We love the dog spot! We adopted a rescue dog with seperation anxiety so found ourselves…read moreunexpectedly looking for doggy daycare. The team here is so supportive and understanding and have been great working with our new pup. It is great that they keep the play groups small and allow the dogs to have rest time during the day. He absolutely loves going to daycare and runs in happy everyday. Love the report cards and pictures they provide as well!

Everything is great. The staff really love the pups! Always eager to interact with my pup.read more

Lisa was so great! We have a wild pup and i was very impressed with how well she was able to get…read moreour dog to listen and learn new tricks. We learned so much from her!

We can't say enough great things about Lise! She was very thorough and so knowledgeable. She made…read moreour training sessions fun and easy. Our boy is a rescue and he has a lot of anxiety. She was very patient with him and he enjoyed his time with her. Thank you so much Lise! We now have the tools we need to make sure Jax has a wonderful life ahead of him.

Mary Crawford and her team are the best of the best. From evaluation through completion of our…read moretraining series, I have been blown away by the care and service provided by this team. Mary knows dogs better than anyone, and her ability to understand and troubleshoot the dog-human relationship is remarkable. She works with her whole team (including Kimberlee who provided extremely helpful guidance and emotional support from day one!) to troubleshoot difficult issues and develop creative solutions. My pup's training plan felt extremely customized, and we also felt (and continue to feel) super supported by the team. Training with Crawford Canine Connection is worth its value x10. I would recommend Mary to anyone and everyone struggling with their pup. She has changed our lives!

We rescued a Great Dane mix who was a street dog in Mexico. She was very frustrated on a leash. She…read moreis very social and wants to meet all the dogs she sees but she's big and looks aggressive when she sees a dog on a leash. Mary was referred to us by our vet. We had an amazing experience with her. She taught us how to help Annabel not practice her leash frustration. With consistent practice, Annabel's progress was significant and it has made our lives with her so much more enjoyable. We have even taken her camping with a campsite full of dogs and she done so well. I am so proud of her and so grateful for Mary. She is the true dog whisperer!

McKenzie was the groomer. She showed up right on time. Our 45 pound female corgi got a full spa…read moretreatment, i.e., bath, blow dry, haircut and nails. She did an excellent job. We are very satisfied. We booked another appointment for next month. Highly recommend McKenzie.

We did six 1 hour training classes with David. He was great with our dog, Sophie. You can tell he…read morereally cares about the dogs and knows what he is talking about. We have seen great progress with our dog after working with David. I highly recommend him!

Shawna is Amazing. We have friends that have used her and loved her so when we found the puppy we…read morewanted to train as my service animal as a disabled vet we met with Shawna. First, we started with puppy classes for basic manners. After that, we switched to service Dog Training. The video with the light switch is at her facility. The second video is at our house. For the service Dog Training we train at both locations. It is nice that she comes to our house once a week rather than us having to travel to her location only. Highly recommend. Nala turns 1 year old tomorrow and is doing so good.

I would highly recommend Shawna to any puppy or adult dog owners! For the first 7 months of having…read moreour first puppy, I read and watched fair amount of dog training books and videos, thought I had my pandemic puppy well trained and don't need a trainer. I was wrong! Those only sustained me through the first 6 months. When the puppy transitions into its adolescent phase, I encountered many challenges that I did not observe before and would like to address. I needed affirmation and correct ways to train immediately. Shawna was professional, prompt, and very pleasant to work with. She recommended the best approach (social walk club) and guided me through most economical way to continue my adolescent puppy's training. The program is so worth it with many customized tips and tricks. My puppy is so happy to be on the weekly social walk club program. Love his new friends and Shawna! I can see his steady improvements over just 4 visits!

Steve and his team of trainers at Nitro K9 are the real deal. Both our young dogs have benefited…read morefrom Nitro's level 1 and 2 classes, and so it's very easy to recommend Nitro if you're looking for a trainer. It is worth acknowledging that Nitro makes use of prong and e-collars in their training method, and if you have concerns about these tools, I am happy to report there's nothing to be concerned about. I have witnessed my dog gaze up lovingly and with attention at Steve while under his guidance on a prong collar; you could feel the genuine connection between trainer and dog. This kind of experience was enough for me to put any concerns I had aside and welcome the training. It's also worth noting that Steve himself can be a bit of a personality, unafraid to speak his mind and get into a range of discussion topics. Underneath the personality is a genuine human, who wants nothing more than for dogs to receive the training that will most help them get along inside the home and the world. Thanks, Steve and Nitro K9 for your help with our dogs!

After suddenly losing one of our dogs in October 2025, our 10 yo Doberman was so heartbroken. He…read morebecame critically ill, resulting in over $5,000 in emergency vet bills and little improvement. We swore to no more dogs but then we saw Mia, a 9-month-old, Doberman puppy found on the street in LA by animal control. Her leg was degloved, necrotic and filled with maggots. She was intercepted by a rehab, received amputation and much needed medical attention. We followed her story for a couple months, hoping she would find a home, but she didn't. Somehow, we caved, did the unthinkable and flew to Los Angeles, scooping her up and driving her back to Washington in a rental car mid-winter. She was terrified, ferrell and full of dominant "spicy" energy so we booked an appointment with one of the top positive-treat-based trainers with reactive-dog expertise in the state, to help us introduce our dogs upon return and it was a disaster. Our senior exploded in pure terror, barking and lunging. She tossed treats; they ignored her. Twenty minutes in she shrugged, said she had "no magic wand," sent us home and refunded half our session. 2 days later she emailed us suggesting we rehome Mia to a foster "for our safety" which felt like a slap in the face. The very next day we thoroughly researched every trainer in Washington, and Nitro K-9 stood head and shoulders above the rest. I emailed Steve and he called back within minutes with genuine understanding, zero judgment, got us in within days and made our 2-hour commute in separate cars well worth it. In the first ten minutes Steve had both dogs calmly obeying, walking together on leash, and listening! He instantly saw what the other trainer missed: our senior was fear-reactive, meaning he was scared. Steve and North have taught us clear communication and connection with our dogs. They've taught us how to properly command quick correction and full attention using high-quality prong collars, like a mother dog's natural nips. No pain, no fear, no endless treats or bribes, just genuine praise, affection, and connection, the way real bonds and parenting work. He showed us how to step into calm leadership so our dogs could relax, trust, and stop carrying the burden themselves. He stayed by our side through every panicked text, every "what now?" and our dog's transformation is nothing short of miraculous. Mia is happy, confident and loves her big brother now. Our senior knows his role and is playing with her like a puppy again. They love each other and actually enjoy being together! If you're a reactive, rescue, fearful or high-drive dog parent, have been let down by "treat-motivated training" and have avoided prong collars because of the myths, you have been misinformed like we were. Don't give up, stop scrolling and call Nitro, I promise you won't regret it! IWe are forever grateful!

My wife and I have been training our puppy with Kim since November. Our dogs name is Redford and he…read moreis currently a 6 month old Goldendoodle. We were really excited to get our first puppy but we did not realize all the headaches that were to come. A month or so in, I was at Pet Pros in Lake Stevens buying a muzzle for my puppy because he would not stop biting my wife. The clerk suggested that rather than use the muzzle begin working with a trainer. She handed me Kim's card. Kim has been a great trainer. The constant nipping has become a thing of the past. Redford knows over a dozen commands. Whether he listens or not is something we are still working on :-), but he is only 6 months old. Incredible! Additionally, my favorite thing about Lake Stevens K9 Academy LLC is that I am able to board my puppy with Kim. Redford loves his "playdates". So it gives me peace of mind when I'm away from him because I know he is in a place he loves and that he's in great hands. Thanks Kim! Nathaniel and Brittany Van Duine

We have been working with Kim at Lake Stevens K9 Academy since 2021. We enrolled our energetic…read moreBelgian Tervuren in a few puppy classes and he eventually completed his Canine Good Citizen test. It was a great way for him to be socialized and learn good manners. The classes were very low key and practical. We have continued to work with Kim and her team with dog boarding during our vacations and occasionally home drop ins when we have to work long hours. There's no one else we trust more! They always have great attention to detail and treat our dogs like family. We also have an elderly German Shepherd with reactivity and she does great with Kim as well. Highly recommend!