Pat at James River Dog Obedience Training is absolutely the best trainer. He is kind and patient, but more importantly, he knows how to make a dog behave properly. After trying other trainers, that did not work at all, I was skeptical. We had tried one on one trainers and online training programs. None of them worked to get our rambunctious Goldendoodle puppy to behave. Something had to happen and fast. Our doodle was out of control. Pat told me I would notice a difference after just a few days, AND, he told me that our crazy puppy would be well behaved by Christmas - he told me this on our first visit with him in early November. I would be less than honest if I did not admit that my thought was, "yeah, right! no way!!" Pat makes only 4 to 5 home visits. Each visit provides two weeks of intensive training to do with your dog. It is called boot camp. The results are nothing less than remarkable. On Christmas morning, the five people in our family plus two other 6 lb. toy poodles gathered around the tree for exchanging gifts. The 2 small dogs do not approve of the Doodle puppy (45 lbs and just turning one year old). They do not like him because he lunges at them - all 45 lbs. coming towards their tiny 6 lb body. We sat in front of the Christmas tree all day, and again for half the day on Dec 26. Our Doodle behaved perfectly. He opened his gifts and played nicely. He watched as others opened gifts and understood that the gift was not his, but he liked watching. He never lunged at the other dogs. He never barked or got rowdy. He sat like the most well behaved dog anyone has ever seen. If you follow the procedure, you will get a well behaved dog that will be an asset to your family. You will no longer be bribing your dog with treats all day. Your dog will walk nicely on his leash without pulling you down to the ground. The results are worth every penny of the fee charged. Read less read more

Pat is a wonderful dog obedience trainer. He will not train your dog - he will do better than that - he will train you how to train your dog. And it will work spectacularly! Pat arrived at our home in early November 2021 to go over the program with us. I asked how long it would take to get our wild Doodle under control. He said after the first lesson, you will notice a huge difference. I was skeptical, having already spent money on a dog trainer that did not help at all, but I had to do something. Our dog was out of control. Our dog was a 50 lb Doodle with a mind of his own. He pulled on the leash, lunged at people, jumped on people, zoomed through the house with lightning speed. Pat presented Boot Camp to us and we followed it precisely to the letter. Things changed quickly. By Christmas Day, our dog was able to sit quietly with us around the tree for hours with 5 people and two other dogs and behave beautifully. He watched as each gift was opened and waited patiently for his next gift. It was incredible to see such an improvement in such a short time. Previously, he could not be in the same room with the little dogs without lunging at them, but now... he sat quietly and just watched Christmas unfold. It is mid January 2022 - two months since we met Pat. We have completed our official training and we have a dog that we always loved, but now we can handle him and we can tolerate his behavior. The skills Pat taught us are the best thing we ever did for our dog as well as our family. read more

If you need help with your dog(s) I highly recommend Pat. He was awesome and had our 2 100lb crazies in check in the first 5 minutes of training. We have a 9 month old German Shepard and a 4 yr old Cane Corso. The puppy just needed structure and he is become a well behaved fur missile. When walking him, he walks right next to our leg and sits immediately when we stop and behaves like we wanted. The Cane Corso, though she is super stubborn, who doesn't like people or strange dogs, has become a dog we can take to a crowded football game and walk without an issue. We are still working on not barking at other dogs but she is 100% better than she was 2 months ago. We had both with another trainer who did basically nothing and was all treat based, Pat uses corrective collars which may seem harsh, but you can't carry treats around 24/7 to get your dog to act right. Ours now know commands and don't "need" correction unless we are working on something new. We do give them good dogs treats when we have a good training session, but they work without them consistently. Pat saved our sanity and gave us the tools to be able to take our dogs out of the house and not loose their minds! Call them if you want a better relationship with your best friends! read more

We had the pleasure working with Pat from James River Dog Training (JRDT) for the in-home puppy training, and had a great experience. That said, you need to have a certain perspective. If you are looking for someone to come in and train your dog for you...this is not the place for you. If you're looking for someone to give you the tools and mindset you need to train your puppy, you've come to the right place. I cannot speak to the other training provided by JRDT, but the in-home training visits should be treated more as consultations. The trainer (in our case Pat) came in, evaluated our puppy and the situation, and then provided us with a straight forward structure we could use to train her. The trainer will also spend some time explaining to you how dogs typically think so you can better understand/ learn how they're going to react to the environment based on stimuli. I'll be honest, a lot of what he told me sounded like common sense, but we took what he told us to heart and the results on our puppy's behavior were immediate within days. Bottom line is the trainers give you great advice and it works, but the key is that you have to stick with it and be consistent. Highly recommend and definitely worth the cost. read more

We had a wonderful experience with Pat at James River Dog Training recently. Our 5-month old golden was getting out of hand, even though I had taken her to group puppy classes for six weeks. She jumped on us, often tearing clothes and biting our arms, and she was willful and more than a little hyperactive. She was also getting bigger and stronger each day, so we knew we had to do something: James River Dog Training to the rescue. Pat came to our home, put us all in "boot camp" for a couple of weeks, and taught us how to correct our pup in a kind but authoritative way so she would be less stressed and more willing to accept our leadership. Over the next two months, he returned to give us tips and show us how to handle her; his recommendations were sound, and, most importantly, they worked! Pat has left us with a loving, sweet 7-month old pup and the knowledge of how to work with her to build a relationship that will continue to guide us through her "teenage months" and beyond. We are so very glad to have found him, and appreciate his willingness to continue to work with us if needed in the future. He's a true expert in dog training and works equally as well with dog owners! We highly recommend him to others. read more

I called James River Dog Training as a last resort. I didn't know where to turn with my 18mth old great dane. She had severe separation anxiety and had been kenneled so much in her previous home that I could not get her to find a safe place to stay while I was at work. When Pat showed up, I wasn't really sure what we would be able to do but within the first training session, Mya was starting to look like a completely new dog. The training has been fantastic for Mya and for myself. We are learning together and her anxiety has all but disappeared. She listens most of the time (she's still a puppy and I still need work) but with Pat's help, I have been able to train her to stay in a specific spot and finally get a shower without having the counters cleared and trash spread all over. I really don't know what I would have done without James River Dog Training and more specifically Pat's help. read more

We had the privilege of working with Pat to help us train our then 6 month old strong willed German Shepherd puppy. It took 2 months and $1200 but Pat was patient, to the point and now she is actually manageable and we can do the rest on our own but we have his help for a year if needed. He has patience and a plan and "takes no prisoners" attitude while being jovial and light hearted and POSITIVE the entire time. She now goes to her crate when told, goes and stays at her "place" and stays until we tell her okay. Heels much better; sits; down and we are working on off leash training and know we can call with questions if needed Highly recommend him as it takes a short time to train a strong willed dog with Pat AND he comes to you in your environment so you know what type of training you are receiving. It is the best $1200 you will ever spend to train a dog and NO E COLLAR! read more

Pat was amazing! He taught us how to handle our extremely energetic and willful 10 month old puppy. When we first met with Pat, our dog literally could not sit still long enough to cuddle. We were having a hard time supporting the dog in being fully bonded with our family. The dog wasn't doing well and neither were we. After a couple of sessions and some effort on our part, our dog is able to follow commands and seems so much more confident in his place in the world and in our family. We can finally cuddle with him without him nipping and nosedives into our faces! Walks are pleasant and not a battle. I feel my 3 year old is safe around our puppy now. We could not be more pleased with this experience. Before meeting with Pat we were seriously considering the possibility of needing to re-home our sweet puppy, and now I can't imagine our home and family without him! read more

My two year old pit bull has made so many strides since we started the James River Dog Training with Pat! We rescued our puppy when he was six months old and as he got older we noticed he was developing leash aggression, he got protective of me if a new male entered the house, and we were no longer able to confidently take him to the dog park in fear of him hurting another dog. Because of Pat and his James River training program, I now feel in control of my dog if he reacts to something while on a walk, and when new people visit the house I am able to put him in 'place' until he calms down enough to greet visitors. This program is only as successful as the effort you put into it- it's meant to make you the trainer so you are in charge of the outcome. We are still working with my dog on his issues but I am SO happy with the results thus far! Thanks Pat! read more

Pat, from James River Dog Training, came to the house to provide training for our new four month old puppy. Turns out he really trained my wife and I in his training philosophy and methods. In a nutshell, Pat's approach to training is to make your dog want to follow commands to please its owners, not because it fears punishment if it doesn't. He showed us how to be consistent and focused in our ongoing daily training, and how to make it an enjoyable experience for the pet as well as the owner. Pat is clearly very knowledgeable in training methods. He is extremely professional, punctual and reliable in addition to being an extremely pleasant person to work with. I would not hesitate to recommend Pat to anyone looking for dog training, whether it's for a puppy or an older dog. His approach to training is applicable to both. read more

Pat makes what would seem to most dog owners like an overwhelming task and responsibility really simple. He tells you like it is, and that's what we loved about him. He trains you how to work with your dog. We had amazing progress with our aggressive and separation anxiety prone 8 year old Shepard mix. We were always under the impression there was nothing we could do and old dogs can't learn new tricks but came to James river dog training as a last resort after years of talking to other trainers and our vet. We should have started there first. Pat completely understood our dog and tailored training to what would work best for him. You as an owner have to be in it 100% and your dog will give that back to you in the end. Thanks Pat for everything!! read more

We have a a 5-year-old rescue pit who is very strong and was miserable to walk with. He constantly pulled, stopped where he wanted, changed direction, and lunged at other dogs and cats. He did whatever he wanted (and this was after training from the SPCA and holiday barn). Pat taught us how to show that we were in charge and he doesn't get to do whatever he wants. 8 weeks later and he walks in a perfect heel most of the time and even follows commands off leash. We are still working on his pulling towards dogs and cats, but it has improved significantly since we started and Pat says it will continue to get better. It is so much more pleasant to walk with our dog now! The training is definitely worth the money. read more

This is a wonderful training program for both owner and dog! I have done basic training in my past and have seen other dog training programs and I tried a basic training class and it didn't work for us when she become 6 months old. I called James River Dog Training and have been very happy from the consultation to today! It's very positive and it helps with you knowing how a dog thinks.. whether it's a little lap dog to a big guard dog! This program is designed so that you, your family and dog(s) will have a relationship that you all can be happy with! Hazel is now 9 moths old and I am not afraid to take her into public anymore knowing that she knows what Pat has taught us!! read more

I chose James River Training for my dog because I wanted to work one-on-one with a trainer to accomplish goals that we established together so that I could develop my ideal life with my pup. Within two weeks I felt I had already gotten my money's worth out of training sessions with Pat. I can now communicate with my dog, she is happy to listen to me, I am proud of her behavior in all settings, and I have a much stronger relationship with her on a daily basis. Pat utilizes a system of communicating with the dogs that makes sense to me and he provides clear instructions so that we may quickly achieve significant progress with each lesson. read more

I've had the pleasure of training with Sarah and witnessing the amazing work and compassion she puts into these dogs. She always makes sure to learn as much as possible about the dogs and their owners, including their lifestyle needs, background history, etc. Along with the effective, reward-based methods she uses, Sarah stays committed to the dog and his/her's family until they gain the results they desire. If you are seeking a professional, friendly dog trainer that provides long-lasting results, isn't condescending to you, and isn't trying to pick your pocket, then I highly recommend calling Sarah of James River Dog Training! read more

Sarah Burke is an excellent dog trainer. While she's a dog trainer in Richmond, VA, she has done great work with some rescue dogs that come from a dog rescue group that I am affiliated with in Northern Virginia. Her patience and guidance has helped many dogs who were given up on by other dog trainers find permanent homes. James River Dog Training's methods are customized to each individual dog, and Sarah works with each family and their dog until they achieve all of their training goals. I haven't met many dog trainers that are confident enough to make that kind of commitment! Sarah is awesome! read more

We had an amazing experience with James River Dog Training. Pat is an outstanding trainer--knowledgeable, calm, and incredibly patient. Our dog, Dustin, is high-energy and was pretty reactive when we first started. We weren't sure if training would make much of a difference, but the progress has been incredible. Dustin is now much more focused, responsive, and easier to manage in situations that used to be stressful. Pat not only worked wonders with Dustin, but also gave us the tools and confidence to continue the training at home. We highly recommend James River Dog Training and Pat. Thank you so much! read more

It was a true pleasure to work with Pat. His knowledge of dog behavior and training is impressive. Pat was so patient and positive with us as we learned how to train our dog. During the initial consultation, Pat reviewed exactly what his program involved and what our role would be. He was very clear explaining the rationale for all training exercises, and we saw great results with our very stubborn hound. We appreciate that Pat will continue to be available to us as a trainer/resource now that the formal lessons are completed. Thank you Pat for a wonderful experience! Deb and Gary Stephens read more

Pat is a fantastic and knowledgeable dog trainer. He helped us immensely with our adopted dog Rosey. From the beginning, Rosey struggled with confidence, interaction with human males, and reactivity to other dogs during leash walks. Pat has given us the tools we need to be strong leaders and consistently reinforce the behavior we wish Rosey to exhibit. Pat has also helped us with our dog Lucia who we have had for ten years. We are very pleased with the results and feel like it was money well spent. My husband and I highly recommend Pat to anyone who is seeking assistance with their pups. read more