Scotch Pines Dog Training Nampa, Oregon

Great class we got a lot of training

First and foremost, I have not used these people to train my own dogs. However, I have met dogs they have “trained”, and heard all about their methods. I felt compelled to leave a warning here. These people use very dangerous training techniques. They use fear and intimidation to “train” dogs. If your dog is afraid of warning you that they are uncomfortable, their only option is to go straight to biting. These people just don’t seem to understand. I will never use them, nor should anyone else.

Absolute best dog trainer ever! Took the 12 week class with my Tubbs, 8 month old GSD. Best thing I have ever done! April is amazing with dogs, all dogs, but especially with GSDs, which are a bit more challenging (the best dog ever but need more interaction). Anyway, whatever breed you have April can train both the dog & you for the best outcome. I have been to other trainers & nothing competes with April...I recommend her to everyone I encounter on the walking trails! smile

We are so incredibly grateful for April! She is an amazing dog trainer and we have gone through her program with both of our Wheaten Terriers. The first time was 2.5 years ago and the most recent time was at the beginning of this year. We first heard about Scotch Pines Dog Training from several acquaintances and friends who raved about how much they loved April. Once you go to her class you will see why she is so beloved by her human and dog clients. She is simply AMAZING! April is so passionate abut the work she does and it has truly blessed our whole family, the two-legged and the four-legged ones:-)

April was completely unprofessional and rude, she tried to train my daughter and I instead of our dog. Yelled at us in front the entire class for making one mistake. After finishing the class my dog is no more trained than before and I am out $350, total waste of money, completely unprofessional and RUDE!

My boxerpit puppy and I just graduated our 9-week obedience class and we could not be happier with our training from April. She explained her style and why she does it. No fuss just all truth. My 6 month old Maggy was the most rambunctious in class, we made scene a lot but man, she grew up and by the end of class she is a totally different puppy. Handlers of course need to put in the necessary effort and if you are serious, listen to April and your dedication to your pup will pay off. You will enjoy your baby more and your dog will be a much happier dog having you as its alpha.

I was seven weeks into this amazing training—not easy—but completely doable with personal responsibility and doing your homework— when I suffered an accident resulting in severe head trauma. Fast forward 1.5 years and I am fully recovered and April is welcoming me back to classes! so dedicated to this program I am registering to start back at week one. The money is more than worth it when you have a trainer like April and a loving, well behaved dog!

Would NOT even give April one star. So incredibly rude to me, treated me with complete disrespect. Can’t believe that people pay that much money for such a disappointing and terrible experience. Wouldn’t ever recommend April or this class to any friends of mine. Blown away by the way I was treated.

April is a wonderful trainer. His biggest concern is the safety of you and your dog. If you are willing to put the WORK in, you will not believe the transformation of your dog. The most valuable thing is she teaches YOU to train your dog. She empowers you as the owner. If you have the chance to chat with her before of after class, she is one of the nicest people I have met, who just loves dogs and wants them to be the best they can be. We have taken two dogs through, and will continue to use Scotch Pines for every future dog we own.

The absolute best dog training program I highly recommend

This is the 2nd dog I’ve brought through April Scotch Pines program in 10ish years and there’s a simple reason for that. It works! Every. Time. April’s got dog training and owner training dialed down in to perfection! She can work with all …

I highly HIGHLY recommend using Scotch Pines for your dog's obedience training. April is a wealth of knowledge with years of experience!! She is patient, yet firm, and helps teach both the dogs AND THE OWNERS how to have a solid foundation to a happy lifestyle. Her methods are fair and consistent and we can't believe the transformation in our dog in such a short amount of time. If you're willing to put in the effort, this will be the best thing you've ever done for your dog!! I cannot recommend April enough, we absolutely loved her class and will be using her services for life!

We have taken both of our dogs through this course. Our friends and family have been so impressed with the way our dogs are behaved that many have subsequently taken April's class as well! I'm so glad I have the peace of mind knowing my dogs won't run off! April cares about her clients (both human and non-human ;-) ) and if you put in the work you will have a totally different dog by the end of the course. Worth EVERY penny!

My first dog and I needed training and Scotch Pines was suggested to me. We met in Boise at a local park. It was a good group, but the teacher let me know that she didn't care for small dogs (yes, mine was small). However, this did not change the fantastic training we were given. After graduating not only did my little guy was so easy to train to run beside me on my bike, but to sit in the basket and ride with me. I have stopped a pack of dogs running towards us barking from what I learned. My daughter was bit as a child - after watching us she is no longer afraid of dogs. My grandkids know that training never means hitting. Two very important things to me.

Best dog training service around! We have taken every dog we have owned through this training. We started using Scotch Pines in around 1998!

Stephanie is the most loving and talented instructor!

I trained with my cattle dog through Scotch Pines. I highly recommend them to anyone. Their method of training is the best. It's made the difference between life and death for my dog. Prior to training, she was destined to become a car chaser. Now she heals by my side (off leash!) along busy roadways. She is a loyal companion and goes everywhere with me on my job. I can't thank Scotch Pines enough!!!

We loved our experience with Scotch Pines and sodid our dog! April did an amazing job giving us the tools we needed to help us and our dogs be the best we can be. It was worth every penny!

Very well knowleged. Very kind and detailed. This business is well maintained clean and very professional. The owner April shows much affection for animals and is kind hearted. Thank you for the experience. I will definitely recommend you to friends and family.

Over the years we have taken 5 dogs through Scotch Pines Training. Starting with Will & Vivian and later April. My experience each and every time has been nothing but extremely positive. Two of our dogs were dogs that were very tender and we had to learn to work more gently with them, the others were highly intelligent and we had to learn to be smarter than them. All in all I will always fall back to Scotch Pines. What I observed over those years, is if you chose to participate, your dog came out much better than if you chose to want a participation trophy. I learned as in anything in life, if you put the effort into something you will get out of it the amount of effort you put into it. I had 16 years of incredible off leash obedience from my heeler. Thank you Scotch Pines.

If you are looking for a positive and fun environment to train your dog, I do not recommend working with April. I was excited for the first day of class but ended the day driving home in tears. April constantly screamed and belittled me as I worked with my dog. I am happy to take criticism and feedback but not when it is given in such a demeaning and negative way. I was humiliated and taken aback by her hostility. A teacher should never be so unkind to someone who is just learning.

We have taken 4 dogs though the Scotch Pines training, and will continue to train our dogs with April. If you looking for someone to coddle and pamper you through the training, this is not the place for you and your dog. If, however, you believe in in firm, consistent training that will make your dog one of the best behaved around, Scotch Pines is it. I can walk my dogs at heel off leash with any distractions and know that they won't bolt into traffic, chase children or other animals, or jump up on guests. I refer everyone I know that is looking for obedience training to April and her proven methods. You owe it to your dog and yourself to check out Scotch Pines. There's a reason why her classes fill up quickly. A++

We had a personal training day with April. I didn't know what to expect and from things that friends had told me I had to prepare myself that the techniques weren't always rewarded with treats( I thought everything had to be this way ). Our Texas Healer is only 8 months but has shown some extreme aggression, and it worried us. She's very sweet just couldn't bring her around people at a park because she would lunge herself at them and also try to attack every bike and runner that past us by. When we brought our pup around April, I couldn't believe how well she did. Our girl hasn't been cured completely but I have been taking her on runs now and she's healing without me having to yell at her, she's not trying to run after every person that comes near us, and she's even responding better at home with very little jumping and barking. We are excited to go into the group classes to see how well she will do with other dogs

We are first-time dog owners. Soon after adopting a 3-yr-old German Shepherd Dog, we felt totally overwhelmed. He lunged and barked at every person, dog, cat, and lawn ornament we came across. Trying to take him on a walk was so stressful, I tried exercising him mainly at 4am when we weren't likely to meet anyone. We tried a personal trainer who was experienced with German Shepherds but progress was slow and we started to feel desperate because people were threatening to sue us/turn us in to animal control/have the dog put down. He had bitten several people. One of the victims was a stranger guy who just approached us waving his arms to yell a friendly (albeit slightly weird) greeting, "Hello." Our dog responded by leaping and biting the guy in the back of the neck. My aunt recommended Scotch Pines. I had zero faith in this dog's ability to change. He just seemed innately aggressive, and I assumed it was a breeding issue or deep lack of socializing that would be impossible to solve. My aunt kept insisting we try Scotch Pines and finally we did. I am so thankful we found the help we needed!! April taught us to be the confident leaders our dog needed. The first class session with her, our dog tried attacking every other dog in class. It was stressful, but I was given tools to try and great homework lessons to practice. It was extremely valuable having a class with so many dogs to practice around, and even with the large class size we all got plenty of one-on-one help through April, her assistants, and April was very quick to respond to my texting questions or concerns. Within just two sessions, there was such a marked difference in our dog, multiple classmates approached to say "Wow! You look like you have a different dog!" We now feel confident to take him anywhere. We go to the dog park several times a week and enjoy the compliments we get from other dog owners. "He's so playful!" They remark. They have no idea what a miracle it is for this dog to be relaxed and happy in public. Sorry this review is getting so long...I just wanted to add one more point: Some people don't like Scotch Pines. One of the vets we've seen shook his head and called this training style "negative." But I don't think he'd ever seen her in person. In class, it is obvious April teaches with firmness AND praise. Her tone is upbeat, positive, and happy with the dogs while at the same time giving swift, clear corrections. One reason I hesitated going to April to begin with is because I'd heard stories of her corrective methods that seemed "harsh." For example, having the dog wear a prong collar if needed (most dogs don't need it). Or "bopping" the dog on the nose with a water bottle or rolled up magazine if needed (most don't need it). Not all the dogs in class need that level of correction, but mine did. He was so intense and powerful, we had to do something to give him a wakeup call. And I'm glad to find a trainer who was able to cater her training to not only aggressive dogs like mine, but sweet Golden Retriever puppies, wandering hound dogs, yappy Yorkies, etc. She really does teach in a way that lets owners bond with their dogs and personalize the approach to meet each dog at the level it's at. To sum up, we couldn't be happier with how our experience went with Scotch Pines. Give it a try!

April, with Scotch Pines Dog Training, is an amazing trainer! The process is fun, relaxed and extremely effective. We took our two Golden Retrievers to the class, which was held once per week for about six weeks. Our dogs are obedient and a pleasure to have with us. They behave well in public. Be aware that most of successful dog training involves training the dog owner! If you follow April's instruction, your dogs will be happy and obedient and you will be a happy dog owner, who is in control!