ACTK9
Service type
Type of animal
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About
John Horan has been training dogs since he was a young child. He was the neighborhood kid who took off his belt, tied it around a stray dog and led him home—only to explain to his parents that this poor dog followed him home, and we had to keep him!
John started training seriously in 1984 when he got Kaiser, his first German Shepherd, from Olympia Kennels. In 1992, he began to compete in the sport of Schutzhund. He is now a National Level Competitor in that sport, and has traveled all over the USA training with the best of the best and competing in local, regional and national events. In the fall of 2011, John and his German Shepherd dog Cholo competed in Rheine, Germany, as part of the United States World Team for Schutzhund. A large part of John’s life has been about learning—and then teaching others—how to form a highly rewarding relationship with a dog, based on mutual respect.
Advanced Canine Training offers all levels of training and behavior modification—from basic socialization and obedience to curbing destructive, fearful or aggressive behaviors.
Overview
Hired 59 times
2 employees
42 years in business
Business hours
Sun9:00 am - 8:00 pmMon9:00 am - 8:00 pm
Payment methods
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Top Pro status
Top Pros are among the highest-rated, most popular professionals on Thumbtack.
2017
Services offered
Type of animal
Other animal type
Service type
Evaluate needs
Address nuisance behaviors
Address fears or anxieties
Teach basic commands
Location of training
At customers' home
At my facility
Projects and media
Projects and media
Reviews
Customers rated this pro highly for work quality, professionalism, and responsiveness.
Great 4.7
21 reviews
5
86%
4
9%
3
0%
2
0%
1
5%
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Kimberley R.
Apr 17, 2015
Hired on Thumbtack
John has been great!!! Our dog Maximus has made drastic improvements with just two sessions. My husband and I couldn't be happier with the results thus far. We have a ways to go but I'm sure we'll get there with John's help. We are the ones that need the training to properly handle our dog and look forward to learning from him. ACTK9 have been the only trainers/behaviorists' that have actually taken the time to fully understand and help with our situation.
Dog Training
Shannon o.
Dec 18, 2015
Hired on Thumbtack
My husband and I had a great experience with John and his partner! We were unsure what our dog needed in terms of training so they came to do an evaluation at our home. They exceeded what we were expecting in terms of advice for first time meeting and getting to know us and our dog. Also our dog took to John really well which makes me confident if we ever decide to do more training he is in great hands. Would highly recommend John and actk9!
Dog Training - Board and Train
Aimee Y.
Nov 25, 2016
Hired on Thumbtack
Jinks is trained!!! Her recall, heel, sit, down and place commands are solid! My 4 year old nephew can handle her on the leash, with no pulling! Exactly what I hired ACTK9 to do. John and Lindsay are very talented trainers. I think they were probably over qualified to train a very domesticated rescue pup, but were professional and experienced enough to be able to adjust training methods and intensity to work with our girl.
She was timid and a bit nervous at first, but she came out of her shell and is ready to be enrolled in her first agility class.
I would highly recommend John to train your dogs, especially if you are looking for highly obedient animals.
She was timid and a bit nervous at first, but she came out of her shell and is ready to be enrolled in her first agility class.
I would highly recommend John to train your dogs, especially if you are looking for highly obedient animals.
Dog Training
Siobhan P.
Nov 18, 2016
Hired on Thumbtack
It's hard to know who to choose when hiring any professional. I have an 8 month old German Shepherd, and after doing much research trainers, I decided to go with ACT K9. I was so impressed from the very beginning! During the evaluation, I met John and Lindsey and 2 of John's dogs. I have never met more trained dogs in my life. John's interaction with them was amazing. A week later we started training my dog, Sasha. After one lesson, she was already learning to heel. We have only had 2 lessons so far, but Sasha is already listening so much better. John and Lindsey really know what they're doing. The training is as much for me as it is for my dog. I'm so happy I chose them!!!
Dog Training
Elizabeth K.
Jul 21, 2018
Hired on Thumbtack
John is an incredible, high caliber, high efficacy trainer. This was our first time working with a professional dog trainer 1:1. We saw immediate results from the very 1st session through to the end. We were amazed by John's depth of knowledge. The tips he imparted were invaluable. John began with an overview by explaining his mythology, which was great - it provided a backdrop for how we should communicate with the dog and made absolute, perfect sense (clear one-word commands). He proceeded with the very basics as to what proper leash to use paired with recommended collar to helping us learn to train with the wireless collar. Despite having dogs before, we learned for the first time about marking behavior (correctly) for maximum impact and quick canine learning and more. We had a tricky (and not ideal) situation where we had a week to spend with the dog for training. None the less, John was willing to work with us and was flexible. He calibrated our expectations and I have to say he far exceeded what everyone hoped to accomplish with this stubborn, 3 year old Shiloh Shepard. It is clear he has a real love of dogs and wanted to help for the benefit of the dog and thus deviated a bit from his usual prescribed training program. It was a great learning experience for the humans and the canine. We're practicing and implementing the recommendations. We've already recommended John to another family. I would definitely hire John again without hesitation. Thank you, John.
Details: 1 dog • 2 - 10 years old • Large (41 - 70 lbs) • Private dog training lessons • General obedience training • The dog trainer travels to me
Dog Training