5 stars all around!…read more We just finished Puppy Manners (~positive enforcement training for puppies under 5 months of age) class with our Mini Goldendoodle Winnie and had such a positive experience that we've already signed up for the next level, Basic Manners (~puppies over 5 months of age) classes. Lee-Ann is our trainer and she was very sweet and thorough, and was able to answer all of our questions and concerns. We also plan to go up to Manners Level II and Advanced Manners courses as well. You also have playtime after Puppy Manners to enhance your pup's socialization skills! Classes are in a small group setting (up to 4 dogs) so each puppy receives individualized attention in addition to the opportunity to learn in a distracting environment. We attended the classes at PetValu in Fairfax and had classes both inside and outside of the store which provided different environments for Winnie to train in. It was not only a learning experience for our pup, but for us as well since we learned ways to positively train and reward her. They also offer private in-home training classes. If you're in the area, I would highly recommend Rudy's Friends for your pup!

Beau and I are so thankful for the Puppy Manners class we took at Loyal Companion in Vienna, VA…read more Our trainers (Janice and Anne) were very responsive, and I appreciated their positive reinforcement approach to training. I see such an improvement in Beau's confidence and our bond is stronger since starting the class! This is the best value for price I've found in the area, and I've already signed up for the next level up (Basic Manners Made Easy). Thank you Rudy's Friends!

When I first reached out to Tommy, I was in a pretty dark place with my 3-year-old English Bulldog…read more His behavior had taken a serious turn--aggression, constant overstimulation, and a total breakdown in how we communicated. I was heartbroken and honestly starting to feel like I'd failed him. What Tommy brought into our home was a complete shift in perspective. He didn't just train the dogs--he taught us how to create structure, set clear expectations, and restore calm. After just the first session, our house felt noticeably different. The tension was gone, the barking and toy-fighting stopped, and even our older dogs--who had been keeping their distance--seemed relieved. What really makes Tommy stand out is the continued support. He's incredibly responsive, provides real tools and a step-by-step plan, and genuinely checks in on your progress. The Lifetime Guarantee is a huge comfort--knowing we have ongoing access to help if new issues arise takes so much pressure off. We're still working through things, but the difference already feels like night and day. I can't recommend Tommy highly enough--he gave us back peace and hope.

We adopted our good boy Buddie from a shelter in December. A sweet boy, but years in a shelter…read more(five!) has made him somewhat a sensitive pup prone to barking to loud noises and strangers approaching. Passing cars on walks yielded barking and lunging, doorbells ringing, more barking. We tried some "do-it-yourself" online things with zero success, and realized actual one-on-one training was the only option. Enter Tommy from Bark-Busters. His initial three-hour in-home training course was amazingly effective, so much so the change in Buddie was almost night and day to us. Upon meeting Buddie for the first time, Tommy immediately knew the kind of sensitive dog Buddie was and tailored his training to suit. His techniques were easy to understand and master and can be practiced anytime we're with Buddie. No more barking when the doorbell rings, or when a car passes, or a stranger approaches. Buddie's a lot calmer now which is more in keeping with his overall sweet nature. Highest recommendation!

I am very late in writing this review, but I wanted to share how meaningful my experience was. I…read moreenrolled my puppy, a red standard poodle, in her classes, and very quickly realized she was exactly the kind of trainer I had been searching for. She is clearly knowledgeable and skilled, but what truly sets her apart is her holistic approach and genuine care for animals. She treats every dog as an individual and tailors her training to meet each one's specific needs. That same thoughtful approach extends to her human clients. During this time, I was dealing with significant health challenges and was not able to attend every class. She kindly offered makeup sessions, which I deeply appreciated. When she learned that my absences were due to my health, she checked in on me personally and even asked if it was okay to call me at home to see how I was doing. Her compassion meant more to me than I can easily express. She showed more care and concern than many people I have known for decades. Anyone looking for a dog trainer should go to her, not only for her expertise, but because she is genuinely kind, attentive, and deeply invested in both her clients and their dogs.

I took Hazelnut here when she was a pup. She's now an AKC Grand Champion and I am back with he…read moredaughter. Bringing her pup feels like full circle, which says everything about my experience. April is knowledgeable, patient, and incredibly effective at tailoring guidance to each dog's temperament and each handler's skill level. I especially appreciate how she focuses not just on obedience, but on building confidence, socialization, and a strong relationship. Seeing the progress from one generation to the next has been really special, and I wouldn't trust anyone else with those critical early training foundations.

Jennifer is a godsend! We went to another trainer and he made us feel like we were at a lost cause…read morewith our Goldendoodle, Winnie, who began developing aggressive and reactive behaviors over a span of a year. Through our initial consultation, Jennifer provided a positive, reinforcing way to assist us with training utilizing science, animal and human behaviorism with tons of analogies in between! She has a warm personality and I felt at ease with her. She really loves and understands dogs, and was very open minded! We decided to add another puppy to our family and setup another private training session with her after we realized that Winnie was having trouble adjusting to our Sheepadoodle, Linus. Jennifer helped us reading their body language and put them into situations where they would understand and respect each other. We also received homework which we worked on diligently, and now they're literally best friends! I was only hoping to have them co-exist with each other, but I'm so happy that they're getting along. I would highly recommend Jennifer and her team at Lead With Fun, as they really do understand dogs! They also have a variety of different classes as well outside of private training.

We've had Jen work with both of our dogs, with excellent results…read more Our lab mix, Cthulhu, was leash aggressive with absolutely horrific social skills and Jen help show us what was stressing our dog out and how to work with our dog. We now have a dog that is much nicer on the leash and is able to play nice with other dogs. Three years later, we fostered another dog named Ellie. Ellie had no manners and we wanted to adopt her, but we needed to make sure that she got along with Cthulhu. We used Jen again to identify the issues and sources of apprehension between both dogs. Both dogs get along well now. We also have Ellie enrolled in Jens obedience class and Ellie is responding very well. The training techniques that Jen uses make it very easy to understand how to train your dog.

Kelia was the most amazing trainer for me and my dog. He was an anxious, dog reactive guy, and it…read moreaffected every part of how and when we interacted with the world. Since he's worked with her over the five-week training period, he's made a complete 180. Now we're able to walk around the city and not have him bark at every dog we see on the street. I want to point out that because my dog is innately anxious, it affects his physical state too with eating and other issues. Kelia shared that she used to be a vet tech and made me feel the most comfortable and confident with helping me set up a plan for when he might have an episode due to the transition and what all would take place to ensure he would be okay, loved, and healthy. Long story short, she cared for him for the days he was struggling, kept me updated, and he came out of it because she was purposeful, knowledgeable, and more than capable to handle the situation. I can't recommend Kelia enough for anyone seeking support and/or confidence in how they can better work with, love, and respect their dog. Bonus, she's genuinely such a joy of a human being!

Our family highly recommends Controlled K9! We adopted our boy Mortimer last year after he had been…read moreliving as a stray, and we were really struggling when he came home with basic manners, reactivity, and having him settle in with our other dog. We ended up sending both of our boys for a six-week board and train with Kelia. It seemed to only make sense to send both dogs so they would have the same baseline training. Kelia was amazing! She kept us informed just about every day with videos and texts so we could see that the boys were happy and making progress. When Kelia brought the boys home, she spent a few hours with us, showing all the commands and techniques that she taught them, so we had a seamless transition. The "place" command alone has been lifechanging. (Although as you can see in the picture, they sometimes refuse to use separate mats, LOL.) We use the command before we feed them, initially when guests come by, and when we just need them to settle down a bit. It has reduced the stress and chaos in our house tenfold, and we actually can see the boys relax when they know they have a place to go and chill out. Kelia also gave us the tools to make leash walking and general obedience so much more successful. There are a lot of options out there for training. What set Controlled K9 apart for us was (1) our boys lived with Kelia, her family, and her dogs during training - they were not staying in a kennel and were in a real-life, loving environment, and (2) the promise of lifetime, free follow-up support. The boys have been home now for about 3 months. The training has stuck, and we feel like we really have the tools we need to make life pleasant for all of us, including the boys. Kelia has also proactively checked in to make sure things are going well, provided tips on the best way to reinforce training, and has responded quickly when we have follow-up questions, including offering a visit. Over three months later, we are still completely satisfied with the training and support provided by Controlled K9 and Kelia, and we would use them again in a heartbeat.

We had a great experience at Vienna Pet Spaw for our golden retriever! We moved to Northern VA from…read moreDC recently and took some time to find a groomer we could really trust to do a breed standard golden trim, be gentle with nail trims, and take excellent care of our boy. Scheduling was a breeze and the front desk staff I communicated with were kind, responsive, and attentive to the type of groom we wanted for our golden. Katie, who has 2 goldens of her own, did an excellent job with our boy. I could tell he had a great time with her because of how happy he was with her (returning to get more pets!) when we picked him up. When you're inside the Pet Spaw you can tell that all the groomers are expert and provide loving attention to your pup. It's special to have this great small business in our area.

Love Vienna Pet Spaw and their kind, patient staff. My dog loves coming here, especially for the…read moretreats and the cute bandannas. I truly appreciate their 5 minute drop off zone in this busy section of Vienna.

Please please do not trust Dr. Elizabeth Adkins with your pet's eyes. My sister and I had been…read moretaking our pup to Dr. Adkins for a few years for dry eye disease...but I'd never met her face to face. When our dog got diagnosed with diabetes I took him in since I was worried about the potential eyesight loss that comes from that and she basically told me in very similar words: "if the diabetes doesn't get him the dry eye disease will". And left it at that, with the expectation that our 2 minute conversation would suffice. When I pressed with questions, I also learned that she had in her clinician notes that our dog had been basically blind in the left eye for last 3 years but had never told us that. We were only told over the years that he had "scarring" in left eye but never informed that meant he could not see at all. And one of the worst things, she was happy to tell us she can fit us in for pre-op whenever our dog does get cataracts (due to the diabetes). BUT never told us she doesn't actually do the surgery herself, or at hope center. So even if your pet did need emergency surgery, while hope center can do the pre-op, they will not be doing the eye surgery. It was very misleading the way she told me that and I only learned later that she doesn't even do the surgeries. I was heartbroken at seeing a doctor behave with such little empathy. Please avoid this doctor if you can, there are other local opthamologists that actually care about your pet that you should go to instead.

I brought my Bichon Frise into Hope Advanced Veterinary Center around 7:15 pm on May 23, 2026. He…read morehad vomited, had heavy rope drool, and was panting when I found him upon my return home. Dr. Pugh diagnosed that he had experienced a toxic reaction and suggested I hospitalize him overnight for observation. I was given an opportunity to say good night to him around 8:30 pm and I was happy to see him sitting in the cage looking good. Dr Pugh called around 11:30 pm to tell me that Ollie was doing well. He had a good poop and pee-peed but he had not eaten or drank water. The overnight Vet would call me after 8:00 am on May 24, 2026 to give me a follow up. Around 7:15 am, Dr Mason called, happy that I was up to tell me Ollie had a turn for the worst. She disagreed with the toxic reaction diagnoses saying she believed he had a brain tumor. She said he was circling to the left and hitting his head on the side of the cage. She also said he could not stand. The only way to know for sure if it was a brain tumor was to do and MRI, but that specialty was closed until Tuesday (Monday was Memorial Day) and she didn't believe she could keep him alive until Tuesday. She reminded me that some tumors are inoperable. Dr. Mason asked me to approve x-rays to see what might be going on, which I did. She recommended that I euthanize him. She asked that I come into the Center soonest so they could set up a time for me to say good bye. While in the exam room to say goodbye, Dr. Mason showed me an x-ray on her smart phone that showed a large mass in his abdomen. She opined that it had metastasized to his brain. After considerable thought, I believe Dr. Pugh's diagnosis was the correct diagnosis. Had I taken Ollie home at 8:30 pm I believe Ollie would have been fine but would have succumbed to the mass in his abdomen in the months ahead. Ollie was hitting his head on the cage because he was trying to get out. He was never caged. I don't believe that vomiting, rope drool, and panting, which I witnessed and rushed him to Hope for, are associated with brain tumors. On June 16, 2026, I attempted to take the survey Hope had sent me on May 29, 2026 only to discover it had expired.

Brandi and Perry did an awesome job training our 10-month-old mini bernedoodle. She is a pleasure…read moreto be around now. The e-collar training is absolutely life-changing. I wish I had done this sooner- it would have saved me from a lot of stress and aggravation. Communication with Brandi was awesome. She was always quick to respond and gave us updates with pictures everyday. It's definitely a worthwhile investment to have an exceptional companion for the next 15+ years!

I can't say enough good things about Brandi and Perry Bailey of RSK9. Their work has given my pup…read moreand I so much freedom and balance. Pebbles (blue heeler, 1.5 years old) would never listen to me, would not sit or lay still, and had a lot of other obedience issues that caused her to be stressed or confused. She was a TOUGH dog to train and I was concerned I couldn't find the solution for her to get basic concepts. This view has completely changed since working with RSK9's 3 week program. I would HIGHLY recommend them and their methods - you can tell they genuinely love working with dogs and it's made a huge difference in giving my dog the chance to find real rest at home. They send DAILY updates with photos and videos which was so nice. This isn't a regular class or something you just pay for; it's truly an investment that you and your dog will be using for the time you get to share together. Side note: it's worth doing 3 weeks versus 2 weeks. At the 2 week mark is when Pebbles really started to understand her marks and cues. From here there is so much more that can be refined and Brandi/Perry really capitalize on that threshold being crossed!