Researching and ultimately finding the right dog trainer & vet was harder than finding the right school & pediatrician for my kids. We are about half way into our training package with our 4 month old Golden Retriever and so far the level of expertise and the results have been outstanding. Kristin and staff are extremely knowledgeable, super patient and very good at what they do. I look forward to taking our pup to the next level and truly having an off the leash trained dog. I highly recommend Unleashed! read more

Unbelievable difference this place made in my world. Adopted a puppy and needed help understanding how to train her. I searched out training facilities, watched YouTube videos, asked neighbors, family & friends about how to train this new pup but knew it was not going well. Meanwhile my son's 80# 4 year old Catahoula was living with me and while he was house trained, the training ended there. When I first spoke with Kristen I knew the experience was going to be different - due to COVID. I could not travel and her facility was not taking new clients at the time. Due to circumstances, Kristen continued to work with me virtually and gave me the option of doing the on-line training. Although I was skeptical at first, this was an AMAZING Experience. I obtained the videos and trained at my pace. I would watch a video, try the technique taught, and then watch the video again. I took my time but created a consistent and timely training plan with my very motivated puppy. I started to try some of the techniques on the Catahoula and was amazed that you can teach an older dog new tricks! Highly recommend this program & Kristen is an awesome trainer to work with. Thank you for all of your support! read more

Never got a copy of contract, refuses to refund my money. Not very nice at all. Uses shock collars which not good for dogs. Got so much better training from a friend! I would NEVER recommend this place. And the fact they keep the dogs for the first few weeks and you get txts on how they are doing did not sit well with me. How do I know you're not abusing my dog?! Yup nope no thank you. How do you now give a copy of a contract and refuse to refund me my money?! Disgusting how this company is ran and people still use it. read more

Words really can't explain how amazing UPK9 NJ and Kristen are. From the first day to our last training session, Kristen and her staff were so insightful on the training process and have helped my 3 year old Vizsla overcome so many obstacles. Kristen is knowledgeable and explained everything from the theories behind the training to the actual training. If you are looking for a trainer I would highly recommend giving them a call. After just 6 sessions, my dog is doing things I could have never imagined and we had fun doing it!! read more

Update: We adopted our dog Caily in early November of last year. Since she had been a stray for 2 years and then adopted and returned to the Shelter once before, she had numerous emotional and behavioral issues. She would bark and growl any time anyone even approached the house. If they came in the house her hackles were raised, she barked non-stop and would follow them around the house barking whenever they moved. She also hated any dog even walking by the house and cried whenever she saw them on walks. It was so bad we had to lock her in our bedroom at Thanksgiving. At our wits end, but not wanting give up, we turned to Kristen. Kristen gave both Caily and us the tools we needed to succeed. Truly sticking with her advice, and being consistent with it, has made all the difference. Caily is now the perfect host. She sits on her mat when people come in and once she quiets down (which is now out of excitement and not fear), which only take a minute or two, she hops off and begins greeting the company with kisses. She then finds a spot to settle and quietly watches the ongoings. She even sits at the door when people deliver and quietly watches as we sign for packages and talk to them.  We had 15 people (including children) over for Thanksgiving and she was completely unbothered. She loves when we have company over, especially kids. She has even started playing with the big dogs in the neighborhood and does not cry when she sees dogs on walks.  All our friends and family who met her when we first got her instantly remark that she is a completely different dog. Our neighbors have even commented on it. We could not have done it without Kristen, she was truly a god send for us all and we couldn't recommend her highly enough! read more

My wife and I just wanted to give a big THANK YOU to Kristen and the staff at Unleashed Potential K9 NJ for taking such good care of our boy Ghost. We knew from the day we met Kristen for an evaluation that she was just the help we were looking for. Not only did she train our working line German Shepherd, she trained us too! She explained everything from the psychology of the training, to the tools used, and the process itself. The services we opted for were the private lessons and the board and train program. We recently received him back from his three weeks with Kristen and her team and he is a changed dog. He learned all the basic and advanced obedience commands both on AND off leash and is genuinely happy to listen. We were skeptical about giving him up to anyone, but Kristen's intelligence, professionalism, and exceptional reputation really made us more than comfortable. We now trust no one but Kristen and UPK9 to take care of our fur baby and will without a doubt be relying on them for our needs in the future! read more

North Jersey K9 - Pet Training Near Me - Allendale, New Jersey

I just finished 5 private sessions of basic obedience with Kristen and I am so impressed with my dogs transformation. I did several of my session on ZOOM and before starting I wondered if I would get the same results. ZOOM lessons are great and while working remotely it shows that it was just as effective. I was able to learn how to train my dog with help which also started to build my relationship with her as well. After completing some of my sessions on zoom, i had my last lesson with Kristin in person which was great and it proved to me that not only do ZOOM lessons work but the entire program is amazing. Your loving dog will walk out of this program even more behaved than you would have thought. read more

Growing up with dogs, I wanted my three small children (ages 2, 6 and 8) to experience a similar bond with a pet. Therefore, Coco entered our family this past September as the newest addition. Coco is a Lagotto Romagnolo and we started training almost immediately. I met with a few trainers in the area and ultimately chose Kristen and her team because she was dedicated, the facility was clean and it was one-on one training versus an entire class of puppies. Kristen offers many different options when it comes to dog training - you can select from board and train (where she and her team do most of the work) or you can train with your dog on a schedule that you develop (super convenient for busy families-since she offers day, night and weekend options). During our first meeting we sat and came up with goals and training requirements for Coco. Especially with young children around the house, I thought it imperative for our dog to be well behaved and learn basic commands (sit, down, place, etc). After a few lessons Coco did amazing! Coco loved training with Kristen as it gave her a purpose and I didn't have an over indulged out-of-control puppy! We completed the initial sessions with Kristen and then opted to go more in depth with off leash training. This requires more time and effort but so worth it! Now only at 7 months Coco is completely potty-trained walks off leash every day around our neighborhood, sits on the driveway while my kids ride their bikes and knows what is expected of her in our household. Coco is the sweetest, most loving dog and our best companion thanks in part to Kristen. While firm, she is kind, calm and has a keen sense of the animals needs. We are having so much fun with Coco and we can't wait for her to mature further so we can return to Unleashed Potential for therapy dog training and certification! Coco will not only be a part of our family, but we plan to share her with others! Thank you again Kristen for giving us amazing tools to enjoy our pet! read more

See all

Back in January, we got our newest member Gia (Cockapoo). She's sassy and smart, but we wanted to train her to go potty outside and to know some basic commands. Especially since we live on a busy road we were especially concerned about her walking obedience and recall with her name. Luckily enough, we were referred to Unleashed Potential K9 NJ. Kristen was straight forward from the very first phone call about expectations for training our Gia, and offered us various options for training. Ultimately, we agreed it was most beneficial to send Gia for the 2 week board and train program with Kristen and Debbie. It was hard for us to give Gia away for two weeks (especially when we only had her at that point for 3 weeks). But after spending some time during the drop-off with Kristen and Debbie, our worries quickly diminished. We were able to see multiple "pluses" for us: The training center was very clean Both trainers have an extensive background in their line of work They took their time during the drop-off with us and Gia Personable Explained how her days would look over the 2 week period Showed a genuine interest in our family pet Even though we felt safe with Gia staying with Debbie in her own home, we still missed her and worried about her. But, Kristen and Debbie had a plan for that as well. When they had Gia at the training center, we would get FaceTime calls to see her in action. We didn't feel rushed off the video calls, and we could tell she was so happy with them both. Once the 2 weeks was over, we were given two days of training for ourselves. This was great because we were prepared for Gia who worked hard for two weeks. Not only were they patient with our puppy, but they were even more patient with us. We left on Gia's last day feeling confident in being able to train our now 12 week old puppy. She is already able to do "sit", "down", "heel", "place", "break", "come", fully knows her name, is progressing on learning thresholds, is doing great with going potty outside and holding it all night, great with the crate, and even walks on the leash really well! We are SO grateful to Kristen and Debbie for taking such amazing care of our Gia, and we look forward to continuing her training with Unleashed Potential K9 NJ. read more

If you or someone you know has a dog or a puppy that needs excellent training please check out Kristen at Unleashed Potential. Kris is passionate about what she does and is committed to helping individuals and families have a better relationship with their dogs which will lead to better obedience. I have seen, first hand, many of the dogs that Kris has trained (including her own dogs) and I can say that it is nothing short of amazing! You won't find a better place to get your dog trained. read more

My husband and I rescued a 4 month old border collie mix, Jameson. After getting him home and trying to help him become comfortable in our home, we realized he had SEVERE separation anxiety. Within the first three months of having him, he destroyed and broke out of 4 crates. He would eat and destroy everything in his reach. One day he chewed the cord for the refrigerator off and then ripped the outlet out of the wall with the cored still attached!! This became extremely difficult for both of us to leave him home alone. We constantly worried what mess we would come home to, even worse if our Jameson would even be alive. I was calling out sick from work and taking vacation days multiple times a week just to stay home with him. After months of trying everything we could think of, the vet finally suggested putting him on anti depressants. I really did not want to medicate a puppy, but we ran out of options. After calling many many different trainers and explaining our situation, almost all of them said they could try to help but with that severe separation anxiety, more then likely nothing would make a big enough difference. On many occasions it was suggested we do board and train but it wasn't something I wanted to do, more importantly it wasn't something we were able to afford. No trainer that we spoke with seemed to think anything besides a board and train would help our Jameson. Referral after referral, we were finally given Kristen's phone number. We went to our consultation with Kristen. She met Jameson, we chatted about what my Husband and I would like to see changed in his behavior and so on. I explained our situation, the behaviors of Jameson that needed to be addressed and she too suggested her board and train program. After explaining we were on a tight budget, she agreed the next best thing to do would be private lessons (she was the ONLY trainer to suggest anything to us besides a board and train). From the very beginning we were told it's possible he would be better but we wouldn't know how much better he would be. Two weeks into the lessons we saw a HUGE difference in Jameson. He was able to relax on his place and in his crate without fear we were leaving him. Kristen taught us the skills to help him get into a different state of mind while we were home and not home. After our sixth session we felt like we took home a brand new dog. We now can go to work knowing we will come home to our pup is still in his crate and calm!!! We honestly can't thank Kristen enough for everything she has done for us! She gave us back the peace of mind knowing Jameson is ok in his crate along with other basic commands and walking on the leash without pulling. Her kind words of encouragement along with me texting/send her videos ALL the time we're also extremely helpful! I would recommend UPK9 to any and EVERYONE I know who is looking for trying. We can't wait to get to group classes to continue his training outside of our home! Thank you again Kristen and everyone at UPK9 for your patience with me from start to finish read more

Kris is a beyond talented dog trainer. Our family got a quarantine puppy right before the shut down. A big smart sassy standard bernedoodle. I raised dogs prior to kids and have gone through various training classes including therapy dog, so I felt that we were more than experienced enough to handle this pup. That did not turn out to be the case. Our pup learned new tricks in minutes, but we couldn't get a handle on any of the obedience stuff. So we did our research and chose to meet with Kris based on all the positive reviews. From our first conversation we knew she would be a good fit for us. We really appreciated the research-based, academic perspective she has on this. She is also very real and a lot of fun. We started with a few private lessons and then moved into a 3 week board and train. What Kris did in three weeks is nothing short of magical. Our pup has been home a little over 2 weeks and every day I just can't believe I ever wanted to train my dog on my own. Our pup came home a wonderfully obedient dog with her full personality in tact. The handoff was easy and we are having so much more fun with our pup now that she knows how to behave and we know how to help her be successful. Kris is an amazing trainer and we are so grateful for her time and talent! read more

We enlisted the help of UPK9 for our mini bernedoodle puppy, Sunny. We started out with 2 Zoom sessions with Kristen and then board and train for just under 3 weeks with Jeanette. Off the bat, Sunny took to UPK9's tactics. In just 2 Zoom sessions, we better understood how to properly handle our puppy and better stimulate him and meet his needs. The board and train session was an absolute game changer. We are so thankful to Jeanette for all that she has taught Sunny!! He finally listens. He now knows proper manners, how to truly walk on a leash and so much more. Jeanette also helped instill major confidence in Sunny by exposing him to many different surroundings and situations. He used to be petrified of passing cars and people, and now he can go for a walk on a busy road with no issues. Besides for just training Sunny, they really helped train US on how to properly handle our puppy! They were so helpful, understanding and accommodating. We are so excited to continue this training and feel at peace knowing we are meeting our puppy's needs effectively. We wouldn't trust anyone else with our puppy... thank you so much to Jeanette and the UPK9 team!! read more

We are so grateful for the training we have received at UPK9! Walking our 2 newfoundland dogs was a stressful event but now we are confident and relaxed on walks. I can have guests to our home without being rushed at the door by our over eager pups. Most importantly the bond between us and our dogs is stronger than ever! Our dogs have learned to control thier impulses and listen in ways I never dreamed. Our female newfoundland is doing so great that we are training to be a therapy dog to bring joy to others. Kristen and her staff has been a great source of information and their techniques are impressive. Thank you UPK9 for teaching us how to be the best owners and provide the structure our dogs need to be their best selves! Happy Dogs Happy Life! read more

Ive owned small dogs my whole life. When we first got Enzo, a male German shepherd I didn't realize how difficult it would be to care for such a large dog. He would bite on our hands and feet, jump on us almost knocking us over, pulling on the leash while on a walk, jumping on the table , counters and other people, and growlIng when taking something away. We didn't know what to do anymore. Unleashed potential k-9 was recommended to me by a friend. At first the thought oF sending my 7 month old puppy to a place that I wasn't familiar with and have him board for 3 weeks was something I was not interested in doing. After meeting kristen and bringing eNzo for some training sessions I realized how amazing her and her team was. She made us feel extremely comfortable and that's when I knew this was the place I wanted Enzo to be at! After a day of her caring for my dog, she followed up on how he was doing like she said she would. Knowing this was hard on me, she reached out to me often to make me feel at ease on how everything was going. The change in my dog is completely unbelievable. It's been 3 weeks that Enzo has been home and Kristen still reaches out to me to make sure everything is going smoothly . I couldn't thank kristen and her team enough for the change they had made in Enzo. I never write reviews but unleashed potential k-9 deserves the best review anYone can write. read more