When I decided to adopt my German shepherd, Lucy, from a high kill animal shelter, I knew I was taking a risk because I didn’t know anything about her past and judging from her appearance she was definitely neglected. I knew I had to be cautious because I already had two small dogs at home, a teacup Maltese and a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. I enrolled Lucy in an obedience class held by a local trainer, and after a week of enrollment my worst fear became a reality: Lucy attacked one of my small dogs. Charlie, my Cavalier, underwent surgery for his injuries and made a full recovery, but my world was turned upside down. I no longer felt safe around Lucy, she displayed dog aggression, food aggression, and insecurity. The local trainer kicked her out of class and refused to return my calls; it became pretty clear to me that she was afraid of Lucy and was not capable of helping her.

A week later, while taking Lucy on a walk, a dog started barking at her from a fenced in yard across the street, Lucy leapt off the porch with me still attached at the other end of the leash, and I landed hard on the ground, losing the leash in the process. I was able to coax Lucy back into my car, but that was not without hearing several angry statements from neighbors who were not big fans of Lucy. Three weeks later two stray dogs came charging at us from down the street, and in a desperate attempt to avoid a dog fight I dragged an aggressive, snapping, volatile Lucy into the house. As soon as I shut the door she went for Charlie again, this time I grabbed her and pulled her off before she could hurt Charlie again, but she tried to bite me. People started referring to Lucy as “Lucifer” and telling me that she needed to be put down. A dog like her simply could not be saved. After careful research for a highly qualified trainer with experience with aggressive dogs,

I called Mike, in tears I told him that I was at the end of my rope with Lucy. If he couldn’t help her, she would be too much of a liability to me and my other dogs, and I am not even sure she’s adoptable to a single dog home at this point. He took her the very next day for In-kennel basic and advanced training. Lucy is a completely different dog now. She is the dog I’ve always wanted: confident, secure, obedient, and loyal. She doesn’t even flinch when another dog is barking at her, and I couldn’t be more proud when taking her on a walk. She never misses a beat when taking commands off leash, that’s right, OFF-LEASH!! I never thought I would see the day!!

Mike not only helped Lucy, he gave me my life back, he allowed me to keep all of my dogs, in fact, Lucy was doing so well, I noticed Charlie had some behavioral issues that probably provoked Lucy in the first place, so Charlie also received the in kennel basic obedience. My dogs, like they are to many of us, are more than just pets, they are my family, and Mike saved my family.

If you feel like you have the “impossible dog” or there’s just “no saving a dog like that,” please give that dog the chance it deserves, I couldn’t imagine my life without Lucy now. Your dog couldn’t be in more capable hands. If you have any questions please feel free to contact me katayoon21@hotmail.com.

~Katty

I am the proud owner of three large dogs- a German shepherd, a German shepherd mix and a golden retriever.  I spent time attempting to train the dogs myself, and I thought since they could sit, lay down and occasionally stay, that they were trained.  I passed their jumping onto people and stealing food off the counters and other troublesome behaviors as them just being dogs and passed it off as "cute".  And when they began to have more serious behavior problems, I thought I could handle it.  First, they started getting into minor "scuffs", and then these minor scuffs escalated into fights that drew blood.  Finally, after two of my three dogs had received major bites that required surgery, I knew something more had to be done.  Most people would tell you to get rid of one or two of the dogs or even to put them to sleep because they had become "aggressive", but I couldn't bear either of those solutions any more than I could bear letting them hurt each other again.

A friend of mine told me about Mike, and I took the two dogs that were displaying the aggression to him.  I left them there for two weeks and then my fiance and I had a lesson with Mike.  I have been AMAZED with the results!  Mike not only trained them to walk in a perfect heel, to sit, stay, lay down, etc, he also gave them confidence, and he gave me confidence to continue working with them.  Mike taught my dogs commands and taught them to relax, and he showed me how to continue keeping them in this mindset.  It's amazing that he was able to do all this in just two weeks!  The dogs have not shown any aggression, they listen on first command, they don't jump, they are happy, eager to please and a joy to work with.  Their behavior has improved even in ways I wasn't even expecting.  My dogs used to bark loudly and insistently at the neighbors, cars and any other distractions outside.  Since they have returned, they have not barked inappropriately once.  Also, one of my dogs that loved to chase the cat, actually let the cat jump over her head without getting excited.  I am astonished every day by their progress.  This was the best decision I could have made for my dogs and for myself. 

My dogs loved Mike!  They are both sometimes fearful of strangers, but they warmed up to him and when I went to pick them up I could tell he was their new best friend.    Mike is gentle with the dogs, he takes good care of them, and the training he does with them is amazing.  He is also quick to respond with any questions.  My dogs and I highly recommend getting your dogs trained by Mike at Mountaineer K-9 Services!

Emily

Hey Mike,

We wanted to let you know how amazing you are with your training and what a different dog we now have.  While watching the news early one morning I just happen to hear a commercial talking about Mountaineer K9 Training....and it only took me a few seconds to get the number jotted down.  Russ called that very day to get all the information we needed.   Needless to say;  we made an appointment with Mike and took our Airedale terrier, Roc to see him not knowing that we would leave him there that very day.

Mike showed us some work he had done with other dogs....we were so impressed with what he could do.  His dogs obeyed his every command........could there be a chance for our dog?  

When we left....with tears in my eyes...I thought....what have we done?   The first few days were very difficult.....Roc had never been apart from us.  Mike kept in contact with us every single day......keeping us updated with his progress..I knew we had made the right decision in leaving him there.   His all over operation was amazing.  I was perfectly at ease living our pet with him.......we knew he would be in great hands and well taken care of.

Okay...when we went back after 2 weeks, we couldn't believe our eyes.  Mike was working with Roc when we arrived.  He stayed right by Mikes side and obeyed his every command.  Any other time Roc would have been running and jumping all over us.  He didn't even attempt to bark.......Roc actually enjoyed being there and doing what Mike ask of him.  He had learned so much and we were really proud of him.  Mike worked with Russ and showed him how to reinforce the comands which Roc had learned.  He has been working with him at home and is doing really good.

We are going to take Roc back in a few weeks to see Mike.  I'm sure Roc will love that.  I believe he and Mike have become great friends.   I took a video of Mike working with him and when I play it and Roc hears Mike's voice....he immediately starts looking for him...Great Bond...wouldn't you say.

Let me just say that this is the best experience we all have had.....a much happier dog....and we all 3 have made a new friend in Mike.......he is the greatest folks!!!!!!  Don't hesitate for a second to call on him.  He is a kind and loving man and will become your pets new, best friend while learning everything they need to know.   We are so thankful that we followed through.

With our pets love,

Linda and Russ Duty

I am the owner of an amazing 2 year old Australian Shepherd named Jupiter.  I had taught him to do the basic commands such as sit, stay, and come.  From the time he was a puppy I thought I socialized him well and did everything I was supposed to.  When he turned 2 something changed and he would still mind me but I was not comfortable taking him out in public, on walks, or anywhere because if he saw something that distracted him he was more interested in that than me.  He was confined to my house and yard.  This was not acceptable in my world, I wanted to be able to take him places with me and feel comfortable with him.  Especially around children he would become aggressive, or so I thought. 

I tried to work with him some more but got to the point I was afraid to take him out anywhere.  At this point, I started looking into trainers. I was ready to go to South Carolina and leave Jupiter for 8 weeks with someone I did not know.  I stumbled upon Mountaineer K9 Services’ website and read over it.  I really liked what I read so I called Mike.  He told me to bring Jupiter out or he would come to me and he would take a look at him.  I took Jupiter to see him and he said that he thought we could work with him. 

I chose to do the private lessons with Mike and Jupiter.  I was very impressed from the very first lesson we had.  Now, Jupiter and I have been through basic obedience and advanced obedience.  I have learned more than I ever thought I would know about dog training through Mike.  Mike taught me to have the confidence to train Jupiter to do whatever I want him to do.  I can now take him places with me and feel comfortable doing it. 

I would suggest that anyone that has a dog they need help with or wanting trained to contact Mike at Mountaineer K9 Services.  In my opinion he worked miracles with me and Jupiter and think he could do it with any dog/owner out there. 

If you would have any questions I could answer please feel free to e-mail me at barrelracincountrygirl@yahoo.com and I would be happy to answer them.

I highly recommend Mike Kordusky and Mountaineer K-9 Services.  I have a 75lb German Shepherd dog that I felt needed basic training. I heard one of Mike’s ads on the radio and called him.  He is very flexible with training times and is very eager to work with customers in order to facilitate training.  After working with Mike, and being so pleased with the results I elected to go on to advanced training.  My dog, Tara, is so impressive that people stop and watch when I’m working with her in public.  I never fail to tell folks about Mike, and give him the credit for teaching us both so well.  Mike encourages questions and it’s very obvious that he loves and understands dogs and will not be satisfied until the dog, and the owner, are trained to high standards. 

Sincerely,

Leesa Chenoweth

     I was at the height of frustration with the behavior of my two chocolate labs including out of control barking and disobedient behaviors.  I obtained the names of several local obedience trainers in the area from my vet, and after multiple phone interviews decided to train my dogs with Master Trainer Mike Kordosky, owner of Mountaineer K-9 Services.  Little did I know that when I placed my dogs in "Basic" and then on to the "Advanced" dog obedience classes that we were about to begin a journey of discipline and mutual respect for both me and my dogs.  As I developed in my role as the "Alpha" of the pack, I became more confident in the handling of my dogs as the relationship of trust came full circle.  Mike was an extremely knowledgeable instructor in all areas of dog behavior and obedience training which he adapted to the specific needs of my two dogs, including advising at one point that my older lab should no longer continue in the advanced class due to her debilitation from arthritis.  He was always available for any problems or questions that might occur between obedience training sessions with suggestions on how to "trouble-shoot" in order to obtain the desired behaviors.  He was patient and kind to both my dogs and myself with constructive reinforcement as we worked through the program; sometimes my dogs performing better than their "alpha" owner!  My dogs became more attentive to me as we made our training sessions a part of our daily routine.  Admittedly, not all behaviors could be eliminated ie: barking, but Mike helped me develop the tools necessary to get these unwanted behaviors under control when they do occur.  These training sessions will continue to be an opportunity for skill reinforcement and bonding with my dogs once the program is completed.

     I would highly recommend Mike Kordosky/Mountaineer K-9 Services for obedience training.

Debbie Schuerger