Marigrace and the whole team at Upstate Canine are incredibly good at what they do, and passionate about it, too!
We brought our 2 year old pit bull Gonzo for a 3 week board and train to help get us all on the same communication path with our sweet and silly boy. He would get over-excited about everything and everyone he met, and we needed help to collectively as a whole family communicate clear expectations and calm behavior from Gonzo.
We missed him so much during boarding, but completely trusted them after a couple of very in-depth conversations with Marigrace, along with support from the rest of the team. We learned so much about our boy and the breed (our second pit bull pup). The very practical knowledge that she passed over to us was SO helpful in truly understanding Gonzo, what he did, and why. And that made all the difference in our relationship with our puppy dog. Bringing him home, he was so well-mannered and in tune with us. We’re so impressed with the progress they made with him!
Stacy
We enrolled our 9-month-old American Bulldog, Leia, in the three-week board and train program due to concerning signs of resource guarding and food-related aggression toward our other dog.
From the moment Leia arrived, the level of professionalism and care was evident. Throughout the program, Zach was consistently communicative and transparent, providing clear updates on training methods, progress, and next steps. The facility itself was exceptionally clean, well maintained, and clearly designed with the dogs’ well-being in mind.
Within the first week, we saw noticeable improvements in Leia’s obedience. By the end of week three, the transformation was remarkable. Leia returned home calmer, more confident, and significantly more responsive. We were genuinely shocked by the progress she made in such a short period of time.
Cybil
We brought our 8 month old Bernedoodle for a 2 week training. What a wonderful experience! We learned to communicate better with him. Now he knows what we expect and he is eager to please. His self confidence also increased. He is a delight to bring into public and responds well to new situations and people. He is safer and we are all happier. He still has his full personality and is still a puppy.
The continued training, specific to our dog and at home needs is very helpful.
Kay
Wonderful experience with board and train service from Upstate Canine Academy. I like that there was a lot of consideration put in to helping me decide what training service was best for my dog. First, I had a phone consultation and then an in person meet and greet with my dog at the facility with the head trainer Zach. Zach and all of the trainers I interacted with really took the time to get to know my dog, his personality, his needs and my goals for him. During his stay, I received regular communication about his progress along with videos and pictures. I am impressed with how thorough, knowledgeable and caring everyone I interacted with was. I am looking forward to continue to work with Upstate Canine Academy in the future!
Nicole
We’ve made great strides with our puppy over the last few weeks of the Foundations Program. Raising a high energy puppy over a very brutal winter was difficult and we felt behind on his exposure and training in more stimulating environments. He improves with each week and we can’t wait to see what future training holds!
Jennifer
We just finished the Foundations Course with our 6 month old black lab, Franklin, and can’t say enough positive things about this program. We had the best experience here learning along with our puppy. All the trainers we worked with were highly professional, knowledgeable, and helpful. The combination of day training for 3 days for Franklin along with training sessions for us at the end of each week really helped us learn how to better interact and create a stronger relationship with him. The progress our puppy made in 4 weeks was excellent and we look forward to continuing our training at the Upstate Canine Academy. For anybody with a puppy who wants to raise a well rounded and happy puppy, this is the program for you!
Elizabeth
We are working with Kassandre and she is wonderful! She has been so helpful with our entire family to help train our golden retriever, who makes big strides with every lesson. We couldn’t be more grateful for her help.
Kimberly
We had a terrific experience with Zach at Upstate Canine Academy. We have a 3-year old spaniel who had fear aggression. We’ve had excellent results from the training. Our dog now reacts calmly to strangers coming to the house, and greets them politely. We drove an hour to get to the Upstate Canine Academy for each of the training sessions, and it was definitely worth the time and the money to invest in our dog. We wish we had done it sooner!
Alice
We were unable to walk our dog out in public without him barking at every person/dog. After being unsuccessful with other trainers, we decided to take a chance with Upstate Canine. We started with training him on leash and how to prevent him from reacting while on walks. After about two months, we went from him barking at every person passing on a walk to almost no issues at all. With our success with the on leash training, we decided to take the next steps to have our dog trained off leash. We now have a dog who is almost fully trained off leash so he has the opportunity to run around like every dog should. UCA has been able to help us make a complete 180 with our dog in less than a year giving our dog/us the confidence to bring him in public now.
Kevin
