Arsenal Canine Academy

I can't say enough good about Arsenal K9 in Edmonton. I am a first time Malinois owner and knew how to train basic obedience" skills but I wanted more for my working dog to set him up for future success. I contacted Jason about what I wanted out of training

We had a fantastic experience bringing our puppy Stu to puppy dayschool. At first we weren't sure as the price is higher at Arsenal than other options, but the training and care that Christina and the crew provided was incredible and well worth the price. Not only was Stu able to socialize and learn to interact with other dogs and people, but he was also leash trained, desensitized to the outside world, and trained in obedience so that he can sit, lie down, and place on his mat until we tell him otherwise. I would recommend Arsenal to anybody who wants the best for their puppy!

Arsenal K9 has been a positive experience right from the first phone call.Halle attended the board and train program in the fall of 2021. She is a rescue that came with a lot of fear and reactivity. She heavily guarded me and was fearful of most men, including my partner. After 7 weeks at Arsenal with Kendal and the other trainers, Halle had made an incredible shift. It has taken me some time to write this review because the reality of what I learned here is this: the trainers will give you and your animal the tools to succeed but, you need to keep up with them. Halle still had work to do and with the support of Kendal, we continue to train every day. Being consistent with the cues, rules and safe spaces that they taught us have worked SO well for this once scared pup!Halle is now relaxed in most settings, listening well and most significantly, forming a relationship with my partner. She is showing an increasing amount of love and comfort to him and we couldn't be more grateful for the advice and support from the Arsenal team.My advice to anyone thinking about the program is if you have the money, it's worth every penny. Your animal and you will live a better and happier life. It takes time, effort and consistency but their methods have proven to be a 10/10 in helping us.

I had a terrible experience with this company. Firstly, it took me three attempts for someone to get back to me about starting training. This should have been my first red flag. The classes are very overpriced. For 5 classes, it comes to $1800, but then you have to buy a collar for over $200 in addition to these fees. When I asked my trainer for advice on how to keep my dog engaged and entertained, she basically questioned why I got my dog in the first place. To be honest, I wasn't the very best training student, but my husband was recently deployed with the military and I was really struggling at the time. I will not be bringing my dog back here for anything else.I did not include this in the original post above because the lapse of the 15 weeks was for sure my fault. It was a combo of having several doctor appointments overlapping with the Christmas season. It did lapse my mind to reach out and I own that mistake. But that brings up a great point - if people have a family emergency, have an illness like I did, or for whatever reason cannot complete the course in the 15 weeks, they are out of luck. This seems unfair to me.Overall, I respect this business and what you do, but for my own experience, it was awful. I just want people to be aware of this possibility and be 100% committed before signing up. I am currently starting a new training program with Jax and he is loving it.

Arsenal was a life saver for us. We recently adopted an amazing Pitbull (Nori) but previous trauma made her highly reactive and anxious especially around dogs. We had no idea how to manage her anxiety so we sent her to board and train for 6 weeks and the results have left us speechless. She's a new dog and can manage her anxiety in stressful situations! We have been equipped with tools to continue her amazing progress and have on-going support from the team at Arsenal. (Vanessa is so amazing to work with. She is beyond knowledgeable, answered all of our questions and sent us updates on her training progress! Highly recommend!)I would absolutely recommend bringing your dog here. It has changed our life and Nori's life for the best.(Photos taken by Vanessa from Arsenal K9)

This was my last option for Mufassa, as I had tried multiple trainers for groups, private lessons, and obedience. He was a fearful dog since a pup, as he grew this turned into aggression and reactivity. Despite spending tons of money & time on various training, he kept getting worse. It got to the point that I couldn't do anything with him in fear that he would seriously hurt someone. He was lunging, growling, and barking at strangers and other dogs. Having company over caused a lot of anxiety. We couldn't even play in the yard as he was only focused on the neighbors dogs, wanting to fight them.K9 Arsenal in Prince Albert took Mufassa into their Boarding program right away. They kept in contact with me consistently, sending a report card every weekend as well as phone communication throughout the week. They went above and beyond to ensure Mufassa was not only cared for, but that I also gained confidence as his owner and understood how to work with him.Mufassa now:-in the yard we can actually play with his toys. I've only needed to recall him from the fence once when he was distracted by the barking dogs on the other side. He recalled immediately and went right back to playing.-we go on regular walks inside stores full of customers! He walks beside me and ignores all the strange people and noises.-outside walks are enjoyable as he walks with a loose leash beside me and watches for my lead. We walked by other people on the sidewalk and he did not try to hurt them. No growling or lunging.-I had company over. He stayed where I told him to the entire time (2hrs). He didn't like strangers in his house but he listened to me and calmed down very quickly. He relaxed enough that he fell asleep.-He still doesn't trust new people or dogs. I understand now that he doesn't have to like them - but he doesn't react to them either.-his body language shows way less stress and anxiety as he is relaxed and calm in public rather than fearing everythingThe team at K9 Aresenal continue working with me and Mufassa. It's obvious they truly care about their clients and do everything possible to ensure the best care and maintenance during and after training.I don't have a perfect dog, but I have a dog who listens and who I can enjoy daily life with again. I have a happy dog.This is all thanks to K9 Arsenal for their time, effort, and expertise.(Muzzle in the store is for my piece of mind as I continue building my confidence - he doesn't need it)

I cannot say enough positive things about the boarding rover program at arsenal. Our dog was extremely overly exciteable and nothing we did seemed to help get the message through to him (things like jumping, counter surfing, chasing anything moving including bikes, my kids, blowing leaves, dogs, squirrels, stealing hats and toques and mitts off my kids bodies). We felt like we had extremely poor control and the dog was making our life feel extremely unmanageable with our three kids. We have a child with severe physical disabilities so having a dog that yanks on the leash, barks at other dogs, doesn’t listen, and generally just runs wild around the house was not an option. He was also very reactive off leash and towards other dogs and sometimes even humans outside of the house. We had debated rehoming Gus but we were much too attached to him as a family. We had done some other group training and puppy classes as well as lots of positive reinforcement and training with him at home and it just wasn’t working for his reactive and exciteable behaviours. I reached out to Jenna and Jason and they recommended the boarding rover program for 4 weeks. He’s only been home for two days and he is like a completely different dog. He is calm, he hardly ever barks, he walks in a perfect heel next to me and next to my sons wheelchair. His recall is dramatically improved, and I feel as if I can trust him and give him much more freedom now. I’m looking forward to having a dog I can take camping with my family, to ball games, and on walks with my 3 kids. He is now adding to a better quality of life for our family rather than adding stress to our lives. Gus is a perfect gentleman who will ignore other dogs on walks and walk nicely beside me. He goes to his place now when people come to the door, and when released will greet people calmly and appropriately (he also will back off when I tel him it’s been enough so our guests aren’t being begged for attention by the dog for the duration of their stay). On top of all of the amazing things they taught him they have also taught me so much, and I look forward to making these behaviours concrete now that he is home, and helping him toBuild new skills on top of this wonderful foundation that arsenal has built for him. This is the best investment we could have made for a calmer and happier home for everyone. If you’re thinking about getting some training for your pup through arsenal, this is your sign to do it!

Dez was a great trainer and the Reconstructing Rover program was everything we needed and more than we had hoped.We adopted Bailey as a puppy from the NESPCA. As she grew, we could see that she needed more training than the basic obedience lessons that we had repeatedly taken. Being a mixed-breed, high energy dog, she needed more of an outlet for her puppy energy and K9 Arsenal knew exactly how to make her and her humans happier. After the very first lesson there was far more calm in our home. Friends noticed that she was more relaxed after that first lesson! After completing the 5 sessions we can take Bailey anywhere and she’s definitely more than capable of being a great family member. Thank you Dez, Jason and K9 for showing us that we can have a super dog!

What an amazing team. In just one session you can notice such a huge change in your dog and it keeps building and building. Jason and his team are very personable and easy to work with. It may not be the cheapest trainer in town, but worth every penny and then some. I found we could have went with a cheaper trainer, group classes etc. But who knows how many group classes we would need to pay for and attend to get the results we wanted. Plus, none of the group classes have the high level of personal service and guarantee that Arsenal K9 offers. I could go on and on and on about how wonderful they are. We love Arsenal K9!