K9 Manners - In Home Dog Training

If you’re here looking at these reviews it’s probably because you’re in the same position I was a few months ago; “why did I think getting a dog was a good idea?” And honestly you’re not alone. I wanted a dog for years and finally got one and with a toddler at home I definitely thought I bit off more than I can chew. I read these reviews and called basically begging for help. Most of the the reviews mention Andrea, so naturally I asked for Andrea when I called. However, because of location restrictions, Andrea was unavailable to me. Andrea referred me to her partner, Laurie. I live in the GTA so if that’s where you’re located, Laurie is the local K9 Manners trainer.I say this with the up most gratitude and respect: Laurie is a warm hearted miracle worker with dogs. Before I even booked the first session, she willingly spent 45+ minutes on the phone with me calming my new doggy mom nerves down and giving me tips and advice on how to make changes before she even came. She goes out of her way to work with your schedule, and after ONE session our dog was transformed. She truly, whole heartedly wants you to have an amazing family dog. She comes right to your home and starts with basic commands that make a world of difference in your fur baby. She leaves you with some homework that I promise you, if you practice, will pull everything together and leave you with a pooch you can take anywhere. She gives you the confidence you need to be a great dog owner.I still have one session with her and more to learn but I felt the need to leave this review now because if you are even considering a trainer, you need to know that this is the way to go. Laurie is phenomenal and I’m so grateful for her.

My wife and I engaged Andrea from K9 manners early in 2018 to help us with training our new puppy, a yellow lab / golden retriever mix.Andrea was amazing to work with on the phone, to schedule our in home sessions, and to answer any and all questions we had before, during, and after our scheduled training. Even though we wrapped up our sessions over two months ago she is still pleased to answer our texts or calls in order to provide any additional guidance we need with our ever growing family member.Regarding scheduling, Andrea was extremely flexible with us and was able to accommodate our request for Saturday mornings. Her only ask was a 24 hour cancellation notice – which is of course reasonable.In terms of the in-home sessions we were very pleased. I will confess to being a bit taken aback by the need to correct the puppy from the get go. Andrea’s techniques were not familiar to us which did take some time to get used to, but we found them invaluable in guiding our dog on a path to good behavior. In the end, it’s a tool, used sparingly, that works.Of course, with a dog like ours, that is strongly food motivated, the vast majority of our training was about using treats and food to motivate our puppy. This we knew, but understanding from Andrea how to properly apply this technique to our specific dog was what really drove the value from our in-home lessons.On two occasions Andrea brought (her very large) German shepherd with her to help teach our dog some socialization skills. These lesson times were great, and we found them very beneficial.Andrea wraps up every session by providing a homework sheet that reviews all of the material covered during the session with specific work to focus on - building on skills already in progress, and adding new ones just introduced.Our one regret is that we the humans have still not invested all of the time that we should to get our dog to exactly where we want her, but we know that we have all the tools and knowledge to do so. Dog training, like most things, is about making the commitment and directing your time and love to ensure your dog is safe and responsive. We pretty much have those things in place, but we know there’s room for improvement. We also know what we have to do to get there as a result of our time with Andrea.I would not hesitate to recommend Andrea as an in-home dog trainer.

I'm so grateful for Andrea's help training my black lab puppy, Jones. My husband and I took our time deciding to add a puppy to our family and wanted to make sure we invested the time into training. Andrea's training program is exactly what we needed. She's honest and instills the importance (and benefit) of having a well trained dog. My husband, me and Jones thoroughly enjoyed each session. Andrea's homework" was very useful so we could look back through notes between sessions. Andrea also takes the time explain exactly why she's teaching the things she is and in the order she is. 5 sessions later and we have a lovely puppy who we can take anywhere and anyone who meets him loves him. I look forward to hiring Andrea for a few more check ins over the next year. If you're a serious dog owner who wants a well adjusted dog and are willing to put the time in then you need Andrea/K9 Manners. -Tausha"

My family hired Lauri to help us train our pup and she was amazing!She's passionate, honest, instinctive and she empowered us each step of the way. So happy with our results and our kids felt great working with her too.I highly recommend working with Lauri.

What a wonderful experience and such fantastic results! We can’t thank Andrea enough for helping Jake learn to be the good boy he was always meant to be. Right from the first lesson Andrea helped us learn to help our puppy. From the basics to the more complex her ease and obvious skill with dogs made each session fun and productive. Even when our senior dog wanted to get in on the reward action during the lessons Andrea did not break stride and even used him in the lesson to show our younger dog how it is done.Andrea is a responsive communicator who made scheduling our classes easy and straight forward.Thank you Andrea for such a rewarding experience!

Super happy with the progress we've had with our doodle pup. Lauri's been a fantastic trainer, very patient and knowledgeable, and I would recommend her to anyone looking to improve their dog's behavior and get the most enjoyment being a dog owner.

I’m really happy a friend of mine recommended Andrea at K9 Manners. We were having issues with our lab puppy Tulo thinking he was “the boss” in all situations and we didn’t really know how to go about changing the behaviour patterns (that we no doubt helped to create) we were seeing. We wanted a dog that we could enjoy and not worry about taking places for lack of training. I highly recommend investing in this personalized training. Andrea does not waste time working on things your puppy/dog already has a solid grasp on. She helps you target issues you are having and gives you strategies to use that are easy to implement in practice situations and real-life ones. Tulo enjoyed “showing off” his homework to family members. One of the benefits to this training is how Andrea comes to your house and works with you one-on-one. She even brings one of her own dogs to add different training elements. She is firm, but fair with her training methods and if you have questions at any time or need advice, she will answer calls or texts to help you with roadblocks. I’m really glad we put in the time and investment. Tulo has progressed a lot in our training time and we now have good tools to use when needed.

Lauri is amazing in every way possible! She always took the time to explain things and ensure I understood what to work on it. She always made sure we were learning things that were relevant to my pup and I. My dog is completely transformed - I get compliments on how well behaved he is. He respects and listens to me now, even when he's excited. She even went as far as to bring her dog on our last session to work on my dog's leash reactivity. Lauri (and her pup) were extremely patient and kind. I seriously cannot say enough great things. Lennon and I will miss you dearly!

Andrea was so wonderful to work with. She really helped us understand our dog's behaviour and what we need to do to create an environment that sets him up for success. Both our dogs absolutely loved her and were excited to see her every time she came over. Working in our home was great because we were able to tailor the training to what needed to be addressed as it happened in the place that it happens most. We highly recommend K9 Manners!