we measure our success, by our client’s success
We have the dog we always wanted!
Lady Liberty was a typical puppy: energetic, joyful and fun. But she was also undisciplined, uncooperative, and unruly.
We have 6 kids, and she was a handful for us. So at 6 months old, she went for a month-long training to Man’s Best Friend and that changed everything. We have been amazed at the difference! She’s an amazing dog.
Within a week we took her to the crowded public market and she was incredibly disciplined, obeying every command and not being distracted by the sights and sounds around her whether they came from the hundreds of people, or from the many other dogs at the park.
Since then, we have also taken her on a long road trip and lived among friends in their house with their dog, and she responded so well.
Every day we are reminded how great a decision it was to have her be trained by Shannon at Man’s Best Friend!
“I cried when I saw the difference in her & how she was able to act now.”
We can’t thank Shannon & her staff enough for the training that Tilly received. We were nothing less then amazed. I cried when I saw the difference in her & how she was able to act now. Our girl was ridiculously... rambunctious. Chased our cat relentlessly to where we never saw them. Now they can walk right past her & she stays down as they walk past or sit by her. She mauled me when I came home from work because she was so overly excited happy to see me. Would do the same to guests. Now we’re able to calm her she stays down until we give her command & can greet you respectfully with no jumping on you anymore. I can walk her & she walks right beside me. I walked her for the 1st time into Wilco she laid down when told stayed there with others around & took her picture in front of the flowers. Never .. would think of doing that before her training. Tillys able to run around in our property without being hooked to a cable & comes right back or lays down when she’s given the command. She had a ton of fun during this last snow storm being able to just run & still do as I ask her. We really enjoy the great dog we knew she was.
I can’t say enough of how her training from Shannon has changed our life.
Thank you Mans Best Friend!
We got our boy Sarg back today! He is amazing!
We cannot thank you enough!
Mans best friend was recommended to us by the vet… The trust and control we now have over our high anxiety puppy is priceless.
We have a very hyper Rottweiler puppy about 8 months old, named Nessa. We have a busy home with 4 kids and Nessa had some anxiety and some fear of new people which made her very untrusting and unpredictable. She became a very powerful high maintenance dog in a matter of weeks, and we were at best clueless on how to communicate with her. Four of us had four different strategies (that we changed often when after a few days it didn’t seem to be working) and she was probably very confused.
Mans best friend was recommended to us by the vet when she showed some severe anxiety while getting shots. After doing some research, we decided to call the two trainers that were recommended. With the schedules of our family weekly trainings we’re going to be a hassle. So we decided on the board and train at Mans best friend. The cost seemed on the higher side, but the reviews for Mans best friend on every site I looked on, were frankly unreal. The only one I could find that had anything to do with criticism at all was about the communication while their dog was being boarded (In which the writer still couldn’t stop talking about her amazement about her dogs training) and another who never got her dog trained, also talking about communication. We were on a waiting list for about a month, and then Nessa was sent to the training program at Mans Best Friend starting on April 3rd 2019. We were all by this time completely in-love with our out of control powerful puppy, but even with the reviews a little doubtful in that short of time our dog would be completely different.
In the time Nessa was in training, they posted pictures of her on their Facebook page almost daily (I was always so shocked at the cuteness they were able to capture because she was so rambunctious with us. ) I got a phone call from Shannon about how she was doing and the specific concerns she was working on with Nessa. I called a lot the first few weeks. Probably made Megan at the front desk a little nuts, but she either has met a few like me, or didn’t seem to be bothered by my constant nagging about my dog.
We went to our training with Nessa and were treated with a one on one with Shannon when we went to pick her up. Shannon was blunt with us, gave us clear directions on how to control Nessa, and gave all four of us a one on one before we went home. The commands were easy, and we learned how to make our voices light and airy for our dogs comfort. A couple things that may come as a shock...
When Shannon brought Nessa out, we had clear instructions to stay put, and not interrupt the training. She pranced in front of us like we weren’t there, with only minimal evidence she even knew who we were. Janelle (my thirteen year old daughter) was emotional about the lack of excitement. That was the hardest part of the entire month she was gone. One by one as we were allowed to step in with the training as we learned how to communicate with her, we got the greeting and reassurance she missed us too.
Your dog will now have what my husband calls an off switch. She will be the same old dog, (except sweet and polite ) but now.. you will be able to put her in a down and immediately stop any unwanted behavior. Whether it’s destructive, scary, or just annoying, you’ll be able to make it stop.
I think the most beneficial part of this program is that off switch. The trust and control we now have over our high anxiety puppy is priceless. She’s much calmer, we walk her instead of vice versa, and we have learned with Shannon’s help that a single word can get our dog to submit. Our home is calm, and happy, and we have a way to communicate with Nessa in a way in which she responds quickly and eagerly. We couldn’t thank you enough for the time you spent with our puppy. I am currently at home with my daughter who has injuries to her hands and she’s not left her side all morning. Thank you for teaching us how to communicate with Nessa, and making this family complete with a priceless understanding of how our dog specifically works, what triggers her, and how to make her life with us so beneficial. I would recommend Mans Best Friend to anyone. Thank you!
You have made my life, hers and Pablo’s a million percent better!!!
Thank you for all your training you Instilled in Luna! She’s doing fabulous!!! You have made my life and hers and Pablo’s a million percent better!!!
We have “migrated” everyday since our one on one training and picking her up! She’s so respectful and obedient! On our migration walk today we encountered a lady who apologized for her young dog lounging and being out of control.. I told her I also have a puppy, mines 8 months, I asked how young hers was .. she said 2! We WON that migration walk and I owe Shannon the world!!! She changed our pack order and I’m at the top! I’m forever grateful and Shannon if I could hug you I would! Maybe at the Gala
Thanks again for everything! You saved our pack! I will recommended you until the end of time!!
People love having my dogs around because they listen and have manners.
I’ve had 7 different dogs through Man’s Best Friend. Number 8 is almost old enough to go. I learn so much every time I hang out with Shannon in the training yard.
Why do I keep going back?
I become a better dog handler/pack handler.
People love having my dogs around because they listen and have manners.
My dogs are happier because they can go more places with us and have more freedom due to great behavior.
The looks that I got when I walked with 6 dogs and all were orderly and passed other dogs and commotion without disturbance
My dogs are safer because they reliably follow important commands.
Shannon helped me through a tough time when I wasn’t a strong enough leader which caused two dogs to fight. She corrected it and taught me more about pack leadership.
Being able to have great relationships with my dogs that could never be possible if their behaviors kept them limited in where they could go.
I cant say enough good things about Mans Best Friend. the staff is friendly and professional. The master trainer Shannon has yrs of experience with police k9s and has won several awards. shes out standing. If you want the highest quality level of training this is the place. I got nothing but great word of mouth reviews about this place and I'm happy I got the chance to get my German Shepherd trained here. excellent. 5/5 stars. I can’t say enough of how her training from Shannon has changed our life.
Thank you Mans Best Friend!
Last August we adopted the most adorable rescue puppy…Shannon and team do not disappoint and they will not give up on your dog.
Last August we adopted the most adorable rescue puppy. We knew that Ramona was timid when we chose her, but we were not prepared for how difficult it would be to train such a timid and fearful dog. Ramona cowered when we entered the room. She would not come when called. She barked nonstop when we had company in our home. We could not let Ramona out into our fenced backyard without a tether because she would not come back in to the house. She would shiver and bark at us from the yard and was completely unapproachable when she was outdoors. Despite all of these frustrating behaviors, Ramona was a sweet dog. She absolutely LOVED our 5 year old daughter and 8 year old son. She was so gentle with them and approached them with confidence and ease. We knew that Ramona had a lot of potential, but we didn’t know how to reach her to teach her to be a confident dog.
We spent months researching dog training and settled on Man’s Best Friend. Shannon and her team have worked wonders with Ramona. She comes when called—every single time. We can ask her to “down” for extended periods of time and she’ll lie down until we tell her to “break” and then she’ll run to us for praise. She loves to run around in the yard and chase a ball and when we call her to come in, she comes right to the door. She’s stopped the crazy barking streaks and walks on a leash with slack. Ramona even looks like a different dog physically. She holds her head and ears in a more relaxed manner, and she curls her tail up rather than tucking it between her legs. We are so grateful to Man’s Best Friend for taking the time to bring Ramona out of her shell. We now know how to work with her in a positive way to continue to encourage her confidence. We highly recommend Man’s Best Friend for any dog training needs, but particularly for those of you who have a particularly challenging animal. Shannon and team do not disappoint and they will not give up on your dog.
MBF was great at educating us and helping us understanding Jango better…He now has the type of leadership he needed.
During the pandemic, like many families, we brought a new pet into our home. Our Siberian Husky, Jango, was super smart and active. He had multiple commands down in the first month and was our hiking buddy. Four months after we brought him into our home we started to notice increased aggressive behaviors (growling, lunging, resource guarding etc) towards dogs and family members. After a few months, with the aggression only getting worse, we enrolled in an “all positive” class crafted specifically for the behaviors we were experiencing.
Our dog is food focused and great at commands, so he easily graduated from that class. One of the only dogs in the group to do so. After the all positive class we felt we had the tools to manage our dog. Everything felt better for the first few months, until he bit our teenage son. Our son simply walked into the room where Jango was laying, and he got up and attacked him without warning.
This would not be the last time Jango bit someone in the family unprovoked. We spent over a year getting some of the best all positive in-person trainers to come to our home and work with him. We also had him evaluated by specialized veterinarians and he was prescribed a daily behavioral medication. All of this did help to a point, but Jango would still occasionally have episodes of aggression, mainly with people outside of our family, that left us feeling discouraged and on edge.
Then came the defining moment. One afternoon Jango got out of the house and was running loose in the neighborhood. During our attempt to recall him he attacked us. After this we were terrified that he could do this again during any heightened situation. In that moment, we decided, that unless we could find something that would dramatically reduce the possibility of it ever happening again, our only other option would be to put him down. After consulting with several different board and train options, with one telling us Jango was a lost cause, we turned to Shannon at Man’s Best Friend with what little hope we had left.
Shannon and her training has ended up being the answer to our prayers for Jango and we cannot thank her enough. Her genuine desire and willingness to help us has been a gift. From the first meeting we could tell that Shannon didn’t just care about her business, but genuinely wanted to help us and Jango. She was great at educating us on understanding Jango better and the type of leadership he needed.
While we will need to continue to be watchful with Jango when we’re around others, we now have confidence in the tools to manage him safely. Overall, his behavior has changed dramatically, and he is a much happier and more relaxed pup. Now, if he were to get out of the front door again, we don’t have the fear that we did before, as he has a reliable recall. In addition, we can put him into a “down” and he remains in that position until we tell him he can be done.
One of the more powerful examples of our dog’s transformation is his recent behavior when a visitor came to our door. Before our training with Man’s Best Friend, people coming to the door was a stressful event. It was a constant battle to get Jango into his crate or into the backyard as our friends or neighbors waited on the other side of the door. This past week, we had a visitor ring our doorbell and we put Jango in a “down”. He stayed in that position with a calm demeanor during the entire 15-minute meeting. It was amazing! That moment would not be possible without the help of Man’s Best Friend. Even walks are much more enjoyable. Before we were on the wrong end of a sled dog wanting to get down the street. Now we are in control and actually walking together. Again, we can not thank Shannon at Man’s Best Friend enough for her help in making this all possible!
The Harold Family