Platinum Dog Training
1367 Porter Avenue, Des Moines, IA
(15)
1367 Porter Avenue, Des Moines, IA
(15)
We specialize in one on one, in-home style training. We train dogs AND their owners, to help ensure long term success!
15 customer reviews
Beth Runles
We adopted a puppy in November and connected with Michael for training. He is great about explaining all the who, what and why’s! He really just breaks it all down. We thought we got a broken dog but feel completely better after the training we all received. Very flexible and convenient, that he comes to your home. Don’t miss an opportunity to make your dog an amazing well trained family member. More...
Reviewed on Facebook
Connor Crabb
We highly recommend Michael and Platinum Dog Training! We rescued our dog Cookie from the ARL and were having troubles with her play biting too hard and getting aggressive towards us. She was sweet 90% of the time and very smart, but she did not know manners or when to stop. We did four lessons with Michael, and after the first lesson we started to see big improvements. She was learning her commands very well, and this lead to other bad behaviors going away gradually through more lessons. Michael’s training is clear and effective, especially with spending time not only training Cookie, but training us as well and how we can be good leaders for Cookie. His in-home lessons are very convenient and helpful in applying her commands to the environment she lives in. We also appreciate Michael’s communication before, after, and between lessons, and his willingness to help us for the remainder of Cookie’s life. More...
Reviewed on Facebook
Megan Miller
Platinum Dog Training has had such an impact on both my dog’s life and ours as dog owners. After our one-time training course with Michael, we saw our dog, Remi, improve in so many areas. Michael covered numerous commands for Remi as well as tips on behavioral concerns. He thoroughly explains why he trains dogs the way he does and how they interpret the things we do as humans that aren’t the most helpful to our fur babies :) You can tell right away when you meet Michael that he truly cares about bettering the lives of both dogs and their owners. You might come into training thinking, “There’s no way my dog can do that!” Prepare to be challenged in that belief. Remi no longer pulls while walking, places for extended periods, and follows commands quickly. Remi’s confidence improved rapidly as we began training after meeting with Michael. Michael is highly knowledgeable and focused on training us as dog owners instead of solely focusing on the dog. He offered constructive feedback and corrections as we introduced Remi and ourselves to training during the session. The work and time we put in with Remi after time our session has been more than worth it. There is a strong emphasis on building a relationship with your dog as this contributes to better confidence and skill. The communication was wonderful, too. Michael checked in with us after we had time to work with Remi to see if there was anything we needed. We believe Michael truly meets dogs where they’re at and helps equip owners with the skills needed to better their lives. Training is not only a financial investment, but a time investment. Both are worth it 110% because the results will be lifelong. We can’t wait to see where Remi continues to grow in her skills. We can’t thank Michael enough for sharing his knowledge of dog training and how to effectively train our dog on our own. More...
Reviewed on Facebook
Victoria Byers
I cannot recommend platinum dog training enough. My Rottweiler Stella had turned aggressive and full of fear. Within 5 minutes of her first lesson she was in his lap and had a new friend. Stella had 8 lessons and she is a brand new dog!!! No more crazy scared dog. I’m able to take her back into public and have confidence in her ability to make the correct decisions. She is happier and more confident. She’s no longer terrified of new people coming into my home and no more aggressive outbursts. I’m so grateful for the advice and corrections I would receive during training so I know what I’m doing wrong and how to correct it so my dog has the confident owner she deserves to have for proper leadership. We would even receive compliments on our outside training sessions. Don’t wait to call Micheal for the best outcome on your mis behaving pup! Worth every single penny. More...
Reviewed on Facebook
Wendy Ketterling Jespersen
Success! We contacted Michael to help us with our 3 year old and 5 month old Golden Retrievers. Our 3 year old was a covid puppy and had very high anxiety and a reactivity to other dogs. I was scared to go on a walk for fear of what we would encounter and walks were not enjoyable. We had tried other in person private training that was not successful. We saw results the first week with Michael and by our 6th class we were walking in heel position all through Fleet Farm ( first time ever in a store) passing other dogs and all distractions with no issues. We now have endless possibilities of things we can enjoy with him. This has opened up a whole new world for our boy. Our 5 month old needed a good foundation of basic skills and leash skills that we can carry on throughout his life. Michael was good at adapting to each dog’s personality and learning abilities. He is exceptional at training the trainer. Teaches you how a dog understands and how we can become better at our communication. Each class has information you can incorporate on a daily basis and if you have questions during the training process he is great at responding in a timely manner. We have had dogs for 20 years - and other trainers and training methods and Michael is by far the best. We are excited to see our dogs continue to grow with the foundation he gave us! More...
Reviewed on Facebook
Kelly Childs Long
Today was our last session and I just want to say how much I appreciate the training Riley has received. Michael is not only great to work with, he makes sure to explain what he is doing and why. He also made sure that I knew what to do. Riley was very hyper, jumping on everyone who got near. He only listened when he wanted. Michael has turned him around. After 8 sessions, I am now comfortable taking him around others and he listens well in the house and outside. He heels off leash and always comes when I call him. I am so happy with how well he does now! Michael ended up training both of us! Highly recommend Platinum Dog Training! More...
Reviewed on Facebook
Linda Baker
I can't say enough when it comes to Michael. Our little Mae was such a pain on walks, barking and pulling when we encountered other dogs or people. Barking when someone came to the house. Now she is easily walked through the busiest environments on loose leash. A complete lady when someone comes to visit. She happily responds to come no matter where she is. Eagerly places, sits, patiently waits, and in general is wonderful to be with. Thank you Michael!! You are very highly recommended by our family. More...
Reviewed on Facebook
Glenda Criswell
Life changing for us all. 🐾💟 A short 11 weeks ago, I rescued a stray doodle. This sweet girl (Bella) was not only physically a mess, she was extremely afraid of everything including me. She would run and hide to every type of noise, people, automobiles.. you name it. She shook with anxiousness + piddled when recalled or approached. I fell in love with her immediately however had no idea how to help her. With the dog I currently have + business to run, family including grandkids and traveling a lot with my dog, I knew if I did not hire help for Bella, I may not be able to keep her. My neighbor highly recommended Michael as he had recently worked + transformed their family of 2 older dogs. From the start of our phone conversation, he listened. I could hear and feel his passion for our story and my desperation for help. Instant relief. So easy to communicate with, Michaels knowledge and honestly far exceeded expectation that day without him even meeting her. I will never forget the moment when Bella recalled to a full sit and made eye contact with him. That was early in lesson ONE. It was then that I knew we were exactly where we were all are meant to be. For the very first time (after having her to myself for 4 very hard weeks) I saw a sparkle in her eyes, and an excited and brave little girl loving to learn and ready to fly. Fast forward through the following weeks training sessions, Bella has arrived! You can bet that her new life skills are stellar. Her recall, sit, place and she heels like a pro. She no longer notices noises of any kind. Even a huge commercial lawn mower just feet from her is ignored. Confidence knowing it won't hurt her. She's inseparable from her older brother Bear + hops right up in the back of my Jeep more than ready to cruise. But the most valuable gift Michael has instilled in Bella is confidence and has complete trust in herself. She now knows that her abilities are endless. Her new life is as should be for this beautiful, smart and loving girl. Michaels teachings are calm, kind, safe, loving, patient, gentle, timely, professional, supportive + maintainable for our entire family including my grandkids. I cannot recommend him enough. Michael has high personal standards taking his craft very seriously. Yes, I say life changing .... this for myself not only my dogs... I say dogs as I have now hired him for my older dog Bear. Thank you Michael for doing what you do, loving on Bella + saving us both. We will always be grateful for you + consider you part of us. 🤎 g + b More...
Reviewed on Facebook
Amy Clark
Platinum Dog Training is awesome! I was apprehensive about hiring a trainer but Micheal was responsive, easy to talk to and extremely knowledgeable. My dog, Ranger, had developed a few bad habits and needed structure. Michael listened to my concerns and helped me work with Ranger to develop trust and confidence. As a biased owner, I thought my dog was perfect before but after our lessons with Platinum Dog Training Ranger is absolutely thriving and we are happier then ever. More...
Reviewed on Facebook
Danielle Lewis
Michael is amazing! He worked with my Dalmatian puppy from 6 months - 1 year old. After interviewing multiple trainers in Des Moines, I chose Michael. He had a specific system that he used and was confident about that system. Michael was so educational in every one of our trainings and I always looked forward to our conversations. With his training, I am so confident in my dogs abilities. Not only did my confidence grow, but the relationship and understanding of my dogs behavior grew as well. I will always and forever highly recommend Michael. Happy to answer any questions from someone who is reviewing him. More...
Reviewed on Facebook
Kyle Corbin
Michael was a phenomenal instructor to our puppy, and taught us as much as our dog. Genuinely can’t express our gratitude and happiness with his service enough. We will 100% be continuing training with Platinum in the near future! To anyone reading this, he is kind, knowledgeable, and patient enough for any dog or owner. I recommend his services to everyone. More...
Reviewed on Facebook
Rachel Pannell
Michael did a fabulous job training our 15 month old Samoyed Murphy. Murphy was such a good dog, but a puppy with a mind of his own. Michael was so good with Murphy, and you can tell how passionate he is about his work. He was so proud of murphy for achieving new training milestones and we honestly couldn’t believe our eyes seeing just how obedient he was in such a short amount of time. Michael taught us how to “speak Murphy’s language” in order to keep up with his commands and obedience training. Murphy is still the same happy spunky guy, but listens so well when we need him to be “on”. It’s been wonderful being able to trust murphy off leash, let him run free, but know that he will be safe and obedient when we need him to listen. This is the best money we’ve ever spent on our guy! More...
Reviewed on Facebook
Ashley Siterlet
Our Aussiedoodle Cooper was 6months when Michael trained him. Michael did a great job with Cooper’s manners… when we brought him home he was a completely different dog. Before bringing him in Cooper was a struggle to walk on a leash. After the two week program Michael has turned walking on or off leash into his biggest strength. After only a few days being home we had a few questions for Michael, and he has promptly answered and gave his advice on what to do! We cannot recommend Michael enough! More...
Reviewed on Facebook
Abby Lamont
Michael was absolutely amazing with our 1 year old border collie, Sadie. We adopted her at 5 months old and she started showing signs of aggression and reactivity. We reached out to Michael and he was able to train her to be obedient, confident and safe in our family home. Since finishing her training we’ve been able to reach out to Michael and he has wonderful helping us guide her to success at home. We would highly recommend Michael and his training. More...
Reviewed on Facebook
Tom Curry
Where to even start??! We were blessed with Michael as our trainer for a 2 week board and train. We have two Aussies one 4 year old and one 7 month old. Our 4 year old was always our “content dog” as she never was easily excitable and her eager to please attitude just made her easy. We decided to get her a sister (true blood sister just 3 1/2 yrs apart) and life got a whole lot more complicated. Our puppy had ALL the puppy energy and ALL the sass. She was IMPOSSIBLE to walk as they fed off their nervous and anxious behavior and became reactive- barking at EVERY THING. I mean everything- dogs, people, leaves blowing, cars, Christmas yard decor…. It was miserable. We made the decision to enroll both dogs even though we felt our oldest was not bad at all. Leaving them was the hardest thing but after that first report card and photos and video I felt immediately calm knowing that Michael had them in good hands. Every day brought new challenges for them and every day they BOTH surpassed our expectations! Michael was a GEM of a human! He went into soooo much detail about their accomplishments as well as setting new goals. He was knowledgeable, professional, kind, caring, and PATIENT. Training our dogs was one thing- but training US (the reasons why our dogs needing training) we had a million questions and he took so much time answering every single crazy text. We learned what we were doing wrong and what we were doing right. He gave us a new relationship with our girls where we feel we can better understand what their needs are and how to get the behaviors that we want from them. Never in a million years did we think we’d actually be able to take them both in public store together let alone around highly stimulating distractions, yet here we are taking them to Home Depot and through the park with kids running around and balls bouncing and bikes going by and with it all they are calm, collected, confident and happy! The confidence Michael gave them is so fun to see in their personalities- no longer scared and reactive, they get so excited to show us the perfect heel or jumping to “place” We did this for a better behavior for them but we ALL got a happier life out of it. They are happier than we’ve ever seen and we couldn’t be more thankful to Michael for giving us that gift for them. More...
Reviewed on Facebook
What do you love most about your job?
Helping people live a happier life with their pets
Why should our clients choose you?
My training approach is simple and easy to understand, and highly effective for even the most difficult dogs. I’ve learned over the years that educating owners is just as important as training their dogs, and make owner education a top priority.
Obedience Training
We train your dog to be obedient to all basic commands, around all types of real world distractions
Behavior Modification
From minor behavioral issues like jumping on people or barking, to severe reactivity or aggression, we can help your dog overcome the underlying issues behind those behaviors, helping you live a more peaceful and happy life together!
