We hadn't had puppies in MANY years, when we decided to get two 16 week old labradoodles. So…read moreadorable. We had never had a dog trainer in past but knew we wanted very well behaved dogs in our future. After a fair amount of research, we called Alert Canine Training and spoke with Matt. We liked him instantly and began working with him right away. He has the patience of a saint with our puppies, and with us humans too! He understands the dogs and has a way to get them to do what is expected. His price is reasonable, and he worked around our very busy schedules. Our puppies are awesome, and very well behaved. Thanks Matt, you rock! W&D Poughquag NY

Absolutely highly recommend ACTS -Matt takes time with both you and your dog-its obvious at first…read moremeeting that he has experience in training. He really takes time to help you and gives easy at home training techniques for you to follow. He has motivated me to continue with training-seeing the results with my year old golden is a good feeling- a trained dog is so enjoyable!!! Matt is great, you will not be disappointed-also, he extends himself as a constant resource to you even after your training- genuine person clearly in the right line of work! - Maura E.

We adopted our puppy from here at 11 weeks. She had been brought up from a kill shelter down south…read morewith her brother and had been with them for about 2 weeks prior to adoption. They did a wonderful job with socializing her and starting her off on training. The facility itself is beautiful. It's very clean and well staffed. We were able to spend time with different puppies out in the main area, which gave us the chance to see how they did with other dogs, people, etc. We probably spent two hours there and never felt rushed into making a decision. Highly recommend!

I came across this organization at the Stormville Airport Flea Market on September 6, 2026. My kids…read moredragged me over to their truck, and I immediately locked eyes with the cutest little puppy, a three-month-old Schnoodle. The moment I picked him up, I could feel practically every bone in his little body. He was extremely underweight, but because he was so fluffy, he appeared healthy at first glance. I brought up my concerns about his weight to the man I was dealing with, whose name I believe was Dwayne. I also questioned the cost and mentioned that they were selling these puppies rather than simply putting them up for adoption. He immediately became defensive and a little snippy with me. He raised his voice and said something along the lines of, "I've been doing this for years, and nobody is going to tell me they know more than I do." His reaction was completely unnecessary and raised a red flag for me. I initially decided it wasn't a good idea to get the puppy, especially considering they were charging almost $900 to supposedly "adopt" him. I've been a dog lover my entire life. I've rescued dogs, adopted dogs (never for such an outrageous amount), and purchased puppies from reputable breeders. I'm certainly not new to caring for animals. I walked away, and I cried. Seeing that little puppy in such a condition absolutely broke my heart. My kids and I continued walking around the flea market for another hour, but none of us could stop thinking about him. We just couldn't bring ourselves to leave him there. Something in me felt that this little puppy needed us, so we went back and purchased him. The man had me fill out the necessary paperwork, and I was assured that someone would call within seven days to check on the puppy and see how he was adjusting. That phone call never happened. Shortly after bringing him home, I took him to the veterinarian. Even my vet questioned where I had gotten him because he was so severely underweight. The vet ordered a parasite test, and sure enough, my puppy tested POSITIVE for Giardia, an intestinal parasite. I was absolutely furious and heartbroken. Dwayne had assured me that this puppy was healthy and had no medical issues. I immediately contacted the organization and spoke with a young woman. I explained everything, including the veterinarian's findings and the fact that nobody had ever followed up to check on the puppy as promised. Her response? "That's weird because we call everyone." Well, clearly, that wasn't the case! I left my name and phone number and specifically asked that Dwayne return my call. At the very least, I expected him to show some concern for the puppy he had sold us. I called on October 9, 2026. Today is October 27, and I STILL have not received a single phone call from anyone at this organization. Meanwhile, my puppy has had to undergo treatment with medication for Giardia and will need to be retested to make sure the parasite has cleared. What bothers me most isn't just the money. It's the condition this puppy was in, the assurances I was given about his health, the defensive attitude when I questioned his weight, and the complete lack of follow-up or concern after the sale. If you're going to charge people nearly $900 under the label of "adoption," I would certainly expect better care, transparency, and accountability. I'm grateful that my puppy is now in a loving home where he's receiving the veterinary care, nutrition, and attention he needs. But I can't help wondering about the other puppies. Please be extremely careful when dealing with this place. Ask questions, pay attention to the condition of the animals, and don't ignore your instincts. I'm sharing my personal experience because I would hate for another family or, more importantly, another innocent puppy to go through something similar.

We had a wonderful experience with them! Everyone was knowledgeable and incredibly patient. Working…read moreone on one in class if needed helped because it is intimidating when it's your dog acting up. They were always professional and compassionate.

I have taken classes at Top Notch, attended training events and competitions hosted by the owners…read moreand trainers. They are highly knowledgeable and helpful to students with all breeds of dogs. Highly supportive training environment. My hour plus drive each way is well worth the quality of the training.

Prior to working with Jean, life with Sadie was difficult. After returning from a walk, Sadie was…read morehaving accidents all over the house. As an adult dog, she pulled on the leash, barked at everyone, jumped on people and knocked everything out of my hands. Within a few weeks, Sadie is so well behaved. The top thing is to read Sadie's body language. I know what to look for when Sadie is getting anxious and Jean taught me how to deescalate the situation before bad behavior begins. Another thing I learned is how train Sadie while having fun. I enjoyed our lessons very much. The training program exceeded my expectations. Sadie is potty trained, respects other people and we can finally have an enjoyable walk together.

It turns out First Friends is a little far from me so I wasn't able to work directly with Jean,…read morehowever, in my first week of having my new puppy Jean helped me immensely. I was so overwhelmed and just needed some guidance from a trusted and professional source. Jean called me back and while we weren't able to work in home together she helped me identify ways to start some training and find another training organization who was in my local area that she felt comfortable with me engaging with. I went from being a complete basket case to feeling more confident and supported in just 1 phone call. Thank you, Jean!

Gina is the best. My boy Gunner needed help learning to walk on leash without pulling me. After one…read moresession I saw great improvement. I highly recommend. He always looks forward to seeing her.

From the owner: Basic Obedience, Leash Training, Remote Training & Specializes in Aggression & Behavior…read moreModification Training

Sarah Hodgson is a talented "dog whisperer" in the truest sense!…read moreI am lucky enough to be working closely with her in my home as she teaches my family systematically how to best live with our 3 dogs. She literally does speak their language and what she does is an art! The results are immediate and will last because Sarah makes sure that we can implement what she has taught us when she is not there to watch!

Sarah is the absolute best!! She is in tune with all the dogs. It's incredible to see how they…read morerespond to her. She has away of instructing that makes all tasks very attainable. I have been to several of her trainings and have read her books and no matter where I go people always comment on my well behaved dogs!! She is so worth it!! Check her out!!!!

Art of k9 I can not…read moresay enough good things about Angelo and Art of K9. When we found him we were in a desperate situation. Our dog was totally out of control and having recently but our baby, we didn't know what to do. Angelo took our dog within a week and a half of contacting him and helped guide us along the way until we were able to drop him off. We committed our dog to the 8 week program, unsure of what to expect but hoping for the best. We knew this was a last resort. It's now been about 6 months since we have picked our dog up from the program and I can confidently say that it was the best decision we could have made for our family. Not only is he more controlled, he is actually a joy to be around and have around our child. He listens to commands and we find ourselves very rarely needing to correct bad behavior as it doesn't really happen. We went from having a dog who would never come when called, bark uncontrollably, destroy toys and furniture, to a dog who immediately goes to place on a cot when someone knocks on the door (without being prompted) and lets out a few alert barks and stops once i say enough. We no longer have to worry about aggression with our child. He is great about listening when we get him away from her and often will walk away from her on his own when before he would growl. Additionally Angelo has checked in to see how our dog is doing, if any issues have come up, and whenever he needs a training refresh we have been able to bring him back. We will be sending all future dogs to Angelo for training

Angelo saved our dog's life -- and I mean that in the most literal sense possible…read more Oliver is a rescue who had been surrendered by two families before us. We took him in, loved him, and still found ourselves in crisis -- biting, aggression, resource guarding. We were scared of our dog and desperate for help. Oliver was our fifth dog and as a family we were seasoned users of positive reinforcement as the primary training method. We turned to Angelo at Art of K9 and made the decision to board Oliver for 8 weeks. He took on Oliver after a thorough consultation. Angelo worked through Oliver's aggression and resource guarding using the e-collar and other training tools. These methods gave us the ability to communicate with and control our dog in a way positive reinforcement couldn't. The transformation is hard to put into words. Oliver is now relaxed, cuddly, and genuinely at peace. He still has his moments -- but now we have the tools to handle them. This has changed everything. If you have a dog with serious aggression or resource guarding and you're at your breaking point, I highly recommend Angelo. He didn't just train Oliver -- he saved his life and we are so thankful.

Can't say enough good things about this business, its staff and our experience here…read more They're always busy and usually take us immediately when we walk in. Today we went for a nail clip & file and the staff immediately started calling her by name. We appreciate the outstanding, and personalized, service we get while here. See you again very soon!

Thank you Elizabeth for taking care of my Plum! You give her the extra care she needs, being that…read moreshe's not trusting of people. You know her tolerance level and work around it. Her nails ALWAYS look fabulous. Sugar Plum's mom