Had our first "puppy class" last tuesday led by Gwen and Charlie the tzu and I learned some new tricks, got to play with the other pups and enjoyed ourselves. Training is based on positive reinforcement with treats which at 8 pounds, I'm trying to watch his figure but will probably prepare his dinner and use it for next class per trainer's recommendation. Hey boys gotta eat! Soon as you are confident, you can ween off the treats and use play and praise. Gwen even used Charlie to "demonstrate" which I laughed because good luck with my OCD puppy but low and behold, Gwen is the Dog Whisperer. Okay, I shut up now and whatever you say, I will do. First class covered simple sit, lay down, down, leave it, potty training techniques and homework to try with your pup. I learned a bit and it's up to me to practice with my puppy but I am really excited about it. Gwen even gave us her contact and is open to questions and topics inside and outside of the classroom so that's a big plus! She really cares and wants pups to succeed so be sure to "reward the behaviors you like!" Even though we attended our first class, I look forward to the next classes coming up! read more

KissAble Canine - Charlie graduated from puppy class! - Pet Training Near Me - Springfield, Virginia

I just completed four one-hour private lessons with Lisa at Kissable Canine and am very happy with the results! Lisa was so great with my 6 month old beagle and was professional, a great teacher, and such a nice person! We had gone through the basic puppy training at Petsmart (6 weeks of one hour group sessions) and that had helped with basics like sit and stay but we had problems walking him on the leash and getting him to be more obedient. The four session package was $320 and so worth it! Lisa starts out by discussing your expectations and makes sure there's no expectation gap. I told her that our big goal was to get him to walk better on a leash because he either dragged behind or ran ahead, stopped to sniff forever and it would take 5 times as long to get wherever we needed to go. Over the course of the four sessions (spread out over 2 months, per my request) my little guy has gotten very good at down, stay, staying in his bed (Lisa said this was good because if the pup is trained to stay on the bed, then you can take the pup to hang out at a coffee shop or restaurant outside); he got over a stair phobia, we're working on recalls ("come" command, even from a distance), and she gave us advice about how to walk him (apparently tugging on his Easy Walk harness is ok...he is much improved now). I highly recommend the one on one training because you can train your dog in home, outdooor, and dog park (or places with other distractions) environments. Lisa is a great teacher and gave us fundamental skills to keep training the pup. The homework is targetted at your dog's specific needs. Well worth the $320. read more

I've visited a few other trainers/puppy socials and have walked away feeling unfulfilled, but then we found Kissable Canine; they're great! We've visited both locations for puppy socials. At the Lee Hwy location, Laura does such a wonderful job with our dog during puppy group classes. This is such a positive and constructive environment for learning new things!! read more

My review here was removed, so I'm re-writing it. Maybe some re-wording will better fit Yelp's TOS? I decided to check out KissAble Canine for training for my dog. However, I moved on when I talked to someone with the company and found out that KissAble Canine doesn't seperate an assesment from the first training session. To have an initial consultation and first lesson, it was going to cost $170 + mileage (I lived outside of the no mileage radius). I wasn't comfortable dropping that kind of cash for a trainer that I couldn't meet first. The other reviews are great, and the risk could be worth the reward, but I never made it beyond the initial phone all. read more

We have had a couple training sessions with Lisa for our Mountain Cur mix and couldn't be happier with the results! Lisa takes the time to walk us through the various commands and explains why it's important to do each command consistently each time. She also gives us alternate ways to address the specific behavioral issues (OCD) our dog has - if one way doesn't work, she has suggestions for other ways that will. She is receptive to answering any questions we have between sessions and she has talked to our vet to make sure there is a coordination of care for our pup. We get through so much in each session and she makes sure we take the baby steps to set our pup up for success. We also recently learned our dog was deaf - so Lisa was able to tweak the training we had already been working on. We are extremely happy with the care and training she gives our dog :) It's amazing to see the progress our dog has shown in just the past month! As an aside, the training provided is only helpful if you (as the dog owner) are motivated to actually train your dog each and every day. This also requires patience on your end. You can't expect results if you aren't committed to actually use the training techniques that you use during the training sessions. read more

Mandy is wonderful. She is insightful, patient, explains everything, and is completely unflappable. I cannot imagine the dog that would take her by surprise- she is so good. When I first started working with her- my dog was pretty insane. I've been working with her for about 6-7 months, meeting once a month. I came to Kissable Canine with a pretty extreme situation (in my opinion)- the dog I had recently adopted had started EATING everything in my house, including carpet and furniture. He has the dubious honor of having destroyed at least 3 couches, and most of the carpet in my house. Turns out, he has loads of separation anxiety and also just general anxiety. Mandy identified this straight away and worked with my vet to get things right. In my case, my dog needed medication and Mandy helped me realize that medication really was called for. She also had lots of very practical, easy-to-implement solutions to deal with his anxiety. I had hoped that behavior modification alone would do it but it wouldn't. It took a combination of medication and behavioral training- and a good bit of owner training too! Sometimes- that is just what is called for. Something I REALLY loved about working with Mandy and Kissable Canine- they email, consistently and constantly. They are so attentive- I have had numerous new developments arise between training sessions. Mandy always gets back to me with some good advice about the situation- not just a rote reply, or a request to discuss it at the next session. I really feel that she is invested in my dog and making sure he gets sorted out. She's compassionate, and she has made all the difference in my life. My dog no longer eats furniture! I now know how to 'set him up for success' so that he won't flip out when I leave the house. And he knows a good handful of tricks that make him a very well-mannered dog. All thanks to the guidance of Kissable Canines and specifically Mandy. I highly, highly recommend them! read more

They are nice and Ok, but frustrated that it didn't help with the main thing I wanted it to.

My dog (Porter) and I really enjoyed our Beginning Manners class and look forward to signing up for more. I use the tricks (manners) Lisa and Joan taught us when I take Porter hiking & camping and everyone thinks he is sooooo cute. (I'm just happy to have a little more control.) I also learned a lot about how to properly cue and hold treats, etc. read more

i completed three sessions at home with gwen for my two dachshund puppies. i have taken group classes with my last dog (thumbs down) and i looked into day training for my new pups. i am very happy with my decision to do the private session though because it was well worth it. they train you to train your dogs. pretty simple. the sessions were catered to my dogs (both dogs have totally different personalities) in their own setting. gwen was really flexible and i was able to have my sessions on the weekends. we set goals every session and re-evaluated the next session. my main concern was potty training and socialization with people and other dogs. on day gwen brought her own dog as a tool! it was great. the sessions were pretty pricey but i think since i paid so much, it made me want to work harder and practice everything with my dogs. oh! also the best part is since i have two puppies which are already very expensive, they don't charge per puppy but per session which i really appreciated. most classes i looked into, i would have to pay for two even though it would have been just me as the handler. i would definitely recommend kissable canine for all dog owners. read more

We started working with Kissable Canine back in 2014 with our fearful dog. Since then, we've done just about everything they have to offer - in classroom and in home. The trainers are terrific and the classes are just the right size. They've been great about recommending what could work with our different dogs' personalities and needs. Plus - they are great people. The new training facility is awesome! read more

We started our puppy with 3 private classes so we could begin on the right foot at 8 weeks. Then we started puppy socials and are now going into Advanced Manners. I think we've met most of the trainers, and though they all follow the same general philosophy, I learn a little something new from each of them. Certainly training is more about the human than the dog, it seems; and our 3 private meetings with Lisa were good to get us ready for the ups and downs of a puppy -- what to expect, how to be consistent -- and in those lessons we were able to successfully complete a number of basic vocal and hand commands. At that young age she was so eager to learn (and a little too young for the first classes) -- it was a great beginning. The puppy socials are so well managed -- I haven't been to others, but have heard tales of unsupervised free-for-alls. KC limits the number of puppies, and a trainer watches all puppies carefully to ensure a positive experience. They can divide the room into three areas and they work to group puppies they feel will work well together. Often they will bring one of their adult dogs in to model mature behavior! The manners classes run at a good pace with a very manageable number of pups/dogs. We've continued to learn new life skills in a way that our puppy enjoys and wants to keep learning. We've been working with a sweet puppy, but I have also seen the trainers addressing complex behavioral issues -- I'd be confident that they could work out a problem for all kinds of dogs. I feel confident in highly recommending KissAble Canine. read more

We hired Gwen and Jamie of Kissable Canine to train our 3 year old labrador. We were having issues with him pulling towards other dogs on walks. They were absolutely amazing. They were able to quickly "diagnose" our dog's issues and set up sessions in a variety of locations in order to test our dog's progress. He's far from perfect (not quite a Marley....but close), but he improved vastly after our time with Gwen and Jamie. I highly recommend them if you're looking for trainers! read more

We used KissAble Canine for home training for our young (then 5-month-old) German Shephard (GSD) puppy. We purchased the 3 in-home puppy training package, had Jennifer as our trainer and are very pleased with the results. Jennifer was great with our GSD (Toby) and was great to work with....listened to our concerns, Toby's issues, etc., and then developed a plan to address them over the 3 training sessions. Definitely would recommend both Kissable Canine and Jennifer for folks looking for good dog trainers. Doug read more

I took my pup here for the group obedience training and loved it. Having been to a similar class by Unleashed (by Petco), I can say Lisa's techniques and training way better. On our first class we were having difficulty finding the place but Lisa was very accomodating, she told us to come early the next class to do some catch up. I will definitely sign up for the next level, but right now I need to focus on training my pup what we've learned in the first level. read more

I took my 5-month old dachshund puppy to the free Clifton puppy socialization class. We already have him enrolled in a different training class, but I wanted to see if KissAble Canine would be a good group to take him to for more training later. My overall impression was that this group is OK - not great, and not awful. I suspect that the socialization group is mostly an add-on for people enrolled in the puppy obedience, and not really intended for "freelancers" The location was incredibly difficult to find, and it isn't well marked, so it took me a few "passes" to find the farm. Once I arrived, I had to walk around for a bit to find the trainer and figure out where to go. We introduced ourselves, and I then explained that I arrived early because my puppy gets car sick and I wanted him to be able to calm down before interacting with other dogs. The trainer did not ask for any immunization/vaccination records, and quickly went back into her house to grab a clients' dog - a hyperactive chihuahua (or chihuahua-mix...it was pretty big). My puppy was still a bit unsure, but I trusted that the trainer knew what she was doing and put him down to "play" with the other dog, at which point the other dog launched at him. It was difficult for me to tell if they were playing or if my puppy was uncomfortable because I am not super-familiar with dog language (hence why I went to a group with a trainer), but my puppy did not seem to come out of his shell at all until other dogs arrived to distract the chihuahua. Fast-forward...there was a brief period of time where my puppy seemed to be happy to follow the other dogs around at his own pace, letting them sniff him at times, but eventually the other puppies (a retriever, german shepherd, belgian malinois, and the chihuahua) overwhelmed him and he refused to leave my side. Eventually I had to carry him because he was too much of a target for the other dogs. I will say that he did get a bit of great socialization with the other people that were there (including two small children who were very well-behaved), and if you have a big to medium sized, outgoing puppy this is probably a great group for you to come to. The trainer just did not seem to have any sort of alternate plan for my shy, tiny puppy, other than to scold the other dogs when things got too rough (basically any interaction at all). I would have liked it if some effort had been made to introduce my puppy to calmer dogs (somewhat impossible in the small class which is again, great for monitoring high-energy, medium-sized puppies), or if any direction had been given but I guess since I was not a regular KissAble customer that was not going to happen for me. To put the nail in the coffin the trainer complained about people who use harnesses because they're a "crutch" for people who can't train their dogs to walk on a loose-leash...without mentioning any of the completely valid reasons for putting a dog in a harness (because certain breeds have breathing problems, neck/head shapes that preclude typical collars, delicate spines, past injuries, or because you actually want your dog to pull). I wasn't impressed and will be sticking to our other trainer. read more

Lisa is the best trainer! We did reactive dog training and a private session and our dog is doing amazing with the training and tools she has provided to us. We are so very happy. Our dog barks at other dogs and refused to go outback after something we weren't sure of happened to him out there. He has been coming outback on his own after just one session. We learned so much and it's made a world of a difference. read more

Lisa is great! She took the time to get to know our dog and created a personalized lesson plan. We've had two sessions with her so far for our reactive dog, and we already started seeing progress after the first. We're excited to keep working with her to help our dog become more confident! read more

We have loved working with Kissable Canine! We are almost done with the Reactive Dog group class and can definitely see a huge difference in our girl, and we look forward to hopefully signing up for more classes. Every class is packed with good training techniques and there is always a homework assignment to help focus our training at home. It is so worth the price. They have really taken the time to get to know Mae, and we so appreciate it! Love this place! read more

We highly recommend Lisa for help training your dogs in preparation for a new baby, or for families who already have children and dogs living together. We are expecting a baby in July. We had previously taken group training lessons with Lisa with one of our dogs, and contacted Lisa again about private sessions at our home to help work with our dogs. Lisa came over for four sessions and helped us with baby preparation basics, including setting up a separate 'dog lounge' in our den for our dogs so that we can separate them from other parts of the house when the baby is around, impulse control, loose leash walking, acclimation to baby sounds and toys, etc. Lisa's training sessions have made us feel better prepared to safely welcome a baby into our house. She has dogs of her own and small nephews/nieces, so is familiar with how dogs can interact with babies. She is also familiar with the realities of having a new baby in the house and the demands this can place on your time and energy, and provides realistic training and tips for what you can do now to ease the transition for your dogs. We have a lot of training and reinforcement work to do in the next few months, and would not hesitate to contact Lisa again if we felt we needed some brush up training sessions or additional help. read more

We were in desperate need - trying to adopt a 2nd dog into our house, and our resident dog (also a rescue) having none of it. After a week of struggling on our own, we reached out to KissAble Canine, and they really helped us through a difficult situation. Our call was immediately answered, and an overview of what to expect was provided on the phone. They fit us in quickly, and our trainer gave a thorough evaluation of each dog, the dogs together, and then had us practice exercises we could do in an effort to better socialize the dogs to each other. An honest assessment was done, and as difficult as it was to hear - it was likely better to re-home the new dog (our resident dog had too much fear, and our new dog could not read social cues). We never felt rushed, and we learned a lot from our trainer. We were really happy to have their help through this situation. If you are in a very difficult situation with your dog - this company will do everything possible to help you. I would certainly trust them with any dog. read more

We have been working with Lisa, the owner, for about month. We had been working with Gwen for four sessions before than, but Gwen left KissAble Canine. Lisa was fantastic with the transfer and we have really enjoyed working with her. Lisa is simply great. She is very observant, her instructions are clear, and she is a pleasure to work with. Our puppy's main problem is that in a group class he wants to play with the other dogs and so is very distracted. Working one-on-one has made the training sessions much more productive. We also have a large backyard with lots of wildlife and can't have a fence. Lisa has been great working with us on options. I would highly recommend KissAble Canine. read more

KissAble Canine is fantastic. Lisa and Mandy are great trainers with a sixth sense about dogs. In many ways, they are really training us (the humans) not the dogs. My dog is very fearful and was afraid to walk through doors, come to people, afraid of noises, etc. With Lisa's help, I learned to read him and work with him to overcome his fears (as much as possible). I love my dog dearly but he is truly a special needs dog. Lisa was patient, loving and consistent in her approach. He has come so far and he can now be quite silly. Training your dog is one of the best things you can do for them and KissAble's approach (positive reinforcement) is fabulous. read more

I contacted KissAble Canine for assistance with my adopted dog's high level of anxiety, which manifested in separation anxiety and reactivity to other dogs. She also came to me with no knowledge of basic commands. Amy came to my home for a 90 minute assessment and consultation and provided me with a lot of information and training techniques to work on my dog's reactivity and to start learning her basics (I had a behavioral traner work with me on her separation anxiety). Since her initial visit, Amy kept in touch by email to see how things were going, and has been very supportive and encouraging in my efforts to help my dog. She came back twice to work with my dog on basic skills training and tried hard with her, but my dog's anxiety levels need to settle down before she can focus on the training with Amy. I highly recommend KissAble Canine's services and personnel. read more

KissAble Canine has proven to me that training your dog is so much more than sit! Stay! The experiences you can share with your dog together, through training classes, private sessions, or active experiences such as their Adventure Dog Series, are as much fun and rewarding as the end results. Grace and I recently participated in Nature Lover Adventure with a twist where we explored a working sheep farm and were afforded the opportunity to allow our own dogs a chance during a sheepherding instinct test and I can't put into words the value of the experience! As someone who finds canine instincts and behavior fascinating, this experience on a working sheep farm escorted by a positive reinforcement trainer to help provide balance to the many questions and concerns was in no uncertain terms - extraordinary. We would (and might) do it again because there is just too much to learn in one session! Grace gives it and KissAble THREE PAWS UP!!! read more

Mandy is an excellent trainer and we have a great dane puppy. She has been providing private training for the past five months. Our dane is growing and we are learning as well. Mandy is patient, understands our needs and customizes the training for us. Highly recommend her! read more

We had private sessions with Lisa for our puppy, who is "reactive" with strangers. After 5 sessions, we've seen so much improvement! Lisa is very knowledgeable and seems to really care for her dog clients! She answered all of my questions and made herself available to chat. After each session, she gave us a sheet with exercises that we should work on - we found that to be very helpful. I would highly recommend Lisa to anyone looking to train a dog! read more

I completed four sessions at home for two dogs with Mandy. The best part of the experience was Mandy - she is professional, exceedingly patient, realistic, and nonjudgmental. I do my best to emulate her demeanor with my dogs on a daily basis. She also fixed our problem (of our 40 pound puppy who terrorized our 7 pound 2 year old). It was convenient because she came to my house, totally individualized, and effective after 3 sessions. Well worth the money. read more