FYI, I was the night manager at a dog spa/hotel for 4 years and I would have been fired if I had displayed the unprofessional and hurtful behavior shown by this owner. You've been warned. Oh, forgot to mention an earlier incident at this establishment . . . months prior to the above altercation, I picked up my pup to discover he had a bloody cut on his left leg. It was a pretty obvious wound. When I asked what happened you could hear a pin drop. They had no idea. Do they not inspect the dogs for injuries during the day or at least prior to handing them back to their owners? I should have known then that there was something going on behind the scenes right then and there.

Hi, I'm the "tiktoker" one of the reviews warned you about. I worked at DDH for a month and half…read more Was very excited because I would be working with dogs again (6 years experience as a professional dog walker and pet sitter) and I could bring my dog to work. I quickly realized the atmosphere of diamond doghouse was not one I wanted my dog to be in. Me and my coworker saw the most senior employees kicking small dogs. When my coworker went to dodie and told her what she saw, dodie didn't care and didn't do anything about it. There was no training for employees on how to handle misbehaving dogs or overly active dogs, we were just told to spray them with the water hose. They occasionally put e-collars on hyper dogs without the dogs owners consent, and shock them when they get rowdy. One time my coworker was bit by a dog and a dog fight was about to break out, the older guy who works in the dog yard (who is dodie's favorite employee), threw a big metal scooper across the yard that came an inch away from hitting my head and came dangerously close to hitting a dog. I recently told that story and someone that worked there 8 years ago, knew the name of the worker I was talking about because she saw him do that multiple times 8 years ago. Now let's get into how dodie treats the workers and the dogs. Dodie for 70% of the time stays inside but for the 30% of the time she was in the yard she was constantly YELLING at dogs and her workers. When I started, I was getting yelled at nearly every day for anything, my coworker told me "that's just the way she treats new workers". On my last day at diamond doghouse, I had a dog leaning up against my leg so I bent down to pet them. Dodie saw me petting the dog and ran over to me screaming. Saying I "didn't take the job seriously". After that day I left and never came back. I would never recommend anybody take their dog here. There are a couple of long term employees that have been with dodie for several years and they are very comfortable mistreating the dogs because they've been doing it for a long time and instead of facing repercussions, they are treated better than other employees by the owner. Me and 4 other coworkers all started around the same time and tried to do right by the dogs but we all ended up leaving after seeing how bad it was and how it wasn't going to change. I recently shared my experience working at DDH on TikTok. So many past employees reached out to me sharing their experience working there and they were all just as horrible as mine or even worse. Since I shared my story, the handful of customers that love dodie have been harassing me on TikTok and leaving positive reviews for the business. There was a review on here from someone that had a working interview at DDH, during their one day there they saw employees using sticks on dogs for behavior management. That review has since been removed. I'll be taking a screenshot of mine to see how long it's up.