BUCK
Matt is absolutely the BEST!! Our 3 year old lab wouldn’t come when called, walk on a leash without pulling, and loves to jump on people. Within 15 minutes of his evaluation, Buck was listening and doing as commanded to do. Matt took us outside and had me walk him on leash, I honestly loosely held his leash and he was walking very good!! Buck was coming when called and didn’t jump on anyone after his training was complete! Matt shows you that YOU are in charge, not your dog. You HAVE to work with your dog to get the best results.
We now live on 10 acres and Buck can walk without a leash and comes when called. I couldn’t have asked for a better trainer!
I have recommended At Whit’s End to all our friends and family.
Thank you again Matt!!!
COCO
Matt is the best of the best ! His personality knowledge and passion are unmatched ! Our dog Coco was starting to make me worry around our new born. She even growled a few times at him. It got to the point where I was scared we were going to have to get rid of our beloved pit bull . My wife and I decided to give it one last chance and hired Matt at At Whits End Dog Training. After working with Matt I feel like a have a completely different dog ! She is happier, and we are better owners. I would recommend Matt to all of my friends and family ! Don’t waste your money with another company get it done right the first time and use At Whits End !
PENNY & MILO
This winter, we decided to rescue a second Pitbull mix, and found ourselves on a wild ride. Milo wasn’t house trained, didn’t listen to anyone, had separation anxiety, and was destroying our home. As an experienced dog owner with another rescue in the home, I was very frustrated. Nothing that I did was working, and we were seriously questioning if we could keep him as a part of our family.
A friend recommended At Whit’s End Dog Training, and it changed everything. I reached out to them and they were understanding of our situation and frustrations. From the minute Matt met our dogs, they reacted very well to him. He also made us feel comfortable and explained everything to us. He worked with Milo during our first meeting, and we couldn’t have been more impressed. Matt was also realistic about our schedules and other obligations, and was never judgmental about the amount of time that we can put into working our dogs.
We decided to book a two week board and train program for both of our dogs to keep everything consistent for them. He communicated with us and kept us updated while he had them. On the day they came home, I would have sworn that he brought us different dogs, but their personalities were still so apparent that I knew they were mine. They listen and interact in a completely different way now. It’s amazing!
Training with At Whit’s End was the best investment we could have made for our family. We all have a better quality of life, and enjoy our time together so much more. Matt and Candace are WONDERFUL to work with. They have been flexible with scheduling for our follow up sessions. We will also be boarding our dogs with them for a few nights this summer.
I encourage everyone to give them a call; you won’t regret it!
ELLIE
Matt is a great guy and a great trainer. We decided to seek professional help when our dog, Ellie, started acting fearful and getting aggressive towards our other dogs. Ellie has never been a very confident dog and we have another dog that was starting to bully her and it was building up and ending in aggressive behavior that was getting to be habitual. Matt's approach on training and training techniques work extremely effectively. With the training, we have noticed Ellie beginning to do things she would not ever do before (try and play with big dogs at Partridge Creek, jump on benches, play with toys with the other dogs, etc). It has been a joy to see Ellie's quick transformation and we look forward to continue to build her confidence. She is much happier and healthier now and we couldn't have made a better choice for a trainer. Now we are working with the dog thats a bully so he can learn commands and social cues. We truly appreciate everything you have done and helped us with, Matt!
ASTRO
Matt is honestly the best dog trainer you will ever have!!! Our 5-year-old Austrian Shepherd, Astro, was becoming a terror in our home. He was becoming too territorial whenever we had a guest over in the past year or so. He would try to assert his dominance by trying to either lunge or bite said, guest. We've had dogs before and have trained them ourselves but for some reason, Astro was not taking to the training. We were stressed to the point where we only had him out if it was someone, we knew he would get along with other than that he was crated for the majority of his time. After an unfortunate dog biting incident with a family friend, we decided to seek professional help for Astro. Matt and Candice have been the most gracious people I've met there were very accommodating with our work and school schedule to have Matt come out and do an evaluation of Astro. Of course, we were very nervous with how Astro would react with Matt and had him muzzled and leashed.
Matt came in and Astro was not happy with his presence but with 5 minutes Astro calmed down and approached Matt. It has never been that easy with People coming into our home. Matt had an aura that jived with Astro and he immediately calmed down. The evaluation was very fruitful, and Matt was able to show us how to he would train Astro. By the time the evaluation was done we were convinced he was the right one for the job in training Astro. We signed up for the 2-week board and train so he could get the full extent of Matt’s training. By the time Astro came home, he was a completely different dog. It was as if his temperament and anger were never there and he was the fun, obedient dog we had before. I am no longer afraid to take him on walks or have people over. He basically ignores people who have no direct connection to me and will not approach unless I give him the go ahead. I highly recommend you try out At Whit’s End Dog Training. Matt is wonderful, and his wife is such a gem as well. If Astro ever needs a tune up, I would Call them in a heartbeat!
MARSHALL
The night before Matt came to do a demo with our 55lb German Shepard/Boxer mix, Marshall, I called my husband while he was at work sobbing and telling him I couldn't handle him anymore and we need to find him a new home. My husband, a firefighter who works 24 hour shifts, rescued him the week before Christmas when he was 5 weeks old from a fire at an animal hoarder's house and he has been with us since.
As he grew, he became increasingly difficult for us to handle. He had hurt me more than once from pulling on the leash or jumping on me. I am 7 months pregnant with our 2nd daughter, so this made the situation even more difficult to handle. I was truly scared for the safety of myself and my unborn daughter, as well as the safety of 4.5 year old daughter and my 5lb chihuahua mix, not because Marshall is aggressive but because he is a big baby who is so hyperactive and persistent and doesn't realize how big he actually is.
After the demo Matt did with Marshall, I was crying again but this time because I felt like there was hope for Marshall and our family.
Marshall just got back from his 2-week board and train program and I couldn't be more thrilled. He honestly came back an entirely new dog. I am no longer anxious and stressed about being home alone with him when my husband is at work. I was able to take him on a walk for the first time in a LONG time. He listens well and is manageable. I no longer worry about him around my daughter or how he will be around a newborn baby.. Matt and At Whits End Dog Training is well worth the money and I am SO glad we found him and decided to try this last thing before moving forward with re-homing him. HIGHLY RECOMMEND!
DEXTER
We started working with Matt 3 weeks ago, Dexter our 14 month golden-doodle is a super nervous anxious dog who loved to bark! Matt worked with Dexter at a board & train and did wonderful!! Dexter is more confident as we train more at home and is starting to warm up to strangers. Matt and Candice are some of the most loving people I have ever met. Your dog will be in great hands. Highly recommended
Pumpkin, Pyro and Brody
AWE Is absolutely fantastic! Spoke with Matt multiple times to get an idea of what I needed in regards to training my three pups! Matt was not only very knowledgeable, but personable and a realist! After talking it over, we signed up. Stephanie was our trainer and I can't say this enough, she was fantastic. Stephanie understood what we were looking for, explained the routine we needed to get on and listened to our concerns. Most of the training didn't land on the dogs, but with myself and the way I was giving commands. I learned so much about my dogs and myself throughout dealing with AWE! After 2 lessons, my dogs were behaving better and actually listening. CRAZY. I feel more confident with my dogs and their abilities with on leash and off leash commands. 10/10 highly recommend if you want quality training. You will be surprised at what you can accomplish with your pups if you listen to what they tell you and actually apply it! THANK YOU AWE for your everything!
Mello & Indy
AWE changed our lives as far as our dogs go. We did in home training but they also offer board and train.
We struggled with our older dog for 4 years on leash training, which also translated into poor habits for our younger dog when she came along. No matter what we did/tried, they pulled us through every walk no matter how long or challenging it was. Matt came to our rescue, and now we have two well-behaved, easy to manage dogs who we can enjoy walks and hikes with. We can let the girls go off leash when visiting houses without fenced yards. Also, I can live my best "crazy dog mom" life making them pose for ALL the pictures. Lastly, we have also used AWE for boarding with a tune up. The girls were well taken care of and I LOVED seeing the video of their training at the end of the stay.
100/10 recommend AWE for all your dog training needs because having best friends instead of beast friends makes being dog parents the best!
Mabel
AWE is outstanding and I feel like saying that is an understatement. I don’t think my wife and I can say enough good things. We have been working with Matt, Candace, and Stephanie since May with our dog Mabel. When we adopted Mabel she had been through 3 owners in 2 years. Mabel has a number of behavioral challenges, notably reactivity and anxiety, that others had tried to manage and failed; and we had tried through other trainers and also failed. Being “at our wits end” we reached out based on others’ positive feedback. Matt came by and helped us assess her and you could immediately tell things were finally on the right track. We put Mabel in a 3 week board and train with Matt and Stephanie, and she came back a dog we could finally love AND manage and control with confidence. She has been back for a tune up since then with all positive success and improvement. To be clear, it is a two way street - as owners we also need to change our behavior and approach which we have (thanks to AWE). But we feel that we finally have to tools and resources to truly help us, love the dog we adopted and give her the life she really deserves. Life changing, truly. Thank you AWE
Harper
Cannot say enough good things about Matt and Candice. Our dog had so many issues, and Matt was a miracle worker with her. Great communication, easy to work with, friendly, and mostly importantly, an amazing dog trainer. People are amazed at the night and day difference in our dog after going through Matt’s program.
Comet
AWE has changed my dogs life for the better. Comet became super aggressive after my two older dogs passed away. He had a bite history and it seemed like no one could help. AWE has helped me develop the tools to be able to go out in public. I can see the signs now of when he gets overwhelmed and how to correct them. I have learned how he meds to be introduced to people do he doesn't lash out. I once was terrified of another bite risk and now I can take him out in public stores to go on walls. Thank you AWE!!!
Nature's Symphony
Faces of Humanity
Doja
Matt with At Whits End Dog Training saved our lives!!! Matt is an outstanding trainer, and I would recommend him to anyone who needs help training their dogs. We adopted Doja in February of 2020 and had been searching for a puppy for months. Right after we got her the covid lockdown started and we were unable to socialize her properly. She spent 24/7 with my husband and I and became extremely protective. We had taken her to pet smart for their training course and they turned us away said Doja barked to much. We also took her to a trainer in Lansing that came recommended and it was a one hour training session and we were not given the tools we needed to deal with our dog, it may work for other dogs, but not ours. We needed training that was altered to the dog not general training. She became so fearful of the world and that fear turned into aggression. We were to the point we thought we were going to have to get rid of her because she was uncontrollable. She wouldn't walk properly on a leash, went from 0 to 100 if she saw another dog and she is so strong we could not control her. And with such a high energy level that we ran her 3-4x a day and she still was ready to go go go. Walks were out of the question and running her just wasn't enough.
A very close friend of ours told me to call Candice and schedule a meet and greet with Matt. Candice and I were on the phone for 45 min and she reassured me that Matt could help us and they fit us into their schedule even though we live an hour away. Within the first 20min of meeting Matt he was able to teach us how to control this dog on a leash and we scheduled our 6 sessions. Throughout her sessions she has transformed into a completely different dog and we now have control over our dog thanks to Matt. She understands what we are asking of her now without us losing our patients or getting frustrated with the dog. She is super smart and will live out her happy life with us now. Thank you for all of your help Matt!
Samoa
Before training with At Whits End, our 5 year old, 75 pound mutt Samoa's protective behaviors were a huge struggle for us. We were frustrated that we couldn't have people over to our house without crating her and had no confidence in taking her on walks anywhere remotely public. She has always been great with our 2 year old son and our other pup, but anyone outside our household was a struggle for her. She would bark and at times lunge at anyone she didn't know. After our free consultation, we were impressed, but admittedly skeptical with the change Matt said he could lead us to with Samoa. He worked with us for 6 weeks in our home and at the park to not only improve her behavior, but to build our confidence and skills in working with her. Not only is she a better dog, but we're better owners with more and more confidence after every lesson.
The differences we see in Samoa have blown us away. What we learned from Matt has also helped us provide better structure and be better owners to our other dog too. Candice was always super responsive and understanding whenever we needed to reschedule an appointment or had any questions.
Even before we finished all of our lessons, I've been recommending Matt, Candice, and At Whits End to everyone I know of who has any struggles with their dog. They know what they're doing, and they do it well. Working with them is an investment in our family's happiness that I surely won't regret!
Mack
Nature's Symphony
At Whits End saved our dog's spot in the family; they were the last stop before re-homing. We spent substantial money with a respected breeder, but going on ten months later, we still could not enjoy our dog. We had tried local day programs but lacked time to reinforce the skills at home to achieve any change. So we opted to invest in Matt for his expertise and speed to turn around our dog's behavior. Three weeks later, we had a dog who would listen to commands, walk without pulling, and could sit at the bus stop without trying to tackle our daughter's classmates.
It's not a silver bullet, you will have to follow through at home once your dog completes the program, but you're not starting from zero. The other half of the equation is how Matt educates you to become a consistent and effective trainer/owner; this is key to your success. Listen to Matt's instructions and do not ad-lib here.
Boarding training is a significant investment, but I feel it is worth every dollar. You're not going to be able to produce these results this quickly on your own.
Join our happy clients and experience great training results! Call At Whits End Dog Training at
