I interviewed a number of local trainers but it wasn't until I found Fathom K9 that I was confident that they not only really cared about the animals, but they would also be able to deliver excellent results. They use a balanced training approach where the dogs learn with positive reinforcement but also appropriate corrections. I always thought the purely positive people were kind of silly. There comes a time when the dog is going to want to chase a squirrel or bark at a neighbor more than they want the hot dog you are holding. Anyway, they did a board and train with Michelle, who is fantastic. All of them have been super available to answer questions. One of the things I liked best is that when you ask a lot of other trainers what the dog will be able to do after they spend 3-4 weeks with them, they won't really nail down specifics. Fathom K9 gave me a brochure that said exactly which behaviors I could expect for the length of time and the amount of money I would be paying them. Now my dogs definitely understand what they are being asked to do. When I tried to train them myself, I was never 100% sure that they knew what I wanted so I was hesitant to correct them for fear of being unfair. Now that they have been to their board and train, they know exactly what they are supposed to do. They don't always do it, but it's easy enough to correct them fairly for failure to comply. Some trainers will be heavy handed with escape and avoidance training, and the dogs will comply, but they turn into sad robots...and that was not what I was looking for. My dogs still have the exact same outgoing personalities, they are just better. I can take them out to bars and restaurants, put them on their place and they sit there and chill. They will heel when I walk them now, which I was never able to figure out how to teach them myself. Anyway, the ladies are professional, organized and they deliver results. We graduated from the intermediate program and will likely enroll them in the elite program in the future. read more
