Spot-On K9 Training

Stephen is amazing!! I signed up for training as my 3.5-year-old baby, Enzo, had issues while walking on the leash and always wanted to be in front. He also got too excited whenever he saw another dog or a bird and would pull me towards them. After just one session, I saw such a big difference. Enzo started walking next to me and became much more obedient in general. Each lesson had a clear target, which really helped both of us. For one of the class, we learned “place” and Enzo jumped up on a rock and held a “place” command like a pro. That was just the second lesson. He has never jumped that high before, let alone sit still at that height, so I believe his confidence grew, and so did mine too, as a dog parent. The concierge in my building even shared that they notice a difference in Enz

Stephen is not the first trainer my husband and I have worked with however the results from working with Stephen has exceeded our expectations. Before starting SOK9T our dog Z would excessively pull on the leash and was very reactive to other dogs, to the point where walking him was very stressful and not enjoyable. After our first private lesson with Stephen, we saw an incredible difference in Z's behavior on walks and I would say walks became much more enjoyable. We also wanted to work on Z's off leash & recall. In the beginning I had doubts it would be possible, and did not have much expectations for Z to be able to run around off leash. By the final class, Z was walking around Central Park for over an hour off leash with amazing recall and a calm approach towards other dogs. Stephen

My dog Chad struggled with leash walking and recall. We worked with Stephen, and Chad quickly picked up better behaviors and skills, and he is much happier and more confident. We both enjoy our walks both on leash and off leash now!

We would totally recommend Stephen for dog training - ESPECIALLY if you are interested in gaining off leash skills. Our dog (Albie, a 1.5yr rescue) loves to play with other dogs and explore (but also likes to eat trash or whatever he finds AND can sometimes be "a lot" when trying to engage in play with other dogs) so we were really motivated to be able to train Albie to recall perfectly, leave it, heel etc so he could be independent in Central Park. Stephen's toolkit and teaching gave us the skill set to be able to have Albie off leash with 100% confidence in the morning and we all have the best time! We even sometimes will take him off (although not regulation) now during the afternoon and have him in heel next to us walking so that if no one is around we can let him so chase squirrels. h

Stephen has been the most amazing trainer for my pup! She came to him with behavioral issues namely aggression towards other dogs and separation anxiety. Throughout the training sessions i have seen major changes in bambi and we are now able to live a much happier life! Bambi is able to walk incredibly on the leash, stay in place for up to 45 minutes and is slowly getting more comfortable around other dogs. I am so happy that we were able to make these changes as her behavior was making us question if we were a right fit for her and her needs. Bambi went from a scared and shy dog to a much more confident puppy! Thank you so much Stephen!