Felix was amazing!! He helped us with our girl, Nala, get past much of her fears and anxieties…read more She's always had an issue with strangers-- especially men. Felix took the time to systematically walk us through repeated steps and create a plan to address the behavior. He was friendly, knowledgeable, supportive, and obviously quite experienced. So happy we decided to go with Proving Ground Kennels and would certainly recommend!

I noticed that many of the existing reviews for this trainer date back to 2018, so I wanted to…read moreshare a more recent experience for anyone considering working with him. Business practices can change over time, and I feel it's important to share my recent experience so others can make an informed decision. I hired Felix to work with my working-line dog and spent $8,000 over four months. Initially, Felix was professional and punctual. Over time, however, he became increasingly disorganized. Sessions were frequently cancelled or rescheduled for personal reasons, and he arrived late on multiple occasions. I continued because for a while the training went well, and my dog was learning a lot from the time and energy I dedicated to him. This is why I bought a second package from him. Felix started using a Dogtra e-collar at very high levels (90-100). As training progressed, this became more frequent. My dog vocalized and showed clear signs of distress. On one occasion, my dog lightly redirected toward me (after a correction Felix inflicted at 100) behavior he had never displayed prior to working with Felix. I raised my concerns via text later in the day, explaining that I felt these correction levels were inappropriate given my dog's age, maturity, and frustration level. Felix dismissed my concerns, responding that "bites happen," and told me I was making too big of a deal out of the situation, which caused me to second-guess myself. He affirmed my dog was 100% safe and noble. At our next session, Felix showed me photos of serious injuries caused by his own dog letting me know my dog wasn't actually handler aggressive like his dog was. Following that session, Felix applied harsh prong-collar corrections while my dog was learning a new command. My dog quickly redirected toward him (no broken skin). Felix became visibly frazzled, speaking aggressively toward both me and my partner, making inappropriate comments about my physical strength/body and questioning why I owned a large male dog and berating me in front of my home. My partner, who is a psychologist, calmly intervened due to concern about the tone and direction of the interaction. Immediately afterward, while my dog was highly aroused, Felix attempted a "leave it" exercise by scattering ham in our backyard without having taught the command first. When my dog attempted to eat the food, Felix administered multiple level-100 e-collar corrections. My dog yelped in pain, and my partner expressed serious discomfort, which Felix again dismissed. Felix then made alarming comments about having been "mauled" by several dogs and having dreams of being killed by dogs. Before he left our home, he told us that once again we were "on track" and he'd see us next session. When he left we were both shaken. That night my partner and I had drawn a line and decided we needed outside consult because our dog's behavior was changing in real time. And the exercise out back crossed a line for us and our dog's safety. The following day, Felix sent a message cancelling our work together. In a short text, he commanded me to return my dog to the breeder, instructed me not to contact him again, and blocked me and my partner on social media and text message. Stunned, I went to his website and emailed him requesting a refund for the unused sessions (over $3,000). He refused, citing a "no-refund policy," though no such policy was provided in writing or verbally at the time of purchase. Since then, I have consulted with multiple highly respected trainers, including two who have competed at the IGP World Championship level. None were familiar with Felix or his work, and all expressed extreme concern about the methods described. They indicated these methods contributed to the redirection issues and confirmed that my dog is highly workable with appropriate training. Felix has the right to choose who he works with. However, cancelling services while refusing to refund prepaid sessions reflects poorly on his business practices and integrity. I am sharing this experience so others can make an informed decision before hiring this trainer. Please know that if Felix feels overwhelmed or in over his head while training your dog, he can (and might) stop the pre-paid sessions at any time, block you, and refuse to give you back money for services that were not rendered.

Sam responded quickly to our initial request for information. He was clear about his pricing and…read morefully transparent about his process. We opted for in-home training and his first visit provided us with a lot of information and some initial work to do with our pups. The next visit included Sam doing some training with them and leaving us with clear instructions on how to move forward between his visits. He clearly understands dogs and he takes the time to explain the behaviors we are seeing. It's been a great process so far.

Where do I start???…read more My dog Turk is a pit bull mastiff mix (95 lb cutie patoot!) Sam Basso taught me how to train my dog! Life is sooooooo easy with my amazing dog being trained! Trust me... My dog is a major work dog and super alpha. So it took a lot of work, but no one would know how naturally rough he was since he is so obedient and communicative. Kennel training, potty training, basic commands and advanced commands, puppy and dog manners, and he doesn't ever bark needlessly and listens when I tell him to quit it. I love hearing people who ~hate~ dogs (I don't ever trust people who don't like dogs... Dogs are awesome!!! But I never knew... ) who say they adore and love Turk as their first dog who endeared them. Usually they want to steal him or tell other people to train their dogs like mine (oops!!). Best thing was after training, my fur child and I have such a strong foundation that we can keep building together. Sam also will be straight forward and not just try to sell you on a miracle cure. He's dedicated and honest. His methods work!!!!! Not only are you seeing years of experience, there's also someone who really loves dogs and understands people too. I have recommended Sam Basso to everyone!!! I'm so lucky and fortunate to find the right dog trainer and behaviorist!

We have a almost 2 year old Goldendoodle rescue named Mulligan that we adopted 7 months ago. While…read moresweet, he was super reactive to other dogs. This made walks in our neighborhood truly challenging with the crying, barking and jumping. We stumbled across Nate when he saw him on TV. He had all of his dogs in tow, which were all sweet and behaved. We decided to purchase Nate's book first and focused on the fundamentals that he stresses with in-person training. That was a great foundation. But ultimately, we knew we wanted to have training with Nate. From start to finish it was truly a positive game changer. He first came to our house for the initial 2 sessions. He brings his dogs as well! From there, you still do 1:1 training but out in the real world along with in a group setting with other dog families. I would highly recommend Nate. Our dog has transformed. He can be around other dogs without getting overly excited. We can take him to restaurants without being embarrassed and most of all, he's not stressed and can just be a good boy.

We had a very disappointing experience with Nate and, in my opinion, potential clients should…read moreproceed carefully and trust their instincts if something feels off. We hired Nate to train both of our dogs and paid over $1,000 for the program, which was a significant investment for our family. After the first private session, we were told that one of our dogs was essentially "untrainable," yet no refund or adjustment was offered for that portion of the service. That was our first concern. During the first session, I personally observed handling of my Chihuahua that, in my opinion, was unnecessarily rough and alarming. At one point, the dog was grabbed by the top of the neck and forced to the ground. I understand trainers may use different methods, but this felt excessive and inappropriate to me. Initially, we were hopeful because the first session seemed productive. Unfortunately, things declined quickly afterward. Multiple scheduled sessions were canceled or rescheduled by Nate. After the third change, I called to explain that repeated rescheduling was difficult for our family because both of us had to coordinate time away from work. I also noted that the client cancellation policy appeared much stricter than the flexibility being shown on the business side. During that phone call, Nate became hostile and used disrespectful language. We recorded the conversation after the call escalated. In my opinion, the tone and behavior were unprofessional and concerning. He also accused me of not following through with the training and claimed only my husband had been participating. That was inaccurate. I work from home and was the primary person consistently implementing the training exercises every day. We also attended a group training session where Nate brought his girlfriend along with a German Shepherd. She was never introduced, no explanation was given as to why she was there, and the situation felt awkward and unprofessional. It created an uncomfortable atmosphere for what was supposed to be a structured training environment. Most importantly, the training did not produce the results we were promised despite our consistent effort and compliance with the program instructions. I have since spoken with others who shared similar dissatisfaction, though I can only fully speak to my own experience. My advice to anyone considering group sessions is to stay afterward and speak directly with other clients about their experiences and whether the training has been effective for them. In my opinion, it is valuable to hear honest feedback from others before making further commitments. This review reflects my honest personal experience and opinions. Others may have different results, but based on our experience, I would not recommend this service. If you would like to hear the audio recording of our phone interaction, feel free to reach out to me at Rayrayforthewin66@gmail.com. I strongly encourage anyone considering hiring a trainer to research thoroughly, ask detailed questions about methods, policies, and scheduling expectations, and choose someone whose professionalism and approach make you feel confident.

Absolutely recommend. My Sadie was well loved and cared for during her board and train. She has…read moregained so much confidence and is just so much better disciplined than she was before. Mike was great and did such a great job with the daily updates (videos and I photos) and story about their day and trainings. Definitely will go through them again when we get another dog.

Murphy-Lou is a fabulously happy goofball Coonhound -- loves people, loves dogs, interested in…read moreeverything, and absolutely willing to obey commands unless she's interested in something else at that moment like, say, a moth or shadow or yummy smelling thing -- so we have lots in common. She's a sweet girl who's transitioned wonderfully from a quiet rescue (at 9 months) to a fun, playful, obedient (well, mostly), and happy best friend. We set up four training sessions with Mike M. and had such a good and productive time that we did four more, and Murphy-Lou is doing great! She's mastered all the basics (i.e., sit, come, down, heel, off, place, etc.) and she no longer just ignores me when interested in something else, but turns to me glaring, "I am a Coonhound, you oaf, just one moment, there is a leaf here and I must give it appropriate consideration", and when finished she'll walk over and sit next to my foot. Mike is abundantly knowledgeable, experienced, patient, and super friendly... and he's also very considerate in trying not to sound critical of my own efforts training Murphy -- a couple of times I've told him, "don't worry about hurting my feelings, if I need to do something differently just let me know -- I'm the one who needs training!" He's just a really good guy and fun to work with and I recommend him to anyone who's genuinely interested in learning to train the pups! (We're gonna do more work with him!)

If your dogs are driving you crazy If your home is in chaos…read moreIf you have lost hope.... There is a way out! Tracy Lynn is the Dog Whisperer meets Judge Judy. Just follow her verdict -- and you'll have good doggies in no time. If it's an emergency, call Waggin' Tails. Best $$ you'll ever spend.

Tracy is wonderful! She really helped us with our anxious/fearful dog to learn more about why she…read morebehaved the way she did and how to help her react better. Several of the tips Tracy taught us we still use today! Her kidz Dozer and Seamus were also A+ teachers for our Sophie girl.

I found Eric online shortly after he moved to Arizona. We had met with 3 different dog trainers and…read moreweren't impressed with any of them. Eric spent almost 2 hours on the phone with us before we even hired him. He then came to my house and spent 3 hours with us and our dogs, giving us pointers and tips and showing us firsthand what to do. We went on multiple walks during the first meeting just so we could understand how to deal with our dogs. After the meeting, I've texted Eric at least 3 times/week for the last month and he always responds within a few hours. He's extremely communicative and always willing to help. My dog was a changed dog after a single afternoon and we're not even finished with the program yet. I can't recommended Eric enough.

I don't doubt that Eric is knowledgeable when it comes to dogs. I just think we were looking for…read moresomething a bit different. We reached out to Eric cause we brought a new puppy home. We have a senior dog already and the senior dog has a history of being reactive towards other dogs. I was worried and wanted a professional to assist us with proper integration/socialization and basic commands to assist our puppy with redirection. I was under the impression that we would be working side by side or he would be providing on the spot corrections between my two dogs. Or, showing us / helping us with basic commands to redirect our puppy so that she would listen to us and not mess with the older dog. Eric is more of a let me sit you down and talk to you about the psychology behind dogs and talk about what we could do rather than show us how. I will say, he was helpful when it came to giving us a few ideas ie: putting a muzzle on the dog (which we didn't end up doing) but all in all, I just needed something different-- more hands on, more working together. In time, my puppy started to do much better but I'd say it was because I chatGPTed and followed dog trainers on instagram.

Dennis is fun and personable and FULL of experience. He took his time when he came to our home, we…read moredidn't feel rushed or intimidated or anything negative at all. He genuinely cares and provides a personalized service. He definitely knows what he's talking about and it's very apparent that he loves his job and the dogs. We were able to get all of our questions answered and he followed up with emailed information to work on until our next session. I will recommend him to everyone I know-and i have already!! One friend meet with him already and she shared the same exact experience, and she's forever grateful that I sent her to him. He takes the time to really explain things so that you understand what you need to do and where your dog is coming from. He's very patient, and confident. He was available after the session as well to answer questions over the phone or email, I just cannot say though good things about him. I appreciate how much experience he brings and his demeanor and approach are just amazing. It took the pressure off of our stressful situation and we could finally see light at the end of the tunnel and felt peace in knowing what to do.

Denis is the best with both my dogs. His wisdom and patience with dogs is evident. He practices…read morereinforcing good behavior and Does Not believe in physical punishment of a dog which is why we went with him. Both our dogs have behavioral issues due to being stray dogs one who came from County and one who we found. Since Denis they are doing much better and we as owners have better understanding of how to train our dogs at home on our own as well to teach them to behave. Highly recommend him as your trainer.

When it comes to in-home dog training there are many, many choices and it can be overwhelming and…read moreconfusing to pick the right person. What are their qualifications? How much experience do they have? Will they be effective and kind when training my dog? We needed in-home training to help with our overly exuberant young dog! She is a sweetheart but loved to jump up on people and needed to learn more self-control. My wife interviewed several potential trainers, and we are absolutely delighted that we decided to work with Louis from Robinson Dog Training! Louis has a wealth of experience in dog training and was a K-9 handler in the USAF. He has been fun but thorough in training US as well as our dog! Our dog has much-improved manners, and now our guests enjoy coming to see her! A lesson with Louis is a fun experience for the owner and pet! We learned together, and Louis makes sure every question is answered, and ensured that both my wife and I could demonstrate the skills needed to continue growing with our dog. I HIGHLY recommend Louis and Robinson Dog Training for your in-home dog training needs!

I can't recommend enough! Louis is kind and patient. He works hard to train you, so you can train…read moreyour dog. After only a few weeks my confidence has soared and my relationship with my dog has improved significantly.