Last summer, only a few weeks after losing my 13 year old dog, Bentley, I was on my way to an animal shelter to see a golden retriever lab mix puppy. I missed Bentley terribly, and had told myself I wasn't ready for another dog, and, I would definitely get an older dog when I was ready so I could avoid those difficult "puppy" years.  A couple of hours later I was on my way home with TWO puppies.  They were sisters, and I just couldn't take one home and not take the other.  And so Betsy and Tacy came to be my girls.

I love my dogs.  But, as I had found out with my previous dogs, love is not enough.  I was determined to get Betsy and Tacy trained and socialized and do things differently this time around. And so Columbus K9 came in to our lives.  We started with Puppy Preschool.  Then we tried Basic Obedience.  While we completed both the classes, and they helped me a lot in learning to handle them, we needed more. Betsy and Tacy are sisters, but, just like kids, they were very different in personality and learning styles.  Holly and Marlo thought that working one on one with them would help them to develop more confidence and would help in determining what worked for each dog as far as training.  We did some "Stay and Train" days with each dog.  What a difference!  I am so glad that we did this.  At the end of the day, Marlo and Holly would show me what they had worked on with them and I was just thrilled to see them doing so well.  And, the hardest part I am sure for Marlo and Holly was trying to teach ME how to keep things going and do my part at home.  As frustrated as I'm sure they were with my dog training abilities, they never made me feel that way.  When I left I was always feeling excited and confident and ready to be the best dog mom ever. 

Currently Betsy and Tacy attend day care at Columbus K9 once a week.  They LOVE it.  I love that it is a small group, that they are able to socialize with other dogs, that there are cots and places to rest if they want to do that.  It's been so good for them. 

When people meet Betsy and Tacy as we are out and about, they always comment on how well behaved they are for puppies.  I am so proud of them!  We plan to tackle Advanced Obedience this spring.  I would recommend Columbus K9 to anyone who is looking for caring, supportive, knowledgeable trainers to help with their dog.  Betsy, Tacy and I are so happy that we got to know them.


My husband and I adopted a 6 month old Collie in June, and our son named her Libby.  When she was 7 to 8 months old we brought her to Columbus K9 for  training.  We were very pleased with that but within a few months Libby had started barking uncontrollably.  She had upset one of our neighbors who started complaining to me.  I phoned Holly and Marlo asking what we could do about this situation.  Within a few days, Marlo was at our home training Libby with an E-Collar which has worked wonders. No more complaints from an angry neighbor.  We can let Libby out at any time and know she won’t bother anyone.  Thanks to Marlo and Columbus K9 for taking your own time to come out and help us with Libby.



We had a GREAT experience at Columbus K9--very knowledgeable instructor/trainer, well organized classes and good information. Holly was excellent at problem solving and making suggestions for our specific needs!   We have been to many places for dog training and feel that Columbus K9 is the best! 


My dog Levi, a Golden Doodle, started the “Stay & Train” program at 17 weeks of age.  He went to Columbus K9 3 times a week for 2 weeks.  We could see a difference after the very first day.  Later at 9 months of age, we did one Ecollar training with him.  He has been going to Columbus K9’s Doggy Daycare once a week since he was 17 weeks old.  He is a little over a year old now and weighs 90lbs.  He listens at home and is a great dog due to the training he received at Columbus K9.  They do an awesome job and we highly recommend them for all your training and daycare needs.



Being an active family, we were concerned about properly and consistently training our new puppy. And since it had been 16 years since we had trained a dog, we knew we were also more than a little rusty. Columbus K9 trainers were wonderful in getting us headed in the right direction -- not only with training our Polish Lowland Sheepdog, but also training the family about proper techniques and dog care. The outcomes were far better than we anticipated. And Lavina loved her time spent at the center.



Bringing our 6 month old Golden Retriever puppy to Columbus K9 for Training was the best investments we’ve made for our dog AND our family!

Although our dog Buddy had attended a Puppy Kindergarten class and knew the basics such as sit, down, stay, etc., we were really struggling with things such as nipping, jumping on people, eating things he shouldn’t be eating, and walking on a leash. Buddy spent three days in the “Stay and Train” program and was trained using an E-collar. After only three days, our dog was transformed into a much more well-behaved puppy.  Walking on a leash was no longer a challenge between who could pull harder, and we weren’t stopping every 15 seconds to pry a piece of trash out of his mouth that he picked up along the way.All of our issues we had going in have since been resolved with consistent follow-up to the training. In addition, he learned the “place” command, and even learned to walk on the treadmill! 

The trainers did a wonderful job after each session taking the time to train ME on how to follow up on what Buddy was taught, and most importantly, on how to properly use the E-Collar.  Prior to selecting the E-Collar training, they also spent a great deal of time educating me on the benefits of that type of training, resulting in me feeling very comfortable in choosing that option.  It was definitely the right training for us and our dog.  I highly recommend Columbus K9 to anyone who is looking to have a well-trained dog with excellent, knowledgeable and well-qualified trainers!