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July 2024 by Rebecca Fetter
I am an experienced dog owner, with lots of success with purely positive reinforcement training approach with my previous dogs. My current dog, a pandemic puppy (by chance of timeline) has been a completely different experience. He is extremely smart, independent and high energy. I struggled with speed, impulsivity, and fading rewards. His recall was great, allowing us to hike in off leash areas, but everything else was a struggle. 18 months ago on a walk my dog bolted for a rabbit and my finger was broken by getting caught in the leash.
After that, we spent a year in balanced obedience classes. He was consistently top of the class and loved the games. While his obedience improved substantially, especially his leash manners, impulse control remained a problem and he also started to become reactive to neighborhood dogs and when on off leash trails in close quarters. This eventually escalated to him charging after a doodle across a field for no apparent reason or threat. The doodle was not seriously injured, thankfully, but I was at wit’s end. As an apartment dweller I needed to be able to exercise my high energy dog on and off leash in public spaces. I reached out to a few area trainers who specialize in reactive dogs. Jay and Shannon got back to me immediately.
There were two key things Jay emphasized in an initial phone call: he can’t change my dog’s personality, so my dog won’t be best buddies with every other dog we meet, but he can learn to calmly tolerate the presence of other dogs and to respond to me immediately, on and off leash. The second notable point was Jay’s emphasis on teaching the dog to think about his actions and make active choices. It appealed to me.
I realized was in a position where my dog needed intensive training, and I would never have 3 weeks to give him my 100% focus. I am fortunate to have been able to not have cost be the driving factor in my decision. I was anxious to send him away for training where I couldn’t see… but every interaction with Jay was calm and thoughtful.
My dog spent 3 weeks with Jay, and he has come home completely changed. The e-collar communication gets immediate response at very low levels. He is calmer in the house, less of a Velcro dog and doesn’t guard from the window. Leash walks are completely different. It’s been about 6 weeks since he came home and he never pulls on the leash to investigate smells or eat garbage off the street. He walks calmly and happily beside me, completely ignoring squirrels and rabbits. He’s learned to respond immediately to commands like down and place, rather than when he feels like, or coming to me before lying down. He’s a pleasure to have around. The reactivity to dogs in our neighborhood is down substantially and improving every day. I watch him choose not to stare at other dogs. It’s so encouraging.
Off leash work is coming too, I have been slower to do much of it, but I’m so so pleased. Jay has been available to answer questions and give guidance on the phone. At our meeting one month after coming home, my dog was pleased to see Jay, so their relationship is strong. We will meet again with Jay in the community to practice generalizing the behaviors and for me to get feedback on how I’m using the e-collar, because the dog is too smart to the training room expectations.
This experience was worth every penny. My dog is a calmer, happier version of himself-which I didn’t expect. Leaps and bounds ahead of where I could have gotten him on my own in the same time. I get to enjoy his company instead of spending more months constantly training.
I would not hesitate to work with Loyal Hound again in the future if needed, and I am confident that they will continue to support me with my current dog as long as necessary.
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July 2024 by winston mautner
Jay has trained 2 dog of mine with excellent results. Highly recommended. Wouldn't trust any other trainer.
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July 2024 by Stephanie Peters
Working with Jay, Shannon, and the team at Loyal Hound was really impressive. Our dog had an encounter with an aggressive dog when he was only 9 months old and as a result - has turned out to be very reactive. Going on walks was a struggle and anytime we saw another dog, even hundreds of feet away, it was a tough situation. If we were on opposite sides of the street, we often had to resort to picking our dog up and returning home because of how reactive he would become.
After 3 weeks with Jay, our experience is honestly night and day. Our dog still has the same personality we love but isn’t nearly as anxious anymore. We have a way to communicate with him, he understands what he needs to focus on (and what we don’t want him focused on), and he’s so much happier as a result. So are we! It’s been a huge relief and really incredible to see the quick transformation. We’ve got to continue the work now that he’s home with us but a month after he finished the 3-week stay, he’s still doing so well. The follow up session with Jay was so helpful and informative, he was able to help us see our gaps with learning the system and we left feeling even more equipped!
We’re going on walks around the neighborhood with no issues, our family & friends have noticed the huge improvements, and our lives are so much easier now that we’re not constantly worried about his reactivity. Cannot truly express how much we recommend the Loyal Hound, our dog was so happy to see Jay when we returned for our follow up training session and it was so clear that he was treated like a family member while he stayed at their facility!
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October 2023 by Lang Taho
My wife and I could not be happier with our experience at the Loyal Hound with Jay. Our dog was born during COVID and was not able to get proper socialization before we rescued him due to the entire world being in isolation. As a result, he would get very worked up around strangers. This would include having our friends over to the house. My wife and I were to the point where we would only take short walks early in the morning (we live in the city) so he didn’t get stressed out and bark at anyone and everyone who came within 100 ft.
Jay’s training included practice out in the community and exposure to strangers and kids. This was definitely a concern as our dog was anxious around children and we are at the age where our friends have little ones of their own.
Our dog can now go out for walks and be near people, including busier times and busier trails. He still gets scared every once in a while, but not to the point where we can’t continue or work through it. He had completed previous trainings before and this was still a problem. Jay’s training has changed everything for us and we are forever grateful.
We know it was a positive experience for our dog, too, because when we went back for a follow-up training session (Jay schedules a follow-up session for everyone as soon as the training program is complete) he was SO excited to be back and see Jay.
It is also specifically worth noting that our experience was very different from other reviews. Jay has continued to be available and offer guidance with our dog, including follow-up sessions, even many weeks removed from the training now. He coached us through our dog meeting friends and having them over to the house. While our dog may always have some fear associated with meeting new people, he and we are better able to work through it with better outcomes in a way that will help him be less afraid of people in the long run.
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August 2023 by Lang Ho
My wife and I could not be happier with our experience at the Loyal Hound with Jay. Our dog was born during COVID and was not able to get proper socialization before we rescued him due to the entire world being in isolation. As a result, he would get very worked up around strangers. This would include having our friends over to the house. My wife and I were to the point where we would only take short walks early in the morning (we live in the city) so he didn’t get stressed out and bark at anyone and everyone who came within 100 ft.Jay’s training included practice out in the community and exposure to strangers and kids. This was definitely a concern as our dog was anxious around children and we are at the age where our friends have little ones of their own.Our dog can now go out for walks and be near people, including busier times and busier trails. He still gets scared every once in a while, but not to the point where we can’t continue or work through it. He had completed previous trainings before and this was still a problem. Jay’s training has changed everything for us and we are forever grateful.We know it was a positive experience for our dog, too, because when we went back for a follow-up training session (Jay schedules a follow-up session for everyone as soon as the training program is complete) he was SO excited to be back and see Jay.It is also specifically worth noting that our experience was very different from other reviews. Jay has continued to be available and offer guidance with our dog, including follow-up sessions, even many weeks removed from the training now. He coached us through our dog meeting friends and having them over to the house. While our dog may always have some fear associated with meeting new people, he and we are better able to work through it with better outcomes in a way that will help him be less afraid of people in the long run.
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August 2023 by Holistic Hiking
I can't say enough about the Loyal Hound. I came to them after going through many trainers. My girl was a COVID puppy that became highly people and dog reactive. All of my previous rescue dogs did great with R+ only training, but with her, R+ was a joke. I lost count of the trainers we went through. We finally found a great balanced trainer, but she moved to North Carolina and recommended the Loyal Hound.I was a little nervous dropping off my almost 2 y.o. with them for three weeks and was worried she would forget our own commands we were working on or lose the parts of her personality that I loved. That never happened. Whenever I couldn't stand being away from her I'd just text Jay and would get videos and pictures of my girl being herself which helped me get through the time without her.When I went to pick her up I got a lesson on how to use her ecollar with their particular method. It took a bit to get used to their method but I was able to go back as many times as I needed to feel confident.On pickup day, I took home a different version of my girl. She was more calm and listened 100% of the time, not just when she felt like it.The Loyal Hound isn't a "set it and forget it" kind of fix for your dog - you have to put in the work, too.It's been a year since I picked her up and I still have questions from time to time, especially pertaining to unexpected happenings when I have her on the trails. When I reach out I always get responses with tips and sometimes a suggestion to come back in for another training session. Their involvement has never stopped.Being a GSD, my girl has tested me every step of the way, but I applied their method and today we are off leash in the woods. She still wears her ecollar when we are out, but it's rare that I have to use it. I remember the first time someone called her an awesome, well behaved trail dog - I teared up.She rarely reacts to people these days. I still make it a point to work with her and take her to places where she will see people and other dogs, but the experience is fun and no longer feels like work. The best part is that I no longer am on edge and can relax and have fun with my dog.Thank you, Loyal Hound. You gave my dog the life I always wanted for her and she loves it!
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July 2023 by Andrea Cruz Quiroz
Jay is the absolute best and we recommend him 100%!We sent our pup to him a little over a year ago and the difference between before and after the bootcamp was incredible! Jay was able to get results, but more importantly he spent the time to help us be the best trainers for our dog. Since the bootcamp, Jay has been available for calls and coaching whenever we have needed it. He might not always be immediately available, but he makes time to help and make us feel more comfortable while training our dog, that really makes all the difference.The folks at The Loyal Hound love what they do and it shows. They are committed to helping all dogs become the best version of themselves. My family and my dog are forever grateful.
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February 2023 by Sandra Seachrist
Jay does an amazing job with the training program. He both takes care of my dogs health and gets results when other places I've been to have not done either. It's worth the money and more, highly recommended.
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September 2022 by Cody Baker
I have now sent two of my dogs to training with Jay. Let me start by saying, my two dogs were not easy projects for any trainer. My first dog i sent to jay is a rescue with serious confidence issues, a fear of strangers, and many other challenges. My second i sent jay is a German Shorthaired pointer with arguably the most drive I’ve ever seen in a dog.Jay was able to both provide confidence to myself and my dogs, he was able to provide me with two dogs with almost instant recall when off- leash. I couldn’t recommend jay enough, and in fact, i still send my dogs to him for boarding when i go away as he is the only person i trust with them.
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March 2022 by Krystle Disorbo
We highly recommend The Loyal Hound!! Our dog has been through their training program, we can’t speak highly enough about Jay and his staff. They are unlike any other trainer out there. We wouldn’t trust our pup with anyone else.
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February 2022 by Josh Rutherford
Very pleased with there training. Very professional
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January 2022 by Nancy Carroll
Spent just over $3600 for 3wk training to correct my dog's behavioral issues. After 3wk picked my dog up and Jay instructed my husband and I on commands with shock collar. Few weeks later sent texts questioning when going to be taught the remaining commands. No response. Tried few more times and finally spoke with Jay. He suggested meeting up the day before Thanksgiving and would call me with a time. Never heard back. It's week before Christmas and all this was in September still no word.
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October 2020 by Tracy Day
Great will go again
