Obedient Paws Virginia Beach, North Carolina

Our dog Scout is a Coonhound-Black Lab mix that we adopted from a shelter and has always been quite the escape artist. He has found the flaw in every fence and the weak link on any leash. He would never come when called, even inside our own house. After countless runaways and embarrassments, we decided to send him to Obedient Paws for recall training specifically. The workers there were very kind, knowledgeable, and listened to our needs. We came to as many training days as we could to make sure we were learning the most for our own benefit. Over the weeks of training, I watched Scout turn into a different dog. I really thought he would never change and that’s just who he is as a hound dog with a high prey drive. But Obedient Paws completely proved me wrong. Walking him is so pleasant now and we continue our recall training in the yard. He listens so well and is always looking to us for direction/permission. It’s like he knows he is safe now and doesn’t have to lunge at cars or howl at other dogs. We even used the training we have learned on our younger puppy and she is also changing into a better pup! We are so thankful for the trainers who not only trained our dog, but loved him throughout the process. Thank you again!

Highly recommend this awesome place .Our German Shepherd named Coco just finished 4 weeks of bootcamp here and returned home.Coco has made an incredible change.She became very obedient and immediately responded to the commands.Thank you very much Adam and his team for making my life easier.

DO NOT SEND YOUR DOGS HERE. The workers are abusive and this facility needs to be shut down immediately. If you are willing to send your pet here, you are basically asking for them to be abused and mistreated. If you are an employee here, and you are doing this to dogs, or not speaking up about it, you are sick.

We took our rescue cane corso, Lady, to Obediant paws for a three week boot camp. After speaking with the owner on the phone I felt this place was where she would actually be truly trained and would see the best results. We dropped her off the next day and came back multiple times during her stay, I can’t say enough good things about the experience and how much they teach your dog and the owners. We were taught how to handle her at home and how to correct her immediately. She knows commands, will come when called with distractions, and is confident. This was the best thing we could have done for our dog, I highly recommended.

My wife and I were about to go into the hospital and have our second child, and we were nervous about family coming down to watch the house/kid/dog...primarily because of the dog. Our friends gifted us the cost of 2-weeks worth of boarding, and we decided to use that as a down payment toward the boot camp training. BEST DECISION OF OUR LIVES! Our 1-yr old chocolate lab is now so much more manageable! We used to not be able to take her on walks because she was too crazy. We used to not be able to have people over to the house, unless they were dog-lovers, because she would jump at them uncontrollably. Even in our own fenced-in backyard we'd have issues, whether it be her jumping at our neighbors or their dogs on the other side of the fence, or barking at any activity going on within eyesight. All of those issues have been subdued! Adam and his team gave us and Lucy the tools to be successful in these daily activities. Lucy knows not to jump at the fence or at guests, but if she needs the periodic reminder, we know what to do! She heels when we walk her! Before, you could hardly manage her solo, but now my wife can walk her and push a double running stroller simultaneously! We thought we were just going to have to wait until she was 4-5 years old to experience this sort of behavior from her. Thanks, Adam! And thanks, Obedient Paws!

After having issues with basic commands and escaping multiple times, I decided to do the 4-week board and train for my rescue dog, Murphy. It is absolutely night and day what a difference Adam and his team did for Murphy. Going through the program and continuing the training at home, Murphy follows through commands that extend past what the board and train focused on. But that is because Murphy and I learned the foundation and established a great relationship where he sees me for direction. I truly struggled with training Murphy for months before finding Obedient Paws. It was worth every penny for the relationship I now have with Murphy. It was great being able to work and train with Murphy while he was going through the board and train so I would learn the skills to continue training at home. We now can go on runs, and he doesn’t pull or lunge towards other dogs/people. He also plays so much better with other dogs. There is also the added benefit that they provide dog daycare and boarding. Obedient Paws has become a second home for Murphy. I can rest easy when he’s at daycare or while I’m out of town because they already know him.

After having some reactivity issues with our dog, Denver, at home, we decided we needed to make some drastic changes. Denver did a 4-week board and train with Adam and his staff at Obedient Paws and it was worth every single penny. He was very timid and unconfident, but now that he has structure and knows what is expected of him, he so much more relaxed and comfortable. Denver is still our goofy Denver, but less anxious and more confident. Obedient Paws gave us the tools to continue his training at home and made sure we were comfortable with the rules and new routines we would need to have in place. Adam has also been extremely helpful with follow-up texts and advice even weeks after Denver "graduated".

We brought our 2 dogs, Sadie and Stella, to boot camp and are very happy with the results. Both dogs are much easier to take on walks and to take around other people and animals. We needed the training as much as the dogs - and they were willing to spend the time with us to teach our family the training techniques as well.

On Monday May 24th I dropped my 2 year old dog off here to start a 4 week boot camp and it lasted only about a week after showing up on Monday May 31st and seeing that his neck was injured with dry blood. They informed us that it was healing and it had been worse a couple days prior. To think that you are leaving your dog in good care after seeing countless of amazing reviews I was shocked! Not only was my dog hurt, they didn’t even think to let me know. After removing my dog from the facility and taking him to the vet they informed us that it was in fact from repeatedly using the shock collar!

This place is amazing!! I have a 1 year old Lab who is crazy and full of energy , he was pulling on the leash BAD and didn't listen while being distracted , I just did the 1 week boot camp , no he is not perfect after a week but it was such a great start he is walking so much better not pulling and he knows I am in control now , I couldn’t be more excited to continue working with him THANK YOU GUYS AGAIN SO MUCH , Chance had such a good time and loves you all so much thank you for taking care of the child ! I would 100% recommend this place

Our dog went in for a 4 week bootcamp, and came back a completely different dog. Even better was Adam worked with us to make us better dog owners and to go through the process to help ensure all of us can be happy and healthy at home.

Adam and his staff are very professional and personable. My 7 month old Belgian Malinois attended the four week boot camp and I was amazed at his transformation. Adam uses positive reinforcement to train and my dog came home obedient without his spirit being broken. He is still the same love able puppy but now he obeys. We were able to see Jax and get training ourselves while Jax was in boot camp. Adam was very accommodating with our schedules and we always felt welcome at the facility. Jax will now be attending Obedient Paws daycare twice a week so he can see his friends!!!

We went to Adam and his awesome team to see if he could help us with our Great Pyrenees, Siopao. He went in with social/separation anxiety and fear based aggression which made it impossible to have people over or just take him on walks. We initially started with 3 weeks but decided to do the four week boot camp in the end because at first our big baby was reluctant, and it took just the first week to get him use to Adam, but overtime Siopao started to open up and take treats from people he didn’t know, and was even able to be put with other dogs which was amazing to see. He learned several commands and has learned not to pull on the leash which has been extremely useful on walks since he’s a big dog. He also does so much better with company around, which we had such a hard time before to calm him down. We are grateful that we came to Adam at Obedient Paws than any other place ‘cause you can really tell he cares and puts time in individually to each dog and the issue they came in with. You can tell all the dogs also respect him and that itself is amazing, we will continue to bring Siopao into daycare just so he can see his best friend Adam, his pal Zeus and all the other workers he loves being around. Thanks everyone at Obedient Paws, and Adam! I’m sure we’ll see ya’ll soon again Lol.

Haven't been here but you can obviously tell from the VERY polite dogs in the pictures that this is a place you wanna take your dogs

Obedient Paws helped us conquer off leash walking and recall. We have a 3-year old Terrier who was able to learn new tricks. Before she was very difficult to walk and would run off if given the chance. Now we can walk her without a leash and comes back when called. Thank you Obedient Paws.

Taking my dog to Obedient Paws is one of the best decisions I’ve made. My dog Juno is a large German Shepherd mix. Once he got close to his full size, it was nearly impossible to walk him because he was so strong and pulled me down the street. We had tried other trainers first and nothing worked. Thanks to Adam, he now walks nicely and heels on a leash and off leash, which is something I never thought would happen. Juno’s recall was weak before, and now I’m comfortable allowing him to explore ahead of us off leash while hiking because I know he will come back when called. Adam truly cares about the animals he works with and he will not send your dog home until you think they are ready and you’re comfortable handling them. I have no doubts that we will also send our next dog to Adam in the future. He helped us so much and I would recommend him to anyone who has training issues with their dog.

Adam and his team were great. I have a 1 year old vizhla who had anxiety, barked at people, and would not listen. After a few weeks of dog training, he is the perfect dog. The facility was pristine and their training methods were great. The staff loved him so i knew be was in great hands. Would highly recommend obedience paws

Adam and his team did a great job working with my dog during her bootcamp stay to help curb her anxious energy and lay a foundation for correcting several issues, including pulling on leash, being aggressive with other dogs, jumping on people, etc, resulting in a dog that is much calmer, happier, and obedient. He is very flexible and welcomed me to come in many times to make sure I had a good grasp on the training techniques. His set-up is great for the dogs and and provides a structured, fun, and safe environment for them to interact. She has since gone back for doggie daycare and definitely looks forward to me dropping her off!

Extremely knowledgeable and helpful staff, they made me feel much more confident with my dog around others.

This dog training place is been our life saver. We have a mixed poodle, got him when he was a baby and now 1 year. He is completely a home buddy who dont like strangers at all specially kids. We have 2 kids and he is treating like his buddy and for some reason other kids are not his thing. He tends to try to attact them everytime he sees kids. He dont like stangers at all and hates being ignored. We decided to find a place for him to be trained and lucky I found this place. After his 1 month camp, he is completely a different dog, from then on, this is the only place I can trust my dog with any kinds of training and boarding. I highly recommend obedient paws for any kinds of training.

Coming here was the best decision we made for our rescue dog. We did the 6 week training and our dog is so better than she was when we first got her. Our dog was quite the challenge, but Adam taught us how to manage and correct her behavior. Simple things like walking on the leash, coming when called, going into her crate and socializing with other dogs use to cause so much anxiety for us but now are pretty easy. He even checked in with us our first week home. Also this is the cleanest dog building I have ever been to, even more so than our vet. He is worth every dime!

I brought my 4 1/2 yr old female boxer/pit mix, Roxy, to Obedient Paws after she bit 2 different neighbors on 2 separate occasions. We just moved to the area from Mississippi, a more rural and quiet community, to this crazy busy and noisy area of Ocean View in Norfolk. Not only was she not properly socialized because, well... we just kept her home on our acre lot all the time and just around our immediate family. We didn't bring our dogs everywhere we went there like many people seem to do around here. That's just not part of the culture there. So she seemed perfectly fine in her quiet little bubble surrounded only by the few of us... until we had to move to a tiny duplex with a shared yard and 2 other neighbors constantly right outside our door. We were honestly shocked that she would ever act aggressively because she's always been the sweetest and most loveable dog, but clearly she was out of her element and uncomfortable with our new living situation (I was too, to be honest, I just refrained from biting people). Nonetheless, she did... twice. We were absolutely devastated, embarrassed, and did not know what to do. My husband wanted to have her put down and I begged him to allow us to try and have her trained since I was at a loss of what else to do. Adam at Obedient Paws came recommended by a former client that we met on the beach one day with her well behaved dog. When I contacted Adam he had me bring Roxy in for an initial observation. He agreed to take her on for 4 weeks (which turned into 5 actually) and work with her (and I) to control her new-found fear-based aggression. I've had her home for a couple of weeks now and I purposely waited to write this review because I wanted to see how she would actually adjust to coming home after her time there. It's easy to see that in a very controlled environment, like at the training facility, she can be controlled. But how would that translate in "the real world?" We have since moved to a more rural and quiet area of Yorktown and away from crazy Ocean View (thank goodness) and I have to say she has adjusted very well. We still don't have her around anyone other than family because we really don't know anyone here yet, and I'm SO NOT the type of person to bring my dog out to eat or go shopping. We just don't do that and don't plan on it. So I'm not quite sure how she will react if/when we ever do have people over, but I do know this... I will use all the info Adam taught me over the 5 week period to control the situation. I will not allow all that training be for nothing. I will say, I may not agree with some of Adam's methods, but I'm positive he has the dog's best interest at heart. He has a very strict method of implementing behavioral control with positive reinforcement through love and treats and correction through the use of prong and e-collars. If you're not into either of those (which I can totally understand because I wasn't either at first) I recommend you either try to be open minded or go elsewhere. There is no negotiable alternatives for these methods he uses. If you're like me, I've always treated my dogs like my own children and I guess that's where I went wrong because they aren't humans... they are animals, and at the end of the day they can sometimes act unpredictably as such in the case with Roxy. I think that's my best advice for anyone that is considering bringing their dog to Obedient Paws for training, especially ones that have shown aggression... They are animals and do not think and rationalize like a person, therefore we cannot hold them to the same standards. And for dog lovers like me I know that's hard to do sometimes. I am still working with Roxy on a daily basis and I definitely see a huge difference. She responds to all my commands very well so I have to say that the training did her a lot of good, and, in essence, spared her life. I know I need to introduce her to other people (and dogs) and I will try to do that... once I actually meet some people. Until then, we are happy to have a better behaved pup at home. Thank you Adam.

We brought our 5 month old Goldendoodle Comet for a 2 week Boot Camp with Obedient Paws. Couldn’t have been happier with the whole process, well worth the investment! Adam and the Obedient Paws team are professional, educated, and clearly love what they do. Comet was a good pup when he was brought in, now that he’s back home he’s an amazing family member! He’s stopped chewing up rugs/furniture, resource guarding, jumping on everyone, nipping, will FINALLY sleep in his crate, and the list goes on! Can’t thank Obedient Paws enough for the work they put in with Comet and we’re looking forward to bringing him back for doggy daycare in the near future!

I took my 9 month old Rottweiler to Adam for basic obedience and socialization skills. He just came home a few days ago after the one month bootcamp and it’s like a whole new dog! He is much calmer and easier to control. This place is the real deal and you get what you pay for in dog training. Adam really knows how to train the dog and the most important part...train the owner!! I would highly recommend this to anyone serious about getting their dog trained. I’m very happy with the results Ive received so far.

Adam is amazing! He’s experienced and professional. Our dog Zoey participated in the two week boot camp and daycare. She loves daycare and never wants to leave! I would recommend Obedient Paws first before anything!

I brought my golden retriever Bentley to Obedient Paws for a 3 week boot camp because he was barking all the time, demanding and just wouldn’t listen. He would jump up when anyone entered my house and it was getting to the point I couldn’t have people over. After just a few short days of working with Adam and the team I started noticing a huge difference. Bentley was craving the structure and was thriving. They truly took great care of him and he is such the perfect dog now. I loved how they always welcomed me to come work with him so it was an easy transition to bringing him home. Thank you to Obedient Paws!!!

i brought my puppy to the boot camp for 3 weeks & he’s behaving so much better than he was ! the staff was extremely nice & encouraging when it came to coming for visits & was very helpful while teaching me how to handle my puppy. i will definitely be bringing him back for daycare every now & then for him to release some energy & socialize :)

We brought our pup, Levi, in for some help. He was having behavioral and medical issues once we had a baby. We didn't know what to do. We even had taken him to vets before and they didn't have any solutions for us. But Adam was PHENOMENAL. He helped Levi with his manners and taught him how to respond to commands properly. He also recommended a vet that was the only one that diagnosed his medical issues. We brought him home yesterday and it was like he was the same dog, but so much more mature and healthy and happy. We are really grateful for the dedication and 1 on 1 time Levi received while at puppy boot camp. 10/10 would recommend.

Bringing my puppy Pitbull Deo’Gi to obedient paws was one of the best decisions I have ever made in my life. My puppy was 12 weeks when I brought her, a little young, but Adam and his team still agreed to work with me and the puppy. They are by far the most down to earth, easy to work with, knowledgeable, and genuine trainers in the area. I signed up for the 3 week boot camp, and after only a week I seen great improvement already. My pup stopped jumping up on people every chance she gets, stopped play biting, and stopped attacking people shoes on and off their feet. Prior to bringing my puppy to obedient paws I knew I was moving out of the state back to NY, so the timing and location was not ideal. However after the first consultation and constant communication with Adam, I had no doubt in my mind that I would still have my puppy stay, and make the travel from NY back to VA beach for her. I am so happy I made that decision, as I can’t imagine finding a better obedience school that not only train the dogs but also the owners. I highly recommend Obedient Paws, without any reservations.

I was having trouble with my dog Sprinter, he was starting to become reactive and resource guard his family. He also lacked impulse control. Walks were becoming stressful for him and myself, so I contacted Adam about the bootcamp. We did 4 weeks, and every minute was worth it. Within a week, we started seeing changes, and by week 4 he was recalling and listening off leash. All of the dogs there were very happy and comfortable, and I saw a big confidence boost with my own. He is no longer nearly as anxious as he was, and now I know how to keep him calm in situations where he had immense trouble before. I highly recommend getting in contact with Adam if you are unsuccessfully training your dog elsewhere or at home. Thank you Adam!!!