WORST dog trainer ever. Zero stars if possible. Do not take your dog to him unless you want to abuse your animal and make him afraid of you. I don't know why he's still in business. He should be stopped! He makes you pay full price in advance because he knows most people will quit after a couple of lessons. Which is exactly what I did. I may have lost $800 but at least I saved my dog from cruelty. He also makes you buy from him a choke collar, a leash, and another chain that he uses to scare the dog into submission. I beg of you, do not take your animal to him. read more

I'm a bit late to the party but I wanted to share my experience with JR Dog Training. I adopted a 3 year old Swiss mountain dog mix about 6 months ago. She has problems with reactivity and anxious behavior, but overall is the sweetest girl. We've been working on positive reinforcement, counter conditioning etc, and we're able to make some decent progress. But we were still dealing with some intense reactivity on walks, so we decided to look for a trainer. I spoke with JR on the phone a couple of times. He said that he didn't believe in the positive reinforcement philosophy. He mentioned that he did use a choke chain, but that it was only meant to "shock" the dog into listening. I read alot of reviews and most seemed positive. Coupled with the fact that he offered a lifetime guarantee and group classes (which would allow my dog to socialize with others) I figured I'd give it a go. First, JR came to my house to "assess" my dogs situation. This was meant to be a one hour session. He spent 45 minutes rambling on about miscellaneous stories and testimonies, which got pretty exhausting after a while. He then demanded up front payment of the full 600$, and had us sign a contract which removed any liability on his part if our dog were to get injured (major red flag). In hindsight, I should have decided not to pursue this any further, but I was really desperate for help. Upon payment, he told us we needed to purchase a choke collar and leash from him (another 60$). He then proceeds to put the collar on my dog and hold her close to him. He instructed us to call her over to us to see what his technique entailed. Once she got close, he literally yanked her as hard as he could back towards him. My dog was SO scared and visibly shaken up after that, and she kept trying to come back to me, but he kept yanking her away. She finally stopped and sat next to him, but her body language showed pure fear. The first group class was all about leash training. JR took turns showing everyone how to properly "correct" their dogs by pulling on the leash. When people had difficulty applying the technique, he would yell at, and flat out verbally abuse them. It was sickening to watch. But the method worked, as my dog was walking much better on leash, so I figured we should just tough it out. During the 2nd class, my dog got curious about another dog close by, and she wanted to approach him. I was ecstatic as she's never done this before. JR immediately came over, grabbed the leash and pulled her away. I was in complete disbelief. When I asked why he would correct behavior that we actually wanted to encourage, he said "he wanted to see how my dog would react". Just pure nonsense. He then spent the next 45 minutes explaining his next technique: the throw chain. He essentially uses a metal chain to hit the dog and force them into submission. The idea is that overtime, they associate the sound of the chain with the act of submitting and stopping whatever it is they are doing. He then proceeds to tell my dog to sit, which she immediately does, but whips her with the chain at the same time. The fear in my dog's eyes broke my heart. He applied the same technique to the other dogs, and went as far as throwing it in their faces when they wouldn't comply. I've seen him whip dogs as hard as he could and visibly hurting and scaring them. JR also told us he believed shock collars and electric fences to be appropriate methods to train dogs. I don't think I need to say much more on that. I could go on and on about JR's barbaric dog training methods, and his abusive treatment of his clients, but I'll leave it at this: if you love your dog, do not trust them with this man. I have stopped going to his classes out of fear that he would cause permanent psychological damage to my dog. There are so many trainers out there who will train your dog with positive, pain-free methods. It will take more time, but the payoff is worth it. read more

The best trainer ever !!!!, We have 2 young Germain Sheppherd Kayro and Nala.We had a big problem controlling them, we chose Jo as a trainer for our dogs,and this decision was the best.After a few lessons, they changed their behavior for good.Thank you Jo for your beautiful work read more

JR Dog Training - Pet Training Near Me

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If i could give him a 0 star i would, i called to inquire about some information and he was just outright rude... I understand that people have bad days but seriously come on. I am calling for information for a reason. Sigghh I'm shocked... he will need to work on his communication and customer service asap.... Simply disgusting read more

JR claims to be the "best dog trainer". Well he has clearly no experience with people, as his lack of professionalism and immature response to an email has made me think twice in doing business with him. If his training dog abilities are as good as his behaviour towards a potential client, I'd like to advise everyone to not trust your dog with this man! Below you'll find his reply to an email we sent back and forth about his services. He had asked me to call him, and as I had found another trainer I felt could be of better help, this was his response. I could explain my side of the story, but I'd like to let his choice of words speak for themselves. Think twice before giving JR your money, I wouldn't want anyone to experience this! Totally UNPROFESSIONAL and just a little cocky perhaps !? You be the judge! "well good for you...ladidah...there are plenty of trainers out there..problem is none have my experience!! im glad you gave her your money..but since 65% of my clientele have gone to other trainers before calling me i have to always do a repair job..i guarantee that you will not get your money's worth..i've seen the work they do..as for professional..i get the work done..that's whats important.. i emailed you a few times to see if you were still interested..now you tell me hospitals and yet had the time to speak and meet a trainer and give them money but couldn't bother picking up the phone..this is why we have such a shitty society..cause of people like you...trust me i'm busier than your new trainer..i'm ecstatic that she'll have to deal with you and not me..thank god..bye bye..i see you have time to contact me lots now..lol " For someone who does "so well in his line of business", why so touchy JR!? Hmm, food for thought! read more

Joe turned my dog from a little menace into a little model citizen. My dog is inching closer and closer to my idea of the perfect pet, and I have common sense and JR to thank for it. His methods aren't rocket science, they are consistency and hard work. He's been at this for 30+ years and it shows. He came highly recommended from the well-regarded rescue where I got my dog, and so far I've got nothing but good things to say about the results I've seen. Don't bother with ignorant comments about dog abuse here - whatever corrections he performs on the dogs are far less intense than what they do to themselves in the wild. It's impossible to imagine how many dog's lives he's saved so far, but I imagine it's more than a few. read more

My puppy is a wonderful dog, but she suffers from anxiety which causes her to have many issues including piddling when nervous and/or excited, aggression towards anyone who does not live in our home and car sickness. The vet called her a lemon and asked if she could become an outdoor dog , so we were very concerned that we were not going to be able keep her because of her anxiety issues. I didn't know how she would deal with obedience school, but we decided that it was needed if we were going to try to keep her. Joe came to our home for our first meeting and taught us how work with our puppy to help her issues without any anti-anxiety medication. We now go weekly to his training classes and after the first class, we immediately saw an improvement when we walk her around the neighborhood. She is slowing becoming less nervous when we walk her around the neighborhood and barely freaks out when cars pass us and people walk by us. We are now learning basic commands (sit, stay, come, down) off leash in a group environment and she is less and less uncomfortable every class. Joe did not "cure" my puppy immediately because that is impossible, but I see progress all the time and none of this would have happened without Joe. read more

While he is impatient with owners who do not always listen to what he says, he knows what he is talking about. After only a few weeks, both of my dogs are behaving better. Aggressive behavior has diminished. Easier to walk. This is the first time I have had 2 dogs at the same time, so my experience is not great. The only suggestion I would have is to demonstrate rather than tell. Sometimes the words can be confusing to someone who is already stressed. But I would trust him with any animal. The experience I have learned I wish I had with my previous dog. People don't realize that training for a dog is as much about training the person. I have learned many things in my short time. read more

JR has been privately training our two adult bulldogs for the last month and it has been amazing! One of my dogs who we could never get to sit now sits when told to with no hesitation. The other one who was beginning to show signs of aggression towards our two small children is becoming calmer and much more trustworthy. JR is getting their fighting under control (both with each other and the vacuum) and we couldn't be happier. My dogs love all the praise and attention they get from JR during their sessions and are always excited to see him! It is such a relief to have his help and I wish we had contacted him much sooner. I first met JR 15 years ago when my parents took our family dog to him. The dog had become aggressive and we wouldn't have been able to keep him if we didn't get his behaviour under control. But with JR's help we were able to do just that and I got to spend many years with one of the best dogs ever. Now, all these years later, he's helping my family again. Thank you, JR! read more

JR is a terrible trainer, and completely full of himself. I hired him (unfortunately) to train my Australian shepherd mix, because she was pulling on her leash and quite strong and uncontrollable. I figured $500 was worth a guarantee for the entire life of the dog, and I had to pay him before he would even evaluate my dog. So this guy shows up, and he has a super loud voice which already scared my dog, and then I gave him the money, he showed me how to 'properly' walk my dog on a leash. Apparently that's by putting a choke collar on her and strangling her, yelling at her, and physically hitting her. My dog was terrified of this guy, and dogs are a good judge of character. He kept telling me that he knew best and I knew nothing, and completely disregarded my dislike of choke collars, yelling, and physical abuse towards animals. I ended up telling him not to come back, trained my dog myself over time, and was out $500. He kept talking about his 'happy clientele', but couldn't even provide a reference. Please don't bother calling this guy, you're getting yourself in a mess, and 'training' your dog based on fear and abuse. Hire someone else. read more

I want to thank JR in his enthusiasm and great training instructions in helping Molly Rose become what she is today. Molly was a very hyper dog and was extremely hard to handle that I had almost given up on her until I met JR . Thanks to his commitment and guidance Molly has become an important part of my family. He took the time one on one with her and then later in group sessions. Not only does he initially guide you through the training process, he also extends his involvement throughout the life of you dog. I would highly recommend JR. read more

I am a fan of JR for one reason, the results, the tools he gives us as pet owners to train our dogs is in the end, a life saver. The amount of times I am juggling groceries, my kids and the dogs, I have to say the results are proven to work. My dogs are calm, excellent off leash dogs and wonderful family companions. His technique with the chain is limited to shock training, it isn't meant to hurt the dog or abuse it in any way (I am a huge animal activist, I wouldn't do anything to harm my babies in any way) Essentially with the pack mentality in mind, a mother to it's pups will use body language to communicate danger. Often (just like spanking with our kids) if a pup strays the mother will not be gentle and nip the pup so it understands BAD IDEA, the pup doesn't need to know why, it just needs to listen for it's own safety. As soon as my dog got the idea of what the chain was for, we switched over to the commands using sounds like a clap or snap of the fingers. The chain was used to associate wrong doing and shock, never to harm. If the result of the training is a dog that seems to be afraid then as the dog owner you didn't listen correctly and should be worried. JR trains owners, not dogs, the owners need to understand when adopting a dog, it isn't about the dog listening to you, as much as it is you listening to the dog. Not a fan of the chain at all, but a proven method that has nothing to do with abuse. Any dog lover with enough academic research will know this! read more