Testimonials
Maple (from puppy to adult)
Prior to training she was on her way to becoming highly reactive
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We can’t say enough about King K9. We left our GSD, Maple, with him while traveling for 4 weeks(and two shorter stays earlier, also while traveling) Maple has always been an anxious dog- smart, energetic, stubborn, and reactive. We are first-time dog owners and don’t always know how to set and enforce rules that help her know what to do—- and relieve her anxiety. Josh worked with maple on her reactivity, obedience and self regulation. His work with us, however, made the bigger change. We have developed a much better understanding of what type of leadership Maple needs from us to be the good dog she wants to be. Maple ADORES Joshua. Seeing how excited she was to see him after her first stay helped me feel better about leaving her for so long. Great people, very effective, totally professional. -Sarah Sargent
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Fozzy & Nash (board & train clients)
Highly reactive and insecure, would not listen and ignored owners barked viscously and incessantly at other dogs
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This testimonial is insanely long, and I apologize for it. Honestly- you can cut / paste / edit it so that it's not so long or so that it flows better- but I am not the writer that you are! I hope that this gets across how grateful we are, but it's kind of hard to put into words. Our dogs are SO important to us and such a big part of our everyday- and the changes that we have seen and experienced have honestly been life changing. Nash is SO RELAXED! When I take him places off leash he calmly walks around with me and actually looks comfortable, which we have never experienced in outdoor environments before. And he actually LISTENS to us when we tell him no, which makes US so much calmer. Fozzie, like you said, is kind of an airhead but we are learning to work with that. I really think that sometimes he just isn't paying attention and forgets to do certain things, but with little reminders he is put back on track and is eager to please. We are still on very high alert when taking him off leash since his prey drive is sky high, but we are slowly becoming more confident with him as well, and we are optimistic that with consistent work we will continue to feel more comfortable with him in those settings. Thank you again for all that you've done and for all that you do! We are amazed literally every single day that goes by that this is a reality.
Samantha |
SAMANTHA'S TESTIMONIAL:
It’s hard to know how to write this without sounding painfully cliché. We have a 4 year old terrier (Nash) that we adopted as a puppy, and a 2 year old terrier (Fozzie) that we adopted from Georgia about a year ago. Since the beginning Nash has been a painfully stubborn, alpha male, high-strung little guy. Fozzie had plenty of problems too- but none seemed as monumental as Nash’s. Over the years we had worked with multiple trainers, read articles, and had finally given up to what we figured was the inevitable- that our dog (who we love SO much!) wasn’t ever going to be the kind of dog that you could bring to farmers markets, go hiking with, or even walk around the block with without being excruciatingly embarrassed. I am not joking when I say that we would regularly duck behind cars and houses when walking him because of how loud and aggressive he would get at the site of another dog. People would frequently peek out of their own homes upon hearing him because it sounded like a dog fight. And to build on that- he had also gotten into multiple dog fights over the years, picking fights with much larger dogs than himself (he is only 11 pounds). When explaining some of our struggles to several dog trainers, one said to us ‘He’s a terrier, what did you expect?’ and when explaining to another that our goal was to be able to hike with Nash off leash we were told ‘Sorry, he will never be an off-leash dog’. So needless to say- we truly thought that there was no hope and that we were going to have to continue hiding and dodging behind cars forever. I had heard of board and train programs but could never get myself to pull the trigger for many reasons- predominantly because I didn’t believe that Nash would ever change. I cannot even begin to say how grateful I am that I got in touch with Joshua at KingK9Academy, and now I know that my biggest mistake was not contacting him a year before when I had first heard of him. I am not exaggerating when I say that our lives feel completely changed! When I first saw a video of Nash passing by other dogs and not barking, I thought it was a fluke. Then I saw a video of him walking through a farmer’s market looking calm and NOT barking at other dogs, and I still had my doubts because I figured that Nash was willing to behave for Joshua but that there was no way that he would for us. When we showed up to do a practice session to work with the dogs, we were absolutely amazed at their progress, and equally amazed that they behaved for us. I can’t say enough good things about Joshua. He was incredibly patient in the teaching process with us, answering our many questions and helping us to feel confident in the implementation of the training. One thing we would consistently talk about after our several meetings with him was that you can tell that he truly does care about his work. He not only demonstrated that he cared about the dogs, but it was evident that he felt it was important that we felt comfortable and that we understood how to be successful. It is obvious that he has years of experience, and he was able to do amazing things with both of our dogs that had very different needs. It has been a couple weeks since we have had both dogs back, and the changes are astounding. We are able to walk comfortably around the neighborhood without the fears and anxieties of seeing another dog, and what has been most surprising to us is how calm both dogs are. We didn’t realize that giving them consistent rules and boundaries would result in Nash being more relaxed, and Fozzie being more confident and no longer having terrible separation anxiety. We didn’t realize how different being in our own home would feel once the dogs understood that the word ‘No’ had real meaning (which also means that they are no longer psychotically barking at dogs that are passing by!). One of my personal favorite aspects is that we are now able to take them places off leash, and do so regularly and confidently. Establishing this new relationship has given us the freedom to do the things we’ve always wanted to be able to do with our dogs- and it has been made possible by Joshua. Thank you Joshua for empowering us to be better dog owners, and for shaping our future with our dogs. We didn’t think it was possible- but now everyday we are able to reap the benefits of his hard work.
Parker (board & train client)
Prior to training he was: displaying signs of over-compensating aggression and was inappropriately and inconveniently protective. Being part-chowchow these behaviors were not surprising but nonetheless problematic and he needed to learn better options.
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"Every time I try to write about how much I appreciate Josh's help with my dog Parker, I get emotional and dramatic because his quick response, professional advise and care for Parker's situation literally saved Parker's life. Josh is very responsive - I needed some advice in an urgent situation and he answered my inquiry very quickly and within in a week came to my home to evaluate the situation. He provided solutions and follow up coaching with phone calls which took care of the short term emergency.
Then we set up a plan to have Parker visit for a 6 week rehab. Josh spent time understanding my situation, what I needed for Parker, and came up with a plan. Now, I have a dog that doesn't bark or disturb the neighbors, I can walk in public, and I know how to help Parker make better decisions and be less reactive. Both Parker and I are so much happier and I am so very grateful to Josh for his help!!” -Nicki Belt. |
Argos (board & train client)
Prior to training he was: insecure, ignored commands, chased anything that moved, and occasionally nipped. Was starting to show signs of resource guarding his owner.
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One week after board and train: "Everything is fine! I was able to call him off a squirrel chase earlier, which was fantastic. We went to the Old Port so I could spoil him at the dog store and man, did he get so many compliments. He was very well behaved on the leash, not at all scared like he's been before. We also went to the beach and he did very well there, as well. It's one of his favorite places and he was so happy to be able to run in the sand. No problems there, either!" -Katherine S.
Two months after board and train: "He's still strong on the recall, sit, down, place, etc. He's been so much better at the dog park with the strange men and will actually run up to them to get pets instead of hiding by me. I got him a flirt pole and it's hands down one of his most favorite things ever. I just wish my hands didn't turn into handsicles when we play with it. Thank you so much for helping us out! He's always been a great dog, but your training has proven to other people what a great dog he actually is! The other owners at the dog park get jealous when my dog runs back to me when we go to leave, instead of running away." -Katherine S. |
Felix (board & train client)
Prior to training he was: extremely insecure, nervous and fearful, highly reactive, with no leash manners
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"Felix is indeed a different dog! The incidents of "going nuts" while walking have decreased dramatically as have peeing or poohing inside the house...with both dogs! Felix will ignore motorcycles, skateboards, bikes, carriages, people running or walking--on his side of the street or across the street. He will ignore squirrels and cats in our backyard. He come to me when called 99% of the time. He knows and responds 99% of the time to "on it", "place" "sit" "stay" "down" "off."
In short, your work with Felix couldn't have been more successful. I am much calmer; Felix is calmer; Lily is calmer, and [my husband] is calmer. We try hard every day to follow the program you set out and it is working. Thank you again for all your help and work with Felix...and in giving him a sense of accomplishment and safety in your care." -Barri Lynn M. |
Consultation Client
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"I've known Josh for a while through dog sports, and always found him to be very approachable, willing to help, and constantly striving to improve his dog training skills by learning from the top dog trainers in the country. Thus, Josh was the best person I could think of to help me when I have having issues with dog-dog fights and aggression in my own household. I knew this was not an issue that could be resolved to simple "click and treat" type positive training, or by just "letting them work it out."
Josh helped me lay out a solid game plan, with a step by step process that includes both obedience, and corrections for poor behavior, to build up to resolving this issue. He answered any questions or concerns I had, and has given me confidence that I am working toward a good result This was very important, because dog-dog aggression can be overwhelming, scary, and downright dangerous. I have great confidence in Josh's dog-training knowledge and dog training skills, and he is very compassionate and well-informed about the most effective, and modern dog training protocols. I am eager to see the results from implementing Josh's suggestions, and am now well on the way to getting me and my dogs' lives back to a happy, cohesive normal." -Kiersten L. |
Oliver (board & train client)
Prior to training Oliver was: extremely reactive to other dogs, chased the owner's cat with the intention of killing it, and lacked any impulse control
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"I sent my very reactive Yorkie to board and train with Josh at King K9 and I got an entirely different dog back! I went on a walk with him a little after he was brought home and was amazed at the difference! He ignored other dogs and listened to my commands. I can't thank Josh enough!!" -Angela Johnson.
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