We are beyond pleased with the turnout. Let me discuss a few of our concerns and the results. 1. Our Belusky Belgian/Husky has tremendous drive and a free spirit and less than great obedience. I waited 2 months after our training experience to write this review so I could give a full report and see if the training stuck! UNBELIEVABLE! Bear is on point. He walks on a loose leash. Corrections are simple and usually work on the first one. I would never have expected for him to be able to see a rabbit on a walk, get lit, and give a correction. BOOM, Bear's focus is back on the leash holder and he continues loose leash and forward march without so much as a second thought. (I know he is thinking about it, but he is 100% obedient.) And before you wonder, I did it on no leash once and he was lockstep "on heel" next to me. He has an insatiable desire to please. One big thing for us was that Bear had "mouthed" our new grandchild twice! This prompted us to spend the big money for this training. It worked. Hours of interaction with our grandson and no more incidents, even with some trial provoking. 2. CRATE - Bear hasn't been in a crate for 3 years before training. Now that training is done, with a little reinforcement, he is 100% perfect with crate training and manners. He will walk right upstairs into his crate when I say "wanna eat". I can give the "crate" command and he will walk in and wait for me. Usually when I remove his collar, he is ready for the crate. 3. COLLAR - we have been walking him with a harness for 4 years. Probably because he could duck out of a collar and run. Justin tried a standard collar, a cinch collar and those had no effect on him. He settled on a prong collar and began to get response and progress. Man o man did it work good. As soon as Bear hears the sound of the collar or sees someone with it, he runs up and sits in front of the holder and presents his neck for the collar. In other words, he has no aversion whatsoever toward the prong collar. 4. DOOR MANNERS - He was a door spaz! Now we walk to the door, and he will sit on heel, let you open the door, and not move until told OK. Amazing. Coming in, he still likes to paws up on the door, but we tell him no, and say SIT through the door. He will sit while you open the door and lock eyes on you waiting for the command to enter. And he will enter on leash less heel if you ask rather than charging in. 5. PLACE BED - You will return from HC with a place bed. Your dog will be able to "place" on this bed and your dog will not be allowed off the bed until commanded. We are still working with this one, but it is freaking amazing. We have "PLACE'd" him for 3 hours and he has stood pat through doorbells, grandkids, the cat, and dogs barking outside. It is nice when the doorbell rings, to "place" him and be able to not be in your face. We can call him to the door for friends, or allow friends and family to go to him and "heel" him off the place bed. 6. FINAL THOUGHTS - He is still the same dog, same personality, even better attitude and focus on his human family. Nothing negative at all came of the training and he has no fear of his humans and his commands. He loves to obey and is much more focused on us. 7. WARNING - If you are a lazy owner and don't continue reinforcement and training mechanisms, you will waste all that effort and training. We let the place bed slide for 2 weeks and it took two weeks to get back on point. COULD NOT RECOMMEND MORE. JUSTIN WAS OUR TRAINER AND IT WAS THE 4 DOGS AT JUSTIN'S HOUSE RETREAT. read more

About 4 weeks ago, we had an untrained, curious, and energetic Golden Doodle puppy. We got this little guy when he was 8 weeks old and now he's about 5 months. I grew up with dogs that I thought were very well trained. I thought I could raise my dog the way my parents did and achieve the same results. However, I am not the miracle worker my mom was, and our crazy work schedules really interfered with quality training time. In our few months with our dog, we didn't make much progress. My wife and I had a 2 week vacation coming up. A few weeks before that, we ran into some 2 year old Golden Doodles that were impressively well trained. Their owners told us they put the dogs through a training retreat at Hunter Canine when they were puppies. Soon after that interaction, we contacted Hunter Canine to learn more about their services. My wife went out in did a tour of the training facility. She came back and said the facility looked intense but "legit"! She has a real soft spot for our little guy, so she was concerned that he would be terrified of the new environment and new sounds he would have to endure while he was there. However, I talked her through it, and we booked our pup for the 3 week Training Retreat over the same dates we were out of town. When we arrived at the facility to drop the pup off, he was his usual self. Just a little rascal. I honestly didn't set high expectations for him, because he seemed to have such a long way to go to improve. We worked with a Trainer named Caity. We sat down for just a few minutes and she asked us a series of questions about our dog and what our goals were for him during his time here. We shot for the moon, and told Caity that we would love to see SEVERAL BIG changes! She seemed confident that our goals would be met and that he was in excellent hands. I was impressed with Caity's professionalism and warmenss. She really helped my wife, who was balling at this point, know that the dog was in good hands while he was with Hunter Canine. We were able to do our week 1 progress visit while we were still in town. Caity reviewed everything that they went over in the previous week. Then she put on a show for us! She brought the dog out and he seemed like a whole new pup! I'll spare you the training details but our jaws dropped when we saw the results of their hard work! We left the review confirming our feeling that this was an excellent investment in our dog. 2 weeks after that, we came back to pick the dog up. Caity spent about an hour with us going everything our new and improved dog was able to do and understand. She provided us with tools and knowledge that we can use at home to continue his training. Caity blew my expectations out of the water. We couldn't be happier. Now that we have the dog settled back in at home, we have a obedient, happy, and delightful furry friend that we are proud to introduce to friends and family! We will be back to Hunter Canine for additional classes and kenneling the next time we are out of town! Thank you so much Caity!! read more

Our dog Cooper is a 4+ year old male Parson Jack Russel Terrier that owned the house, people in it and anything within a mile radius. He showed aggression on leash to other dogs on walks. He barked at anyone at the door, sounds outside, and would cruise the perimeters of our property barking and jumping to protect his territory. I found myself always apologizing and embarrassed of his inappropriate behavior. It was not until he attempted to attack our daughter's Great Dane puppy who was visiting us did I realize how bad it really was. Cooper and I have had lessons from other companies that come to your house and private lessons at other facilities over the years but NONE have had a greater impact on us as Hunter Canine! We have tried everything from treats, muzzles, to citronella bark collars, spray bottles, cans with coins...to try and control him but nothing worked. Justin at Hunter Canine really helped us to better understand Cooper and how to communicate our expectations of his behavior to him. We placed him in their 3 week training program which was difficult because we missed him a lot but after visiting him during our training times, we saw how different he was and how social he was since they knew how to set boundaries with him which allowed him to socialize with other dogs. We realized that we were the problem and made a promise to Cooper and ourselves that we would work with Hunter Canine as long as they would have us to learn to be the best owners for Cooper possible. We realized later how we thought we had set boundaries with him but Cooper really trained us to accept his boundaries and we lived in fear of taking him for walks or out with us so we worked around his ways. Although we are still in process, now we realize how much he follows our rules and how much more content and less nervous and quieter he is around the house. We are committed to completing our training all the way through Hunter Canine's advanced program no matter how long that will take us. We feel their trainers keep us motivated to work with Cooper and see that he can do so much with the right guidance. Their trainers (Justin, George, Chad (owner) and others) are positive and always care. I tell everyone that knows Cooper and the difficulties we have had what miracle workers Hunter Canine's team is, especially in communicating with dog owners how to work with their dogs. Also, we feel Cooper is entertained and challenged during the class and during our practices. They are patient and able to communicate in ways that help the regular person better understand what and why they want us to do what we need to do for our dogs. I would recommend any dog owner who has a dog that is leash aggressive or that barks out of control to contact Hunter Canine immediately, it makes being a dog owner much less stressful and much more enjoyable! read more

I bought a pure bread German Shepherd that is now 1.5 years old. I have 4 children all under the age of 9. Though he fulfilled protecting my backyard to a "T" we could never walk him or play with him for that matter. He loved my kids but bulldozed them and consequently would hurt them easily. Anytime we would take him for a walk, and there was another dog present, he would turn into attack mode and try to kill anything that moved. Consequently, we never walked him for fear. I even tore my rotator cuff one time trying to hold him back. After 3 random referrals from three different people, we decided to check out Hunter Canine. I thought is was pricey at first at $1500 for a 3 week boot camp, but they came very highly recommended and now I can see why. We have video of his first day at the bootcamp, and he was my typical Max on roids. Now three weeks later, they brought him to my house and reviewed the commands and controls with my each of my kids. It was a complete 180. My two youngest who would never pet or play with him changed their tune within minutes and even walked him by themselves. He has not budged all night. I have never seen something like this in all my life and have been so impressed, Im writing reviews everywhere I can think of. If you had the troubles I had, chewing, jumping, aggression towards other animals, the works, this is the easiest money I spent. I even threw a little tip on the end just to say thanks. I would have never imagined paying $1500 for dog training and then actually paying a little more just because they earned it and I was flat out amazed. I have had several family members over tonight as they needed to see the proof themselves. Now they are all thinking of admitting their dogs into perhaps a different program at Hunter Canine. From a customer service perspective 5 stars, effectiveness 5 stars, $ 5 stars, all 5 stars! I worked it out over several years and it comes to .38 cents a day to have a dog that loves my kids, is obedient, and looks out for us. I pay that in BigMacs. This is family and well worth it in my book any way you look at it! Thank you Chad at Hunter Canine! Tyler Ritchey, Chandler Az read more

I am in absolute awe of the very skilled and patient trainers at Hunter Canine. I enrolled my two and a half year old frenchie/chihuahua mix, Diego into the three week training camp they offer after having a lot of questions answered and taking a tour myself (the grounds are immaculate, if you are wondering). Anyone who knows me is aware of my inordinate obsession with my dog and the thought of being separated three weeks was hard for me to accept. However, from my initial visit to every subsequent interaction I have had with the trainers and staff I was made to feel very comfortable to leave my dog in their capable hands. I know now two months after he has come home that I absolutely did what was best for my dog and myself. I was shocked at my first training session that after one week, George and the other capable trainers were able to have my dog walking loosely on a leash and following commands (I didn't know he would lay down on command)! After three weeks and much anticipation in being reunited I brought home a dog with such great manners, I was amazed. This is where I realized how much I was in need of training. The follow up training I have attended has proven valuable in maintaining his behavior and reminding me where I need to keep working. While it is a daily investment to upkeep his training, it has proven to be the best investment I have made. I had a dog that would pull, jump, lunge, become leash reactive at the simple sight of something moving (and these were just walking behaviors) and now I have a little gentleman who walks with ease and is able to exercise self control and look to me for guidance both in and out of the house. I have been so incredibly grateful to Chad, George, Andrew, and the amazing staff at Hunter Canine. I was worried my dog would lose some of his personality (and become robotic) and instead I have the same little comedian just with the ability to listen to commands and know how to behave in different circumstances. read more

I cannot say enough great things about Hunter Canine. I sent my dog Modi there for a three-week training "boot camp". Modi is a 50 pound fabulous hound/terrier mutt but he thought he was in charge and anytime anyone would come to our house he would charge at them, bark, growl and try to bite them. He was also starting to get very aggressive towards other dogs and people on walks in our neighborhood. After three weeks with Chad and his amazing team of trainers - Modi is a different dog. He is just as fabulous (his personality has not changed) but he is now obedient. He looks to me for direction and I provide it. Hunter Canine worked hard at laying the ground work and then training me on how to continue to work with him. Now when we walk on a leash, Modi and I walk side by side, instead of him being ahead of me and pulling me in whichever direction he desired. I would highly recommend Hunter Canine to anyone. This statement is coming from an overprotective mom who never thought she would survive her dog being away for three weeks. But I would do it all over again - in fact he is there now boarding and getting some additional training and swimming lessons while I am on a weeks vacation. Lastly, the facility is clean and runs efficiency and the employees are all friendly and engaged in providing great service. When I was there for Saturday morning follow up training class (along with about 50 other people and their dogs) every employee he walked past Modi and I said hello to Modi by name. Bottom line they know what they are doing at Hunter Canine - the owner Chad, seems personally involved with each dog that comes through the door. He spent approximately 4 hours with me during the "3 week training camp" and patiently showed me and taught me what I needed to know so that Modi and our family could be successful. I am so happy hat Hunter Canine exists. Trust me - the place is excellent! read more

I have a Chocolate Female Lab she is six years old in August. She's extremely intelligent and has exuberant amount of energy. 2017 is when I picked her up from the breeder. First time that I've ever had a dog on my own she was 11 weeks old. Friends told me about Hunter Canine,I met Chad Hunter and asked about his training program. We set it up for January 2 . The hardest thing to do was to leave this little girl, for three weeks. I called every day and asked about her and even though they are extremely busy they were very patient with me and answered my phone calls daily. Second week Chad Hunter asked me if I wanted him to put a cot in the office for me. Of course, that would not be happening because that would defeat the purpose in her training. When I saw her the third week to pick her up, they taught me everything that they had taught her. I can now take her into a four-star restaurant, and nobody knows that she's there. So over these past years, we have taken every class that Hunter offers. This last October she was E-collared trained by Allie one of the senior trainers. what a wonderful decision that was. One afternoon Cocoa, started to go after a Coyote tapped the vibration button. She stopped immediately and ran right back to me. Needless to say I was grateful and impressed. Very tense moment for sure. I realize that there's a lot of trainers out there, but I am very blessed to have had the opportunity with Hunter Canine. I know at least 30 people over the course of 5 years that have taken their dogs there and been trained and had the same exact wonderful experience . Cocoa, is a very curious little girl that would've gotten into a lot of trouble just because of her curiosity if she had not been trained correctly. Filled with gratitude. Cherri & Cocoa read more

Two weeks ago my two adult dogs returned from Hunter Canine's 2 week Stay and Train program. After searching for a trainer for some time, I came across Chad and Andrew in Cave Creek, AZ. At first I was skeptical if my dogs could be trained at their age. Chad and Andrew reassured me that despite their age and breed they can become well-mannered members of the family. Upon dropping the boys off I had a consultation with Andrew and he described the program. After the first week, I got a full demonstration on what the boys had been working on. I was completely amazed as to the progress that had been accomplished in such a short time. After the program was complete I spent an hour with Chad and Andrew working with dogs and most importantly teaching me how to continue the training at home. The most impressive portion of this entire transformation has been the amount of time and energy Chad and Andrew spend teaching the owners on how to properly communicate with the dogs. They break it down in a very simple, practical and easy to understand process. After, completing 2 of the 4 group training sessions, I now feel confident in my ability to handle my dogs responsibly and confidently. My boys were terrified of water, the package came with 2 swimming lessons and they are now no longer afraid of the water, in fact they love it. I added the rattle snake awareness training and after watching the boys alert and respond to LIVE rattle snakes, it was truly impressive. I highly recommend Hunter Canine to anyone who is interested in having a hassle free experience with a highly professional staff that values their customers. read more

I am really impressed with Hunter Canine and would highly recommend. We put our 2yr old Australian Shepherd, Jax, in the 3 week board/train with Justin in July. We have used several trainers beforehand but the step-by-step techniques Justin taught us, has made a big difference in Jax's behavior at home and on our walks. Before the 3 week program with Justin, Jax knew what was expected of him but had a problem with his impulse control. Jax is now so much better with his impulse control!!! Even after the program, Justin has been available by text and phone with questions. The follow-up group classes that come with the program have been great too. I love that we can continue training Jax with the distraction of the other dogs in class and have the opportunity to ask the trainers with any questions. Our biggest priority was the health and well being for Jax because he had a bad experience with a previous trainer he boarded with. Jax came back to us physically hurt and it took about a month before we felt like he was himself. When we initially visited the beautiful facility, Kristi took the time to show us around and answered any questions we had. When I had my one-on-one visit with Jax during the program, as well as when I picked him up at the end, I could tell Jax was happy and healthy. He didn't looked scared and I could tell he was looking for Justin's approval. We now have multiple boardings scheduled with Hunter Canine and I have peace of mind that he'll be looked after. read more

We have 2 eight yr old dogs. The 1st dog, (Fiona) had high anxiety & barked/growled at all passing dogs on our walks. It was very limiting to be friendly with neighbors and also very embarrassing. The second dog got Valley Fever last yr & Fiona started growling at the 2nd dog so he couldn't eat or drink. We had taken Fiona through training twice and hired a behavioralist to train her. He quit on us because she was so out of control. Now, at 8, we were considering giving her up because we just couldn't help her to behave. Heartbroken, we decided to work w/ Hunter Canine as our last resort. Violet was our trainer. We just picked Fiona up last week from her 3 wk stay and she is a totally new dog. She is so happy and confident. And loves her new job of being good on walks. She doesn't even look at other dogs. She is kinder to our other dog and is all smiles. We were concerned that the training would be awful for her, and she would have to follow such a strict protocol that she would be miserable. We couldn't have been more wrong. Thank you, Violet, so much!!!!! You saved our little family. We are so thrilled to have made this turn around with Fiona. We will be at the weekly follow up lessons to make sure she continues to do well. Violet, you are the best!!! read more

Recently had a three week experience that at first I had my doubts at first start. Having a new lab named Hugo Boss enter our family and learning how different his natural manor was to my previous dogs always chow-chows was. I inquired with my vet. who could possible help in my newest challenge a beautiful but very one minded miss behaved lab puppy. While in waiting for school and training to start in my doggy and human encounters the name that came up was Hunter Canine. It was God sent because Our Beautiful Lab Hugo is now home and hes still a pup but a great difference in his behavior and response to commands and lessons learned at HUNTER CANINE George our trainer and Chad Hunter the Founder of his business are a blessing to dogs and dog parents all three weeks when we had visiting appointment check ups we always saw a very professional and loving environment for about 25 dogs when our Hugo was there. WE COULD NOT BE HAPPIER WITH OUR RESULTS. We are forever thankful and would recommend this FIRST CLASS LOVING BUSINESS OF PETS HUNTER CANINE THANKS FOR OUR DOG'S GREAT POSITIVE CHANGE. THANKS HUNTER CANINE. TONY CDO & Yoli Pena read more

Hunter Canine was recommended to me by a family member who had a couple dogs that went through their training program. We have a 6 month old female Great Dane who recently went through Chad Hunter's 3 week residential training plus one additional week for e-collar training. Justin was her trainer and we can't give him enough praise about his training abilities. Our Khaleesi was unruly and would not listen to anything we asked of her and was constantly looking for something to put in her mouth! If any dog needed training, this one did!! We started her training as soon as she received all her puppy shots, about 16 weeks old. In just a couple weeks we saw such a positive change in her behavior. Justin helped turn our dog into a pretty well behaved dog. She still has a lot of puppy in her, so training is ongoing. We continued the training after the residential training was over and plan to enroll her in the next intermediate training class. Our long range goal is to have our sweet Great Dane become a therapy dog. She has received a great foundation of training from Chad Hunter's canine training and trainer, Justin. We will continue to build on that foundation with their continued training expertise! read more

Don't miss an amazing opportunity to get your dog trained by the best. From the very first moment we met with Hunter Canine they made us feel at home, and comfortable that they would be able to help our sweet puppy. Sir Kensington Midnight is a giant puppy that was fearful of everything. We were so worried that he was going to turn into a large aggressive dog so we were desperately seeking help but from somewhere with experience in this type of situation. A friend recommended Hunter Canine and I am so happy they did. We enrolled Kenzy in the 4 week retreat program, words can not express the gratitude we have for Hunter Canine staff. They spent so much time with Kenzy and helped him get his courage. Night and day difference and it's only getting better. We are currently on class 3 of after care which is super helpful. I was able to take him to the fameras market this weekend and he even let a few people pet him ( before he would hide between my legs and shake). He is trying new stuff now and living his best life Thank you Hunter Canine for helping our sweet guy! We will be enrolling in advanced classes to keep the momentum going! read more

I can't say enough good things about this dog training experience. From the very first session, it was clear that Abbey truly understands canine behavior and knows how to communicate effectively with both dogs and their owners. The training methods were positive, patient, and incredibly effective. Lilo not only learned important commands and better manners, but also became more confident and calm in everyday situations. What impressed me the most was how personalized the training was. Abbey took the time to understand Lilo's personality, energy level, and specific challenges, then built a plan that actually worked for us. Every lesson was clear, practical, and easy to continue practicing at home. The results have been amazing. Walks are now enjoyable instead of stressful, and Lilo responds reliably to commands. I also feel much more confident as an owner because I understand how to guide and reinforce good behavior. If you're looking for professional, knowledgeable, and genuinely caring dog training, I highly recommend this service. It has made a huge difference for both me and Lilo, and I'm truly grateful for the transformation. read more

We have just finished our 8 week beginner obedience class at Hunter Canine. We started with our newly rescued 7 month old Blue Heeler, Indigo. A sweet girl but highly excitable to say the least. We had been through training with multiple dogs prior but it had been 12 years since then and we need a bit of guidance to get US trained again to deal with a puppy. The training classes were enjoyable, the objectives were explained in a way that helped us understand behavior. This helped us to expand on class and use it at home with different behaviors. For example: feeding time was stressful, despite trying to keep her calm she would jump and literally do flips. After two classes, I had her sit and wait with the food on the floor in front of her until I braked her from her 3 second wait.. Eventually we increased the wait time and I bet I could have her wait 5 minutes if I wanted to do so! I highly recommend Hunter Canine group obedience training. Everyone loves a well mannered dog and with Hunter Canine and your commitment to practice the simple things they teach, you will get that and so much more! read more

We are new to the Scottsdale/Cave Creek area and we felt it was time to get our German Shepherds properly trained to face the new challenges of living here. I could not be happier with the outcome. The challenge we gave them; two 18 month old German Shepherds, litter mates, no real training, and the manners of two Velociraptor. 3 weeks later, I was amazed. Their work ethic, their attention, their overall attitude changed (probably mine too). The treadmill is the best to burn off excessive energy and then they are ready to work. They have all of the basic skills to heel, sit, stay, down, go to their place, and more. I can take both of them to dog friendly stores and they are comfortable. I can't thank Justin enough for taking our dogs into his family, calling me with updates, and great advice even after the formal training was over. Always positive and helpful. The foundation is there and I can see it. The rest is up to me. I'm planning on taking them in regularly for clinics, classes, and refreshers to see what their potential is. Thank you so much Hunter Canine. read more

We just brought our 1 year old pup, Darla, home from the 3 week board and train. Darla is high energy dog with some reactivity and destructive tendencies. A friend recommended Hunter Canine and we are so grateful to have found these amazing trainers. We were sad to leave our girl for 3 weeks but knew she was in good hands. At our 2 week session, we were amazed at how far she had come. Allison and Chad helped my husband and I feel confident in our ability to continue Darla's training as we bring her home. I was going to wait a bit to write my review but we had an incident happen just a few hours after being home that made me even more positive that we made the right decision to send Darla to Hunter Canine. We were in front of our house working with our pup on her heel, reset, and turning skills when a neighbor's small dog got out and bolted towards us. My husband used the skills we had learned just earlier today to turn Darla and get her away from the off leash dog. Thank you for laying down a strong foundation and teaching us how to be better owners and advocates for Darla! read more

Rocco our 10 month old Lab just finished 3-weeks comprehensive training. Labs are full of energy and happiness 24/7. Goofy at times too! We've tried commercial training to learn they are treat based, we had limited success in focusing his energy unless he got a treat. We checked out Hunter on line and learned two of our neighbors had their dogs in training at Hunter. We visited the facilities, observed clean well organized facilities, a great place for Rocco to learn! We knew Rocco would love the staff and experience safety and care. Hunter Canine is the best. After his 3-weeks our expectations were far exceeded. Our first thought was......WOW, it's a miracle, Rocco is responsive, well trained and happy. Yes he's a big fun dog, who want to play and be ready for more. We will give Hunter Canine the highest mark's possible and recommend Hunter to anyone who needs help with their " Best Friend." ****First Class staff and faculty**** read more

I picked up my little Zella girl three weeks ago and I have to say that I am beyond impressed. She was only 5 months old when we dropped her off, very fearful, and a Beagle to top it off. She made more progress than I ever could have asked for. She is eager to learn and more importantly understands the concept of learning. I think that is one of the hardest things about initially training a dog. Now that she knows HOW to learn I can build open her training with more ease. Justin was incredibly loving to her, and she adores him. Whenever we get to see him, she lights up. It makes me so happy to know that she was not only trained but cared for. I also really valued how much emphasis was put on the habits we develop as owners! My goal is to be a good owner to my baby girl so she can flourish. And of course I want to know how to "protect our investment" Zella is a changed puppy and I know she will have a much fuller life now. read more