“When our family adopted Chaco, a GSD mix, he came to us with issues not uncommon to a Shepherd. He was described as being almost the perfect dog, but with some reactivity issues that could be worked through in the right hands. I believed that we were the right hands, and that the problem could be worked out with lots of love, exercise, and patience. Wrong. Chaco had specific needs and we were not equipped with the tools to meet them. When I realized that I couldn’t even walk Chaco without dread, we engaged a trainer who took a “positive-only” approach to training. Well intentioned and extremely competent in the positive-only style, she spent weeks working together with us and Chaco. Those weeks ended up being a waste of everyone’s time and money. During that time, Chaco put his teeth on 3 people, drawing blood on one. The situation became dire, and following our desperately sought after advice from Dog Gone Seattle (rescue organization), we enrolled Chaco in Sparky Davis’ board and train program. It was one of the best decisions we have ever made.

Sparky only accepts a few dogs at a time for the board and train, to be able to maximize his time with each student. It is an immersion type of program because he is with the dogs 24/7. Sparky’s method is simple and effective. He trained Chaco in the behaviors that he needed to learn the most – walking on a leash without reacting to other dogs or people, going to his “place” in the home, not barking excessively at invited guests or delivery people, coming when he’s called (recall), and walking in the heel position on and off leash. Sparky would bring Chaco to our house every weekend after the intense work week that they had put in together so that we could learn how to implement the commands and progress as owners, while Chaco progressed in his training. This way, we were not faced with a situation where we would be overwhelmed with learning everything at once when Chaco came home after his boarding. We practiced with Chaco under Sparky’s clear and intuitive direction for an hour, and then he went on his way, back to Seattle with Sparky for the next week’s lesson. 

When Chaco came home to stay, he was a different dog, and we were different owners. Sparky made that happen by teaching Chaco how to make smart choices in his behavior, and giving us the control and tools to set him up for success. Before enlisting his help, Chaco was becoming a menace to society. Sparky turned it all around. His communication to people and dogs is clear and direct, he exudes an obvious passion and respect for dogs, and he has the ability to be firm and kind at the same time. We would trust him implicitly with training any dog, no matter what breed, or how great the challenge.”