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Virginia Beach Dog Wizard

Virginia Beach, Virginia

(12)
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About

We don’t pick a dog anticipating that our new pup will have issues. We dream of a well-mannered dog to take on nice walks, play fetch with, and have lazy days indoors when it is raining. As a dog owner, you do not expect to deal with a list of issues that can come with K9 companionship.

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2 hires on Bark

Reviews (12)

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4.5/5

12 customer reviews

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11 August 2022

I debated writing this review, it's not something I normally do because I don't want to damage someone's livelihood, but after my consultation with the trainer Mountain from The Dog Wizard in VA Beach I felt incredibly mislead by their website about their actual training methods and I don't want other dog owners to find themselves in the same situation. Mountain does only aversive, or punishment based, training including shock collars (although this is optional), presenting this as the only method that works even though organizations like the ASPCA, American Kennel Club, and the American Humane Society all say these methods are cruel and less effective long-term than positive reinforcement.

I contacted The Dog Wizard because their website specifically had a section talking about working with abused rescue dogs. The description talked about how they help dogs that are afraid of the world regain their confidence, which is what I was looking for my rescue dog that had been abused. This led me to believe they would work with me on her reactivity by finding sources and desensitizing her to them, not punishing her for reacting to things that scare her until she hides her reactions. Her issues come from fear, so how is hurting her going to build trust and make her less afraid?

During the consultation Mountain specifically said he didn't treat abused dogs different than any other dogs, counter to the information on the website. He proceeded to address her protective growling by pulling up on her collar to the point that she choked and whelped in pain. While this made her stop growling at him for the rest of the visit, she was a basket case the rest of the night. She was shaking for hours and snapped twice at me, which she has only rarely done before and it was hard to get her to go to sleep. I felt sick that I subjected my dog to this person, but I never would have made the appointment if I knew those were the techniques that would be used.

Afterwards I combed through the website to see if I had somehow missed this information even though I had read a lot before, including the FAQs and reviews. This confirmed that there is no mention on their site of aversive training and shock collars. When I did a google search of "Does The Dog Wizard use shock collars?" there was a Google Question answer that said they did with a link to the FAQs page but when I clicked the link there was no longer that question and answer on the webpage so they must have deleted it.

I also saw that The Dog Wizard is a franchise (that doesn't require franchisees to have any prior experience with dog training) so I don't know if aversive training is perhaps not representative of the franchise's training method but something being done by the trainer in Virginia Beach and is therefore not present on the website. There are clearly many positive reviews on their website and Google, and if people chose to use these methods with their dogs that is their choice, but I think people should know going in what they are getting into. I wasted time and exposed my dog to trauma because their website was not transparent, and I don't want other people to end up in the same situation if they aren't looking for a trainer that will hurt their dog.
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22 November 2021

It's taken me a few weeks to write this review due to how emotional it is for me. This is quite long, and if you do not want to read the details, you can skip to the end. Late Sept, I handed my best friends leash to Mountain for a 2 week board and train. It was to build confidence as she was a 5 year old fearful shepherd mix & was reactive around people she didn't know. We thought she'd enjoy life more if she wasn't scared around strangers and we could take her places. The last words I said to Mountain as he left my house with her was, "take care of my girl", which he replied he would. That was the last time I saw her alive! 2 days before she was coming home, he called saying he returned from a training with her & his kennel tech opened his truck crate & she jumped out, ran down the street & was hit by a car. I asked how she was, he said she definitely had a broken leg. I was upset, but could live with a broken leg. We flew to the vet expecting to bring her home with a cast on her leg. We arrived to the ER vet right after they took her in so we didn't get to see her. Mountain immediately showed me pics from a text of a car with damage & saying it's from the lady who hit her along with a text asking who was going to pay for the damage. A guy in a filthy tank top & baggy pants leaned on the building looking down; I'm guessing the kennel tech who did not ensure our dog was leashed before fully opening the crate. Before I had a chance to read the text Mountain was showing me, the vet inside called my phone (we were not allowed inside) & told me our dog went into cardiac arrest & they were doing CPR. A few minutes later she called back to say her lungs had collapsed & was bleeding internally. I won't go into any more detail, but long story short, my life would never be the same from that day on. I trusted this trainer to protect my "child" & keep her safe. I had reservations about sending her anywhere, she had never been away in the over 5 years we had her. We adopted her at 6 weeks old. I even called before committing & talked with the office administrator about my concerns. She assured me our girl would be fine & she even commented that there was not anyone else she would trust more & would send her dogs to Mountain as well. What I know now is she is much more than just his office administrator. I am sure I will never know exactly what happened that evening, but I do know I will never forget or be without the pain his & his employees actions have caused. I received an email from him less than 24 hours after she passed with an apology about what happened & an offer to train our next dog if/when we get another. Never. He also stated he would of course be refunded our $1500 down payment we made in advance. It has been 5 weeks & still no refund. We will be seeking legal counsel soon, which will not be the first time he is facing legal issues. I found out right after my girl was killed that a former client was already taking him to court for animal abuse to their dog during training. I know this to be true as an investigator with the Hampton PD tried contacting, but I could not contact her back at the time due to the extend of the grief I was dealing with. My soul dog is never coming back because this trainer was irresponsible and negligent. Whether it was at his hand or an inexperienced employee he hired, she is gone because of their negligence. If I never sent her to him, she'd still be alive. She wouldn't have suffered. She was only 5 & had so much more life to live. I could not live with myself if another dog & family had/has to endure the hell we are going through because I did not tell our story. Please protect your babies, do not send them away to a board & train. Do not trust someone else with their lives no matter how many promises they make. He also promises tons of videos, but you won't get them. I've learned so much more about this trainer since that day & I just wish that someone had warned me before I signed up. I now have to live with my decision, the worst decision I have ever made, for the rest of my life. More...

27 December 2019

We shipped our 3 year old Golden off to spend 14 days with Don and Mountain while we were out of town and the only thing I'm mad about is that I didn't discover The Dog Wizard sooner. Our dog was a spaz, walks with him were frustrating and having guests over was beyond stressful. When our dog came back to us we were surprised at the progress he made in 2 weeks. We actually doubted that the dog could make this much progress. Now that he's home, our life is completely different. We look forward to our walks because he doesn't pull us all over. The skills he learned with Don and Mountain were more than we ever expected. Don has been so wonderful through the entire process and encourages us to keep in contact. The service is top notch from these guys and we are so happy! Thank you Don and Mountain for all of your hard work to get us to this place. More...

Reviewed on Facebook

13 December 2019

The Dog Wizards have improved mine and my 2.5 year old golden retriever Snooey's life for the best! Snoo struggled to listen to any command i'd give him- it was always me asking 10 times until i'd get frustrated and yell. .. Once Snooey completed the training program, he now responds to first commands and can be brought anywhere in public without me worrying that he won't listen or will jump on people walking past him. I'm so grateful for this incredible change in behavior- Snoo seems happier than ever and I am too. Thank you, Don & Mountain! More...

Reviewed on Facebook

26 November 2019

Absolutely LOVE these guys and more importantly so does my dog!! He is always happy to see them and comes home happy and relaxed. He is played with and not just stuck in a kennel! More...

Reviewed on Facebook

2 November 2019

The guys at TDWVB did an excellent job training our Aussies. I know they'll be set for life as well behaved, loving dogs with their training and me and my wife's consistent follow up.

Reviewed on Facebook

2 October 2019

We adopted an American Staffordshire terrier from the Norfolk Animal Care Center because he is a sweetie and we were worried about his unlikelihood of being adopted due to his breed combined with his health complications. So, to set the tone, just know that his name at the shelter was Mayhem. . . and for good reason. His two biggest behavioral problems are that he is SUPER stubborn and we have two cats that would make steam shoot out of his nose. We weren't able to get him to stop fixating on the cats and trying to chase them around the house. We sent him to DWVB for two weeks and he learned the basics and mostly learned how to control himself. After training, he is easy to manage and after a couple of days at home we still don't trust him around the cats without supervision, but we definitely see a lot of improvement and we can easily manage him with commands. We can take him to restaurants now, he can walk off-leash, he is polite and no longer a wrecking ball! After training, Mayhem is living up to his adopted name of Obi-Wan Kenobi. The force is strong with this one. Phillipi and Don were extremely communicative and transparent about the whole process and we felt like our puppy was very important to them. At the end of training they set aside time to thoroughly explain the training techniques and how to properly use the e-collar equipment. A few days later, I took Obi-Wan back for a video shoot for them and he lit up when he saw his trainers. 10/10 recommend that all dogs get trained by Phillipi at Dog Wizard VB More...

Reviewed on Facebook

25 September 2019

Quality training from Quality people

Reviewed on Facebook

15 September 2019

Our German Shepherd was not socialized due to being very sick as a puppy. When we got her she was a MESS; she couldn’t walk on a leash without trying to pull and run, barked at everything and everyone because she was so fearful, and was chewing up our molding and walls. Now she can walk OFF LEASH! She regularly goes to Home Depot with us and will sit and stay on command even if we walk away in public. We can finally love her well and she is much happier. Phillipi is an amazing trainer! (Picture of her “placed” on a chair where she sat for the majority of a birthday party we hosted.) More...

Reviewed on Facebook

11 September 2019

Excellent customer service and a fantastic ownership..

Reviewed on Facebook

11 September 2019

With 30 years of dog training under my belt including Military and Police K9s along with Search and Rescue and now special needs K9 training. I would recommend any training facility that "Mountain" is being employed as a trainer. I have seen him surround himself in the last couple years with some of the best in the industry. I also know him on a personal level and know him to be a firm but fair and honest person. In short even with all my years knowledge I would allow Mountain to train my own dog. More...

Reviewed on Facebook

25 August 2019

I’ve been in this game for almost 5 years, and Phillipi is one of the best dog trainers that I have ever had the privilege to meet and learn from. Anyone on the edge of their decision to trust their dog with this company should know no matter who the trainer is, your four legged best friend is in fantastic hands! More...

Reviewed on Facebook

Q&As

Our satisfaction comes from how proud owners are of their dog's behavior after completing our program.

Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.

We are holistic dog trainers that don't use gimmicks or buzz words to get you to believe in us. It's not magic, it's dog training done right!