Zach is amazing. I worked with him for my reactive, stubborn dog and saw real progress. He's…read morepatient, knowledgeable, and gives practical tools that actually work. Walks are calmer, my dog is more focused, and I feel more confident. Highly recommend!

Today was our first training session with Kassandre and I can't praise her enough! We brought our 7…read moreyear year old Golden Retriever. She was rehomed to us by a woman who could no longer keep her. Roxy;s first lesson was to learn how to walk properly without distraction. our first lesson went well and Roxy responded well. Can't wait till our next lesson with Kassandre. She gave us homework to practice using her new training collar and leash and I'm sure Roxy will do well under Kassandre's tutelage!

Hounds on the Hudson has moved from Albany. Last year, a sustainable clothing store moved into the…read morespace. I don't wish to delete my previous review because I really did have difficulty getting a response from the business, but the owner did eventually contact me. I think it was months later. She seemed very nice. She was very apologetic. She said she never noticed my phone messages or emails. The business was having technical difficulties and she assured me the problem was an aberration. I'm happy to see that the business has a better website and is doing well enough to expand to two locations. Sending my best wishes.

The most amazing experience I have ever had working with people, outside of family and friends,…read morecaring for my dog. My 7 year-old Maltese, Frederick spent this last year being walked twice a week by several of the staff at HOTH. I receieved gracious notes, he had the opportunity to meet other dogs in the neighborhood, and I was always treated in a caring, professional, and thoughtful manner. Fred also made two stays at the Bed and Biscuit, being cared for round the clock by HOTH staff. I have NEVER boarded my dog, so leaving him with someone outside of family and close friends was a choice I made very carefully. The cost for walks and overnight stays was reasonable and something I could afford living on the very small budget of a graduate student. I always felt wonderful knowing Fred was getting some love and attention during my long days at work. I can't recommend their services enough to coworkers and friends with animals. One of the only reasons I am sad to be leaving the Albany area for a new job in St. Kitts, is not getting to work with Hounds on the Hudson!

I will never be afraid to go outside again. My dog's aggression has been minimized drastically…read more Nikki makes you feel welcome, and your dog is in good hands with her. She literally goes out of her way (and I mean this in the literal sense because she picked up my dog in manhattan when I had a trip to France) to make sure you understand your dog and your dog understands you. I will not take everyone's time on this review but know that I did EVERYTHING to train my 100-pound Anatolian shepherd in the city and I HATED EVERY SECOND OF MY LIFE. I was always on edge; I would cry and get jealous of other dogs meeting each other and feeling that my own couldn't do the same. I hated being controlled by my dog; most of all, I was embarrassed to let anyone know I couldn't handle him. I tried hours of trainers and youtube tutorials, but nothing worked. I was initially hesitant to do the e-collar training, but seriously it's okay, and it has made a difference. Think of it as a baby not touching fire; you need to let your dog know that he can not do things that might harm others or him. I always thought shock collar training was for cruel people, but it's the opposite. Nikki, let me ask as many questions as I wanted. Mind you, I have a significant learning disability. I asked so many questions that any average person would've stabbed me with annoyance. But let me promise you that she works magic with these dogs, and you will be able to keep up the training. Who knew that Nikki was a phone call away and all my doggie and life problems faded away. My dog can meet other dogs, and I can go on long walks without feeling like im going to fly off the end of the earth from anxiety. If I would've known sooner, I would've sent him right to Nikki. Your dog is in safe hands, and trust me, I spoil my dog to the fullest, she updates you with videos and pictures, and she's the sweetest person alive. So PLEASE DO NOT HESITATE TO REACH OUT. I go to NYU and study classical conditioning, but I had no idea how to apply it to my dog; I tried everything I knew, and she is beyond brilliant. Most of all, she is kind. Tears roll down my face because I do not think this review does justice to her hard work. I never gave up on my dog, but let me tell you, there were days when I wanted to. No more lunging toward other dogs, no more terrible interactions; it's all gone. Nikki, Thank you

I had high hopes for this course, despite a lot of reservations…read more I actually feel my dog has worse behaviors than before she went to the two week board and train and the original issues were not resolved at all. I liked the trainer and wanted to continue with her - as is their policy, a forever guarantee if not effective - but was essentially ghosted after 2 follow up visits. I am extremely disappointed- for the time away from my dog and the money spent. It was my own fault for falling for the gimmick, but I would.NOT recommend them.

Bernie loves the staff mostly! Goes between their legs lol. He doesn't play with the other dogs…read moregenerally. All I have to say at home is "Do you want to go play with the puppies today?"....he then hops all thru the house!! We cannot go fast enough lol!

The rates for overnight boarding have gone up dramatically in the past year or so. Buyer beware…read more Also, there's a $10 per day surcharge for boarding dogs on holidays. When I boarded my two little dogs over the weekend I did not expect to be hit with $40 surcharges plus additional sales taxes. That was a surprise. The owner came out and explained that while it wasn't a holiday, it was winter break for schools so I was charged holiday rates for both nights for each dog. She was also defensive. She said her rates "are competitive" with other dog boarding facilities. A check of online websites showed me that her statement is not accurate. Camp Bow Wow's rates are higher. Some kennels charge more to board larger dogs, but at Camp Bow Wow we all pay the same rate even though my dogs are tiny. I've been a loyal customer for years. The staff has done well for my dogs. While I agree that good work should be compensated, but I disagree with the lack of notification. No one likes surprises. If you're planning to charge me holiday rates on non-holidays, you should tell me in advance or put in it writing on your website. That's only fair.

In just a few short weeks working with Micah we have seen a huge improvement with our dog. Micah…read morehas taught us how to work with our dog, and improved our communication skills and relationship. She's very flexible with her schedule and well worth the cost

Rachel is amazing! I couldn't believe how quickly my dogs responded to her training. With her…read morecoaching, I was able to enforce the training and rules in my home so that my pups responded and listened to my commands. Now our dogs are calm and listen when the doorbell rings, and wait for guests to arrive rather than charging and barking at the door. She also showed me how to loose leash walk my two dogs, which makes our long walks a lot less chaotic. So happy we were able to work with her!

James is incredible. We sent our 7 month puppy to James for four weeks last year. We were, and…read morecontinue to be, so happy that we did. She did not have any problems (and continues to be a wonderful dog and that's probably because we sent her to James). She had basic commands down. After James, she became excellent at multiple commands. She would sit at her bowl for hours if you don't release her (by verbal command). You can leave her with steak in the next room and won't eat it if you don't release her. You get the picture - James knows what he is doing and will set you, and your pup, up for success. He was very thorough in explaining what to expect and how to continue her training at home. We could not be happier. Our pup is also happy, and she loved James. When we brought her back for boarding a couple nights she couldn't wait to hang out with James. We had to save up to send her, and it was worth every penny. We would do it again. Highly, highly recommend. For any pup!

We got a deaf Miniature Bull Terrier @ 13 weeks old that after 6 months, seemed hopless to train,…read morejust basic commands. As a last ditch effort we called James @ Empire K-9 2.5 hrs away from our home. After 5 weeks of training with Ross he was transformed into the best dog we have seen anywhere. James spent a whole day with myself and my whole family to train us on how to handle and communicate with our new family member. Here we are over a year later and if we call James with a question he is quick to respond back with a helpfull answer. When we need to board Ross we drive him down to James @ Empire K9 2.5 hours away because he is the only one we trust with our Ross. Thank you James for this gift of being able to communicate with our deaf dog, you have no idea how much joy this little Miniature Bull Terrier bring to our family now.

My dog Harry and I learned a lot during Basic Manners training. Shannon is an excellent trainer who…read moreis very tuned in to what the dogs need to succeed.

Shannon is not only a great dog trainer, she is amazingly tactful and patient with the real…read morestudents, the owners. Highly recommend to anyone looking for a reward-based training program.

my visit was great. Anastasia was helpful and patient. she made me feel valued. good selection too.read more

Store Manager Zac at the Wolf Road branch was outstandingly helpful. I've been shopping here for…read moreyears and the service is always to notch. Their "Welcome Adoption Bundle" program is outstanding.

Kaila the groomer at Healthy Pets of Delmar is AMAZING!!! She treats each dog like her own! My dog…read moreplays freely without a cage while waiting her turn. Kaila is quick and grooms my dog within the hour (unlike the big boxed chains). Our poodle-mix has gotten matts before but Kaila has taken care of them, no problem. I highly recommend Kaila!!

Finally made it here before closing hour. I have to say, I loved my experience there. There were…read morecats hanging out throughout the store, and dogs in the back barking hello. There's an adoption center and I believe they do grooming and possibly training classes(?). I went to buy dog food, and they had a GREAT selection at really decent prices. Locally-produced foods from anywhere ranging from New York State to Michigan, not China. Prices were very fair, employees were nice and super helpful, and their "if your pet doesn't like it, return it for a full refund" made me feel very comfortable trying a new brand. My dog loves the new food, too, so it's unlikely I'll switch back. I highly recommend this store. They're only open until 6pm most days, so make sure to get there earlier than later. Worth the trip.

Our dog is a brat. He's an elitist. He's a loner. He's also adorably neurotic, paranoid, and…read moreskittish. Though his name is Watson, he's a lot more like Sherlock. Naturally, my husband and I are to blame for his behavioral indiscretions, and coke habit. It all started when we let him sit at the dining table with us--for the record, he's always eaten from his dog bowl on the floor, and we never shared our food with him. It's really not that ridiculous; it's not like we let him sleep in our bed. At any rate, a post-breakfast sobre-mesa was immortalized in my yelp photo. But when he snapped at his best dog friend, we realized that maybe his haughtiness was getting out of hand. It seemed that other dogs were a painful reminder that he too did not have opposable thumbs. You hate those who are most similar to you. A couple years earlier we had taken a group obedience class with Sharon at K9s Only. She was great with Watson and all the other dogs. She understands the psychology of dogs and humans, and yeah, we're basically the same. Not to mention she runs a rescue/adoption and therapy dog program, so she's an all-around good person. When I saw she had her own business I was excited to enlist her help for dear Watson. Her free consultation was an eye-opening lesson in itself. She acknowledged that Watson had down the basic obedience, but that our boundaries were a little murky. I was comfortable moving forward with the four private lessons she suggested. After the consultation, she emailed me a detailed synopsis of our meeting, our concerns, and what we need to do to ensure that Watson is happy and comfortable when face to face with other dogs. She gave us several exercises to practice (after every lesson she'd do this so you don't have to worry about taking notes during the session). Probably the most essential thing we learned was that he should work for our affection. It's all about making sure he knows we're in charge and that he actually listens to us because when he does good things happen. That will also make him feel safe and protected, not like he has to protect us. One suggestion that helped immensely was telling him to go to his bed. Whenever we cooked, Watson would stand beside us waiting for that bruised piece of bell pepper, carrot or apple, sometimes a nice piece of gouda or goat cheese, a crumble of tuna. He always sat and waited for it, so we thought he was minding his manners, and deserved the treat. But now, whenever he's in the kitchen or any time he's a little too close for comfort (licking my legs), we tell him, "go to your bed." These four words have become our "Nam myoho renge kyo." Watson will now chill out and wait for us to give him a snack or love or whatever it is he wants--usually food related. Friends and family have noticed a huge difference in Watson. He's calmer and definitely listens to us more, and when we say leave it, for the most part, he does--dogs included. We have Sharon to thank for that. Watson is still very Sherlockian, he's just more controlled, and happier as a result.

Hi! My name is May, I recently moved to the States last September and in this trip I have brought…read moremy two Thai-Lab mixed dogs with me. I adopted them when they are 4 months old and notice that they do scare of people as well as some other dogs. They are really protective of the house and no one can come close to our gate, except our family members and a number of friend. Interestingly, when they are outside, they are very scared and hardly want to take a walk. Though I tried to train them by myself and took them to obedient classes in Thailand, it didn't work. I think the problem is I do not know for sure what the problems are, nor hoe to solve them correctly. In addition, I was coming to live with my boyfriend who also has a dog. After I got here we started to look for a dog trainer, finally, our employee met a client of Sharon, and said we should call and consult with her. The impression has started right at the first call, a lady who really listen to your problems and is willing to do the first free consultation at home. I remembered the very first day when she met Mocha and Latte, she asked us to let the dogs out to see her. My two dogs were trying to charge at her and jumped up and down. Sharon, explain their reaction and ways to improve them and what are our expectations. The way she works, is not teaching your dog, rather giving you the knowledge and let you do the work itself. Of course, I am their owner, I have to control them. I find this very beneficial, because I am not only be able to help my own dogs, but suggest it to friends. In every session, Sharon would start by asking for the things happened during the week and she would take down notes and explaining why did it happen and how to solve. Right after the class, you get an email of all the how-to-do lists that you have just discussed plus the new exercise for them. After 4th session, my dogs behave themselves better and they stop barking at Sharon plus they get along with my boyfriend's dog. Towards the end of the 8th session, I can tell them not to eat anything I drop on the floor or treats that I do not allow them. I mean, my dogs have been giving lots of problem and Sharon did helped us get through and make them better dogs. Not to mention the crate resistant that one of my dog had, he would literally have us wait for an hour dragging in, pushing in, tricking him inside. Sharon was devoting her time waiting and fixing him. Believe it or not, today I can have him in the crate just in a matter of second! There are a lot more to talk of what my dogs have been improved after training with Sharon. We are still in the training program which now focusing on taking them to the outside world. We are glad, we have met Sharon. She is a very nice, sweet and patient person and on top of that a PROFESSIONAL. I do believe that she has a right potential to train any dogs, after experiencing it myself. Our little brats are doing better day by day and we are soon to reach our goal. I do recommend the service of Holistic Dog Expert.