When I first reached out to Tommy, I was in a pretty dark place with my 3-year-old English Bulldog…read more His behavior had taken a serious turn--aggression, constant overstimulation, and a total breakdown in how we communicated. I was heartbroken and honestly starting to feel like I'd failed him. What Tommy brought into our home was a complete shift in perspective. He didn't just train the dogs--he taught us how to create structure, set clear expectations, and restore calm. After just the first session, our house felt noticeably different. The tension was gone, the barking and toy-fighting stopped, and even our older dogs--who had been keeping their distance--seemed relieved. What really makes Tommy stand out is the continued support. He's incredibly responsive, provides real tools and a step-by-step plan, and genuinely checks in on your progress. The Lifetime Guarantee is a huge comfort--knowing we have ongoing access to help if new issues arise takes so much pressure off. We're still working through things, but the difference already feels like night and day. I can't recommend Tommy highly enough--he gave us back peace and hope.

We adopted our good boy Buddie from a shelter in December. A sweet boy, but years in a shelter…read more(five!) has made him somewhat a sensitive pup prone to barking to loud noises and strangers approaching. Passing cars on walks yielded barking and lunging, doorbells ringing, more barking. We tried some "do-it-yourself" online things with zero success, and realized actual one-on-one training was the only option. Enter Tommy from Bark-Busters. His initial three-hour in-home training course was amazingly effective, so much so the change in Buddie was almost night and day to us. Upon meeting Buddie for the first time, Tommy immediately knew the kind of sensitive dog Buddie was and tailored his training to suit. His techniques were easy to understand and master and can be practiced anytime we're with Buddie. No more barking when the doorbell rings, or when a car passes, or a stranger approaches. Buddie's a lot calmer now which is more in keeping with his overall sweet nature. Highest recommendation!

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.

My family hired Annmarie to give us tips on how to manage our puppy. We are first time pet owners…read more I didn't even have a pet when I was a child so it was all new to me. Annmarie started out by giving me a comprehensive consultation asking exactly what we envisioned. Further to that meeting and hearing our requests, we began our training of Roxy. I was surprised at how fast the puppy understood all the basic instructions and actually enjoyed the training sessions. Annmarie is very knowledgeable and experienced and is a dog whisperer. She has a way with dogs that is remarkable. After our sessions, Roxy, understood our expectations of her and is a much happier and more confident dog. Our family is also very pleased as Roxy understands basic commands and obeys and is not unruly like before. I highly recommend these dog training sessions for all pet owners. Money well spent.

Annmarie was prompt, kind, and very informative during both our initial phone call and our first…read moreevaluation/consultation appointment. She took the time to hear what we have been doing with our dog, observed us as we demonstrated our current techniques, and gave comments and critique where needed. The delivery of her feedback was very warm and informative - we never felt as if we were being insulted or belittled like I have experienced with other trainers. She offered an explanation of *why* our technique may not be working and explained a way to alter our training so that we could help our pup be successful. We have already decided to schedule future training sessions with Annmarie and are very excited. After just the initial evaluation session I noticed a marked difference in how well my pup walked on leash once I implemented her suggestions. We are very happy with our choice!

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

Archie went to camp with Gina for three weeks and came home a different dog. I'm still a little…read moreamazed. He's a five-pound chihuahua who shakes when someone new walks in the room and basically lived on my lap or behind my knees. I'd worried a trainer would either give up on him or scare him worse, but from the very first day Gina put so much thought into making him feel safe. She texted that afternoon to say he'd already jumped into her daughter's arms. When he barely ate the first couple days and I got worried, she talked me through it and told me he'd come around, which he did. She took him on long walks around the park and the neighborhood to burn off his nerves before she ever asked anything of him. His crate became his safe spot at her house, a familiar place that was all his in the middle of a busy home with other dogs and parrots and training going on. And she started him on tiny, predictable rules, sitting before a door, coming when called, so he always had something he understood to hold onto in a new situation. She explained that for an anxious dog, knowing what to expect is half the battle. She also refused to pick him up every time he got scared, and warned me that part would be harder for me than for him. She was right. Somewhere around the second week he started smiling in the photos. He was hanging out with her little dogs and her family, going on field trips to the park and coffee shops, staying on his place while she walked away, heeling next to her. He knows sit, place, heel and here now, and he does them for me too. The turnover at my apartment took a couple hours and it was real work. She sat me down and explained everything before we ever touched the dog, then had me practice with Archie while she corrected what I was doing wrong. She's kept sending reminders and answering my questions since, including a few dumb ones about shampoo and brushes. Here's the part I still can't get over. We went to a party a couple weeks after he got home, which is a huge deal for Archie. He sat on other people's laps. He licked hands. He barely cowered. Six weeks ago he would have spent the whole night shaking under my chair. Everyone at the party noticed and commented on the change in his demeanor. I was a proud mama that day! If your dog is the anxious type, the one who hides, trembles, won't eat around strangers, or has to be carried everywhere, I really want you to hear this. A lot of trainers are set up for big confident dogs and don't know what to do with a scared little one. Gina does. She never rushed him, never forced him, and never made me feel silly for babying him all these years. She reads a nervous dog and meets them where they are, then slowly builds them up until they can handle the world on their own. That's exactly what Archie needed. I honestly feel like Gina is just getting started with him, and I'm already thinking of when I can work with her again. If you have a tiny, anxious dog and you're on the fence, go with Gina. Archie is a different dog and so am I. Thank you again for everything you did for him, and for me. Archie sends smooches. Sheri

I can't say enough good things about Brandi and Perry Bailey of RSK9. Their work has given my pup…read moreand I so much freedom and balance. Pebbles (blue heeler, 1.5 years old) would never listen to me, would not sit or lay still, and had a lot of other obedience issues that caused her to be stressed or confused. She was a TOUGH dog to train and I was concerned I couldn't find the solution for her to get basic concepts. This view has completely changed since working with RSK9's 3 week program. I would HIGHLY recommend them and their methods - you can tell they genuinely love working with dogs and it's made a huge difference in giving my dog the chance to find real rest at home. They send DAILY updates with photos and videos which was so nice. This isn't a regular class or something you just pay for; it's truly an investment that you and your dog will be using for the time you get to share together. Side note: it's worth doing 3 weeks versus 2 weeks. At the 2 week mark is when Pebbles really started to understand her marks and cues. From here there is so much more that can be refined and Brandi/Perry really capitalize on that threshold being crossed!

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 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.

April is fantastic! April is also very accommodating and kind. She genuinely cares about her…read moreclients. She makes sure that you walk away from each class with the tools you need to keep practicing with your pup. Everything that's covered in class were taught in bite size pieces so when I left class I could keep practicing it. I enrolled my pup in her kindergarten puppy class and we will be doing her middle school class! My pup had so much fun in her classes and learned so much (I probably learned more than my pup!). We had to miss one of our regularly scheduled classes and upon notifying April quickly made arrangements for us to go to a different class the next day.

Our family highly recommends Controlled K9! We adopted our boy Mortimer last year after he had been…read moreliving as a stray, and we were really struggling when he came home with basic manners, reactivity, and having him settle in with our other dog. We ended up sending both of our boys for a six-week board and train with Kelia. It seemed to only make sense to send both dogs so they would have the same baseline training. Kelia was amazing! She kept us informed just about every day with videos and texts so we could see that the boys were happy and making progress. When Kelia brought the boys home, she spent a few hours with us, showing all the commands and techniques that she taught them, so we had a seamless transition. The "place" command alone has been lifechanging. (Although as you can see in the picture, they sometimes refuse to use separate mats, LOL.) We use the command before we feed them, initially when guests come by, and when we just need them to settle down a bit. It has reduced the stress and chaos in our house tenfold, and we actually can see the boys relax when they know they have a place to go and chill out. Kelia also gave us the tools to make leash walking and general obedience so much more successful. There are a lot of options out there for training. What set Controlled K9 apart for us was (1) our boys lived with Kelia, her family, and her dogs during training - they were not staying in a kennel and were in a real-life, loving environment, and (2) the promise of lifetime, free follow-up support. The boys have been home now for about 3 months. The training has stuck, and we feel like we really have the tools we need to make life pleasant for all of us, including the boys. Kelia has also proactively checked in to make sure things are going well, provided tips on the best way to reinforce training, and has responded quickly when we have follow-up questions, including offering a visit. Over three months later, we are still completely satisfied with the training and support provided by Controlled K9 and Kelia, and we would use them again in a heartbeat.

We worked with Julie to have our 10mo old Australian Shepherd trained. The entire process was very…read moresmooth, from the consultation to training, to the transition home. We spent a lot of time reviewing our goals together and our trainer followed through with the plan that we set together. She stayed in constant contact with transparent updates about the puppy's progress and answered any questions we had. Given the puppy's breed and determination, she required quite a bit of foundational training. Since returning home, she's a pro on the leash (complete transformation). Walks are far more enjoyable - no more barking, pulling, lunging towards moving vehicles, and now has a peaceful relationship with the mail box and trash can. Another high priority was addressing the puppy's reactiveness to our child - puppy is now able to follow my lead during potentially chaotic interactions. Overall our program length was 6 weeks long and completely worth it. We are thrilled to have these foundations instilled by a professional who also cares for the dog. Highly recommend!

Very convenient option for grooming, socialized daycare, and boarding. Yes, it is expensive, but…read morethese days you get what you pay for. I have been using this location for 1 medium and 1 large dog for about a year and a half now. It's easy to write a good review when everything goes as expected, but it's even more impressive when I feel the need to do so after things don't. But I'll get to that... Location has 3 dog rooms for open play based on sizes. This allows your pup to feel more comfortable around the other dogs. They do require a temperament test before allowing your pup to open enroll in daycare/boarding. When your dog is here you can view them on the cameras either on their website, or even better on your phone using their app. At night they are crated. When boarding you can drop off your own food, or they can provide food for an extra fee. Make sure to check out the calendar of events. Periodically they will have themed picture days and your dog's picture will be taken during daycare. Our favorite so far has been the Hawaiian vacation pictures. The grooming option here is too convenient. I can drop my dog off for daycare all day on a workday, and just schedule a grooming for anytime during the day and at the end of the day I pick up a tired, clean dog. I also love to schedule grooming for the last day when I board my dogs. That way when they get picked up they smell/feel clean, not like other dogs. Our dogs don't require a cuts/trims, so I can't speak to that aspect of grooming. Now for the real testament of their service... over a weeklong holiday boarding, our large dog was bitten by another dog during daycare. We were on the other side of the country, so we had to rely on them handling everything while we were remote. Dogtopia called me as often as necessary to keep me informed; they emailed me pictures of the injury; they took him to the vet; they kept him separated in his own room until his wound improved and gave him TLC & medical treatment ... even allowing our other dog to visit; and they indulged my many questions about the incident and corrective actions. Obviously you can never be 100% sure another dog won't bite, until they do, but I was impressed by the investigation of the incident and felt very reassured that it would not happen again based on the actions Dogtopia chose to take. They obviously took this incident seriously and care very much for the welfare of the dogs entrusted to them. I would highly recommend Dogtopia if you can afford it. I'm continuing to use them with confidence.

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.

We need a pet sitter for our two dogs for our holiday vacation and found Gabriela (owner) and her…read moreBurke Centre Pet Sitting company on line. We contacted her through email and got a quick response and she did a very thorough and complete consult to ensure our needs were met by her and her team. We met a few days before our departure which was day after Christmas. Within two days of our consult, one of our dogs became ill and had to be hospitalized during Christmas Eve due to reaction to a pain medication and was discharged Christmas Day. We contemplated canceling our vacation but didn't and relied on Gabriela and her team to take care of our dog while she recovered (slowly). She needed medications, extra attention, as well as taking care of another dog while we were away for 5 days. We almost canceled our trip but glad we didn't as Burke Center Pet Sitting took care of our fukids and helped our sick one recover during our absence. They communicated every day, checked in our dogs multiple times a day, dispensed medications, and cleaned up after a sick dog. Within the first day we were confident we made the right decision. I can go on about how great Burke Centre Pet Sitting is but the simplest way to put it is we put in their hands a dog that was hospitalized Christmas Eve and they were able to take care of her and make us comfortable to enjoy our vacation. I can't give any testimony better than that. If you are looking for a local (Fairfax/Burke area), professional, and caring Pet Sitting service Gabriela and Burke Centre Pet Sitting is the way to go. I'm so glad I found this company because we'll be a loyal customer for life.

Wonderful locally owned small businesses with a kind and compassionate owner!!! Heads and tails…read moreabove any "app"