BlueDog Andover, Massachusetts

Good dog trainers. Explaining things well along with the whys and wherefors.

We got the two month membership just in case we didn't like it. But we love it and plan to get the 6 month membership next month. We have a 3 month rascal of a puppy and these classes are really making a difference. All the instructors have been super kind and patient with our puppy. And that is saying a lot because our puppy is the trouble maker in class. They are super conscious of the health of the dogs and have rules to assist, which I really appreciate. We have gone to both Lawrence and Andover locations. The Andover one is in a bit more quiet area so if you have a reactive dog, it's a good place to start. However the Andover facility is smaller so you'll be closer to other dogs. Depends on what your dog needs. Both have grassy areas for potty breaks. Great organization.

Two positives- this is the only place within 30 miles that you can take an 8 week old puppy to interact with other puppies and the trainer Tom. Aside from that stay away from this place. Severely overpriced and they don't teach your puppy anything. They state on their site you can go unlimited times when you buy a package. Even state 12 times a week is a possibility. Completely false information. They do not offer 12 puppy classes for under 16 weeks old, ever in an week. Try to get your pup signed up 2 times in 1 day, denied. According to them, 2 classes 45 minutes is too much for a puppy to handle. My puppy was bored out of his skull in these classes. This company has been around since 2008, you would think the owners would have developed other ways of training for pups that have allergies or sensitive stomachs. They heavily rely on pushing treats onto your pup, like every 3 seconds. My pup developed both treat allergies and sensitive stomach issues during the 7 weeks I went there. I refused to bring treats, until the vet figured out what he was ultimately allergic too, yeast. Tom, the only positive person in their company, gave me options on different toys to use. So I went out and bought what he said. The very next class the owner ran it, and she told me to leave if treats weren't going to be used. Seriously!!! The husband and wife team owners are ignorant, out of touch, and inept at running this business. Final note, if your dog is a chewer i.e. the age bracket I paid for 8 weeks to 16 weeks, they are over possessive of their blue boxes they have out, those boxes you can by at Walmart for $5, they put your dog in the corner to make your pup learn a lesson, so in my case no one could hear the trainer as my pup got louder and louder, that box kept him from being bored and he was mute. Stay away!!

We are very happy with the training we are getting at Bluedog. We were looking for positive reinforcement type of training, instead of correcting and using prong collars e.t.c. and found Bluedog to be exactly what we want. This place is highly recommended.

Have made a big difference in getting our puppy to adjust to his new family.

Great training session today! The staff has always been excellent! My dog continues to improve in her training.

Meet with Jessica, and we where very happy with our first meeting.

We are so grateful to JoAnne and the whole team at BlueDog!

A truly friendly and knowledgeable team that are focused on helping to make your dog a happier member of the family!

About three years ago we were having some issues with our beloved rescued cattle dog mix, Wilson. He was fearful and sometimes aggressive, particularly with men and other dogs. We were planning a renovation of our house that ultimately would take about nine months (turned out great by the way). Because the work was being done by men we decided that either Wilson was going to have to be taken out all day every day or he was going to have to come to terms with human males. Blue Dog sent Eric to our house for a series training sessions that taught us how to manage our own reactions and behaviors so that Wilson could become more comfortable with people. We eventually signed our dog up for Canine Good Citizen training (which he passed with flying colors). We have continued to use the techniques we learned and Wilson is a happier, much less fearful dog who no longer shows any signs of aggression. We take him to all kinds of places, including dog parks, and he does beautifully. If we ever get another dog we will be going to Blue Dog for puppy classes as early as we can. So, three years later, the proof is in the happy, confident dog.

My husband and I decided to rescue a second great dane because we love our first one so much and thought we could provide a good home. We soon realized after rescuing Willy that he had some issues. Being fairly experienced with dogs, we thought we could work on the training ourselves but soon learned we were in over our heads. Luckily we called BlueDog and found Kim and Eric to be just as dedicated to helping Willy as we were. Willy is a big guy (150 lbs), but he did not have a good life previous to finding our home which makes his an extremely nervous dog. He also knows that he is big and intimidating so when he would get nervous, he would lunge and growl at strangers and other dogs. He would very quickly escalate himself to the “red-zone”. Eric was extremely patient working with Willy and teaching us about training and body language signals. We went from day 1 where Willy wouldn’t even let Eric approach him to having Eric dog-sit for us while we were on vacation in the span of a couple of months. Kim and Amy also came over to help out during training sessions and expose Willy to new people and other dogs. We are eternally grateful for the training that they provided us (the people) so we could work on training Willy. I am sad to say that we moved away from the area and we really miss the BlueDog team. We continue to work with Willy and he is doing great with people and some dogs. Maybe someday he will like all dogs…. Anyhow, I highly recommend BlueDog for training, dog walking (Eric also walked our two danes during the week), and house-sitting. I never had to worry about how the dogs were doing when we were away because I knew they were in good hands and when we would return from vacation, they were better behaved than when we left!