Family K9 Dog Training

Nick is absolutely brilliant at what he does. Not only is he the best dog trainer around, he is just as good at teaching people!We are first time dog owners, and adopted our little dog Luca from the Humane Society after they rescued him from a dog meat farm. He was traumatized, anxious, and scared of just about everything, including my partner. We had a consultation with Nick, and were immediately won over by his approach. He really gets to know the individual dog (and the owners) to come up with a plan for their specific situation. He sets realistic goals for the training, and explains what is possible. He told us, as we suspected, that leaving Luca at the kennel would be far too stressful for him. So we decided to drive out for lessons. You can trust that Nick always has the best interests of the dogs he works with at heart.We learned so much just in that initial consultation. Nick distills his years of experience studying dog behaviour into clear explanations that anyone can understand. By the end of the training we were confident dog owners with the tools we needed to support our dog. Luca went from belly crawling through doorways, and spending every walk scanning for threats, to a being a happy little guy who trusts us to keep him safe. He heels and sits on command, comes when we call, and snuggles up to my partner on the couch every evening.We really can’t thank Nick enough, and highly recommend him to anyone looking for a dog trainer, or a dog-owner trainer! We found his youtube videos really helpful before we even went in for training - check them out to get a sense of how he works! Thank you Nick!

I brought him my highly reactive dog for kennel training, after failing to even remotely train her with other trainers. Absolutely jaw dropping results - she even looked mentally healthier when I picked her up. Asking Nick to train her was the best thing I could do for her, my relationship with her, and my family as a whole!!

Working with Nick has truly been a life changing experience for us! Nick is professional, kind, and you can tell that he loves and values what he does. He's been available for follow up questions and also is very quick to reply.Tabasco spent 3 weeks with Nick and we were blown away by all of the progress he made! His leash manners are terrific, he is less anxious around people near our home, and we've seen improvement in all areas of concern. Would absolutely recommend Nick to all those looking for help and guidance concerning their pup, one of the best experiences we've had! :)

We have known Nick for over 25 years, and during this time he has helped us train 2 dogs. Nick is amazing! He is knowledgeable about dog behavior, practical and patient with both dog and owner. Nick uses a variety of different training techniques that again, depend on pet and owner. I highly recommend Nick, especially if you want to raise a puppy that you can live with!!

Nick worked really well with our puppy Anton during his three week board and train program. Anton clearly loved his time there and really bonded with Nick who got to know and understand him intimately! It took him no time at all to figure out what Anton’s needs were, his Adrenalin triggers, and come up with solutions to better our relationship with him. When we had our transfer lesson, Nick said to remember that Anton had a three week head start on the learning process and that it was up to us to reinforce. Well, he couldn’t have been more correct. It took a little bit of time for us to adapt to new routines, for Anton to accept our commands, and for confidence to emerge. He’s not “perfect” but I do understand him much better, have confidence in his fundamental character which is active but not at all aggressive, and have enjoyed walks with him so much more. And Nick has been extremely responsive to other questions that come up for which I’m truly grateful. I trust his commitment (and ability) to improve our long term relationship with Anton. Money well spent and the only thing I’d do different would be to have done it earlier! Anton was 10 months when arriving at Nick’s and now at almost 1 year of age I’m much more confident in him becoming the adult dog we wanted as part of our family.

We enrolled our 2-year-old Shiba Inu, Mochi, in a 3-week in-kennel training program due to her serious degrees dog agression and reactivity. Nick, demonstrated exceptional skills in handling her while also helping us understand and respect her boundaries. Not only did Nick bring about a significant improvement in Mochi’s behaviour and leash walking within just a few weeks, but he also proved to be incredibly reliable. He was always available to answer any questions or concerns along the way and provided tailored options that suited Mochi’s specific needs. We wholeheartedly recommend Nick to anyone in need of a trainer. He is truly blessed and gifted in what he does, and we are forever grateful for the strengthened bond he helped us build with Mochi.

Nick’s expertise from family K9 dog training is absolutely worth every penny. I had a consultation with Nick in September for my 2.5 year old Beagle and I was blown away at his knowledge and techniques. After giving it thought I decided to do the in-board training. Nick took my dog in for 3 weeks and trained her to learn essential skills and commands. We are back home now since 4 days and I can tell the huge impact the training had on my dog. It is life changing for me and my family and I know my dog is happier also. This has reduced her anxiety and made our time together more enjoyable. If you are reading this, don’t look elsewhere or think twice. Nick is absolutely the best. We had a 1.5 hour transfer lesson where I could ask all my questions. HIGHLY RECOMMEND ! Picture of me and my dog stopped and looking at me for direction during a walk which had never happened before. Forever grateful for Nick !

Wow! Nick has worked miracles with our dog. We opted for the board / train program, for our 4 year old Dobermann, and Jack has come back a changed dog.Nick's approach works wonders. He truly understands dogs and it shows in the results.Highly recommend!!

This is our sweetest little/giant boy, Rove. We adopted him from Lebanon about 8 months ago. We were told he was amazing with dogs/kids/people….turns out wasn’t so true. We found Nick and family K9 as a reference from a friend and let me tell you, this man does magic! We were so skeptical and worried to leave him for 3 weeks but Nick is so gentle and kind (and I happened to know his wife, who is just as sweet and lovely) so we trusted them. When we came to pick our dog up, the transfer lesson was a revelation. It was a DIFFERENT dog (yet the same sweet soul we know) but suddenly he’s listening to our commands, heeling at our feet while walking so calmly.Remember, Nick can’t change a dog’s DNA, but he can help give you and the dog confidence to deal with anything. Rove is very aggressive towards other dogs and I am sure he will never change, but now we have the proper skills to correct his behaviour with confidence and to the point of him being able to sit and lie down near another dog (MIND BLOWING). If you have a problematic fur machine at home, Nick is your man. The follow ups have been so great too, anytime we have a question, his responses are so fast and informative. Worth every penny. Thank you, Family K9 <3

Our large Bernedoodle was boarded and trained with Nick for 4 weeks while we were away on vacation. Nick is a genuinely good person and a very competent dog trainer. What more can you ask for when leaving your dog in someone else’s hands for so long?Our Dog came back the same goofy dog, except much calmer and perfectly trained. We have kept up with what we learned in the follow up session, and our dog is still going strong. Nick worked on three main goals: Leave it, Place and Heal and with these three commands fully established, our life with our dog has improved tremendously. We are so proud walking him now while showing off how easy it can be when your dog is properly trained.We cannot recommend Nick highly enough!