Dog Guys K9, LLC

I am so thankful I found Dog Guys. Sterling has given Ace a chance at life. Not only did Sterling teach him the basics but also he “fixed” Ace and his very problematic behaviors. Sterling taught me how to use the e collar and the commands to use and how to practice with him every day. I had no confidence in doing it right but after a rocky first day at home, we rock it. Ace and I practice a little every day. He can heel, place, come, sit, and lay. He is doing so well and I am gaining so much confidence! Sterling is motivated, competent, and creative. These are not qualities often found together and so when you find someone who does, it makes you feel like you hit the jackpot! Mindy More...

What an outstanding small business! Our family cannot express our gratitude to the trainer enough, and shout their skills from the roofs! The passion, knowledge and care is nothing less than perfection. The expertise and targeted approach to address behavioral concerns in a way that still allows for the dogs personality to shine through is outstanding.

When we shared our puppy, she would dart out the front door as soon as it opened, never come back. She would jump on people, steel food from counters, and not want to just BE with us outside unleashed. When we got her back, we were given a gift. She LISTENS, can be outside with us without darting, doesn’t run out the door, steals food less 😉 and is all around a fantastically behaved dog. The coaching that was provided once training was completed made me feel confident that I too could maintain these newly learned behaviors at home. They also follow up several times post hand off to ensure that all was going well and that regression was either at a minimal or non existent.

Cannot express our gratitude more. We will forever rely on this company to train any additional puppies we get as well as recommend their services to anyone looking and not looking.
Bottom line - STOP looking for the right trainer. You found the perfect trainer who has all the knowledge and will love your dog while in their care. What are you waiting for… book away; I promise you wont regret your decision! More...

We are the adopters of Magnus, the Landseer Newfoundland sold by Dog Guys K9, LLC. We had dreams of having a Newfoundland, and were so excited to find Magnus, still very young and full of personality. We thought finding him from a trainer was so amazing too as we have toddlers and this would lessen time from us a bit with him already being trained. Paying $3,000 for him, we had very high expectations. Unfortunately, this was not the case though. Magnus:
- jumped on everyone, all the time
- was constantly mounting my son
- had no recall without treats, and sometimes that didn’t work
- chased vehicles
- would pee when overly excited, quite a few times on people’s feet
- jumped at us for treats
- got extremely excited on walks, lunging at passersby

At the beginning of him living with us, we thought this was just him transitioning to our home. We also understood that Newfies can be A LOT as puppies. Add in that he had a great personality, was so loving and we loved him already, we were determined to help him be the best dog he could be. We began to commit more time to working with him, starting over on the basics and came to realize that he was not going to listen without some sort of training collar like the trainers had. We were looking into purchasing one a few months in, and that is when he got a bit aggressive with our youngest child, barking loudly in his face at his approach when wanting to pet his face. He was very tired from a day on the river, so we brushed it off, but started paying more attention and working with our toddlers on their approach. Then he did it again, and his tooth scratched my child’s face. Then a third incident happened that took us to the pediatric emergency room. His tooth went through my son's skin into his lip. He will have a permanent scar now, and we still have 2 followups with plastic surgery, possibly more.

At this point I reached back out to Dog Guys K9, LLC. I honestly see them like a breeder. If a dog doesn’t work out, they will want to ensure the pets they sell go to the right home. But, after reaching out twice, once via a social media message and the next via phone, in which I was given a text reply, I was encouraged to just surrender him to a shelter or animal control. I was shocked. One or both of these places would most likely euthanize him immediately. Yes, he hurt my child, but just because he isn’t fit for toddlers, doesn’t mean he needs to be killed.

I rehomed him myself, being very transparent with all those interested. He is now with a couple with adult children and 3 other newfies.

Giving up on my dog was so hard, and I feel like my family shouldn’t have been in this situation. If he was properly trained, we could have had even more time to focus on our kids and any other behaviors.

If you are family looking to purchase a dog from them I would ask what training has been done, and to have that information IMMEDIATELY (we received that information a week later); for all paperwork on the animal IMMEDIATELY (also came a week later); what testing has been done with children; what the dog still needs work on and how they are going to provide it, or that they continue working with the dog until this is taken care of and then you take it; what will happen if the dog for any reason doesn’t work out. More...

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Reply from Dog Guys K9, LLC

Dear Mrs. Henderson,  We here at Dog Guy’s K9, LLC were sincerely distressed to learn you and other qualified adults living inside your home were unsuccessful in maintaining a safe in-home environment while integrating a new large breed puppy into your family’s dynamics, resulting in your toddler’s safety being seriously compromised.    We are also deeply regretful that you not only did not allow Dog Guy’s K9, LLC to continue his training, but also opted to leave the premises without the e-collar, a vital tool for during and after our training is completed, and without receiving any command or e-collar instruction. With our training, several of the items mentioned as issues could have been avoided. With no contact being made to Dog Guys K9, LLC regarding these issues, we were unaware the issues were occurring or we would have made an attempt to correct the negative action and the situation as a whole.    We truly hope for a speedy recovery to your toddler.