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March 2024 by Bobby Eason
Been using Hooks K9 training for over 6 years. She has trained my two dogs ( lab and beagle) and I routinely take them back for boarding. Friends of ours have used for her training as well. These dogs are some of the best behaved dogs I know of. They completely ignore other dogs on walks and don’t pull while walking either.She understands a dogs behavior extremely well and how to correct certain unwanted behaviors.I understand some have not had pleasant experiences, but I have the upmost respect for Hooks K9 training. I will continue using them and referring individuals for training.
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July 2021 by Heidi K.
LONG POST - Important for North Carolina and people with dogs that use training and boarding camps. Our Horror Story with our gorgeous Maia ( 9 months old Golden) BE VERY CAREFUL WITH HOOK K9 TRAINING CAMP! Let me share our bad experience with Hook K9 training camp. Maia was there 4 weeks - 3 training and 1 boarding while we traveled. When we picked up Maia, she had 5 very swollen bumps on her nose and 1 small puncture. We asked them what happened and they said they had not noticed and that these were not there that morning. We took her to the vet on Sunday. She was definitely bitten by something 6-7 times in the nose area. Dog bite out ruled, because it is only on top of the those. Vet thinks she might have gotten stung by yellow jackets or hornets. INTERESTING THING - THE TRAINING CAMP OWNER LIED, TELLING US THOSE MARKS WERE NOT THERE THE MORNING WE PICKED HER UP. WE ARRIVED AT 2PM. They had been there approx 6 days ago. The camp owner was doing leash work, impossible not to see. Vet's diagnosis: Bumps were severely inflamed, were crusty and full of sick blood material and pus. They got infected. This is evidence this happened about 6 days ago (+/-). The owner of the camps answer was that "she had not noticed the swelling and our girl did not have it that morning", this was confirmed not true by vet. When we went back to her demanding answers, she denied seeing anything, and said she cannot be responsible of where dogs put their noses. In the meantime Maia is on an antibiotic, pain meds, anti-inflammatory meds and allergy meds and needs 30 days of steroids. If when Maia was stung, they would have taken her to a vet, this could have been a lot simpler. The vet indicated that swelling in the nose, near to the top of the head, could be dangerous if untreated. Our girl spend ~6 days untreated!!! Beware with your dogs, ours was lucky that nothing else happened. Save your dog!
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December 2019 by Cooper N.
THE ONLY REVIEW YOU NEED TO READ - UNBIASED OPINION Months ago I heard of Hooks K9 training through a random girl I had met at the dog park. She talked highly of Nancy and her training abilities. I, owning a year old German Shepherd, became very interested. A couple of weeks after I had heard of Hooks K9, my German Shepherd accidentally head-butted a 6 year old boy and caused him to bleed. This made me want to put my dog in training so he would be more gentle around kids. The first place i thought of was Hooks. The first thing I did was E-mail Nancy about my dogs situation to see if she would work with dogs around kids. She responded saying that she has grand-kids of all ages that help her with dogs that need to learn manners around kids. The other thing Nancy fully warned me about was that this is not a spa resort for dogs. It called doggy boot camp and is just that. She also told me that her kennels are out door and if that was not okay then don't bring your dog. Feeling confident, I dropped my German Shepherd off and left him for three weeks. While he was there I discovered the horrifying and misleading Yelp and Google reviews. These reviews scared me and I was interested to see my dog when I went to pick him up. When I went to pick him up, my dog looked and behaved perfectly (he did have a scratch on his nose but that was from him trying to escape the kennel and Nancy made me aware of that scratch when it happened). My German Shepherd now respects all humans, including kids, and animals. I have seen huge improvement in his behavior. Nancy fixed issues that I didn't even realize were issues. She did a great job at training the humans how to work the dog and continue training at home. I highly recommend Nancy as a trainer.
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June 2019 by Lucy K.
We have taken our dog here for 4 years. She always comes back in excellent condition and secure in her dog-ness, knowing her place as a dog in the family. We first boarded her with Nancy during a big trip, and invested in the boot camp training and then did follow up work at her week night training programs. These were helpful and the takeaway was that consistency is key. My husband had to learn that he was the boss of her ALL the time. The training of the Bootcamp would be useless, unless follow through on the our part was consistent. My husband, son, and I all learned techniques very much in line with Cesar, the Dog Whisperer. By the way, binge watch Cesar's shows if you are having trouble with your dog. Nancy doesn't do agility training or clicker training, so don't expect that. She does teach you and your dog to live in harmony by making sure that the dog is not the leader of the pack, you are. Our original problem, that our darling dog was nipping and lunging at others in a protective way, went away as soon as my husband assumed his leadership position with her. Nancy's understanding of dog behavior and their way of communicating with each other, particularly when applied to dominant dogs, was very helpful in understanding our dog's behavior at dog parks. Our dog is very good at putting rude dogs (in a dog world view) in their place or correcting inappropriate behavior. Nancy said that she was exceptionally good with small dogs and puppies and that she gave them a lot of grace. "Rude" dogs act like humans (are overly friendly, get too close too quickly, don't observe the rules of dog etiquette), and when we anthropomorphize them and expect them to act like humans, we create a lot of problems. A dog's "words" are very different from our "words" and we need to always keep that in mind. As we, as her pack leaders, became less anxious about our dogs "aggressive" behavior, she became more effective in her dog communication and there was less actual aggression.
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February 2019 by Austin Pisacane
Would love to give this a 0/5 due to a friends dog that contracted parvo from spending time at this facility. Came home with bite marks and hair loss after being "trained" here at this training camp. This place needs to be shut down and fined for the damages caused to this poor sweet dog
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February 2019 by AJ McDonald
I had two bloodhounds trained here and they came back in outstanding condition. Before one was very timid, so timid I couldn't even take her for a normal walk. After training she was much more walkable and continues to improve everyday. The facility may not look like much but the owner is very knowledgable and knows what she is doing.
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February 2019 by Jessie Hughes
I’m so very disappointed in this facility.
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February 2019 by Joy cherry-pike
I didn't mean to hit that star. A family just lost their lab due to parvo and neglect. DO NOT TAKE YOUR ANIMSLS THERE!!!!!!
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February 2019 by Pauline Stippich
This place needs to be SHUT DOWN! You have insurance? I hope you get sued for the abuse you inflict on pets resulting in death!
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February 2019 by Hailey Norman
DO NOT GO HERE! My friend just got her dog back and it had contracted parvo while there!
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November 2018 by Debbie B.
If you are looking for a day spa for your dog, this is NOT the place. Nancy is amazing with the dogs and understands them on a basic animal level. She isn't going to pamper your precious pookie, but she will get them to obey and be respectful of their place. Someone described it as boot camp and that's what it is like. Some dogs need discipline and not fluffy coddling.
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September 2018 by G G.
We have boarded and trained our dogs with Nancy for over 20 years. The 1-hour long trek to her house from Raleigh is well worth it. A committed trainer who spends almost every waking hour, even during the summer, with the dogs. She does a phenomenal job of caring for each dog's individual needs rather than taking the easy way out and grouping them together. She requires proof of vaccination and gives a thorough report at the end of their visit.
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May 2018 by Peggy B.
We love Nancy and Hooks K9 training. Our Rott has gone for boot camp and also for boarding. She comes home healthy, happy, and well-behaved. Nancy is very clear about what it takes to have a well trained dog. Don't understand what the negative posts from several years ago are all about. We have seen in nothing but love and care.
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April 2018 by Angie M.
Very happy customers from Nancy's boot camp program. We have 2 small children and out lab was so unruly we considered giving him up. I am so glad we didn't. We love our boy and now he can be part of the family instead of keeping him separated from our kids. He isn't perfect he's still young but he listens when we tell him to stop doing something he shouldn't. He walks better than any dog I ever walked on a leash and has manners. He no longer licks and nipples my son, he doesn't trample him, or steal his toys. He knows boundaries. What Nancy did for our family is priceless. We couldn't be happier.
