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

We are so glad we called! Frank did amazing with our two year old dog. He taught us how to work…read morewith him and get him to be the best dog. We just finished our four sessions and already notice a big change. We will continue to use the information and tools he gave us. It takes time but so worth it in the end! I highly recommend them!

Working with Frank was, without a doubt, the best money we've ever spent on our golden retriever…read more We noticed clear improvements in her behavior during and after our four weeks obedience training sessions, and Frank was very patient with both our dog and us. He's very friendly, skilled with dogs, and made it all look easy! But most importantly to us, our dog absolutely loved him, and we have never seen her as happy and proud as when she would receive praise from Frank. Well worth the money, especially for at-home training, and the private lessons provide a lot of personalization we wouldn't have gotten with group training! 10/10 would recommend.

Michael and his staff were such a help. I was struggling with my beagle puppy (stubborn ) and they…read morewere super open and honest and so helpful about working with the breed and keeping his personality happy and playful while helping us grasp impulse control and boundaries in our house. They really helped us find a new "leash" on life. Thank you all so so much!

This is a difficult review to write. On one hand, I know the business has attempted to do right by…read moremy dog since she's returned home from a 10-day training experience. On the other hand, my dog has been home over 3 weeks now and has had two illnesses to contend with (kennel cough plus a "female infection" that has yet to be resolved, with two rounds of antibiotics so far and a few vet visits.) She also came home with a rash on the stomach and some type of chemical burn on her feet, but those are looking better now. While I do understand sending your dog away is kind of like sending your child to daycare where kids can potentially get sick - with all the precautions I took as part of their requirements as well as an extra vet visit before sending her for training, I sort of thought this would not be an issue, and assumed dogs would be kept away from any potentially ill dogs at the overnight animal hospital. Is my dog improved in her behavior, and does the e-collar help? Somewhat. I have learned techniques through Sit Means Sit that do help. She still pulls very hard and barks dramatically when excited about people/dogs because she's still a puppy, I guess. With more classes that will hopefully improve. Retrospectively, I would have 100% chosen a day class instead of an overnight stay - the illnesses could be contributed more to Harmony Animal Hospital, rather than Sit Means Sit, but there's no way to be certain. Secondly, because my dog isn't aggressive (in the sense of attacking people/dogs) I think I should have chosen a trainer that didn't use an e-collar (due in part to recent news, https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2020/10/06/dog-collar-petco-stops-selling-shock-collars-free-training/3636715001/). I am kicking myself for not doing more research and insisting on a place that trains without an e-collar. That's on me, not Sit Means Sit. They were upfront about e-collar use. Ultimately, I know that Sit Means Sit in Apex will have success stories. I have seen one of the trainer's dogs in action and he is very well behaved. The trainers are friendly, and the owner attempted to make our dog's health issues were heard (I have no way of knowing if any changes are being made to ensure nobody has a similar experience.)

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!

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

My little pittie mix and I had such a fun time taking classes here! We recently completed the…read more7-week foundations course with Logan. I was pleasantly surprised at how much we learned in the course. I'll admit I was a little disappointed at first since the class is a lot of lecturing, however, I see why it is set up the way it is. Even with a high energy dog, the breaks between exercises were needed. I did not realize how mentally exhausting the training can be for the dogs and owners. Apollo loved the classes, but was definitely ready for a nap when we got into the car. The first class and I think the fifth(?) are primarily lecture. The instructor informs the class of this in advance so you can plan accordingly. Due to the nature of the first class, dogs are optional. After each class they send a detailed review of the class along with homework exercises. Each week has a topic and the classes are organized well. Overall, we enjoyed this class and recommend their classes to others!

I have been taking my dog Milou to All Dogs Allowed since he was a puppy and I'm so happy I…read morediscovered it! They only use positive reinforcement methods which is really important to me, and I love how much they value the comfort and happiness of their dogs and humans. I've taken several different classes here and it's been amazing to see how much we've learned and how much I've grown as a handler. Also want to give a special shout out to our trainer Katie who has been amazing and a part of Milou's training journey since the beginning. I love it here and can't imagine bringing my pup (and future pups) anywhere else!

Love. They teach you how to train your dogs. Very personalized. Help me train my current service…read moreanimal

I recently enrolled my 14 week old puppy into Jackie's Basic and Beyond class. This review will be…read morelengthy but if you're looking to skim, the cliff notes are that Jackie harmed my dog giving her a correction in which she yelped in pain, and is now refusing to refund my money for a 6 week program I won't be utilizing for obvious reasons. I warn anyone looking for a safe class utilizing positive reinforcement against doing the same. I will start by saying multiple red flags happened and I genuinely should have just left, but didn't have time to process and my biggest regret is staying when I had a bad feeling. Before class, all materials by Jackie's state they do not allow on leash meetings between dogs. I arrived early assuming there was some protocol for waiting for class and making payments that allowed the dogs to safely enter without interacting (based on their own statements and previous training experiences, as this is the fourth dog I've owned in my adult life). To my surprise, as multiple other dogs entered, no trainers or employees made any effort to distance us to prevent on leash interactions. I ended up picking Sadie up to insure this didn't happen. To the other owners credit, all seemed to know enough to make attempts to separate their dogs to the best of their ability. But this tiny room was holding three adult sized dogs, two puppies, and all of their owners with trainers filtering in and out to get payment with no system to distance them or safely have them enter training? (Response to this concern from owner is their lobby is under renovation as if there is no other system that could have been worked out, staggered entrances, waiting in cars or parking lots, lol) Fast forward to being in the actual training, my 14 week old lab was identified as an "alligator" meaning she takes treats hard/bites hard. I don't dispute that at all, it's something we've been working on. (When I mentioned we were working on it, Jackie laughed at me saying that was like her working with her child on not playing paintball in the house???? I don't know what that means but she asked nothing of my background of going to training or what I was doing to work on this). She approached my puppy and asked if she could show me how to correct it, I said yes. (That's literally why I'm in this class, why would I say no). Imagine my surprise when she grabs my dogs head and pushed her back by her loose skin until my 14 week old puppy literally yelps in pain. I was shocked and confused, and went through the rest of the class to their credit, with no other incidents related to my dog. I will say that they brought in an adult dog who had graduated from all of their programs, and had him demonstrate some tricks. When he went to be placed on a table, and chose the wrong one (there were two tables) his owner gave him a "no" command and went towards him, and the dog flinched. That coupled with what I had just seen with my dog told me as full a story as I needed. After discussing with my partner, I reached out to the business and told them based on this incident, this training didn't align with what I wanted for my puppy. I offered to pay a pro rated amount for the class I did attend, and asked for a refund for the rest, and to part ways. In the first email response from this company about my concerns (you can view them in my google review as I attached screen shots) while yes my dog did yelp in pain, it was quieter than her bark?? This seems to be Jackie's personal measurement of dog pain based on decibels. That's the only thing I can discern. They offered for me to transfer to another trainer- the entire business is called Jackie's training?? And I was with Jackie?? In the second email they state that after reviewing the same video as the first email, magically, there is no yelping!!! What a relief that is, as in the first email, we got into what pitch level the yelping is. Amazing to see it never happened! Jackie firmly believes she had the right to hurt your dog and charge you for the pleasure.

We adopted Aiyla, a 2.5 year old seventy pound former street dog who was extremely reactive when on…read morea leash, if she saw or heard another dog while out walking she would lunge, bark and snap at the leash. Reactivity is a notoriously hard behavior to break, we had already worked with two other trainers on this problem without success and were beginning to get discouraged when we called Bark to Basics. Melissa did an excellent job explaining the root of the reactivity, made practical suggestions such as a different harness and more motivational treats and came up with a clear training plan. We signed up for four training sessions over a couple of months and did a lot of homework with Aiyla in between and she has improved greatly. Melissa met us where we were and made us feel like we could succeed, she is very calm, patient and knowledgeable about dog behavior. While reactivity was the main issue, Melissa also helped us improve basic obedience skills that have made our lives much easier. She provided clear feedback and good notes after every session and reached out to reschedule when the weather looked questionable, knowing that Aiyla hates being out in the rain. While we still have work to do, thanks to Melissa we have the foundation and skills to keep making progress.

From the owner: Bark to Basics has been changing the lives of pets and their owners since 2007! Melissa is a…read morecertified behavior consultant with the Certification Council for Pet Dog Trainers and the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants. Bark to Basics offers services ranging from basics to advanced behavior consulting for issues such as aggression, separation anxiety and fears. All training is customized to your unique needs and goals. You will learn how to communicate more effectively with your dog to help them become a better best friend!

John has been great to work with in training our black lab, Dax. He offers quick turnaround on…read morequestions, works on specific issues, and is very reassuring about issues that take a longer time to solve. Various issues that we worked on together with Dax are food aggression, recall, and Dax's behavior around other dogs.

Literally changed our truly and deeply loved furry family member from a stubborn,…read moreresource-guarding, intimidating brat into an obedient pet who is friendly, loving and eager to please. She's an incredible dog, but we would not have known that were it not for John and Barkology 101. 'Thank you' isn't enough! Lily and her grateful family.

We have used this pet sitting service 3x in the last 3 months and couldn't be happier…read more We struggled trying to find someone on short notice (the BF isn't a planner), but we were thankful to find this company. The initial interview with Nadia was informative ( our cats did not behave, but that didn't deter the service). She explained all of the services that would be provided and provided us with the magnet card for the fridge. This was to be used for scanning in and out of the house. You need to log into your account to see the time stamp in and out and the standard information of the pet care. The website is easy to navigate! Our sitter, Hannah, is awesome and she sends daily updates along with the picture of our allusive babies (they are hiders, but this last visit they finally came out to say HI!). I think Hannah was super stoked to get the rare sighting of our Tuxedo Man, as he's not fond of strangers. You could tell by email she was elated! She has crawled under beds to try to capture these two and we thank her for that! She lays out their toys so she knows if they are coming out while she's away and that's comforting to know. She also hides treats around the house to make sure they are coming out as well. On our first trip away, it was just a long weekend, but it's hard to leave your fur babies, we arrived to a clean litter box, food and water full, and the floor free from litter (cat owners know this is no easy feat). When we were gone on another vacation, the snow--apocalypse happened in Raleigh. Four Paws contacted us immediately regarding the weather. They kept us up to date about the status of the roads. Since we just have cats, we didn't want anyone to risk too much by driving, since these babies don't have to be let out and other animals may have needed that attention more., so we told them that if it was too dangerous to not risk it and just try again the next day. They continued to update us and did make it to the house safe and sound. We even told her to not stay the full time just to make sure she was safe. Hannah's emails are funny and written just as how I picture she talks. We enjoy these little tid bits as we are enjoying vacations away from the babies. I really like the services that we have received and they will be booked soon for another vacation we have planned next month!

Unreliable & Disorganized…read more We're new to the area and I needed to find a new pet sitter to cover a planned weekend trip next month. I originally reached out to Four Paws based on good reviews I saw here, but unfortunately had a very frustrating experience instead. Firstly, before being willing to discuss anything they demanded that I make an account on their website and then fill out an extremely lengthy profile. Then, a day or so later, they emailed to ask for specifics for our trip and said they'd be arranging a visit with our sitter, which I answered that same day. Then, after a lull in communication, I got another email asking for the same information I'd provided previously. I provided it again and, again, nothing happened. Finally, having wasted over a week with their cumbersome process and these communication difficulties, I emailed again to ask what was going on... only to get an email back saying their only pet sitter in this area was on maternity leave for the next month and that they couldn't help me - something that they should have know days and days earlier. Now I will have to scramble to find some other arrangements, causing a lot of needless stress and anxiety and possibly putting our plans in jeopardy. They did offer some suggestions of other pet sitters in the area to use, but to those reading this - save yourself a lot of hassle and headache and just pick someone else. UPDATE: The business has responded below by posting private emails including my email address out of context, but only the last set of emails, ignoring the fact that they seem to have lost the first set, and then accused me of lying. I deeply regret giving them any personal information in the first place and would strongly encourage others not to do so.