Jesse Wilson, Dog Trainer @ Hand n' Paws K-9…read more Trainer, Jess, is the best! The bestest trainer in the west! He gets my Missy to comply, He is an awesome trainer guy! He takes her out and out about! That is what I love to shout! Gets her used to new vibrations! Showing "training" in situations! Other pups and other stuff! I do swear - it's not a bluff! Calming her to greet the day! No surprises, by the way!! Familiarity does NOT breed contempt! Her new manner not unkempt! Though she has long way to go! She's a puppy in the know! Makes her Mama very proud! Show her off when in a crowd! Thank you, Jesse! See you on the 25th (I think!)

I think this will take me at least a day or 2 to write because there's just so much genuine good to…read morewrite about this place. We really stumbled upon this place via a home trainer we got who was positive reinforcement only (prior to that we were at hufdmans's - this will be important later). The positive reinforcement trainer though nice.. I felt wasn't equipped to help me train my 2 year old Belgian Malinois. Not very many people have experience training a high drive dog like malinois so that was the reason why I took my girl to Huffman's who specializes in working breed malinois. Anyways, after 8 sessions with Huffmans (who is a balanced trainer) and 2-3 sessions with the positive only trainer I was at a loss for a trainer that could actually help us with our Mal. *quick backstory* we rescued our Mal (Beatrice) from a rescue in Texas when she was 16 months old or so. She was found with 9 puppies who she took such good care of. Apparently she was "sad" after her puppy's were adopted out. She was transported to us from Texas (where perhaps I didn't give her enough time to decompress) and from then she showed a lot of leash reactivity. She was amazing while in the house but was super over the top when we were on walks in the neighborhood. At a loss, I asked our positive only trainer if they did boarding or board and training and he said he didn't but works very closely with a trainer who does. Cue in Merissa. I contact Merissa possibly minutes after, I tell her my situation and she quickly accommodates a meet and greet for us. We were leaving out of the country for 3 weeks so we needed someone we could trust. When I met Merissa I instantly felt at ease her super calm and cool demeanor made me feel safe. However I was still skeptical that anyone would be able to reform my dog. After 8 sessions with huffman's and 2-3 sessions with the other trainer, Beatrice was still pulling and lunging like crazy. This is not due to a lack of practice with me as the owner, I trained and did everything all the trainers told me to do everyday for 1-2 hours a day! So because of this I felt that Beatrice may only get better minimally. At drop off I meet Raine who did my intake. She was very friendly and efficient. Beatrice went to her easily, but I knew Beatrice wasn't reactive to strangers but dogs. After the first 2-3 weeks I was anxious because I didn't see very many updates about Beatrice from instagram or the FB page.. I voiced this concern to Kota the Admin for Paw and Hands and she quickly got me in touch with Charlee, Beatrice's main handler. First off, let me tell you HOW responsive Kota and Charlee are. Beatrice may not have gotten a ton of updates (I'm a helicopter mom, what can I say) but speaking to Kota and Charlee always put me at ease. Both of them were always transparent. Charlee reassured me that all the training I had previously was not for naught. My training with Huffmans made Beatrice a super confident dog but Beatrice had major control issues, she may have been over confident thus creating a know it all. My training with Lucid made Beatrice better at obedience, but on her time. When I told Beatrice to do any commands she knew them all but would take her very precious time getting into that command. After being at P&H her obedience was almost as good as the sport dogs - almost... she's got crappy genes from bad breeding but she's the ABSOLUTE best version of her she can be. At the go home session Charlee went through a ton of information I knew and a ton I didn't know. She told me how she'd be in contact with me and would be calling me in a few days. The fact that these trainers and admin staff are so dedicated to the dogs and the owners speaks absolute volumes. And the funny thing is, upon leaving the facility I left with the impression that Beatrice is (slightly) better but of course there will still be a lot of continued work at home (which I already expected, 2-3 hours of exercise, play and training a day - no problem I've allocated time specifically for this). When I got her home. OH MY GOD. I don't know if it's because it's her first day back but DAMN she's WAYYYY better than I EVER expected. I was FLOORED. She never left her bed stay during dinner, her recall was SECONDS, her heel was... incredible. I honestly felt like I had a sport dog. I'll give an update after Beatrice has settled but if this is how she'll be for the rest of the time at home, this dog is completely reformed. THANK YOU CHARLEE, KOTA and MERISSA... for literally everything, every second you put in Beatrice, all the love and handling, the extra effort to make sure she's her best version of her, THANK YOU.

Glen was so helpful in our training (mostly mine). Beau is a stubborn little Frenchie but he is…read moresmart and has learned a lot with the training techniques Glen shared with us. I can now walk him in my neighborhood without much pulling. He has learned to wait at the door until I am ready for him to go out or in. He still jumps up when greeting but is better and we continue to work on it. Glen was also flexible and accommodating of my schedule.

We had an in-home consultation with Glen with our dog Linda, which went well. Glen was informative…read moreand Linda responded well to him. However, as we explained her reactivity issues to dogs and some people, Glen seemed reluctant to schedule further training sessions with Linda, telling us "I recommend taking some time to review the article I sent you, and begin implementing them, specifically only greeting if Linda initiates the greeting. " Since he seemed reluctant to schedule further training, we are seeking another trainer. One trainer I spoke to questioned whether Glen doubted he had the expertise to deal with our dog's reactivity issues?

I would leave a zero if I could. we used the boarding facility with dog training. We told her a dog…read morehad anxiety and what we really wanted was training everyday. My dog was taken into the boarding area which is nice enough with heated floors. As our dog was walking through the door her little dogs came charging at him (behind fencing) and Started our dog. Then our dog was put into a kennel surrounded by 3 other kennels and my dog freaked out. So we told her this wasn't going to work and she moved him to the other side of the room which was better for him. I wasn't so sure if this was a good place for him and told her if there was any problems to call us ASAP. We called her later to check in and she said he was fine. When we returned after 7 days we found out he had been stressed all week, had diarrhea and she didn't want him back. I asked her if had had any training or any exercise outside and she said NO. I also asked her why she didn't call us because I don't want my dog going through this - she said oh I didn't think you had anyway to take him!!!! when she knew our other dog was home and we wanted Marley to come stay and get training!!! So our dog was locked up for a week - stressed out . I told her I just want my dog now - when I went in the back he was back into the kennel that was in the middle of all the other dogs - the one that he was moved out of before. I'm guessing she didn't want to walk across the room to feed him. My dog is so messed up right now due to this abuse!!!! Btw the 2 times I was there while all the dogs were stressed (due to her little dogs) she never once tried to console any of them!!! I can't imagine her being a good dog trainer seeing how she treated my dog, or the lack of empathy I saw for the other dogs there. I suppose if you just want your dogs locked in a kennel this is the place to go.

I took my pup here to get trained and he has learned a lot! Brenda uses the clicker training which…read moreI think is a great tool. I also think that the individual training classes are extremely beneficial. Since there aren't other dogs around, Brenda's able to focus on just my pup and the things he needs to work on. Side note - You'll need to practice everything you learn on your own to see progress!!!

Lola is skilled at training dogs. She has helped my 3 dogs be better pets in my home. It was hard…read morework but with persistence, it paid off tremendously! My dogs enjoy seeing her too. They know she's the treat lady and will do anything for her.

Lola, at Lucky Leash, has given us the skills we needed to make our Rosie into a safe and…read morewell-mannered pooch!  Lola came to our home after thoroughly interviewing us and our dog training needs.  She was able to give us the ideas and positive training techniques to use on our doggie to overcome some very basic and instinctual desires.  We were shown how to use treats to our advantage in a positive and beneficial way for the desired outcome.  It took multiple daily fun time "exercises" to work with Rosie.  We established a loving relationship as a bonus!  Thank you Lola!!!

Suzanne is brilliant! She knows so much about dogs, their needs and habits. Totally trust her to do…read morewhat's right for my dogs!

From the owner: Your pet will not spend the day in a kennel when they stay with us. They will have time out walking…read morein the woods, playing with friends and receiving some training. When the swim spa and pool are open they will be able to swim as part of their stay. The goal is to provide physical and mental stimulation through out the day so they go home tired and ready to nap. We offer private and group classes for obedience and Service Dog classes.

My dog has been going for a while now and he loves it there. The people are awesome and very…read moreknowledgeable on dog care and behavior. We love taking our dog there and he loves going and always can't wait for the time he is there.

They are an important resource in our community. We've been taking our dogs to Best Friends since…read moreDec. 1999. Our dogs have loved this place, always eager to enter the door. And the training classes are so valuable for you and your pet. Make training successful and fun. Also, after your hard day at work your dog will be tired when you go home. The owner, management, staff are adept at handling almost any situation and help you to be a better dog parent as well as civilizing your best friend. Not one negative about this business.

Great training programs. we have used them with all of our Akitas over the years including boarding.read more

I've been taking my dogs there since 2012 and I've never had a problem with them. Everyone who…read moreworks there is always friendly, helpful and polite. They know my dog's routines, sometimes better than I do. Neither of my current dogs are overly excited to go there, but one is a little princess who likes warm and comfort, and the other is a velcro dog who hates being apart from me. Neither of these things is a fault for Pet Village and once they're there, they are comfortable and happy. Our previous dog, who passed away a few years ago, got excited when we pulled up. And when he was in his final days, I brought him to Pet Village and all the staff came out to say goodbye to him. This is the best place for dogs.

I learned a lot of things about dog training that weren't on my list. In the future, I will be…read moreinterviewing trainers. I will have a list of my goals, my desired outcomes, my desired behaviors, my philosophies, my opinions on technique and whether or not I assign any value to that. Personally, I don't think it matters how I hold a leash. Nor am I impressed by anyone who thinks that their ability to get a dog to follow their commands is impressive when they have cheese in their pocket. I also don't think that a two-year-old dog is an " older" dog. I did inform the owner/trainer that the dog I was bringing to her class was a rescue and that she had already been trained to some extent. She did not seem at all inclined to meet with me for 15 minutes to see if an introduction to obedience class was necessary or if we should instead pursue one-on-one classes before going on the canine good citizen. This would have been a better use of my time and money. All that to say that if the AKC route is what you are looking for or you have a puppy that has never been trained, Cheryl may be a good option. But, I would recommend you have a conversation with her first, about what your goals and outcomes look like. This experience has been eye opening.

We have one class left, but I feel I can review the course now. Cheryl Huffman runs the Smart Paws…read moreAcademy. She is the dog whisperer. She can make the very naughty Oola Fandango do anything within seconds. It's magical. Better yet, she can train US to make Oola do anything. That is also magical. We haven't had as much time as we would like to train because of holidays, work and family stuff happening, but I feel I have a solid foundation and we can be successful when we can truly devote the time. Oola is already better behaved and following more commands more reliably. You get a DVD and workbook when you sign up for a course. The first lecture is just with the humans and Cheryl; you bring your dog to class after that. The teaching occurs in an unheated, no air conditioning barn on Cheryl's property, so in the winter dress warm, in the summer bring water. All the dogs are trained at the same time but she is happy to give you a few moments of one on one time, she asks for praises and problems from each owner at the beginning of each session, and is available by phone or email with questions. And it's cheap! Under 100 bucks for the series. She does obedience, agility, all sorts of stuff; we were in the beginning obedience class. Granted it is in Oregon City, so it's a hike for most people, but it is totally worth it. She has evening and weekend classes. Everything Cheryl does makes sense and she only uses positive training methods. There is no yelling, hitting, or pinch collars, and Cheryl is very clear that she expects you to treat your animal with respect and kindness. So, in summary, Cheryl Huffman ROCKS the dog world. In a few short weeks we have Oola off the halter and only using a collar, walking better on leash, sometimes comes when called, can sit and lay down on command, and is learning to stay with some success. Her behavior overall is better and we are less stressed. There is more training to do and we have the tools and the workbook so we can continue to improve when the class is over. Consider Smart Paws for dog training. You and your dog will be good canine citizens when you are finished. http://www.smartpawsacademy.com

Just about finished out 6 week class for teen Puppy's nice…read moreclass Melissa did a really good job helping us learn how to handle our dogs

Although the trainer Tera is kind her co-owner Jennifer is a BISH!! This woman has zero people…read moreskills, is so transactional in her interactions, and talks down to almost everyone. Maybe she should go to training class to learn how to be more human and less robot.

We took our 31/2 year old black lab to stay at Kalik Acres while we took a family vacation this…read moreJuly. It was our first experience boarding, and we looked at allot of options before deciding on Kalik Acres. After taking Reggie to Kalik Acres for an introduction prior to our trip, we felt very comfortable with Elizabeth, the environment, and the fact that Reggie would be cared for like one of their own dogs without kennels and able to have a large outdoor play area and sleep in the house with his new friends just like at home. We are very happy with their care and would use them again for our next trip. We would highly recommend their services.

Our vacation plans changed on a dime and we needed a place for our 2 old puggies. One couldn't walk…read morewell and the other is almost blind. I was very nervous to locate a place that didn't lock the dogs up in a kennel. I contacted Elizabeth at Kalik Acres and she had us booked for about 13 days without any trouble. We were very relieved that our old pugs were in a family setting with an easy access to outdoors, special beds for naps and plenty of interaction with people. We received update texts and pictures almost daily. Their grandchildren fed the pugs dinner one night - bite by bite. Their home and yard is safe from traffic. I could tell the old pugs were part of this family and never missed a meal or a nap! Since our first visit there our oldest puggy has passed on. We have taken the almost blind one back for a stay and he is happy to be in their care. We will continue to call on Kalik Acres to care for our old puggy.