We live in DC and it's a 45-minute drive to Your Dog's Friend, but chose them anyway after *lots*…read moreof research about the best puppy kindergarten and dog training classes in the DC area. I love that they are a nonprofit organization, how experienced their trainers are (with all relevant certifications), and that they are positive-only (as recommended by AVSAB- American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior - and is best supported by research). We started with puppy kindergarten with our golden retriever (6 sessions, starting around 14 weeks) and LOVED it. I can't say enough good things. The trainers at Your Dog's Friend are so knowledgeable about research-based, positive training and socialization. Everything we learned from Sarah Stoycos and the other trainers we have put into practice with our puppy, Griffey. After puppy K, we signed up for puppy first-grade and will be starting this weekend. We hope to keep going all the way through Canine Good Citizen and potentially do some of their nosework and agility classes, as we think Griffey would enjoy them!

We had a great experience with the basic obedience class! The instructions were really clear and…read morethe lessons moved quickly enough that my dog stayed engaged the whole time. I'm already seeing improvement in her recall when we're at the park! Highly recommend these trainers and will be back for more classes.

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!

Annie and I love Bone Jour! I love the people - as soon as I walked in to check out the place, I…read morewas greeted warmly. It's clean and inviting & it smells good! We were treated to a first day free and Annie will definitely return. She came home happy and tired. We are thrilled to have a place close by where we feel our pup is safe and loved.

Not sure why Bone Jour's average rating is so low, but they were very good with communication and…read moreefficiency! My senior doggo, Xena, got a simple bath and grooming appointment with toothbrushing (extra $10), for the grand total to come up as $77 (so $67 for the wash/grooming). The process to get a grooming appointment may seem daunting at first, but I assure you, it goes fast and is all online. You go on their site and fill out a form for grooming, your information, your pup's information, and create an account where you can fill in your payment information. Then, all you have to do is email your pup's up to date vaccination records to Bone Jour (they will tell you these steps if you call or email them as well). I believe they are doing this for safety reasons, which puts me at ease that my dog won't get any infections here. She came back happy, smelling very fresh even 2 days after, and they even sent her back with a nice red bone bandana. The overall appointment took about 3 hours and it looked quite busy since I saw 3 other people dropping their fur babies off as I was arriving. They are staying safe with COVID protocols and assigning people generous windows of time to drop off their pups (ie: we were assigned the 7-10am slot). Bone Jour is staffed by friendly, organized, and efficient dog lovers, everyone spoke so well of Xena and I could tell they were gentle on her weak teeth and detail-oriented with her grooming!

When I first got French Toast in December of 2019, I was intent on having her trained like a well…read morekibbled machine... a puppy that works for nobody but me hey hey hey. I read books on dog training, watched countless youtube videos, and spoke with a number of friends who were dog owners to soak in any tips or tricks that could lend my pup to be the most obedient servant... F.Toast bum bum bum bum. Well... "I looked back on where I failed, and in every place I checked, the only common thread has been my [certain inept]" Now, I was able to train toast on a handful of things: Sit, down, paw, stay ohhhhhhhh ohhhh (even before Biebs made it popular), and a handful of other commands. But there were still big problems. When anyone... literally anyone comes over my home, Toast wants to greet them, cuddle with them, jump on them, slide into the room, put her paws around them... lol. One thing she does not do is run away ;) I don't know why this review has turned into 100 hidden song references... but I'm just gonna go with it. So, after 2 years of owning Toast I decided to call in professional help. But that isn't the whole story. The whole story is after about 1.5 years of owning toast I reached out to Tomas online and he was like, great, let's set up a phone call! And then I waffled and waffled and forgot to call him. Then I was embarrassed about so much time had passed... and then the time just got longer that I didn't schedule that phone call. And then maybe 4 months after I originally had reached out... I wrote him an apology email and he was like.. "It's ok! Let's chat!" Me: Smiling face with sweat emoji on temple. So I schedule one training session with him, and I have to be honest. I think that this should be called a consultation. We were chatting more about the goals, Toasts behaviors, etc then really getting into the nitty gritty hands on training. Which is FINE! I mean... we 100% needed that session to really start to map out how we were going to work together. But... I will say we probably did equal to or more diagnosis then hands on training. So I was a TINY bit apprehensive to schedule more training sessions. BUT I took a leap of faith, and it couldn't have paid off more handsomely. After that first session/consultation, we've done nothing but hands on training during the entirety of our sessions. I scheduled 3 more sessions with Tomas after that initial consultation/training and each one has been jam packed with learnings, eye opening experiences, and most importantly growth in my dog Now if you've researched dog training before, you'll likely know that you're really training yourself as well as the dog if not more. And one of the MOST important things is repetition of the trainings. Also... basically training your dog is a complex pattern of bribing your dog with a near endless amount of small rewards. So, get ready with a lot of small treats just FYI. Tomas has been a joy to work with. He's very even keeled, he models the training and then puts you in the hot seat (which is 100 percent completely necessary in training)... I mean... for anything to work you're gonna have to continue to train after Tomas leaves. Tomas lays the foundation... and you start building the home. Hopefully a home one day where my puppy will immediately go to her bed and stay there when guests come in. We're getting better and better, but it will take a little time... and some tenderness. One day "We'll walk upon the water, we'll rise above the mess" He is receptive, easy to work with, punctual, returns messages and phone calls promptly. He has been an absolute pleasure to work with. He has a sense of humor. I mean... definitely high recommendations for working with him. The guy knows what he's doing and it's quite obvious. And btw when I said Tomas lays the foundation... basically he's one of those new fancy 3D Printer concrete robots that builds a house in like 16 hours lol. Arn't those SO cool btw? I love watching those videos. Anyways, definitely giving my full endorsement. I found Tomas on Yelp here when I was looking for dog trainers, and I will add my voice to the small handful of very positive reviews already on his page. Looking forward to continuing to work with him. We have our 5th session next week. Definitely one of the best investments in myself and my puppy I've made in sometime.

Tomas arrived early, rolled up his sleeves and got our dog's attention. He was kind, direct and…read moreeasy to understand. We appreciated his style and insights.

Strangers always comment on how well-trained my dog is and friends always ask me to train their…read moredogs for them. The truth is that a well-trained dog is just as much about training the handler as the dog. My family has taken 5 dogs through Dog Sense, 3 all the way through Advanced Obedience, and our dogs were taught to follow US instead of us chasing after them. My mother took our first family dog there and when my sister and I returned with our dogs, some of the same experienced trainers were still there 19 years later, a testament to their years of experience. Don't waste your money on the pet store classes, Dog Sense is the place to go in Montgomery County. A well-behaved dog is a real gem to have around!

l like it a lot because they attend to my puppy promptly and do keep him caged like in other places…read more they are very professional

We are extremely pleased with the outstanding results from Artie's 3‑week board and train program…read morewith Gina at Ridgeside K9. Artie is our 10‑month‑old Old English Sheepdog. We brought him home as an 8‑week‑old puppy and trained him daily, but he presented challenges beyond what we'd experienced before. Over the years, we've had seven dogs--five Sheepdogs, a Malamute/Wolf mix, and a Jack Russell/Terrier mix--and successfully trained them all at home without issues, so we are by no means amateurs. However, Artie was a true challenge. We even completed a six‑session training program with another trainer, and on "graduation day," Artie scored a D+. We missed him every day he was away for training, but the daily reports and pictures from Gina made the days bearable and reassured us that he was in great hands. Before Ridgeside K9, he struggled with excessive pulling on walks, jumping, biting, ignoring commands, running to the neighbor's house, and barking for no reason. Under Gina's expert guidance, he now walks calmly on leash, listens attentively, and responds reliably off‑leash--he's truly a new dog, a complete 180 from how he was before training. Gina demonstrated exceptional professionalism, communication, and genuine care throughout the entire process--providing detailed updates and ensuring we had the tools to reinforce his progress at home. Thanks to her dedication, Artie has become a confident, well‑mannered dog, and we wholeheartedly recommend Gina and Ridgeside K9 to anyone seeking effective and compassionate dog training.

amazing results from their training of my reactive GSD. no more lunging at other dogs and random…read morepeople! I'm super pleased and the trainers responsiveness was great and the person i spoke to for infomation and booking was knowledgeable and very professional.

They usually have what I need and the staff is nice and friendly. They are also dry helpful.read more

Honestly, I do not recommend the service in this place because the attention is super bad, the…read moreperson who took care of my dog I saw through the glass that he hit my dog and pulled his ears when I have never done that with my pet, I mistreat him, I also do not dedicate enough time to him for being in charge of the computer and other things. I consider that I paid too much for an incomplete service, my dog's nails were horrible, the haircut she also did what she wanted and not what I asked, I left my dog like a rat and also his ears dirty and not to mention that my dog arrived with scratches and allergies on the skin of that place. In addition to the cut that made it all sheared and badly done. Definitely this place does not have the level of attention that many people expect, the quality of service is bad and I am going to file a formal complaint so that they return my money and also pay what I spent at the vet because my dog has his skin all pink after going there. I don't know if I would hit her in the back where they shower them but she mistreated my dog. I want my money back. Very bad service

Attended a training at Paw by Paw Dog Training and while I have been around dogs my entire life,…read moreDavid not only enhanced my knowledge he also taught me new ways to work with and handle and understand the dogs that I walk and have over nights with. David made the training easy to understand and gave practical demonstrations. David and everyone at Paw by Paw Dog Training were friendly, professional, extremely knowledgeable and patient. I am looking forward to putting into practice all the new techniques and additional knowledge learned. Thank you!

My husband and I have 2 very reactive hound mix dogs, and we have worked with a handful of other…read moretrainers without any improvements. We've been attending weekly, private, behavior-modification lessons with David, and not to sound cliche, but the training has changed our lives. My dogs would lunge, bark, and bite when bicycles, dogs, kids, cars, etc. would pass by on walks, and now I can confidently walk them without fear of them reacting. We can comfortably walk our dogs on a loose leash, and also, put our dogs in 'place' when guests come over. The pricing for training is extremely fair and the results speak for themselves. Highly recommend Paw by Paw for any training needs!

Brittany helped us do an incredible 180 with our two adopted dogs, which has, without exaggeration,…read moreimproved the overall quality of our life. Five weeks ago, we couldn't let visitors into our home through the front door, walk past other dogs, or be in-the-midst of little ones without major stress for both dogs and humans alike. Fast forward to now, and our dog-reactive pup can pass other dogs on walks with minimal (and occasionally, no) reaction; our kid-fearful pup can hang out near the chaos of little ones playing at the park without stressing out; and we can do introductions with guests visiting our home that don't make us dread having visitors. Prior to Brittany's help, I hadn't walked one of the two in more than a year because the experience was always so stressful. Now, I'm proud every time he turns to me for cues and reassurance as we go on more confident walks together. Our training experience with Brittany really strengthened our trust of, and bond with, both dogs. Like I said, life-changing. Here's what we loved most about working with her: 1. She genuinely cares about our dogs and treated them like she'd treat her own fur-child. It put all of us at ease. 2. She does 100% positive reinforcement behavior training, so we knew (and believed in) her methodology. 3. She customized the training plan for our dogs. We got to pick our top priorities, and she chose the specific activities that would help us and our fur-children accomplish those goals. I could go on and on... we're just so thankful we found her. Thank you so much, Brittany!

Brittany ROCKS! If you need positive reinforcement in your life (with your pups), I highly…read morerecommend calling Brittany and Dances With Dogs. Her training and patience will change your pup(s) and your relationship/interaction with him/her. She is life-changing. Call her now!

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!

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.