Black Dog K9 Performance

Shelby worked with my golden and I since he was 8 weeks old. He is now 4 years old and she still answers any questions or concerns I have. She has helped with all my training needs (recall, prey drive, obedience, prepping for OB season, trick training and even dock diving) I highly recommend Shelby and her team. I’ve never seen such a great trainer and Ottawa is so lucky to have a trainer like her

I would 100% recommend Black Dog to anyone who has a reactive or just plain unruly dog. Our boy Howl has always been sweet but he hasn't always been gentle or obedient. Blair worked with us personally at our home on car reactivity, remaining neutral on walks, heeling, doorbell/knocking reactivity, recall, and more. He used a combination of tools and rewards and Howl picked up on everything very quickly. Blair was patient and kind and never made us feel bad or stupid (which some trainers can). After only a handful of sessions, our dog is no longer reactive to cars, can remain neutral on walks, heels like a boss, has excellent recall, and best of all he doesn't freak out when someone enters the house! Blair kept in communication with us any time we had questions and he'd even check in to see how we were doing with training. Our dog is now sweet AND gentle, he has more confidence, and is overall a very well rounded guy. We owe it all to Shelby, Blair, and Black Dog K9 Performance!!

When I went looking for a dog trainer to help me with my dog reactive Belgian Malinois, I knew it would take someone special. The moment I found Black Dog K9 Performance, I immediately got a good feeling seeing as Shelby and Blair were Mali owners themselves. I asked to meet Shelby before sending my baby away for 3-4 weeks and we (my boyfriend and I) immediately felt very comfortable with her and knew we could trust her. Mason ended up spending 4 weeks with them, we got regular updates, they even helped us find the right food to fit our active dogs. Mason left as a very unstable and nervous dog and came back with a great level of discipline, stability and greatly reduced reactivity to other dogs. Since his return, we have gone on walks without any pulling, his heel is absolutely mind blowing, we walk by other dogs and although he still becomes 'alert' there is no lunging, bark, growling, snapping and if there is any negative reaction I am able to very quickly cease the behavior. Overall, I have nothing but praise to offer Shelby and Blair and I look forward to what's to come in our private lessons. Thank you for taking such good care of my boy while he was with you!

After a job offer with a last minute need for at minimum boarding, Black Dog K9 / Shelby was more than accommodating. I ended up being able to get a board and train which I was hopeful for. A week before my business trip, the location was changed and I was no longer going in the area - Shelby was so accommodating she drove to meet me half way for drop off and pick up. With my permission, Shelby brought my dog with her on her personal trip for trials in the states to ensure I had somewhere that my dog could be while I was away for a few weeks that understands his breed and challenges. There was never a moment I questioned how my dog was doing as I always got updates, texts, photos, and video calls!Onyx is not the easiest dog. He is stubborn, had very low confidence and needed a handler that understood his needs, gave him the time and patience he needs, and be the voice to advocate for him while also shaping him into his best self.Onyx came back MUCH more confident, fully off leash trained, he can be around new humans/dogs and completely ignore them rather than have a fearful reaction, improved in a wired crate, e-collar trained, and his engagement has also improved. Shelby also took him on some really fun adventures during his board and train with her. I’m sure I am missing things but to say the least, what a great experience.After our board and train I have still been in contact and had many follow ups on how Onyx and his training is going.

I don't recommend. We reached out to K9 to get support with our dog when she started barking, a lot. During the phone consultation before even meeting our dog the trainer insisted the only path forward was an e-collar (shock collar). We did not have an opinion on e-collars either way but was surprised it was the first response. We did one additional training session that focused largely on punitive measures (jerking the leash/collar hard) and dissuaded us from supportive measures (attempting to sooth). He tried to persuade us that positive" or "gentle" techniques would be ineffective but his explanations were confusing. We had a bad gut feeling and decided not to move forward. The company was also poorly organized about payment and follow up."

Shelby and her team have been a great resource and help in raising our Malinois puppy. Their training approach has always been focused on finding what motivates our dog and providing clear and effective communication to help her succeed.As a higher drive dog she can be a handful, so we are grateful to have somewhere we can board her where we know she gets the attention and structure she needs.Would highly recommend for training or boarding.

I highly recommend Black Dog K9! Shelby has been an enormous help for me and my now almost 2 year old dog. With Shelby’s guidance and expertise my dog went from barking and lunging at dogs to calmly walking at my side as we pass dogs. They are Balanced Trainers and will suggest the tools and techniques that would be most helpful for your specific dog. If you are struggling with reactivity (or any issue) with your dog definitely reach out to this company!

I find it very hard to write a bad review, especially for a small business. But for the sake of all the pets out there who deserve better, here we go.I have boarded my two dogs with this company several times. I have had numerous smaller bad things happen, and I suspected my dogs were not receiving adequate care (I was afraid I was being extra"). I went against my better judgement and boarded my dogs here for two weeks. I repeatedly asked how my dogs were doing and was told