Brittany's puppy socialization class is the best! I have two little Havapoos that started the…read moreclass super timid of both dogs and strangers. By the end, they were very comfortable with all of the no-longer-strangers and all but the biggest/most energetic pups. And for the shy ones, she has a calm little space for them to get comfortable. She helped us with reading the puppies body language and getting them used to new experiences. It was awesome. I've been telling everyone I know with new puppies about STL Obedience Training and wish they offered more classes for me and my fur babies! Oh, also, Brittany is so easy to work with and kind to both the doggies and their owners.

Great experience for my puppy! It was a great start to socializing my puppy and a solid base for…read morefuture training. I like that my little Pickles was able to socialize with puppies of similar size. The trainer is very good at answering any questions you have about your pup at home. Highly recommend this trainer!

Modern K9 has helped train 2 of our dogs that foster failed. A human selective dog and another dog…read moreaggressive dog. Plus they trained my husband how to be a better handler. When other training groups failed they helped...and both dogs have lifetime training support. They work with several area rescues helping difficult dogs get the help they need to be adoptable. Cannot endorse them enough.

PROUD to be part of the Modern K9 family! They are amazing! We love them and so does our boy Drax!read more

Our adopted 60-pound pit, Hulk, was in need of some training. He loves people, but he was getting a…read morelittle too aggressive with dogs and was acting up at home (I said goodbye to a favorite pair of shoes and a couple rugs). We needed some real help, which is when we found Bob. After 2 visits with Bob, our boy calmed down tremendously, started listening to us, got better on walks, and hasn't destroyed anything. Just 2 visits!! Bob taught us how to be better dog parents and create a sense of security so that our pup knew he didn't have to fill the alpha role. We then left Hulk for a week with Bob and his dogs. While we were gone, Bob sent us videos of Hulk and he was actually socializing with the other dogs! We were really proud. He also came home even calmer, which was much appreciated after a week of being away. Bob really is great with dogs, and he knows how to work with people, too. We learned so much from him and will definitely continue to work with him. He's got an interesting approach, but it works! Don't hesitate--give him a call and try him out!

My experience with Bob echoes those of other reviewers who found his training methods excessively…read moreforceful, compulsion-focused, and unresponsive to the signals my dog was sending. Not only did I find his training style personally objectionable, it set my dog's forward progress back by desensitizing him to low-force corrections (which he has always been quite responsive to) and triggering several instances of severe dog reaction while Bob was working with us. I initially got in touch with Bob to help with my 60 lb pit bull's reactivity problem. I have invested many hours and dollars training him, and he is well-behaved and obedient with minor exceptions - dogs and door knocks being the two I wanted Bob's help with. When I called Bob, he made several assumptions about my training and interactions with my dog, almost all of which were inaccurate. He spoke over me and did not show interest in what I've done so far, choosing instead to point to mistakes he thought I was making, only for me to say "no, I've been training my dog for years, we don't do that." When he arrived, as planned, he knocked on my door, and my dog started barking. I crated my dog, opened the door for Bob, and then let my dog out of the crate when he stopped barking. My dog greeted Bob curiously, and then slowly got more excited, finally jumping on Bob. Bob's reaction was (no exaggeration!) to karate chop my dog in the neck, to which my dog immediately began reacting, growling and barking at Bob. This took my dog from curious and cautious to downright protective. Bob then told me that I had to correct my dog into stopping his reaction. I got his attention and he eventually calmed down. He then took about 10 minutes to readjust and meet Bob calmly again. While I don't want my dog jumping on visitors (and he almost never does), I am confident there are methods less forceful than a karate chop to make the change. To be clear, *Bob is the only visitor my dog has ever reacted this way with.* It's clear to me that Bob triggered the reaction and it seems he wanted credit for putting out the fire that he started. Following this, we went out for the planned walk. We went in the direction of dogs, and Bob instructed me to not allow mine to look at other dogs. When we came across a German Shepherd, I told my dog "Leave it," which he ignored. We were about 50 feet away, and Bob asked if he could take the leash, which I allowed. He loudly told my dog "Leave it!", which my dog, again, ignored. Bob then issued such a forceful correction on the prong collar that the bag holder attached to the leash broke apart. This, predictably, caused my dog to go from uncomfortable and suspicious of the other dog, to a full-blown fight-or-flight reaction (growling, barking, and pulling). Bob issued several more high-force corrections on the prong and then kicked my dog twice. Only when the German Shepherd went away did my dog stop reacting. After this, Bob told me that the "solution is an e-collar." To be clear, I have found success with balanced training methods, including corrections on a prong collar. I am not opposed to e-collars, BUT Bob then suggested that the only way to get my dog to stop reacting was to issue a shock so strong "it would get all 4 of [my dog's] feet off the ground." I have no interest in using a tool solely to inflict pain on my dog. We did this exercise with a couple more dogs, and each time, the heavy corrections triggered the initial reaction and failed to get him to stop once he was going. Bob's style is almost purely compulsion-based, and while this may elicit the desired changes in some dogs, it is rooted in a theory of training that hasn't been the norm for literal decades. It causes unnecessary pain and stress to the dog, and, crucially, is less effective than many other training styles. Bob also made several off-hand comments while we were together, including that he flipped a driver off while he was walking into my building (???) and that the way to get a dog to stop barking in its crate is to bang the top of the crate with a skillet and yell at the dog. I found his behavior strange and unprofessional. I ended up cutting our 2 hour session short and paying Bob for 1 hour of his time at his hourly rate of $195/hr.

Love, love, love this training facility. The facility is clean, spacious and filled with…read morededicated, knowledgeable staff. There's an impressive ratio of trainers to dogs and we noticed improvements in Lucy's behavior after the first 2 days. I'd like to give a special shout-out to Shannon who was Lucy's primary trainer. She was awesome. We've graduated to the weekly group lessons which are a blast. She changes up the sessions and makes them fun to keep the dogs engaged. I can hardly contain Lucy's excitement when we drive within 2 blocks of their location. This training is DEFINITELY worth the investment. It's by far the best training we've ever had -- both for the dog and us. And if you're wondering , I am NOT related to anyone at No Leash Needed and this is NOT a paid endorsement :-)

I recently moved back to the area from Texas with my 2-year-old puppy, Sophie. Since I work fully…read morein office, one of the first things I did was find a play place for her. She passed the temperament test with flying colors, so I signed up for a monthly membership and took her several days a week with no issues. Because things had gone so well, I signed her up for a week of boarding while I took a trip back to Texas to finish packing up our house. On my drive back, I called No Leash Needed, paid for her stay over the phone, and gave them an ETA for pickup so I could move quickly once I arrived -- it had already been a long day, and I still had to unload the moving truck and be up early for work. The girl who took my payment said Sophie's things would be waiting up front. When I got there, her things weren't out, and I was told she wasn't there. I explained that wasn't possible -- my family was still in Texas, and there was no one else who could have picked her up. Instead of checking, staff kept insisting she wasn't there. Eventually, someone went to look, and 15 minutes later came back out with her. I didn't think much of it at the time and went straight home since we had a busy night ahead. Once I was home and got a good look at her, I noticed several marks on the left side of her face -- chunks of fur missing and dried blood. I took pictures immediately and called No Leash Needed. The girl who answered said no one had seen anything or knew what caused it. When I said I had photos and needed to speak to a manager, she claimed both managers had already left, that she didn't know how to reach them, and that no one had their numbers. After going back and forth, she suddenly produced a number for the day manager, Savannah, and put me on hold to call her -- then hung up on me after several minutes. Since they were still open, I drove back to the facility for answers. Winter, who was working, only offered to reimburse me for that day's play and the previous night's stay. I told her I wanted the full stay reimbursed and asked again to speak with the manager she'd clearly just been on the phone with. When I still wasn't getting anywhere, I called the Rock Hill Police. No one at No Leash Needed was helpful that night. Even with police present, staff wouldn't provide manager contact info beyond names, and continued mopping floors and closing up while the officer and I stood there waiting. No one offered any real help. It was bizarre!! The next day, GM Whitney called and apologized, admitting staff had mishandled everything and lied about not being able to reach management. I told her the marks were devastating, but what upset me most was still not knowing what actually happened. She agreed and said she was disappointed in her team. I appreciated the call, but the trust was gone. Whitney was the only one who showed real concern -- everyone else seemed focused on covering themselves. She can't run the place alone, and still relies on that same staff. I hesitated to post this, but too many friends who've seen Sophie's face pushed me to warn others. Dogs are innocent, and it kills me I put her in this situation. If I had this much trouble getting answers after, I can only imagine how little help she got when it happened.

No Leash Needed on Hampton has been amazing for our two German Shorthaired Pointers, Hera and Hebe…read more They're wonderful pups with big personalities, and we only trust No Leash Needed for their boarding needs. The team always welcomes them with genuine love and care. We can tell they're well looked after--every time we pick them up, they're happy, healthy, and clearly loved. It gives us total peace of mind knowing they're in such capable hands while we're away. Thank you for treating Hera and Hebe like family--we wouldn't take them anywhere else!

PROS: They truly care about my Winnie, the cameras are a…read morereal benefit to be able check-in at any point during the day, the app is really easy to use, and coming here really helped my dog feel more comfortable and confident around other dogs and the staff helped her at her own pace. I love knowing she's being taken care of all day while I'm at work, if I end up having to stay late, I can do so guilt-free. CONS: A lot of dogs just pee inside instead of waiting for outside time, so she comes home smelling like pee. They keep mops in the play area and have a little clean-up station in reception, but she still needs something a little more intense once we get home at night. Small price to pay for her being cared for and playing with friends all day at camp.

I have used Brian twice and will definitely use him more in the future. My new job requires a lot…read moreof travel, so the idea that I can leave my little dog at home where she's comfortable (and not a kennel) and have Brian walk her throughout the day is a very comforting feeling; and he is very accommodating to requests and needs; he is responsive to messages when I'm out of town and want updates, and he's always been willing to send pics of her so I can see how she's doing. He has a great feel for dogs and makes my little girl feel very loved. Definitely worth the investment!

Brian has been walking our doggie Bruce for almost a year and he has been very dependable. He comes…read moretwice a week and will check in to see how Bruce is doing with training. We discussed with him walking Bruce for 30 minutes and Brian will walk him for a longer period of time many times. This gives Bruce more exercise while we are at work. Brian has also helped us in a pinch when we needed boarding. We highly recommend Happy Dog STL!

We had trouble with an anxious dog that would growl at my 5 year old son. Sarah met with us and…read moreassessed the situation. Then through 4 training sessions, taught me how to train my dog, which helps to ease her anxiety. She also taught me how to regularly interact with my dog to encourage good behavior and discourage bad behavior in daily life. She was very thorough in helping me teach my son how to interact with my dog as well. The wholistic, all-around approach to solving our problem was unique and customized to my situation, which I appreciate greatly! Sarah was wonderful to work with, had great communication, and continues to follow up to ensure we have achieved the results we are looking for. I highly recommend working with Sarah and the team at the Persuaded Pooch for any dog training needs!

Adorable antique shop with a kind of tea room. Food was amazing and DO NOT FORGET TO HAVE A SLICE…read moreOF HOMEMADE PIE!!!

Christy is a great trainer, and can really help you with your dog. She once sent my wife and me a…read morepicture of our (high strung, reactive) dog calmly laying on a mat with other dogs around her that blew our minds.

Christy is an excellent trainer. She adapts trainings on needs (for both the owner and the dogs).read more

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.

For several years I traveled extensively for work (weekly and 3-4 days). Until his death, my father…read morecared for my dog. When I needed to find a new care giver I was concerned since she had been at the humane society twice, so I wanted the best environment I could find for her. Williamsburg was one place recommended to me. When I visited, I felt very good about the facility and people. The facility was very clean, well organized and staffed. Everyone seemed genuinely interested in the animals under their care. My dog certainly seemed to enjoy her stays (and for a time she was there more than she was at home). She came to know the staff and was always happy to see them. The staff knew her and always treated her so nicely. She was always happy to arrive and just as happy when I came home. While I no longer travel as much, Williamsburg remains the place I trust to take care of my dog. She always seems happy to see the staff and I've been very happy with the service I have received.

I took my Great Pyrenees in for a summer trim, but the outcome was not what I requested…read more Instead of a trim, her coat was shaved very short. The cut is uneven, particularly around her face, which appears choppy and not well blended. Her paws were also not cleaned up to the standard I expected. The areas of greatest concern are her armpit and belly, which were shaved extremely close. Her skin appeared irritated afterward, and there is a small area on her belly that looks consistent with a minor nick from the blade. I spoke with management to address these concerns and am currently requesting a refund based on the result and condition of the grooming. Overall, I am not satisfied with the service provided. If you have a long-haired or double-coated breed, I recommend clearly confirming grooming expectations in advance.