K-9 Defense

We had a great experience with K-9 Defense and Savannah. When we started, my dog Harper was struggling with reactivity and confidence, and the progress she's made has been incredible. Savannah doesn't just work on behavior- she really focuses on helping dogs feel more confident and secure, and that has made all the difference for Harper. Savannah brings clear direction, consistency, and a genuine commitment to both dog and owner. What I appreciate is how thoughtful and supportive Savannah is, not just in training sessions but beyond them. She's gone out of her to come to our home to follow through with training, and she's even come by on her day off to deliver Harper's food that we had ordered. That kind of dedication says everything. We are beyond grateful for K-9 Defense- this experience has meant more to us than we can say.

I cannot recommend Savanah enough. She’s super focused and hard working and goes above and beyond with her attentiveness and follow up. She’s a credit to the organization. We brought our 2yr old Malinois in for a “re-boot”; she had already been thorough an expense in-house 5 week boarding/training with another reputable company and despite their impeccable credentials, their training and correction methods absolutely did not suit our Mal who came to our household with traits of fear-based reactivity, and chaotic, impulse-based behavior. The money spent with this other company did not improve her behavior. After the 6 week re-boot with Savannah, our Mal was a different dog: calmer, more focused, obedient and manageable. We’ve had her two weeks since her return home and she continues to improve. And, included in the price, Savannah comes to our home and spends quality time following up, asking and answering questions and ensuring our Mal is set up for long term success. She’s constantly communicating with us. Our Mal was not just another job to her, she really cares. She even made time to go to the vet with my wife to ensure the psychology and behavioral aspects of a vet visit were on point. Well done, 5-stars!

K9 Defense has transformed our puppy (Cane Corso) and our family as a whole. After a 6 week puppy training program, our puppy is now confident and able to follow many commands. I had never dreamed our puppy would learn all Of these skills at such a young age of 6 months. Savannah is our lead Trainer and not only is she a Wizard with “dog training.” But she is a kind, warm, spirit. She is very welcoming and reassuring when it comes to teaching myself and my two younger daughters how to handle our puppy. Savannah took extra time with our family and she continues to come to our home to work with myself and my daughters so that all of the commands and skills she taught at boarding/training are transferred to our home environment. Our puppy is now fully kennel/crate trained (which was my greatest concern), she knows commands for sit, down, touch, and place (and she is amazing at hanging out “on place” in our home), she is fully pottery trained and she is nearly perfect with loose leash walking. (Even with my 15 and 11 year old daughters) . Our Puppy is also trained with the ECollar which is unbelievable at such a young age. I had high expectations going in, as we needed help, and Savannah (and Chris whom did our initial intake evaluation), surpassed them and then some!!! She was a very anxious puppy when we first got her at 5 months, to the point we were not sure we could keep her as she could not be left alone. Now after 6 weeks of facility training, she is 7 months old and the most amazing puppy on the planet. Truly her behavior is so perfect it’s hard to believe she is still A puppy. We are forever thankful For everyone at k9 defense. We recommend to everyone!!! And we know K9’defense will always be a part of our lives and we will return for boarding and even more advanced training as our puppy ages. Thank you!!!!

We brought our dog Mia to K-9 Defense primarily to address her reactivity toward other dogs while on leash. Socialization was our main concern, with obedience being secondary. From the very first evaluation session with Chris, we were blown away. Chris was incredibly friendly, knowledgeable, and confident. After evaluating Mia, he had no doubt they could help not only with her reactivity but also significantly improve her obedience. We also explained that Mia had been struggling with incontinence for a long time. This was something we had tried multiple medications for and were even planning to see an internal medicine specialist about. Chris immediately had ideas on how to address it and took the time to explain everything thoroughly. I had no intention of leaving Mia that day, but after that conversation, I felt so confident in the team that I dropped her off on the spot. When we first met Mia’s trainer, Savanna, we were equally impressed. She was incredibly friendly, welcoming, and extremely knowledgeable. She took her time answering every question we had and made sure we fully understood the training process. The results speak for themselves. When we started working with Mia during our training sessions at the facility, we were amazed at how well she listened and how strong her obedience already was. By the time we brought her home, she was truly a different dog. Not only is her obedience excellent, but her incontinence issues have entirely disappeared, something we honestly never thought would happen after everything we had tried. Mia has always been stubborn, and while that personality is still there, she now follows commands reliably and confidently. What really sets K-9 Defense apart is the level of support they provide. Throughout Mia’s 9-week stay, the team sent constant updates with photos and videos so we could see her progress. When it came time for our training sessions, Savanna patiently walked us through everything, explained why the methods worked, and made sure we felt confident handling Mia ourselves. She was incredibly flexible with scheduling and even came in on her day off to make up a session I had missed due to a mix-up. Even after bringing Mia home, the support hasn’t stopped. The training team continues to answer questions, offer guidance in our group chat, and provide follow-up home visits. Savanna even came to our home on a weekend to continue training and help us transition everything into our daily routine. It’s clear they genuinely care about the dogs and the owners they work with. I would absolutely recommend K-9 Defense to anyone looking for professional, knowledgeable, and compassionate trainers. The entire staff is outstanding. They genuinely listen to your concerns and make sure you understand what you’re doing and why. We could not be happier with our experience.

Ana and I came from a bad situation with other people and dogs that resulted in both of us being disconnected and full of anxiety. She was reactive, defensive and anxious around other dogs and animals, and difficult to control despite my best efforts with other trainers and methods. My own anxiety and feelings of defeat on top of it all added to our issues. It felt so impossible to overcome. She would attack anything, chase anything that ran, and had zero focus. I came to K9 Defense in a last-ditch effort to save her from the situation we found ourselves in and remedy the mistakes and negative patterns before they ended her life. I also had intention to find her a new home that would be better and safer and give her the best life possible. To say our position before coming to K9 Defense was desperate is an understatement. When she attacked her reflection in the mirror during her evaluation, I thought there's no way....and then when Chris said he'd be happy to take her into a 6 week program, I just about cried with relief, I can't even describe the feeling that washed over me. We are now several weeks out of training and I can honestly say, without exaggeration, that Mallory and the team here helped me save my dog's life from a potentially uncontrolled and devastating trajectory. Ana is a completely different dog, even getting along with my cat now! We get so many complements when we are out in public! I take her everywhere with me and work her regularly at the local park where there are tons of other dogs and animals. And not only did they give Ana the foundation and education she needed, they helped reset me too and overcome my own issues to be the handler she needed me to be. The people in our community who know and have watched our story are also amazed and blown away with the transformation that's happened so quickly. My bond with Ana is so much stronger, clearer, and healthy now. My own confidence, thanks to Mallory's expertise and guidance, is strengthened beyond what I thought was possible. The support that K9 Defense provided for me and Ana is above and beyond, I truly am grateful, and for us it was Divine intervention. The helpless doubt I had before is now pure excitement for my future with Ana by my side. I bought her a backpack and she is stoked to be my trail dog! Thank you, K9 Defense and Mallory, for facilitating our transformation and giving us both what we needed for a new start. If you are serious about training yourself and your dog for confidence and success, K9 Defense is the place to be!