I have to say that the day I met Sylvie at Topline K9 Solutions was a say that made a change in our lives. Sylvie was gracious when meeting with me, took time to answer all of my questions, honestly, and help ease our concerns about our new Dalmatian puppy. Domino is the sweetest boy, but he really needed to learn manners and understand who was in charge. He has alot of puppy (and Dalmatian) energy which we expected.But we were soon overhwhelmed with all the pulling on his leash, jumping and constant mouthing everything. I could tell right away that Sylvie and her team knew dogs and owners better than anyone else I had spoken with. She put me at ease and explained all the behaviors and what needed to be done for us to have a more relaxed, well trained and happy pup. We decided to go with a 3 week board and train, felt that would be best to give him a full 3 weeks of consistency with his training. We missed him dreadfully, but oh my was it well worth it!!!
Sylvie knew the exact trainer that would be the best fit for Domino and for my daughter (who is Domino's Mom, I'm Grandma}. Julia was perfect for us all. She is easy going, soft spoken and really knows and loves dogs. Julia and Sylvie worked long and hard for those 3 weeks. They kept us informed via emails, texts and daily pictures of his successes. At the end of the 3 weeks, when Domino returned home....oh my what a difference! Domino knew sit, down, come, place (like stay) and was walking a the leash beside us, not dragging us down the street. He sat to wait for his meals quietly with no jumping or clawing at the bowl. He waits for you to open doors, and knows to "settle" if you stop to chat with a neighbor during a walk. He is also more eager to learn new things...fetching now!He was a demand barker..to go out, to eat, to play...but now he understands to wait and if he barks and is told "quiet" he stops and listens to instructions..also a work in progress as he is only 6 months old. When he returned home he was sleeping through the night and no longer having accidents in his crate. And an bonus.. he was no longer afraid to ride in the car. He had gotten used to the day trips with Julia and jumps right in the car and into his travel crate without fear and no more getting car sick from the fear. He has learned to sit and wait when asked, to lay down in his "place" while we prepare and eat a meal, and is an absolute pleasure in the house. Of course he is still just 6 months old, so this is an ongoing process with lots of reinforcement necessary on our part. But we get all the support needed from Topline K9. We are still attending classes to keep up his skills and to continue to work on things like greetings...he wants to greet everyone with excitement (which is sweet, but not always appreciated or safe) so we are following their instructions and helping Domino learn to wait to be greeted and sit or down to be petted. He is meeting alot of new friends on our walks and is trying hard to remember his manners....work in progress. We are so pleased with all the skills Domino mastered, manners he learned and the over state of calm that he came home with. We had begun to socialize him, but they continued with group classes, trips to stores and parks. It was awesome to watch through the photos and video. Their knowledge and skills are outstanding, the team is awesome...they are all so caring & talented, and the owners, Sylvie and husband Mark, a great to work with and understand all your needs and have the solutions!! I could go on and on. Impressive is an understatement! If you are thinking of training your pup, whether just in need of a few classes or intense training, there is no other place than Topline K9 Solutions!!!! It is in fact Training for Real Life!When they say you can enjoy a calm dog who listens through real life training ....it's the truth!!
