Please save yourself the trouble and stay away from this place. I wanted to give this place a 5-star review however after paying for more than $1750 and a few months of onboarded training, as well as a few months of in-home follow-up visits, my dog was still not trained. I tried to schedule additional home visits with the trainer but first, he had excuses to not come over and after a few more times he stopped replying to my messages. read more

PLEASE STAY AWAY. From their CEO and Director, Emily Adams all the way down to the helpers, they are extremely unprofessional. My interaction was with Emily Adams herself. I scheduled an evaluation on Monday, December 6th, 2021 for Wednesday, December 8th, 2021 at 4:00 pm. I did this through their website on their automated calendar system. The slot for 4:00 pm was available. I received two automated emails that my appointment was confirmed. My husband and I took off of work. On December 8th, 2021 we arrived with our doggy. The worker came out and explained that our session was canceled by Emily because she had a dinner party to go to. The worker explained only Emily could do the evaluation, and we would have to come back another day. She stated Emily would reach out to me on how to move forward. On December 9th, 2021 Emily did reach out to us and this is when I began to become suspicious. Instead of Emily looking to reschedule with us, she sent us a thank you email for attending the evaluation. All of you can obviously guess the scam here. She wants to secure her $100 by claiming she delivered a service she never did. This email was not automated and from Emily as we would begin a long thread of arguments. The end game for us was to return our $100 since she was borderline committing a theft by deception. Emily claimed she was at an organizational dinner-party that happens once a year. Emily believed since she had called once that morning to cancel that was satisfactory and the fact I missed the call was my problem. It was less than 8 hours notice. Emily also claimed since I was complaining about not receiving the service she didn't want to work with my kind. It's pretty obvious Emily intended on stealing our $100. If she is the CEO and founder, she knew her holiday dinner-party was already scheduled and that she wouldn't be available for our appointment. She made no attempts to genuinely reach me after two days of the service being scheduled. And after just one email she stated she wouldn't evaluate my dog. Also, she explained when I stated I would seek a chargeback, that she has plenty of experiences with these situations and that it would be very hard to get my money back and "good luck." Continuing with the deceiving trend, her website states she is BBB certified but if you check this website she clearly is not. Emily is a liar all in all and doggy owners: BEWARE!!!!! Do not bring your dog there. Now that I'm doing more research it's a horror. Many reviews claim their dogs were traumatized or became sick while being in her custody. I know the claim there is three sides to a story. I have attached screenshots of the conversation so you all can be the judge. read more

We are so happy and lucky to have found K-9 Boot Camp!! We started with a distressed call to Emily about our dogs; one an excessive jumper that pulled like a freight train on walks and the second, our sweet little pittie that couldn't be even 50ft from a dog she didn't know. We were immediately impressed with Emily's professionalism, knowledge, and compassion for what we were experiencing and thought, surely this is too good to be true. But it wasn't!!! For a more than reasonable price, Emily travelled to our home in Newark and worked one on one with each of our dogs. The tools and feedback that Emily gave us from the first week through the last made for immediate progress and noticeable positive changes in our dogs, which encouraged us to continue, even when it was challenging. We enrolled Logan in the good manners class about a month after his private lessons and he worked with Otto. Even in a group setting Otto's attention to detail and ability to give honest feedback and personalize the experience were nothing short of amazing. It's clear to us through our experiences working with Otto and Emily that the culture at K-9 Boot Camp is to listen to your needs and observe your dog in order to come up with a plan of action and to support you in executing that plan successfully. In summary: DO NOT give up on yourself or your dog! You will find the support and help you need at K-9 Bootcamp. read more

K9 Boot Camp - Pet Training Near Me - East Rutherford, New Jersey

See all

Although my dogs got great haircuts they came home from K-9 with fleas. When I called them on the phone to let them know, their response was not customer service acceptable. So I have to say I would not recommend K9. Add: just came from Petco ( for flea treatment medicine) where the salesperson informed me I was the third person there TODAY with the same complaint of K-9 (formerly Shaggy Chic). When I called K-9, Emily was arrogant, defensive and would not let me speak. I did raise my voice in the hopes of having her listen to me as she continued to speak over me. She then stated " I won't talk to you as you are yelling" and and hung up the phone. Very unprofessional young business people. Have a lot to learn regarding customer service. If I could I would give them 0 stars. read more

Do not take your dog to K9 Bootcamp for any services. I do not like to write negative reviews but after the care my dog received from K9 Boot Camp in East Rutherford I feel that other dog owners need to be warned to stay away. Under their care my dog was mistreated and neglected. After a boarding and training stay, my dog was returned to me dirty, had kennel cough and didn't even learn the basics. I am absolutely furious, and this establishment should not be allowed to care for dogs. I dropped my dog off for the boarding and training program. Her stay was to learn basic training. When I picked my dog up from the program I immediately noticed her condition. When I got home with my dog I immediately called K9 Bootcamp so could speak with Emily, the owner of K9 Bootcamp. I was told that she was too busy and could not talk to me. I told the woman that I spoke to that my dog had gotten kennel cough from their facility and to please mention it to Emily. Unfortunately I never received a call back. After about 2 weeks of calling K9 Bootcamp and leaving numerous messages for Emily to please call me to discuss the issue, she finally responded. When we did finally speak, she was rude, disrespectful and didn't seem to care about my dogs health. She kept defending herself, making excuses for why my dog was sick, and blaming the issue on me. She never even asked about my dogs health. As a company that's sole service is to care for dogs, that response is blatantly unacceptable. Their business is to care for dogs. Under K9 Bootcamp's care my dog was neglected and exposed to serious health risks that if I hadn't picked up my dog at the time, her health would have become worse. The purpose of this statement is to inform others of the mistreatment and neglect my dog experienced at the hands of Emily and K9 Bootcamp. Dog owners need to be aware of the lack of care provided by K9 Bootcamp and stay away. read more

Let start out by saying that many parents give their children a puppy for Christmas. LET ME STATE LONG AND HARD: A PUPPY IS NOT A PRESENT; it's a full-time job with a lot of responsibility. That's where K9 Boot Camp comes into play. I sent my 8 month old dachshund to K9 Boot Camp because my "puppy" was out of control. I couldn't housebreak him. He barked at other dogs. He walked me by pulling on the lead. He wouldn't listen AT ALL. This was a dog out of control. 7 weeks after my puppy (Gus) was released from K9 Boot Camp he was a different pet. He was housebroken. He didn't bark at other dogs. He listened to commands AND he was crate trained which is very important for all puppies. Emily Adams, the founder of K9 Boot Camp is a "dog whisperer." She is no nonsense. Very professional. If you text her, she will respond immediately. I was very anxious at first about sending Gus away so I contacted Emily A LOT. She was always patient and reassuring and in a nice way insinuated that I should let her do her job. Emily was 100% correct. K9 Boot Camp is not inexpensive. It is quality dog training facility that delivers. Follow up training visits with your dog's trainer are included. If you want it to work, you must continue to follow the instructions that your pet was taught at boot camp. Having a puppy is a full-time responsibility and with K9's help, you can turn your puppy into a loving canine companion for life. I recommend K9 Boot Camp 100%. read more

Our dog bilbo was very reactive towards other dogs making taking him on walks impossible. With a baby on the way we thought he was beyond help and that we might have to make the difficult decision of considering a future without him in our family putting our sons safety first. K9 boot camp board and train program has transformed bilbo into our dream dog. We can take him on walks without worrying about him reacting to other dogs and feel comfortable with him being around the baby. Bilbos trainer Jose was amazing and built a strong bond with him. He kept us updated and sent us videos throughout the process. read more

K9 Boot Camp - Pet Training Near Me - East Rutherford, New Jersey

I could not recommend Emily and her team enough. Words do not capture how wonderful K9 bootcamp is. I do not think I can properly articulate how reactive my dog Jabu was. Any squirrel or dog and sometimes human that passed us by would lead to a huge explosion. Multiple times I had neighbors come outside to ask us if everything was okay. It got to the point where I was driving about 20 minutes to abandoned parking lots and other areas where I knew I wouldn't run into anything while walking him. I knew he needed training - and fast. I was comfortable with Emily from our first consultation. It was evident to me that she had deep knowledge of dogs and their psychology, she was professional, and I could tell she loved dogs. She took on the challenge of training Jabu with no hesitation and our lives are so much better for it. He was gone for several months because his reactivity was so bad, but I never felt in the dark about what was happening. Emily always sent me pictures and videos of his progress, and she responded quickly to questions. Once Jabu was trained, it was time to train me. During our lessons together in the handover process, Emily continued to be professional and patient .. even as it took me a while to learn the commands and how to handle Jabu. She shared so many memories and stories of Jabu over the months... something I deeply appreciated, as I missed him so much while he was gone. Every time we went for our lessons, Jabu was excited to see Emily again. He would run to her, tail wagging, ready for some love. I could tell he really felt comfortable with her, trusted her and loved her, and that she loved him and cared for him as though he was her own. Honestly, I think he might even miss being at training school!!! As for his behavior... WOW. What a miracle. I used to turn into a track athlete and run in the opposite direction any time I saw anything that moved. Now, I walk with Jabu at a leisurely speed because he's focused on me and not on hunting other four legged creatures. The dog that used to blow up at dogs 100 feet away can now sit two inches away from another dog... with no reaction. Today, we walked past THREE dogs at once... and nothing. It's incredible honestly and I could not thank Emily enough. I am so grateful to have found Emily and the rest of her team (who were always so kind when I visited the office and seemed to love Jabu too - thanks guys!). Without them, I would still be driving to abandoned parking lots and sheltering Jabu inside as much as possible. Instead, now I'm looking forward to one day taking him on my hikes with me because I know he can handle it. Thank you thank you THANK YOU Emily for training Jabu and allowing us to have a healthy and happy life together. To anyone who is considering working with K9.... Please do it, you will not regret it!!! read more

We decided to get a new family member i.e a French Mastiff puppy. The closest we have ever come to having a pet before this was having a gold fish. So in other words we were total newbies as far as dogs are concerned. Emily was recommended by another trainer who couldn't match our availability. First phone call to Emily and I was totally convinced she would be the trainer for our pup. She is extremely knowledgeable and very helpful. Registering for the puppy kindergarten classes was a breeze. She was accommodating and cooperative with our crazy schedules and it was evident she only had the puppy's interest at heart. My husband and daughter take the pup to the class on Wednesdays and from Thursday up to next Wednesday my daughter brings up Emilys name at at least few times every day. That's the kind of impact she has had on her. Not only does she train our pup but she trains my daughter to manage and be in better control of the pup. In just 4 classes our beloved has shown amazing results under Emilys training. Her professionalism and love for dogs was seen through right from our first interaction with her. If you have a new pet or are looking to get your dog trained, honestly don't even bother looking up anybody else, because you won't find a better trainer and a kinder soul than Emily. Her other trainers are equally qualified and K9 will make sure you and your pet bond in the most amazing way. I know we have a trainer for life as far as our dog is concerned. Thank you K9 and Emily for your existence. read more

I am giving them a 5 star review. The reason for this is they won't let me give a thousand star review. I am not in the habit of doing online reviews at all. As a matter of fact this may very well be my first and last. BUT they deserve it. Emily is just great, and the crew that is assembled at K9 boot camp is extraordinary. I left my dog for a "board and train" program. To say he was not going to be an easy project is to oversimplify the issue. He had severe separation anxiety, would not go into his kennel, and had hip issues that made it tough to work with him. This scratches the surface of the problems the dog was in possession of upon intake. I had a glitch at drop off, caused by ME not fully reading the paperwork. Emily was very understanding and without a cross word took him a few days later. The people who run the boarding end of this operation absolutely LOVE dogs as far as I can tell. They are just wonderful to deal with and if you just need to kennel the dog while you go on a trip, I highly recommend this place. The interesting thing about this program, and the way Emily and her crew run it, is that there is no real time frame on success. It is not "8 weeks and pick up your dog". Not by a long shot. It is "when the dog accomplishes the goals you and Emily set" you pick up your dog! They had my German Shepard for longer than I thought they would. They didn't just throw him back to me when time was up. Success was the guide and nothing short of that was acceptable to them! He came back and he is sitting, has a place command, down, his recall is working, and he is less reactive to other dogs. He goes into his kennel, and sleeps there when I am in my office. As a matter of fact he is there right now as I type! Before going there he had rubbed his nose raw in the kennel. You will however find ONE glitch with this program. YOU have to continue the work at home with your furry friends. They do not go home robots. Emily is VERY upfront about this in the start of the process. You must reinforce commands and must work with the dog in order for him not to backslide to unwanted behavior. Now to be fair ANY program has this drawback to it and if you don't want to work with the dog don't get a dog. I was fortunate in that I did a lot of research. I was able to locate K9 Boot Camp and was able to interview many trainers. They were a great fit for me and for my dog. Thank you Emily and all the crew at K9 Boot Camp. Daniel Doyle read more

As we have said a million "thank yous " would not be enough to Emily, Otto and her staff at K9 Boot camp. Our 2 year old golden doodle /labradoodle mix has transformed from an anxiety/aggression ridden puppy to a confident /non-aggressive dog. We had tried several other trainer and none were able to get Wally "to the next level". We are beyond thrilled to see Wallys progress and are certain the board and train program was exactly what Wally needed to be the family dog we always knew he was! We would recommend k9 boot camp for any behavioral issue and you can be sure your dog will be in wonderifl hands. read more

K9 Boot Camp - Pet Training Near Me - East Rutherford, New Jersey

When I rescued my second dog Okee I could tell that while she was high energy and a bit of goof she was smart and learned basic manners fast with no official training. But a few months later she started showing signs of fear/aggression towards all other dogs, despite getting along great with her brother and dogs in the past. Walks soon became very difficult. My thought with dog trainers is that sometimes it's more important to train their owner then the dog. We tried another trainer briefly and I felt he was more interested in proving he could get Okee to behave correctly then teaching me to get the same result. We went to only a handful of private lessons with both Emily and Otto but Okee showed an immediate change. And we both left feeling comfortable that we had the skills/tools to keep up the good behavior. read more

I cannot recommend Emily and her team enough. We came to Emily with our 2 year old 90 lb Rottweiler/ Pit Bull mix named Ferdinand. We adopted Ferdinand about four months prior to finding Emily. We immediately fell in love with our big furry baby, but quickly, we also realized he had some major aggression issues, the most concerning being aggression toward all children. Ferdinand needed help and we knew his issues were beyond what my husband and I could fix on our own. We tried training videos, classes and met with half a dozen different trainers one-on-one, none of whom could help Ferdinand or give us the tools to help our dog. We were pretty close to hopeless... then we found Emily and K9 Boot Camp. Ferdinand attended Emily's board and train aggression control program and words can't explain the difference it has made for our dog and our family. Ferdinand went from ferocious aggression at the sight of a child to happily taking treats out of a child's hand with no reaction. Now, on walks when he sees a child, he doesn't pay any attention. He's focused on my husband and me. Along with that, we also have a lengthy list of commands and tools to help manage his aggression. Emily taught us what signs to look for, what to do to keep Ferdinand at a low level and how to address a situation if he starts to get out of control. Emily's passion, knowledge and commitment to training and the dogs she works with is second to none. This is not just a job for her. Ferdinand is her buddy... and he loves her just as much as she loves him. She's so passionate about every animal she trains and cares for that she even thanked me for giving her the opportunity to work with Ferdinand and allowing her to keep him for an extended period of time to make sure he is safe and ready to go home. And believe me, we are the ones who owe her all of the thanks. My husband, Ferdinand and I are forever grateful for Emily, her team and everything that they have done and continue to do for Ferdinand and our family. read more

My jack russell terrier, Sophie, comes to play here for day care. She likes coming here and gets excited when I tell her she's going to see her friends. It's also nice that they have grooming and boarding too. We went on vacation and had Sophie board there for 5 nites. When we picked her up, she was very happy and seemed like herself. She used to go somewhere else and she was very subdued when we picked her up. I think the main differences with Shaggy Chic is that it's more like home. The dogs stay in their own little room, not a cage, and the people really care for her and play with her. I'm also glad that it's close to home and the rates are reasonable.. read more

I can't say enough good things about Emily! She's a great dog trainer and is quick to problem solve during sessions. If my puppy wasn't responding to something I was trying to teach her, Emily always had new ways for me to help her understand and obey. We just finished Obedience 1 with K9 Bootcamp and I'll be signing up for the next level classes ASAP. Highly recommend :) read more

K9 Boot Camp - My puppy just graduated from Obedience 1 with Emily! - Pet Training Near Me - East Rutherford, New Jersey

K9 Bootcamp was where my 2nd pup got her Canine Good Citizen award. K9 Bootcamp has a coaching style so I brought my older dog Baxi to her because Baxi gets over excited seeing dogs, cats and wild life. She is uncontrollably excited barking, whimpering and crying going to a park. The 1st session showed a huge behavioral improvement using a prong collar along with an e-collar. K9 Boot camp's leader Emily controlled the e-collar and Baxi at first, then she had me walk Baxi back and forth while she controlled the e-collar, lastly I controlled both. By the end of the session we were outside of the park talking while Baxi remained calm. What a miracle worker! Both of my dogs love Emily! read more

K9 Boot Camp - Baxi in the car on her way to the ball park. - Pet Training Near Me - East Rutherford, New Jersey

Emily Adams is the BEST dog trainer ever! She's patient, kind, compassionate, smart, and super helpful. She will travel for private sessions and meet with you and your puppy/ dog and teach you how to train your dog. Her pointers are extremely helpful and she's very knowledgeable. She believes in positive reinforcement. Her rates are reasonable and it's money well spent. Invest a little now and have a well behaved canine friend for the rest of his/ her life! read more

K9 Boot Camp - Stevie, down! - Pet Training Near Me - East Rutherford, New Jersey

Best dog trainers we've ever found! We've lived in Bergen County and had dogs for more than 35 years and no one has been as effective at Nick at Canine Boot Camp in East Rutherford. read more

I first came across K9 Boot Camp for my new puppy Jaxon who is a crazy little energetic labradoodle. They offer a variety of classes but I wanted to sign Jaxon up for puppy kindergarten to train him with basic manners and to just help him cope with other puppies. Otto who was our trainer / instructor was super helpful with the class. And Jaxon definitely learned a lot and had so much fun! He can definitely help you with any questions or concerns you have about your new pup and you literally learn so much within the 6 week course! However, I needed some extra attention with Jaxon and his uncontrollable behavior at home so Otto recommended to try in home training with Emily who is the founder of K9 Boot Camp. We decided to do 4 in home training sessions with Emily and honestly didn't think that would help Jaxons situation because he is such a handful. But little did i know even 1 session alone makes a HUGE DIFFERENCE. Emily is the most sweetest and passionate person i have ever met who really loves your dog as if they were hers. I honestly had lost all hope for Jaxon with his bratty behavior and thought no one could change this dog. He would nip and bite at me for no reason, barking constantly, growling, running all over the place, biting the leash, eating trash.. just EVERYTHING a bad dog would do! haha! But with Emily's help she really helped us understand Jaxons behavior and really helped Jaxon to become such an obedient sweet puppy in 4 sessions!!!! Emily Knows so much about dog behavior and she has literally changed our lives with our little crazy rascal! Seriously worth every penny if you need some help with your little pooch! :) Literally cant thank K9 Boot Camp enough for what they have done for us! read more

Emily is an extremely knowledgeable trainer. Her love for the dogs and commitment to her clients is obvious. She is a pleasure to work with and I would recommend K9 Boot Camp to anyone struggling with their dog! read more

Emily is a miracle worker! We have a 7 yr old shorkie who was never potty trained outside, constant barking at strangers, etc. We met with other trainers who said it would take years for her to learn the basics...Emily and team met with us, diagnosed the problem and explained their plan of action. Emily is patient, compassionate, and extremely knowledgeable. She continues to answer your questions/work with you after you've picked up your dog. Our dog is much calmer now and enjoys training. Emily disproves the old saying - you really can teach an old dog new tricks! read more

Emily is the best dog trainer. She is very knowledgeable on all breeds and all dog behaviors. I have a large breed dog who barked and lunged a lot. She helped me socialize her and now she's able to play in the dog park with all the other dogs. K9 Bootcamp offers all different types of classes to fit any of your K9's needs!! Definitely check them out!! read more

Emily is one the best trainers in town!! Don't hesitate for a second and try her classes out. I started training my dog Tank when he was 9 months old. He had no impulse control and would jump and try to bite my face. I thought he was untrainable. After only 2 months Tank was able to pass his CGC which is a test used to test dog's good behavior. Emily uses positive training and knows different training methods to get the best results. She really is the best trainer in town. read more

Emily is the best. My dogs and I love working with her. So happy to have her as a dog trainer option here in Hudson County

I LOVE THIS PLACE! My 2 beagles, Daisy and Sandy, get so excited to come here. The staff is so friendly and the owner is so nice! I feel so comfortable leaving the only "kids" I have here. I never worry about them while we are away, other than them driving the staff nuts :-) read more

first conversation turned out to provide me a lot of confidence to bring a puppy home.

I can't say enough good things about Emily and K-9 Boot Camp. I initially contacted Emily to find out about boarding, as I had just gotten a puppy and my family has a trip booked for February. I have never had to board a dog, much less a dog that would be so young so I was kind of nervous about finding the right place. I was immediately impressed with Emily-she was obviously very knowledgeable about dogs and her place seemed like it would be a good fit and would give our puppy Cooper plenty of attention. This was maybe day 2 of us having Cooper. I never imagined that we would need a trainer as I had had dogs when I was a kid and had trained them myself and they were great dogs. However it quickly became obvious that Cooper was going to need some extra help. We have two children 5 and 10 and Cooper was super, super energetic and had absolutely no bite inhibition. We were kind of freaking out because although the kids loved him already, this dog seemed almost vicious at times. Everyone kept saying "oh all puppies are nippy' or "he's just playing", but it just wasn't a good situation. Cooper had only had one litter mate, a sister who was much smaller, and he clearly hadn't been well socialized at all. We reached out to K-9 Boot Camp again, this time to see about training. I spoke to Otto and he made me feel much better and we got set up for in home training. Emily was amazing. She spent a long time listening to our concerns and watching Cooper, she was great with my kids and made sure that they were a part of everything and she got Cooper to do some commands within minutes of working with him. That first session did so much to put our minds at ease that we could work through the issues. As Cooper was so high-strung and lacking in socialization we also opted to bring him to the center for a day with other dogs. That has been a key part of Cooper's progress. Not only does it help him figure himself out around other dogs, it also gives Emily more of an opportunity to see some of the other behaviors that were worrying me. While we are still working through this process, Cooper has made incredible progress, he is learning and we are learning. And every time there is a little setback, as occasionally happens as he is a puppy, it is invaluable to have Emily as a resource. She is always responsive over email and always has some practical feedback. I always considered myself a "dog person" and never thought that I would need help in dealing with my dog, but now I realize it can be entirely different having a new dog when you have little kids, and especially when your dog may need help working through some stuff. Emily and K-9 Boot Camp have been such a huge help to our family and I can't thank them enough. And I would encourage anyone who is reading this and looking for help with their dog, whether it be a minor issue or a major issue to get in touch with them. read more

I just want to thank the entire staff at Shaggy-Chic. I boarded my dogs for the night at Shaggy-Chic and when I picked my boys up they were well taken care of. A special thanks to Lou for spending time with Ozzie and making him feel comfortable. Ozzie was a rescue dog that needs special attention and Lou gave it to him. I am so happy that I have a second home for my babies. Appreciate all that you do! Frankie and Ozzie thank you as well. read more

Everyone at Shaggy Chic is amazing!! Nicco and Bentley feel like they are home when they go there for grooming or for boarding. They have been going there for years now and I always feel like they go above and beyond to make us feel like our boys are in the best hands. I recommend Shaggy Chic to everyone, even my sister-in-law, who doesn't let just anyone handle her dog and now she loves them as well!! read more