S.M.A.R.T. Dog School is GENIUS

Oh my goodness.  I’m so excited to share with you about this place.  You guys!!!  S.M.A.R.T. dog school saved my sanity.  And probably our dog too.  If you have a dog or know anyone that does, you need to read on.  This place is amazing.

I’ll start by giving you just a little bit of background on our sweet pup.  He’s a rescue that was found as a stray and his name is Eddie.  He’s a schnauzer.  He’s adorable and quirky.  He’s great.  Super fun and loving and very smart. The kids adore him.  We got him early 2017 and the rescue vets thought he was about 2 years old.  I am not really a “dog person”, but having a family dog seemed like a good idea. The kid’s had begged for years.

So here we were. When we got him, I watched a ton of youtube videos from different trainers and we worked with him on a lot of things like walking without pulling and going to his “place” and crate.  It seemed to really work.  I got the right collar and did all the things.

And he was good, you know.  He still did what I think are “typical dog” things.  Like getting into the garbage or he eating your food if you left your plate within reach.  He also loved to eat my daughter’s chapstick when she leaves that out. He loved walks and he adored the dog park and playing with dogs there.  He was fun!

Then almost a year after we got him, he started getting really weird and aggressive and protective about our front door.  He would lose his ever-loving mind any time anyone came through it or knocked on it.  Even if it was us.  Even if it was us and we just went out and came right back in, like with groceries or something. He would snarl and bark and rush the front door as if he was going to attack whoever it was coming thought. He never did attack, he just barked and growled and jumped and screamed and lunged until he was done and then he went on with his life. He even wagged his tail while he did these crazy things.  But it was pretty scary, especially for little kids.  And it was just so weird.  It came out of the blue, he never did anything like that for the first year we had him.  And people coming and going through the garage door didn’t trigger him at all.  It was even worse if we tried to hold him back so people could come through the front door.  He would lean into his collar and choke himself trying to get to the people.  And if he happened to be in his crate when someone knocked on the front door or rang the doorbell, oh my.  Forget it.  Something about being in the crate or on a leash escalated it all.  It was so crazy.  And strange.  And embarrassing.  There was an unfortunate incident with another dog on our front porch right around that time, so that’s the only reason I could figure for this new increasingly annoying behavior.  And I didn’t know how to fix it.

Fast forward to February of this year, I happened upon an ad for S.M.A.R.T. Dog School on good ole’ Facebook.  I promptly sent them a message and I heard back from Randy, the founder and owner, right away.  OK. You all. Randy is seriously the best!  He’s the nicest guy and this dude LOVES dogs. I mean, you can just see it when you watch him. He adores all of the pups he works with. You can feel it.  He and the entire staff are amazing dog trainers.

Just wait till you see Eddie’s before and after videos!  Mind blown.  Check them out on my facebook page.  

So first, I checked out the site and all different things they have to offer.  And let me tell you, they offer A LOT of great affordable options!  They have free consultations, tutoring, day school, private lessons, group training, board and train, reset classes, rehab classes, and weekly follow up classes that are free for all dogs and owners that have ever gone through their program.  WHAT?!  Who does that?  Unlimited lifetime support!! They sincerely stand behind their training. As well they should.  Because it works!  Eddie is back to his good old quirky self!  Also, SMART stands for See Mark And Reward Training.  Because I knew you wanted to know.  😉

After Randy came out and witnessed Eddie’s manic front door behaviors, we decided that the week long “board and train” would be the best option for us. And the client dogs get boarded at night…. right in the trainers’ homes!  Just like their own dogs.  It’s so sweet. “Board and Train” comes with all kinds of great support products too, like 2 expensive collars and a custom place board!  WIN. WIN!

The trainers are seriously the best.  Randy believes that trainers from diverse backgrounds and educations can work together to provide the best training possible. Shelby is the other certified trainer and she’s also a vet tech. She focuses on training that allows people to just enjoy their dogs at home as well as behavior rehabilitation for dogs that have been deemed “untrainable”.  SMART Dog School wants its clients to build a better bond with their pets.  All of the trainers are full time and certified professionals with over decades worth of experience.

“Smart Dog School has perfected a process that will allow you to establish a unique and unforgettable bond with your dog that few ever get to experience. This process focuses on our 3 core concepts of training as well as our “freedom” approach that will enable you and your dog to finally be able to go anywhere you’d like…together!!”

Your dog doesn’t need to have dramatic behaviors to correct for you to need S.M.A.R.T. Dog School either.  They help all people enjoy their dogs in everyday life. If you can’t visit an outdoor cafe with your dog and enjoy your meal stress-free then this place is for you. You can truly enjoy your dog anywhere. They provide real solutions for all kinds of issues.  Anxiety, Fear, Stress, Pulling, Jumping, Barking, Digging, Biting, Chewing, Door Dashing, Counter Surfing. Anything you can think of.

 

Seriously.  If you have a dog, you need S.M.A.R.T. Dog School.

Give them a call (859-638-9693) check out their website or find them on Facebook.  You won’t be sorry.

I’m going to be sharing a “insider’s look” at the dog school, the facility, training styles and classes in an upcoming post.  So, be on the look out for that.

It’s been 6 months now since his training and he is still great!! We are so glad that we found S.M.A.R.T. Dog School!  We have good old Eddie back.