Pamela has been SO incredible at getting our lovely but very active and somewhat addictive (to…read moreballs, sticks, anything she can put in her mouth) golden retriever puppy to learn to let go, to calm down, and to behave. She has also helped us to be better at understanding Darby's motivations and emotions. Fun and effective training for everybody!

Pamela is the best!!! I just adopted a second dog this week. My new dog Chance has been through a…read moreterrible tragedy in his life. His owners were killed in a double murder. There were three dogs in the home when it happened. One of the dogs was also shot and killed. Chance and his brother Champ survived the attack and were taken to an animal shelter in rural NC where they have been for the last month. I felt compelled that I need to adopt one of the dogs so they would know love once again. A good friend of mine is looking to adopt Chance's brother. I reached out to Pamela after I had a disaster in trying to crate train Chance. She was able set up a consultation in a very timely matter. She was so kind and you can tell she really cares about helping Chance make the transition to his new home. I really can't say enough good things about Pamela, she is a special person for sure. She has helped lift a huge weight off of me knowing we can work through things with Chance as he gets used to his new home and his second chance at love in his life.

We trained with Jeff over the Summer time after an extensive period of research on who we wanted to…read morehelp us with training our dog, a toy-reactive golden retriever. Jeff helped us contextualize our dog's behavior and understand their psychology better, so we can more effectively curb behaviors we did not want and promote behaviors we do want. As a result, not only has out dog behaved better, but we feel a stronger connection with them. This, in my opinion, is the benefit with Jeff. We all see our dogs as our perfect companions, and when we go through with training we want the outside world to see them the same way we do. Jeff helped us with this; not only does he get you and your dog on the same page regarding training and behavior, but he allows you to springboard your relationship with them to a level of greater understanding.

Jeff really knows his stuff and his tips and tricks work really well. Highly recommend!read more

If I could give less than 1 star I would. Not sure if it is because of management changes or what…read morebut the last time I boarded my dog here she came back with what I think was kennel cough. I vowed never to board her here again. I thought after a few months I would try again since reviews looked better. There is new management now someone named Ashley. I called the day before and booked a daycare visit. I even double checked with the girl and had her records sent over the girl assured me it was ok and to bring her in the morning. I even called my vet In Florida and her daycare there also. Her Bordatella shot was good until 12/2021. All correct on their files but somehow this company continues to report incorrect findings. If a business can't be honest and just own up to their mistake it shows poor quality in manager and owners. Notice my first review of this place was pretty nice and honest. I Brought her in at 6:45 am and they said oh her bordatella is due we can't let her out she will be crated until we can contact you further. Mind you at this point I had already dropped her off and was already at work! If I would have known this I would have never dropped her off. I had to leave work and come back and get her and then drop her back off and then go back to work. ** Yes when I called they did give me my package back of 60 some dollars which was good. Another clue dog parents is your dog does tell you if she likes daycare ...at least mine does because she has been going since she was a puppy. I had 3 other doggy daycare centers in NC and one is next to a vet check my dogs vaccination records that state she was good until December 2021. She cowered as soon as I brought her in and she peed on the floor and tried to go straight to the exit door!!!! Should've been my first clue! I feel bad even bringing her back here. After this experience I will NEVER EVER AGAIN BRING HER HERE!

We were visiting for a week and I was working during the day. I would be ok to run back to the…read moreAirbnb to walk my dog during the day but I felt bad she would be all alone in the apt all day. I came across this place on a Google search and reached out. I am glad I did. First they have to interview my dog to make sure she is not Cujo so that makes me feel better that they will screen all the campers there and second they make sure we have all the vaccinations. My dog loves it there and she has been there for the whole week and coming back exhausted. I feel better when I am at work while she is at camp. Definitely using them again if I get to come back to Durham on business.

I was allowed to add a class back. The program is good for socialization and basic training. The…read moredogs are appropriately sized so none are overwhelmed . Instructors were good and also exercised excellent covid protection. While some tasks are repetitive, it's required b/c of the rolling enrollment.

I was initially very pleased with these classes but soon the trainer's impatience with selective…read moreindividuals in the tiny puppy primer class and her unprofessionalism when people arrived late changed my mind. As an experienced teacher, I would hope that when a teacher feels disrespected by a member in the class, that she would speak to them privately after class to address the issue - not throw her hands up onto her hips, refusing to let the late class member and pup into the classroom until convinced by one of her assistant trainers. Also, the content in Jane's class is limited and repetitive.

I WILL NEVER RECCOMEND OR VISIT AGAIN. I brought my dog to…read morehave his shots updated, get a flea and tick prescription, and have his nails cut. The lady at the front desk is extremely kind, but the vet tech who came out immediately had a bad attitude and barely acknowledged me which was the least of my concerns, but another negative to note. We discussed what we'd have done and when the actual Vet came in, she asked if I had any concerns I wanted to discuss before they did his shots and I mentioned he doesn't like his nails done, so I'm unable to do them myself. As the vet is preparing to give him the shots, she asks the vet tech which leg they go into! It is ABSURD that the VET is asking the VET TECH where to administer the shot in front of me. I was seriously questioning if this was her first day and we were her first patient to which they should have discussed prior to coming in the room! I mean it is extremely unprofessional to be asking these questions as if you don't know right in front of me. As I mentioned earlier, I had already communicated that he doesn't enjoy his nails being clipped. When the Vet tech brought him back in, she said they were only able to do a few back nails and then he was done. I just said okay unaware of the charge I was about to incur. 416 dollars later, I notice the ridiculously overpriced shots and I was charged the full amount of the nail trim although they did less than half of the service on my 14 POUND DACHSHUND. I email them and am told I will be called tomorrow by the manager. Well the next day comes, she calls and immediately is hehe-haha-ing, clearly trying to mitigate the situation. Anyway, she informs me the mistake made was that the Vet, who is new to the clinic, did not inform me they could give me gabapentin to administer at home and bring him back another day to finish "free of charge" LOL! So, it's not free of charge because I will pay for the medication, and then they will finish the service I ALREADY PAID FOR AND THEY DID NOT COMPLETE!! She also claims "Oh so they actually got all of his back feet and his dew claws" I wanted to hang up right then, because I am not an idiot and I can tell you for a FACT the dew claws were NOT done and only about 3 or 4 of his back nails were done. This entire phone call was irritating, because the manager was clearly trying to use a lot of filler words and sentences. I am not interested in why the Vet didn't tell me options, how many clinics she works at, or that your other clients take the meds and do them at home.. especially after I already clearly stated I was not going to do that AND all while she continuously spoke over me. The right thing to do would have been communicating pricing without completion and the medication option FIRST, but since they didn't do that, it would've been fair to refund me at least half of the 30 and whatever cents back (although they did less than half of the service) They are extremely unprofessional and they have you sign something to be recorded during the visit which is a red flag indicator they have clearly had issues before. We will never be returning to this Vet and I would not recommend them to anyone in the area. Other than the nails, the lack of communication, the attitudes (minus the front desk lady), and unprofessionalism are more than enough to steer anyone else away.

worst place ever and worst service ever I can't even believe…read moreI am even putting any stars rude and they do not actually "care" about the animals I would never send my pet here.

My dog, Julep, was very reactive on the leash and would get extremely overwhelmed with meeting new…read morepeople and hearing loud noises. After working with Kassondra for four weeks, Julep has shown tremendous improvement on her walks and has gotten more comfortable with meeting new people and dealing with loud/scary noises. During our training, Kassondra was extremely patient with Julep, who often takes a while to warm up to people. Kassondra was also very patient with me as I was learning the proper ways to handle Julep on a leash. In the past, I had dealt with trainers who were not as patient, so working with Kassondra was a breath of fresh air. After each lesson, Kassondra would send a write-up with homework, which was a great way to get an outline of our session and what I needed to work on in between trainings. Kassondra also helped us work through some of Julep's separation anxiety issues and gave us some great resources to use on addressing this anxiety. Kassondra is extremely knowledgeable on dog training and how to handle reactive dogs with high anxiety and fear of new people. When looking for a trainer I talked to several local businesses/trainers, but after speaking with Kassondra I knew she was the pawfect match and would give Julep the support she needed! I wish I had found her sooner!! If you are looking for a dog trainer, I highly recommend contacting Kassondra as she has plenty of programs that can fit your dog's needs!

Had Kassondra come to train my new Golden Retriever puppy as a first time dog owner. On top of…read moregiving me great guidelines for where to start and how to go about teaching a new puppy in general, she made herself available for questions and concerns about generic puppy care and things to expect. Couldn't recommend her for new pup training, and am looking forward to following up with her for more advanced training as my girl gets older!

We sent our pit bull, Ollie, there and we are happy to report that he is now the best boy. We…read morerescued him from the shelter in 2018 and we quickly saw that we had some work to do. He pulled on the leash, barked at the door, and had bouts of aggression when he didn't get his way. I felt uneasy having guests over because I felt like I had no control over my dog. Basically, my dog owned me.. not vis versa. He did ~2 weeks of the board and train program at SMS Raleigh and even though we were nervous to send him away (it felt like forever!), we loved getting bi-weekly updates from his trainer and seeing his progress. Training Ollie will always be a work in progress but the biggest different we have seen is that HE LISTENS! Hallelujah. My friends come over and say they see a huge difference in him - he's calm, sweet, and charming. He is still a dog.. he does bark at the mailman, and sometimes pulls on the leash, but if we correct him, he is happy to obey. I also love the fact that we have free access to the group classes 2x a week and have the opportunity to continue training him. Overall, we are very happy with his progress and we are dedicated to continue training him with the SMS methods.

The training is nothing short of amazing. You and your dog will be happy with the results…read more No one was more apprehensive about going to an e-collar for my dog's training than I. Colby the owner explained it best to me when he said "It's not about punishment, it's about attention and boundaries. Dogs want to please their owners, so once you have their attention their instinct takes over and training becomes easier. The strides and response to this training are remarkable. So pleased with the results so far. I am happy and more importantly my dog is happy. We have only had 3 private whole day training sessions, and tonight we will attend our first group training. Looking forward to this as it can only help build on the foundation established in the private 3 lessons. The training is not inexpensive, however it cheaper than replacing carpet not to mention several pairs of shoes, baseboards ETC. I recommend sitting down with Colby or any of the other trainers and let them explain why this works. You won't have any regrets. Rick W

So first there should be an option for ten star because Reaba deserves that. This was by and far…read morethe most amazing experience my dog Smokey and I have had. First, this happened to fall the weekend of Hurricane Michael when everyone lost power including Reaba. It was very last minute as my trip plans changed and I had to leave earlier than expected and could not reach the place originally scheduled for my dog. I quickly search engines somewhere and Reaba popped up and I called explained my situation and though slightly off her normal stipulations she agreed to help me. Of course none of us expected the storm at this point as it was Thursday. We left, and I am always super apprehensive leaving Smokey bc he was a rescue and I always worry he thinks I am abandoning him. Well storm hits and sure enough Reaba lost power the entire time I was gone as did everyone here in Saxapahaw. When we returned Sunday we weren't sure what we would return to at our house so Reaba was gracious enough to offer if we needed to pick him up the next day that was fine. Fortunately we did not. We picked up Smoky and I was expecting the usual, my dog to be anxiously waiting for me jumping up to see me , jumping in my car, jumping and running. What I got was similar to a mopey child being picked up by mom to early I seriously could not believe it. My dog did not want to leave!! My dog came home with more manners, quieter, more well trained than I sent him!!! I am still in disbelief!!! I cannot reccommend NO BARKING BACK enough!!!! Honestly!!! I feel like my dog has made friends with Rebea's kids and can't wait to visit again! Even if you live in G'boro or Mebane it's worth the distance for the complete TLC your dog will get from Reaba will give to your furry family member -kerri D

From the owner: Our specialty is personalization! Our mission is to train no more than one or two dogs at a time,…read moreto ensure your pet is treated like it's at home!

I contacted Janet last month to help my mom with leash training for her dog. My mom's dog, Chloe is…read morea sweetheart but had recently pulled my mom so hard while walking that she fell. My mom is 78 so I was extremely concerned about this. I was referred to Janet by a friend. I called Janet and discussed the situation with her and was pleasantly surprised at how fast she scheduled an appointment with my mom. Janet was very professional, compassionate and most of all EFFECTIVE. After two sessions my mom's baby had stopped pulling. I've walked with my mom and Chloe twice since the training and Chloe hasn't been pulling and I feel so much better about my mom continuing to walk her. I highly recommend Puppy Prep by Steele!

Our experience with Janet was absolutely amazing! Our 3 year old rescue was so sweet with us at…read morehome, but had started exhibiting bad leash aggression and became very territorial (and scary) whenever someone came to the house. Janet taught us some very simple yet highly effective changes that we were able to begin immediately, and we saw such a positive change! No matter the question or issue we brought up, she had a suggested answer or solution. Unlike several other trainers or companies we considered, Janet didn't require tons of time or a huge investment, which was so appreciated. She's truly passionate about what she does, and that shows in every aspect of her training and communication, and has translated so well into the betterment of our lives with our pup! You won't regret working with her!