We adopted a three year old rescue dog in 2012 that had some aggression issues and seizures. After attempting to get her aggression under control with 4 trainers in our local area, some even claiming to specialize in aggressive dogs, we found Tory and Stone Hollow. If we had only gone here first, it would have saved us and our poor dog months of frustration with each other. Our dog completed her first stay later that month, and received the kind of training and socialization that she'd been missing her whole life. When we went to pick her up after her first training session (and be trained a bit ourselves ;) - Tory showed us a video of her playing outside with pack of other dogs. We couldn't believe it, from a dog that would literally attack the TV when a dog food commercial was on, to playing amongst other dogs - all within a few weeks of the first visit to Stone Hallow. There was still plenty of work to do, but at least we could see there was light at the end of the tunnel. Now, 3 years later, our once aggressive golden has been boarded at Stone Hollow numerous times. Every time we take her, she's so excited that she jumps out of the car and goes running for the door. When we pick her up, we can tell she's been well taken care of and always get an update from Tory or Abby on how she did. We've called and emailed while she was boarded and always received a prompt answer, with a cheerful response. The boarding areas are clean and well kept, and our dog is always happy and healthy when we pick her up. During one of her stays, right after we had changed her seizure medication someone had noticed that she had a seizure, and that there was something different about it. We were out of the country, but Stone Hollow immediately got in touch with our emergency contact and it was decided that she'd be picked up and checked out. Turns out, that sharp eye quite possibly saved her life as she had another major seizure on the way to the emergency vet. What was more amazing still, is we heard from Stone Hollow multiple times in the following weeks asking how she was doing - they were legitimately concerned about her much more so than even her normal vet. We highly recommend Stone Hollow for training and boarding alike. It is quite a drive from our home, but worth it for how well they take care of our dog. read more

Stone Hollow Dog training is a fantastic facility. We were referred to Tory in 2010 by a friend of my sister. We had gotten a puppy from the shelter and although she was very young when we adopted her, she had a lot of behavioral issues. Having grown up around dogs all my life and having adopted shelter dogs in the past, I chalked up her behaviors (chewing, nipping, growling) to "puppy stuff." As she got a little older, it became apparent that it was much more than that. Her chewing and nipping turned into destructive behavior and BITING (and drawing blood). At the time, our girls were elementary school age and we were obviously very concerned about having a dog of that nature around them. At this point however, our dog, Bella was about 8 months old and, despite her behavior issues we were all very attached to her. After taking her to multiple places for "obedience training" with no results, my sister mentioned that she had friends that took their dog Stone Hollow in Cascade. Although we live in Cedar Rapids, we thought it was worth making the trips back and forth and we would give this one last try - if Tory couldn't make some changes in her behavior, we were going to have to take drastic measures. We met with Tory and we agreed to leave Bella at his facility for a few weeks. We would visit, and we got updates via phone and email. Tory had tremendous patience and worked miracles with our girl. He also worked with our whole family on what we needed to do to help Bella be the best dog she could be. It was an absolutely remarkable change in her behavior. She is now about 5 and a half and is a wonderful part of our family. At this point, even though we live in Cedar Rapids and have plenty of local places to choose from, we still take Bella to Stone Hollow when we need to board her. It is a fantastic facility where we feel she gets the best care. read more

For a long time I had been thinking about the possibility of a therapy dog in our school, as I am a middle school teacher, and what a positive impact that one might have on our students. I contacted Tory to get some insight as to how to begin to find a potential dog suitable for that kind of work. I had worked with Tory in the past in training our other dog, so I value Tory's opinion tremendously. He called back and said that one of his own dogs, which he had trained since he was a puppy, would be a great fit for a school environment. To make a long story short, we brought "Willie" to our home and he is just a fantastic dog and a great addition to our family. His training was superior - he flew through the "AKC - K9 Good Citizen" test and shortly thereafter we tested for therapy dog certification. Willie is now a valued "staff member." He brings a calming presence to our classrooms and our hallways, and our students just adore him. Willie's exceptional training and temperament has allowed us to utilize him in a number of ways here at school from de-escalating student anxiety, to students reading to him, to rewarding students, just to name a few. In my research, one of the most important characteristics of a therapy dog is predictability. Predictability comes from extraordinary, and in my opinion, incomparable training. Thank you Tory for making it possible for us to bring Willie to our building - he makes a big difference in the lives of our students and staff. read more

I have taken Charlie my Rhodesian Ridgeback to Stone Hollow a few times now. I travel almost an hour just to bring him there knowing that he is well taken care of. He loves to go there and Abby is great to work with!! Charlie has also been trained through Tory's Residency Training. Having a 90lb puppy it was the best thing we could have ever done. Ridgebacks have a high prey drive but even off leash deer can pass right in front of us and with a few voice commands I can call Charlie back and he will sit by my side and we will just watch them. Of course he is still just a puppy so sometimes we have to work on the basics with the skills Tory taught us. I highly recommend Stone Hollow for boarding as well as training. Tory does a phenomenal job. read more

Tory and Abby do a great job of boarding and training. Tory is very educated and would never even dream of treating a dog in such a way. Tory and Abby have been absent or left early from family events to attend to the dogs at Stone Hollow. Stone Hollow is a large priority in their life and their whole family cares about each and every animal that prances through the door. Their facility is state of the art, especially compared to any other location in the area--because they care about the dogs and the families that send them there. They offer nothing but the best care. I would recommend (and have recommended) Stone Hollow to anyone looking to board or train their dog. read more

StoneHollow Dog Training is the ONLY place we will ever board our dogs. Tory & Abby are the BEST! When we rescued Ilsa, she needed lots of behavior training, and with a lot of patience, Tory was able to work with us and help her adjust. Abby is one of the MOST compassionate dog trainers I know! Both Tory & Abby are amazing. We have been using them since before they opened with dog training. They have a state of the art facility, and I wouldn't trust my fur babies any place else. Tory & Abby are not only our dog trainers/boarding home, but we also consider them to be family. No one compares. Staci Fritz Monticello, Iowa read more

We don't travel much or kennel very often for we have a food aggressive/over protective dog. They were hesitant in taking her when we shared this information and we let them know that if they needed to muzzle or give her something for her anxiety we were okay with it. They said they'd give her a try. They went above and beyond in making our girl Remmi comfortable and feel like she was at home (including giving her a bath). They had NO problems with her so we know she feels comfortable and that of course makes us feel comfortable. HIGHLY recommend! read more

We took our Golden Retriever to Tory last winter and they did an amazing job with him. we did the 2 week program and I wouldn't take our dogs anywhere else. The staff was great every step of the way and walked us through the whole process. Tory was awesome in the follow up classes and made it very easy to understand. We were able to establish a great relationship with them and that made us very comfortable when we utilized their boarding services. We recommend them to everyone and we will be back! read more

This is a state-of-the-art, family-run facility. The owners are great and my incredibly hyper pup is always exhausted from play when I pick her up. This is the only place I take her when I'm back in Iowa. They are thoughtful, accommodating people and their home is located right on the property. I cannot recommend Tory and Abby enough. read more

We had several sessions with Tory to work with our 5-year-old black lab. In just a few short sessions, he really helped us with Phillie's behavior and listening. We will definitely be going back to Tory to have Phillie in a several week class for off the leash training. Tory and Abby are wonderful people. Absolutely love them! read more

Stone Hollow is my go to boarding facility for my dogs. I started with them when they first opened the business and remain loyal to them because of the great care my dogs receive. Fortunate to have such a great place in Eastern Iowa for our canine family. read more