Yesterday, a man with two kids stopped his car just to say to me "wow, your dog is so well…read morebehaved." Then came a long litany from me of how awesome CTC is and how it's really helped improve my relationship with my dog Moose and on and on. The man in the pulled over car had watched her heal politely, then witnessed her sit calmly at an intersection until I was ready to cross. Moose is a 1.5 year old pit bull mix with little previous training (I adopted her only about 4 months ago), but a really sweet and sometimes rowdy personality. She was so much calmer after two weeks with Andrew, and really listens now. She understands around seven commands well. We work on a daily basis to reinforce what Andrew and his team taught her so we don't lose the gains, but I'm happy with the training to the point that we'll be making our way to CTC in the near future for more with their classes in agility and off leash training. We're both much happier and bonding better since her time in the board and train program at CTC. I'd recommend to anyone a trip there!

VERY BAD EXPERIENCE. DO NOT SEND YOUR DOG TO THIS PLACE…read more We signed up our dog here for the two week board and train program back in September. We dropped her there on Friday morning and tried calling them over the weekend to check on our dog as she had separation anxiety issues. The people kept transferring us to the voicemail and and didn't even mention that the person who is responsible to answer phone calls is out of office for the weekend. We tried tell the people we just want to make sure our dog is okay. We were very close to go back on Monday and take are dog back as this was very unprofessional and not the communication we wanted. Someone from their office called us back on Monday and apologized and told us that our puppy was okay. After 2 weeks when we went to pick our dog, the trainer who handed over our dog didn't know how to show us her training. Our dog did not learn anything and MOST IMPORTANTLY THEY GAVE HER BACK TO US WITH A BAD DIAREAHA AND WITH HER VOICE GONE. They didn't even give us a heads up about her condition . Andrew W. called us and we explained him everything and told him how disappointed we were. We still wanted to give this place another chance. At the time of the call Andrew seemed apologetic. Andrew asked for videos of our dog's response to the commands they taught her so that he can come up with a plan. We did as he asked and provided him with videos he requested. Its January and we never heard back from him or anyone from CTC. There hasn't been a follow up or any attempts to reach us. All I will say is that this place is BAD at COMMUNICATING, NOT RESPONSIVE, CANNOT BE TRUSTED WITH YOUR DOG. I WILL NOT RECOMMENDD THIS PLACE TO ANYONE. THEY ARE NOT RELIABLE AT ALL. Think twice before you spend over $2000 to send your dog to them.

Where would I be without Karen? I sincerely cannot imagine... I contacted Karen after my…read more2ish-year-old pit bull mix, Jasey, all of a sudden was terrified to go outside. She was always very outdoorsy, and then one day it was like something snapped. She started peeing all over the house to avoid going outside, bucking on her leash uncontrollably when I opened the front door, she even jumped out of the (parked) car window to get back inside the house. I tried everything - popular YouTube training videos, vet consults, dog anxiety medication - nothing worked. Karen was my last hope. From the first session after the consult, Jasey was already responding to Karen's methods. Nothing was immediate, but Karen never promised it would be. Karen is an excellent dog trainer, but more importantly, she genuinely cares about making sure the human understands the "why" with the "how." She equips you with the knowledge to transform your dog. She goes way beyond training for compliance - that honestly just becomes an added bonus. Karen's tactics and methods create lasting behavior change. My incredibly anxious girl is able to relax on a dime because Karen taught me how to bring her from 100 to 0. Karen's sessions are incredibly thorough. She starts by explaining one or two skills, tells you why it's important for your specific dog at this moment, how it will help them toward your goal, models it for you, and then you spend the time practicing it together. She gives you corrective feedback during the practice. You get a packet with all the same information to help you remember what to do and how until the next session. But Karen doesn't stop there. She makes herself available to you in between sessions for questions and concerns. She'll study videos of you and your dog practicing the skill and provide feedback again if needed. She's super responsive. Karen is honest, confident, and flexible. She isn't going to give you a strategy or suggestion without making sure it is feasible for you first. She knows if it doesn't work for you, you won't do it! I promise you, if you do the work you will see changes in your dog that you didn't think were possible. My dog - who a month before Karen was so terrified to be outside I thought I'd have to keep her in a constant, mild state of sedation - doesn't even flinch at loud construction sounds, advances from other dogs, or me grabbing the leash anymore. It's amazing. If you are on the fence about contacting Karen, take the chance. You won't regret it.

This review has nothing to do with Dreamy Skies training capabilities as unfortunately I never got…read morethe opportunity to work with her.   I reached out via the website and picked a time for a :15 phone consultation, I was looking for an immediate slot, but settled on the first available which was a week away. I booked and waited to be able to chat through options that were available for my pup.  As many do, I work in an office setting, I waited for the call to come in which was minutes late (3 minutes if we're looking for details, 11:48 AM) I quickly listened to Karen's message and immediately called back (within 3 minutes of the missed call). There was no answer.  Within 5 minutes I'd also sent a follow up email explaining that I was still available and eager to discuss my pet, no response. Ever.  I should note, the message noted that I'm outside of her service area. Her website advertises D.C. training opportunities, lists an address in Mount Airy, where I'm from and where my family resides, I can work remotely from anywhere and can easily be available no matter where she requested to meet.  She also advertises boarding and training packages on the website which sparked my initial interest.  My family owned and a well known local kennel in the area for more than 30 years, I love the setting of Mullinex Mill Road (which is rural) and I thought it would be a better setting for my dog's training than some other businesses located in busier settings.  Put simply: I specifically sought out this trainer for their location.   After calling late for our scheduled consultation and no follow up in spite of a follow up email and phone call(and message) from me I'm bummed.  My family has owned and operated two local small businesses. I know things can get lost, but the lack of customer service was really disappointing.

Beth came to our house initially a few years ago for a private consult to help with my…read morereactive/fearful Aussie. She was incredibly compassionate and knowledgable. Foremost she is a certified positive trainer. I was most impressed by how she looked at every detail- my dog, me, my husband. the house, neighborhood etc so she could really drill down and create a plan for us. SO much better than reading a book and trying to apply theory when just starting out. (books are good too but I like a teacher) Beth suggested we could benefit from her Reactive Dog Class and it changed our lives and that is no exaggeration. It was an hour drive and 100% worth it. Boots on the ground, in a group setting with one on one help. Not at all easy to find reactive dog classes like hers! First you have an awesome experienced trainer, her team is fantastic, a safe outdoor location where you can learn in real time the ways to help your dog (and you) feel more confident bc you have been there with Beth (Fiona and trusted helpers are great) with other dogs and owners. You get to see their improvements too. Anyway, I took the class 4 times maybe. While so many times isn't necessary I loved the structure. Don't hesitate to contact Beth.

Olivia Bainter gets the highest superlatives for kindness, caring, warmth, knowledge, and teaching…read morenot only for Skipper, our eight month old dog, but also for my wife and me. Someone well versed in Pat Miller's Positive Reinforcement Method already recommended Olivia as not only being knowledgeable, but also warm and empathetic. The person who made this recommendation was right. If you are looking for a fabulous trainer, and with whom you and your dog will have a lot of fun, Olivia at Unleashed Joy belongs at the top of your list. My wife agrees. And Skipper agrees!

Damelle's patience with my puppy (and boyfriend!) was just what we needed to bring harmony to the…read morehouse. His positive training method is a perfect fit for our young lady who came to us from the shelter with some fear of new individuals. As a teacher, I love the "caught being good" philosophy which feels natural to implement and so far has worked really well with teaching her the basics. It is clear that Damelle is passionate about dogs & knowledgeable about his field. We look forward to working with him more.

Tanzi has been working with our Boerboel puppy (look it up) for the past three or four months…read more We live in downtown Baltimore, and every walk we used to take was a great opportunity for our 75-90 lb. enthusiastic puppy to explore all smells and seek to play with all people, dogs, and bicycles that came her way. With Tanzi's help, our pup is now an expert loose-leash walker, who follows our lead going forward, backward, on quick turns, etc. Tanzi has helped us teach our girl to be much calmer indoors and out. The great thing about Tanzi is that she takes the time to explain to us not only how to train our dog on our own, but has great insights into how our everyday behavior impacts our dog, and how she (the dog) views the world. So many things we take for granted as humans going about our daily business are completely alien to dogs, and even in some cases hugely threatening. Tanzi understands how to communicate this to her clients. There are several different dog training theories and approaches, and Tanzi's positive reinforcement zero-correction/punishment approach is entirely consistent with our views on having a dog as a member of our family. Tanzi is responsive, flexible, and very professional. We have without hesitation recommended Tanzi to many of our friends and we know that our dog loves working with Tanzi.

Laurie's help with our newly adopted pup saved our lives! We brought home a 3 month old pit mix in…read moreAugust thinking we were prepared, but quickly learned we had a lot of learning to do. Our vet recommended Dog Crazy Lady and we signed up for the puppy package. Laurie was able to do the phone consult a few days later and came out to our home a week later. Her energy made a difference as soon as she walked in the door! She worked with the whole family, and made suggestions that were easy and realistic. We saw a change in our pup after each training session. She is a whole new dog because of Laurie's help! I highly recommend Dog Crazy Lady! I would give more stars if I could :)

The 4 week training program was the best $1500 I have ever spent. Harrold and Brady taught me how…read moreto communicate and handle my unruly dog, while they simultaneously boarded her for 4 weeks and gave her intensive training focused on loose leash walking, off-leash recall, being calm around people and dogs, and behaving in public. The facility is a kennel on a farm in the middle of the country. The trainers' own personal dogs are always happily wandering around. They train your dog for 2 weeks and then for the second two weeks you go there for lessons with your dog. Dog comes home after 4 weeks. (My dog was honestly a little out of control during the lessons because she was so excited to see me. I saw her true transformation once I brought her home!) This isn't a treat-based program. They use mild correction when the dog does something wrong-- and a ton of praise and affection when she does it right. It works. My dog did not respond to Petsmart style training at all. Braveheart are expert dog trainers with many years of experience and an enormous love of dogs that is evident from how they interact with the dogs. I used to have an out of control dog that I had no clue how to handle. I now have a dog that I love being around and can trust to behave in all situations. She is now a very happy, relaxed dog who understands her place in the home. The key is consistency-- you as the owner have to keep training your dog after she comes home! But Braveheart is available to answer questions and help you out with any issues, for the life of your dog. THANK YOU BRAVEHEART!!

Decided not to board with this facility after receiving this email from the owner. I had inquired…read morewith questions about the routine for dogs during long term boarding and what I could expect out of my dog's stay but received a lot of attitude in response. I would not recommend based on this alone.

Before I took my male lab to Dave, we meet him and he worked with him for a bit and then went over…read morehis plan for training him. We now have our lab with Dave and he contacts us on almost a daily basis to give us updates! He said he is a great dog and doing well. Dave is not only a great trainer, but a wonderful person who treats your dog as if it was his own! if you are looking for a trainer, Dave at Hillcrest Retrievers is who you should contact! The Haslbeck's Perry Hall, MD.

If you're looking for a more supervised daycare environment, structured play, hands-on one-on-one,…read moreor group training, I would highly recommend them. It's very clear how much the staff knows, and how deeply they care about every single dog that walks through their doors. Over the past few months, this is the fourth daycare we've tried for our dog. The first one we chose to leave. The next two either wouldn't accept her or ultimately asked her not to return. Our dog is an over 80-lb American Bully, and she truly doesn't have an aggressive bone in her body. We started daycare and boarding when she was about 8 months old. At nearly 50 lbs already, she was placed with the large dogs. In this large group play, the challenge wasn't aggression; it was that she was young, playful, and didn't always understand when another dog didn't want to engage. Two facilities told us they couldn't keep her in group play because other dogs would become reactive when she missed social cues and it wasn't safe for them or the dogs. After the second rejection, we reached out to friends and were highly encouraged to try Pet-U-Cation. We were told upfront that the training and care are exceptional, but as a small business with limited overhead and office staff, communication can sometimes require patience (which has also been our experience). Her evaluation went great. After two day-training sessions, she became a regular at daycare, and she absolutely loves it! The growth we've seen in her socialization and ability to read other dogs has been incredible. It's also reinforced the training we're doing at home and helping her overall learning and development (consistency really is key). We love that there is no more coming home from daycare with newly acquired bad habits.

I cannot say enough positive things about this place. We have been attending for classes and day…read moretraining since 2021 and the difference in my dog and in my confidence as a handler is incredible. Savannah and staff are patient and knowledgeable and I'm forever grateful for their support. I don't know where we'd be without the PUC family.