TESTIMONIALS

When my wife and I received our first ever puppy into the family, we were full of excitement, but did not know how to properly train a dog. We were so fortunate that KeenDog was basically right around the corner from where we lived. When our puppy was just 9 weeks old, Phil, Katrina, and the rest of the team basically trained us on how to implement the training with our busy work schedules. They are all completely devoted to the philosophy of ensuring that the training is fun for both the dog and owner.

Amazing trainers and great sense of community!

I came to KeenDog looking for training for my ~5.5 year old pup who had slipped further and further into what I thought was leash reactivity and aggression. After almost 5 years together, we were struggling BAD on passing dogs on walks (it was the embarrassing barking/whining/pulling - you know, the people you AVOID if you see them coming) and our adventures to favorite spots like breweries and the Whitewater Center were limited and always calculated. We love to be outside together and since I knew we had enjoyed these things before, I wanted something more and better for both of us.

Enter KeenDog!

Our eval alone left a huge impression on me. Turns out I didn’t actually have a dog who was “mean” or “crazy” or “aggressive” but rather one who was incredibly frustrated, confused, anxious, and worst of all, shut down. Phill gently but expertly pointed this out, showed me a few things to work on before our next lesson, and I left feeling positive that this was the place for us - “problems” and all.

Fast forward to life post completion of our Private training series and I now know this about my sweet girl: she’s incredibly smart and needs mental work (thank you Katrina!), she’s very driven, loves to learn new things, and most importantly, she needs her humans to help her build confidence in tough situations. I have completely changed our training tools and practices and we are never looking back! We enjoy group classes with KeenDog (part of their ongoing support program) where we are around dogs constantly (and Penny is rocking this!), virtual classes, skills/trick challenges, and have benefitted greatly from getting to know their other trainers Lindsey and Rachel.

Katrina and Phill have built an amazing program, and as much as it’s changed my dog for the better, it has also changed me for the better. They’ve taught me how to read and listen to my dog, how to advocate for her, and how to rebuild a relationship I could have accidentally destroyed without their help. I am forever thankful to them and for this community, there are dogs and owners from all walks of life, all breeds, and various levels of experience and proficiency. You feel welcome the second you join the KeenDog family and there’s a genuine level of engagement across trainers and families that make it succeed.

Keen Dog Training is the best gift you can give yourself and your dog. We had always adopted older dogs and when we decided to get a golden retriever puppy, we knew we needed help. Katrina helped us select the ideal puppy to become a therapy dog and we placed him in the puppy prodigy program. It was an amazing experience to watch his daily training videos on YouTube and watch learning occur day by day. Absolutely incredible!

We now have a well mannered puppy who follows all the commands he learned, can do some cute tricks and knows how to calmly greet people and other dogs. We go to the local assisted living facility every 10 days and the residents love to see him coming. I can't say enough about the Keen Dog Training staff and methods. They are THE BEST!

My dog, Poppy and I couldn’t be bigger fans of KeenDog! We started training with them a little over 2 years ago. What we love the most is that after we finished at-home lessons, we got to start group classes and can go as often as we want! It’s a great way to strengthen our bond, improve and continue on her training, and wear her out (since she’s a high drive breed). I love that they provide ongoing support and it’s very clear how much they love your dog too.

One of the biggest differences for me with KeenDog was their knowledge about Australian Shepherds. Before I worked with KeenDog, I had a trainer who actually suggested I give my dog back to the breeder for “behavioral issues” and suggested I get an easier dog like a lab or golden. In reality, that trainer just wasn’t familiar with Australian Shepherds, and her behaviors were actually very common among her breed. Now Poppy is great on a leash, off a leash, motivated to learn, and we can go fun adventures like off leash hikes/beach trips without any worries, which would’ve never been possible without what she’s learned from KeenDog! Phill and Katrina are truly the best!

KeenDog is the BEST!! We started using KeenDog when my lab was about 3 months old. She was full on puppy with loads of energy. KeenDog taught us how to communicate with her, and that has made our relationship awesome! Not only do you get the typical training like basic commands, heel, recall, door manners, etc., they place a big focus on PLAY and how important it is in your relationship.

Another huge benefit that we have gotten out of KeenDog is the community that we have unlimited access to. Group classes, a super informative Facebook group with other dog parents, and the friendships we've made with the trainers has far exceeded our expectations.

When I was planning on getting Maisy, I knew I wanted her to be able to go anywhere with me, and I can confidently do that because of KeenDog. She is a better dog because of them and we can't thank them enough for all they do and continue to do for us!

We honestly can't recommend KeenDog enough. Before we got our Vizsla, Izzy, we knew we wanted to have a well trained dog we could take with us anywhere, but we had no idea how to accomplish that. Even after training with another company in the area we still felt like something was missing. We couldn't find the right balance between training and living.

Enter KeenDog, before our first session with Katrina was even finished I already knew we were hooked. She broke things down in a way we could easily understand, and gave us the tools/tweaks we needed to leave our first lesson feeling like we had already seen improvement.

We're now 6 months into our KeenDog lifestyle and never looking back. We love their play focused style of training, knowledge of working high drive dogs and dog sports, and unlimited group classes that consistently push us to grow.

We have so much more fun with our pup and with their help feel like the balance of our 'play, adventure, train' is just right.

After observing group training sessions around Charlotte or seeing that signature yellow ecollar on a well behaved pup out and about we knew where we wanted to make our investment in training our dalmatian, Atlas.

We worked with Katrina for our private sessions and we have been blown away since day 1. Katrina is amazing to work with and a true expert- in the course of three months, atlas can now walk on a nice leash without pulling, hangout in her “place” while we eat dinner, and enjoy outdoor activities with freedom. Katrina taught us how to properly communicate with Atlas, which strengthened our bond with her and makes everyday training with her exciting and enjoyable. Thank you!!

We look forward to attending group sessions in the future and being a continued member of the KeenDog family!

Working with Keendog has been one of the best decisions we’ve made. We started with The Bestie package with our first dog, Tucker, when he was 1 year old. We loved Keendog so much that when we got our second dog, Archie, we immediately enrolled him in the bold puppy class then moved into the immersion program with Jenna. Jenna was great at keeping us constantly updated as well explaining things in an easy to understand way. We always say that we needed more training than the dogs ever did and Keendog continues to give us the tools to live life with our boys.

We love that private lessons could be complete in our home, out and about in the community, and even at the trainer’s homes. But what we love the most is what those private lessons prepare you for, group classes! We continue to take the boys to as many as we can. It’s not only for them, but for us as we are in community with likeminded dog owners.

Any dog we have in the future will definitely be a KeenDog. We cannot recommend them enough!