Dog Wizard

I am so thankful to Ashley for helping us with our husky Zorro! He was so stubborn and never did what we wanted him to do. When I tried to walk him he would drag me down the road. We couldn't have him in the house when we had friends and family over because he would jump all over them and growl at us when we tried to pull him off. Now he behaves SO much better!! I can take him outside without a leash if I want to and when I do have a leash on him, he does so well my 5 year old can walk him. He no longer terrorizes our cats or harasses our guests. I would absolutely recommend the Columbia dog wizard to anyone who has a dog! More...

Reviewed on Facebook

Made life with my dogs so much better! We can now have them as members of the family because they are so well behaved.

Reviewed on Facebook

A few days ago our dog returned home after the 2 week training and I cannot say enough positive things about the Dog Wizard program & Sam! Worth every penny! Prior to our training, we had a loving & sweet but VERY wild, untrained, large 9 month old puppy. I am happy to report that after 2 short weeks we now have a trained, well mannered, obedient dog with that same sweet and loving spirit! Sam has set the groundwork and established a great foundation for our family to build on to ensure our dog stays on that path. Of course, after the 2 week training our family still needs to practice & work to maintain what Sam has taught us and our dog but it's so easy to implement into our family routine. This training was so desperately needed to successfully integrate this very large animal into our family! Couldn't be happier!! Thanks Sam. More...

Reviewed on Facebook

Sam did a great job with both of our precious puppies. We went with the freedom plus plan that gives us the opportunity to retrain whenever we have questions or hiccups in the future. We are also very excited about the group classes where we can take the pups in public and practice our obedience training in real world situations with Sam's help. Highly recommend to anyone seeking help with obedience training. More...

Reviewed on Facebook

We adopted/rescued approximately a 1 1/2 year old American Bulldog from Ruff Rescue of Georgia. Chibbs came to us anxious, a little rusty on his commands and manners. We contacted The Dog Wizard and set up an evaluation. Sam came to us and he explained what he felt would be the best training program for Chibbs. I can't believe how Sam has taught Chibbs to be more comfortable in our home and his outside surroundings. Sam has done wonders. He has taught us so many training techniques that we are grateful for. We continue to work with Chibbs every Saturday at group class. Sam has taught us how to train and turn our fur baby into a complete gentlemen. The Dog Wizard is a great training program and well worth the price. Thanks Sam! More...

Reviewed on Facebook

Kelly was a monster dressed in puppy clothes-
Sam Dooley is the owner and head trainer. No, he didn't just take a 6 week on line course and decide to train a few dogs. He was going to be a vet- decided this is what he wanted to do. He received a BSA in Animal and Nutritional Sciences- making the Deans List throughout. To say he is not only exceptional at his job- his home is the training facility for the 2- that is right- 2 dogs he chooses to train each month. This is not a fly by night- teach your dog to sit for 50 bucks and you do the rest. EVERYONE knows how I am about Kelly and how I was about Bailey. My vet shivers at my name- Sam probably thinks a little neurotic. Kelly loves him. He did miracles on Kelly. I can now walk her, call her and sit outside with her without her acting like she came from a pack of wild dogs. He is kind and messages me back within 10 minutes with one of my off the wall questions. I can't say enough. She will now enter his advanced Saturday classes- that will be available for the rest of her life. She is a joy to have and he was just awesome to work with. If you have a dog like I DID- and are considering Columbia Dog Wizard - I am telling you- you will be so happy with your decision-he changed her 1000 %. Worth every penny I spent.!!!! More...

Reviewed on Facebook

Sam was amazing with Luke! I appreciate the calm manner he used and how Luke easily transitioned to me. I would recommend Sam to anyone who needs help training their dog. Sam's love of dogs and his calm disposition was apparant from the 1st meeting. I was amazed by the change for the good in Luke when he came home today. Sam took the time to "train" me on how to continue his routine. I am very greatful. My Luke is home and obediant and happy!!! More...

Reviewed on Facebook

Both Sam and Ashley are fantastic trainers. After I became pregnant we decided our 5 year old pit bull needed a serious attitude makeover. We sent Bear with Sam for 2 weeks and I am not exaggerating when I say he came home a different dog. He is so well behaved now and he's been wonderful with our son. My husband and I are so grateful to Sam for his belief in Bears ability to change and "learn new tricks". Bear loves going to training class every Saturday morning to practice all the things he's learned. Sam and Ashley are great at giving tips for new situations, how we can be better masters, ways to challenge our dogs, etc. I cannot say enough good things about Columbia Dog Wizard!!! Worth every penny, only wish I had done it years ago!! More...

Reviewed on Facebook

Sam is true dog whisperer. I am so happy that my Dobe Scar is part of his two weeks off leash training. Amazing results and updates daily. Thank you Sam

Reviewed on Facebook

I had never had a puppy before and certainly had no idea how to train one. We did a few classes at a local pet store but making our dog sit for treats was only beneficial for few things. Sam took complete and total care of our fur baby and she came back confident and calm. He always called with updates and followed up after to see how everything was going. Even months after if we had questions about weird behavior or issues, we could text him and he would help us out! Sam is a genuine person who cares tremendously for the wellbeing and health of dogs and we could not be happier with our results. More...

Reviewed on Facebook

This was the best thing that we could have done for our golden retriever. We could not have reached this point without Sam's guidance and knowledge. Our dog is now at a point that we would have never imagined just a few months ago. Sam instilled so many things in her and in us as dog owners. He gave us a better outcome than we could've imagined. Highly recommend! More...

Reviewed on Facebook

From our first meeting, through the training process Sam was a consummate professional. He was thoughtful, organized and extremely caring. He put us at ease and more importantly he did a fantastic job training our baby. His methods and caring for our baby made our dog an even more loved part of our family. Sam is the real deal and worth every penny More...

Reviewed on Facebook

Sam is the best! We get compliments all the time about how well behaved our dog, Founder, is. We hope to get another dog in the future and will absolutely send them to Sam.

Reviewed on Facebook

I adopted my 100+ lb bloodhound mix several months before I called the dog wizard. He was high energy and stubborn when meeting new people and dogs. I knew it was time for professional help when I invited a friend over and he charged out of the house and began jumping and barking at a woman hardly bigger than himself. I filled out my request for information form that same day and by the time I had left work I had a message from the Dog Wizard. I set up a consultation where Sam met me and Captain and explained the program options in detail. Sam, Captain and I had 6 individual lessons, including a public outing, where I learned as much as Captain about obedience, expectations and consistency. Today I brought Captain to his first group session at Soda City and I just cannot believe that we were able to walk around the crowded venue with other dogs, people and food and Captain was on heel and focused on me. I can't wait for many more group sessions. I would highly recommend Sam and the Columbia Dog Wizard. More...

Reviewed on Facebook

Our energetic puppy is showing restraint and doing his commands perfectly. I am so proud of him and cannot wait to show off his new learned skills.
Thanks so much to Sam for his expertise. Looking forward to Dutch coming home. We will definitely be going to some group sessions to keep up his training.
I am telling all my friends about The Dog Wizard and recommending their services. Again, Thank you Sam!! More...

Reviewed on Facebook

We have never had to work with a trainer before and were a little skeptical if this would help, but wanted to give it a try. Our Aussie/Border Collie mix is high energy and needs a "job" to do so being able to get her to focus on achieving a task has been huge, and gives her confidence. Sam has been so wonderful with our girl! An equally important part of this is also training yourself to follow through with commands, but Sam gives us the support we need. We also really enjoy attending the Saturday morning group training and having a chance to practice in a more distracting environment. Thank you, Sam! More...

Reviewed on Facebook

I adopted my 100+ lb bloodhound mix several months before I called the dog wizard. He was high energy and stubborn when meeting new people and dogs. I knew it was time for professional help when I invited a friend over and he charged out of the house and began jumping and barking at a woman hardly bigger than himself. I filled out my request for information form that same day and by the time I had left work I had a message from the Dog Wizard. I set up a consultation where Sam met me and Captain and explained the program options in detail. Sam, Captain and I had 6 individual lessons, including a public outing, where I learned as much as Captain about obedience, expectations and consistency. Today I brought Captain to his first group session at Soda City and I just cannot believe that we were able to walk around the crowded venue with other dogs, people and food and Captain was on heel and focused on me. I can't wait for many more group sessions. I would highly recommend Sam and the Columbia Dog Wizard. More...

Reviewed on Google Maps

I have worked with the Columbia Dog Wizard team for a number of years. I have always been thoroughly impressed by the highest level of professionalism and sincere care that they put forth with the animals they train and care for. I could not recommend this company and service more. More...

Reviewed on Google Maps

100% recommend!!! Some of the best money I have ever spent. I have 2 dogs and we did the one on one at home training sessions with Sam. Sam does a great job of not only teaching the dogs, but also the dog owners! He is very patient with the dogs when teaching them their new skills. He also makes sure that you know as a dog owner the importance of consistency and keeping up with their training. One of our dogs, Buster, is a 90 lb. lab pit mix who is very friendly but we are not able to take him many places with us because he is too excitable and easily distracted. One of the main reasons we signed up for the training was so we would be able to take the dogs with us more places. We have already seen huge improvements and we know that with continued consistency from us things are only going to get better! The last training session involved taking Buster to the pet store. Previous trips to the pet store involved being dragged down the aisle and barking at other dogs/people. But after some basic training it was a whole different situation! He still pulled a bit at the leash and was excited to see the other dogs/people, but he was also listening to me and heeling and we were able to work on his "place" command. He calmly sat on a dog bed in one of the aisles while I walked around. Magical. I could not be more thankful that Sam has provided us with such great information and tools to help us have the best lives possible with our dogs :) More...

Reviewed on Google Maps

A++++ HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!We recently added a Mini Australian Labradoodle (Winston!) to our family…and the best decision we ever made was hiring Sam at Columbia Dog Wizard to help train him! We couldn’t be happier with the results! After hearing great things about the Dog Wizard program in Columbia, we first signed up for the weekly Puppy Class Sam offers. The experience was wonderful so when it came time to take Winston’s training to the next level we eagerly signed up for the 2 week training program.After spending 2 weeks with Sam, Winston came back a completely different dog! Before the 2 week training program we couldn’t trust Winston off leash and he loved to “steal” things when you weren’t looking (among other “puppy” antics). We are now able to fully enjoy being a dog owner and enjoy taking him to all kinds of places (both on and off leash!). We also became much more comfortable letting the “new” Winston interact with other kids and dogs at the park.Sam is extremely talented with the dogs he trains, and he takes the time to get to know each one – and this helps him know the best way to interact & train them! We recommend Sam the Dog Wizard (and have already) to friends …family… and all the strangers that ask how our little guy is so well-behaved! . More...

Reviewed on Google Maps

We loved loved loved working with Sam! He helped us train our Lowchen, Apollo. Apollo is a smart dog, but before Sam he out smarted us and would never come and loved to play chase. Now he comes when he calls and we have better ways to play with him and know how to tire him out. We highly recommend working with the dog wizard! More...

Reviewed on Google Maps

I want to say how amazing the Dog Wizard of Columbia is. This spring, Sam (their head trainer) came to help us out with our new rescue in obedience training. Given our dog’s age and breed, we opted for the Freedom Program, which includes one-on-one lessons. I cannot express how incredible the results were. Within weeks, our little guy was sitting, staying, and heeling like a champ. Each session focuses on a different command, and by the end of it our dog knew that command back and forth. Then it was just up to us to maintain the training between sessions. What’s more, the training process has really bonded him to us—very loving, very aware, and amazing. The best part, though, is the peace of mind. With the package we chose, anytime our dog needs a brush-up lesson or we have a question, we just put a call in to the Dog Wizard. Lorrayne (their scheduling manager) works around our schedule, and then Sam meets us locally. We couldn’t ask for more. More...

Reviewed on Google Maps

Sam says that we did this all backwards but I think we were smart. I adopted a dog from the shelter and before I took her home, she went to live with Sam for two weeks. Best decision of my life. Lucy is an absolute joy and we have had so much fun with her. Sam was able to teach us how to handle her and we didn't have to break any bad habits. Sam has been to our house and we have attended his classes on Saturday morning. He has patiently answered my millions of questions and even came to the shelter to help me pick out our dog. I would highly recommend Columbia Dog Wizard. More...

Reviewed on Google Maps

Our dog Daisy recently completed the board and train program. My husband was skeptical at first about making such a large investment in our dog. Now he is a true believer. I knew that her inability to be calm around other dogs and be reliable off leash was impacting our quality of life, I specifically sought out a trainer that was experienced in not only helping our dog become more obedient but more social as well. We loved getting pictures and video of Daisy playing nicely with other dogs on just the second day of training! Now that she is home, our walks are more enjoyable. We can easily channel her energy when she is fearful of other dogs rather than dealing with doggy meltdowns. We have a ways to go in our work to make sure the training sticks, but Sam is always there with supportive group classes and check ins. I talk all the time about how she is turned into the dream dog I always knew she could be. I recommend Sam without reservations. Daisy loves Sam, and so do we. More...

Reviewed on Google Maps

Ashely is a miracle worker. I had my doubts when she said she could teach my Bostons to behave, but she did it. After 6 weeks of in home training (and plenty of practice :-), they are very much improved. They know several commands that allow them to be around people, now, and they love it. I would highly recommend The Dog Wizard. More...

Reviewed on Google Maps