Best Cat Trainer Grand Rapids Near Me

Sarah D: We love our trainer! Very knowledgeable!

Gina Croson: Both my dogs went to "school" here. The trainers are great and work with you so your fur baby learns to be a great new edition to the family.

Ryan Bailey: Well run company. Great staff! What I like most is they always do the right thing no matter who it benefits. Our Goldendoodle Mia can be a handful but they always greet us with a smile and love on Mia every time she is there. Thanks guys!

Cyeru: Great place for pet sitting

Diana Stevers: Outstanding customer service and attentiveness. We feel reassured every time we travel that our pup is in good hands and well cared for. Prices are reasonable for both day care and overnight boarding.

Kara Malone: An excellent team of trainers well-versed in positive reinforcement training. As a veterinarian, I refer patients to A Dog’s Life GR regularly.

S Bonnah: Excellent and experienced! Highly recommend!

Emily Stapleton: Nikki Koning is absolutely amazing! She is very gifted in puppy training. My CavaPoo responded very positively to Nikki’s intuitive training techniques. I feel light years ahead in puppy training because of working with Nikki.

Jeff Parker: I have been working with dogs life gr and their trainers for over a decade now. It has not only enriched my dogs life but mine as well. I can not recommend them enough.

Stephanie Murray (Villarreal): Niki is so great! We took puppy class with her. She does a wonderful job explaining things and has a very keen sense for dog behaviors. My puppy absolutely loved her. I just wish they weren't so far, because I'd love to take even more classes through them. Kristie Swan, the owner is a dog training genius! She is really wonderful with one on one lessons, and has so much knowledge on dog behavior and science.

Nature of the Dog: We love A Dog's Life!

Lindsey Fick: LOVE! Cannot say enough positive things about A Dogs Life GR

Rachael VanDyke (Cooperative Care): Kristie is fantastic! I work in a veterinary office with highly reactive dogs and she happily takes on our challenging cases. Our clients love her! She is an excellent communicator and makes a individualized plan for each dog and their handlers. She does an excellent job teaching the owners how to train and communicate with their pet!

Jackie: We love A Dog's Life and Kristie Swan. She and her trainers are fantastic and full of compassion while working with you and your dog.

Jennifer Raymo: Loved their class on dealing with reactive dogs - very informative and helpful!

Alexander Lazar: Great trainers with a very friendly and welcoming atmosphere.

Anaya Heinzelman: Horrible place took my dog about a year in a half ago, forgot the name but so we could have training for our dog because of behavior problems called ahead said that she’s great with that. She told us to put her down and she could put her down herself, for no reason other then she don’t like the dog. Disappointed

Cindy Root: Best classes.

Kylie & Tanner Bennie-White: We engaged with A Pleasant Dog when we realized, four months into having our puppy, Zuko, that we had absolutely no idea how to work with him instead of against him. They responded to our initial inquiry within 24 hours, which is pretty darn quick! We were on the same page about doing a one-on-one lesson (more for us than for our dog, really!) and were promptly able to schedule one.During our one-hour session, Tara was professional and kind as she answered our questions. She thoroughly explained everything we needed to know without expressing judgement for the areas we need to improve on. Our previously "obstinate" puppy, who'd been resisting all our efforts to guide him, responded to her coaching near-instantly!She gave us a handful of incredibly helpful exercises to work on with Zuko. The second the door closed behind Tara when she left, my husband and I turned to each other and immediately said, "Oh my god, that was so worth it." "SO worth it!" "I'm incredibly glad we hired her."Within a day of our session we're already experiencing greater mutual understanding and better communication between us and our dog. We've already raved to several of our friends with dogs who are interested in engaging in the future.Tara, we cannot possibly thank you enough for setting us up for success with Zuko! If we feel a follow-up session is necessary a few months down the line, we would immediately come back to A Pleasant Dog!

Tyler Feuerstein: My experience: every lesson, an excitable dog gets endless food thrown on the ground for an hour. Each time you come back he's through the roof with excitement. Then they say he needs medication in order to continue training.

Molly Rizor: I've owned terriers all my life and my Airedale, Martha, has been a APD Stay and Play dog since APD was in their former location. We credit Jenn and her staff for assisting us with training Martha and we truly believe her time at APD has lead to her being the happy, healthy girl we adore.

BeeZeeArt: I love A Pleasant Dog and have been training with them for 5 years with my oldest dog who has learned agility, earned a TKN and a TKI (trick dog notice and trick dog intermediate titles) and was able to overcome his reactivity to earn his CGC (canine good citizen title). Most recently I've started scent work with my new puppy and have been attending the basic obedience classes with the puppy.The trainers are friendly and knowledgeable and the classes are fun. But, most importantly, we've seen great results and I truly have 2 pleasant dogs.

Cayla DuChene Houston: A Pleasant Dog is staffed with outstanding trainers who really do love your dogs. And just as important as their behavioral skills is their ability to train people. I had my first training session after my rescue dog of three years remained impossible to walk due to his incessant pulling & lunging at squirrels, cars & other dogs. Jenn (quite diplomatically) explained what was off in my timing, and how I needed to slow wayyyyyy down in exposing him to certain environments. Maybe 2 months later, I could finally walk him without injuring my shoulder. Now 15 months later, my beautiful dog is a joy to walk for everyone in my family, politely greets other dogs, sits nicely on the Starbucks patio while I enjoy my coffee, and looks at me instead of passing cars. I (and Finn) couldn’t be more grateful for what APD has taught us.

Rachel Kessel: A Pleasant Dog has been one of the absolute biggest blessings. We have two reactive Great Pyrenees Mix dogs, and we worked with APD to help better understand our dogs’ breed behavior and tendencies, as well as their anxiety to be able to have a very peaceful and happy household. We worked with them for puppy classes, reactive dog class, Adult 101, one on one training for one of our pups, and they came to our home to help us prepare the dogs for welcoming a child to the household. Our lives would not be the same without the expert dog and people training and help we received from APD. Our dogs’ lives dramatically increased and they are happier and more at ease thanks to Jenn and her amazing team. We cannot thank them enough or recommend them enough! APD is a safe haven for all who enter their doors, and they really do love your dogs like their own!

michelle jokisch polo: The team at A Pleasant Dog have been incredible with our little Shiba. After spending eight years in a breeding mill — our dog was filled with constant anxiety, fear and reluctance. With the help of the APD team and a behavioral vet we now get the opportunity to witness our little dog interact, play and enjoy life.

E B: The best and most attentive trainer we’ve worked with. APD takes in difficult cases and works to turn them around with positive reinforcement. Can’t recommend them enough.

Chris Snyder: A Pleasant Dog took on a really difficult situation with compassion and dedication. I really appreciate their evidence-based approach to training.

J K: Their group classes are what you would expect (same as any positive reinforcement training) and the staff trainers are wonderful.Why the 1 star then? They seem EXTREMELY quick to suggest medication for dog behaviors lately - even for puppies. It seems like this is a push from the owner, Jenn.I'll update my review if APD makes some kind of public statement noting a change in this behavior.

Rebekah Toering: Cannot recommend enough!! Their positive reinforcement & force free method helped me manage my dog’s reactivity/anxiety issues with absolutely no judgments. I know that they always have his best interest in mind & his behavior is proof of that. Luke especially loves Jenn, Tara, and Roxanne & cannot wait to get inside as soon as we pull up!!

Joseph McCormick: Have been taking my Dog for close to a year, and I love it. He's continuing his training as a Service Animal, and I absolutely love the energy and vibes of the whole place. :)

Karen Goehring: I took our new dog to their puppy class with Tara. In my class of 5 puppies, two of the dogs were very excitable so they used barriers to block them off from the rest of the class, which only seemed to make my dog more curious about what was behind the curtain. After the fourth class, Tara asked to me to stay after to discuss my puppy’s behavior. She told me that my puppy has a “chemical imbalance” and the only solution for him was medication. She wanted to call my vet to instruct him to place my puppy on medication and if he would not, given my dog was only 5 months old, she suggested that I see the only behavioral vet in Michigan that they work very closely with and she would prescribe him medication. She also informed me that she had told another owner in the class the same thing.The fact that a trainer (who is not certified by the way) would suggest medication for a 5 month old puppy based on his behavior in a highly excitable environment is mind boggling to me. I had my dog evaluated by a different trainer and the trainers and behaviorist at the Humane Society. After evaluating him, they all felt that he was a completely normal puppy and were shocked by the recommendations given by A Pleasant Dog. I also discussed with my vet, and he said he would NEVER prescribe medications for behavior without training first and he also did not see any reason to give my dog meds.I did call to speak to the owner, who did not have time to speak with me, and instead I spoke with an office staff member. She was very nice, but seemed more concerned with offering me money versus addressing the problem with this trainer. I was given a refund for the remaining two classes I was not going to attend. I honestly did not care about the money, I cared about the fact that this trainer should not be recommending medications.I did a lot of research before selecting a dog trainer and read so many positive reviews, I am so disappointed by our experience at A Pleasant Dog. I would not recommend them for a puppy class. Dream Dogs or the Humane Society are a far better experience for a puppy where they will actually be provided with training, not ridiculous recommendations.

Alison Mace: We would be lost without APD and our Auntie Jenn. Our dog was quite anxious upon adoption and later showed some highly reactive and aroused behavior. We had consulted with other area trainers who were unsure how to help or suggested methods that made us uncomfortable. This left us feeling so sad and defeated. We found APD and have been successfully managing our sweetie using medication and positive reinforcement for several years now. We found the level of support we were looking for and both our dog and our confidence has grown tremendously. We just love you APD!

Joy Wahby: Works with difficult dogs. Also offers class for all dogs.

Pat Parker: Super staff. Wonderful place.