Find a Dog Trainer in Wake Forest

Tim & Robin are amazing at what they do!! We had recently adopted our boy Huxley and he would barely walk on a leash at all he wouldn't even go past the driveway. He had no formal training before we got him and we weren't sure where to begin as he is our first dog and is the typical scary looking Pit mix. We did some research into local trainers, the different types of training and asked for recommendations on Facebook and Nextdoor and The K9 Commanders name came up frequently. We contacted Tim and set up a consultation, he came out to the house to meet Huxley and our family to see how he was, what our situation was like and what our expectations were. He explained his training method, his past in the industry and as a Police K9 Instructor/Trainer, what to expect from Huxley during this process, what his expectation of us would be during the training and after it to keep Huxley on a path to being the best companion he could be, laid out how the training sessions would go and what we would be doing. We decided to start with him on the spot! We got Huxley set up on a leash and collar and Tim had him out of the house and down the street in about 2 minutes, it was amazing! He was walking , turning , responding to commands! The first thing that I really liked about The K9 Commander was his honesty. We went into it thinking that Huxley would need to whole 9 yards lol. We wanted to do the full 8 session package etc... But Tim said based on the way Huxley was responding and his demeanor he would only need 4 sessions. I appreciated that he was honest about that and did not try to upsell or have us pay/do more then he thought was really necessary to get to the goal we wanted. We did end up asking for 6 sessions so that we could later use the last two for things we thought were needed or new scenarios/ issues we encountered after the initial 4 were done. The second thing and probably the most important was that this was REAL WORLD hands on training!! Not a class room, not just in your home all the time with little to no distractions. Robin was our primary trainer and she did an amazing job! We went for walks and sessions around the neighborhood, Home depot, the pet store, the park , the dog park and even a busy restaurant. Their training isn't just about "sit,shake,down,treats etc.." while you do learn some of these things this is designed for real world out and about, distracted, loud & busy environments so that you and your dog have the tools and confidence to go anywhere with anything going on. Robin taught us about dog behaviors and body language , what things to look out for while out and about or at the dog park and what things sound/look scary but are normal play/alert behaviors. Robin taught us how to move past distractions with ease, how to meet & greet people and other dogs and maintain control at all times. We now take Huxley everywhere we are allowed to take him (the farmers market, the hardware store, the dog park, main street park, the yatch club etc.) without any hesitation and people are always so amazed at how well behaved and well mannered he is. And we know that if we ever do have an issue, new roadblock, a new companion or just want to freshen up and make sure we are still on the right path we have Robin or Tim to call and they will be there to help us. Thank you both so much! David, Aimee & Huxley Casey

Melissa at Thinking Dog is the best trainer I have ever found. We refreshed our older dog's training and have used her extensively for teh last 3 years with our rescue pup Monty. If you are looking for well structured and managed training or a place where you can drop your dog for a day to get excercise and positive motivation, this is it! My dogs have never been happier!

I am thankful I have found Dirty Dogs! I had a horrible grooming experience at a large named place and was very hesitant to take my dog anywhere to be groomed. We went to check out Dirty Dogs and met the owner of the shop. Super nice and very helpful. The shop was very clean and well kept. They have places where you can bathe your own dog or can have them groomed. We chose to have our 5 month old Cocker Spaniel groomed. I was not able to drop or pick up Ella so I was able to call the owner and talk about how I wanted Ella groomed. Ella was perfectly groomed and smelled great! Like blueberries. Also the next day the owner called me to make sure I was happy with how Ella looked. Will I be back You bet and I will be bringing both of my dogs to them. Don't hesitate to pick Dirty Dogs for your grooming

Fetch is my new cat sitting service and they are great. Jennifer is my sitter and she is fantastic. Great communicatio, thorough and very conscientiou.