After my wife and I owned our American Pit Bull Terrier, Daisy, for over a year, we decided to get another one. A year-old pit bull mix that we named Lily Adding one rambunctious dog in with one that was pretty mellow really brought out the worst in both dogs; jumping up on people, refusing to listen – ever, and the all time favorite, chasing after deer and coyotes in some of Colorado’s dog-friendly open space. After being unsuccessful in the past with PetSmart, (treat training does not work when dogs see something more interesting!) and reviewing other dog training programs in the area, Lily and I checked in for our free consultation with Sit Means Sit. Within minutes of meeting the staff, I knew that these trainers knew what they were doing, and were serious about getting it done right. While I was impressed by what their dogs could do, it was what they did with Lily in the first ten minutes that really made the difference for me. Having Lily pay attention while receiving commands from 50 feet away was more than I could have expected even with weeks of training. This knowledge and passion, along with the lifetime membership, sounded like the right fit. I would never have to worry about missing a class and therefore wasting my money. With the SMS program, you pick the times you want, and do the training as frequently or infrequently as you like.
Jon was our primary trainer and made all the difference. Being one who prefers to be outside most of the time, my largest goal was to have Lily, and later, Daisy, able to be off leash on our long hikes without running away, jumping on people, or chasing after wildlife. Within one week of starting the program, Lily was fully off-leash compliant by Boulder County Open Space standards (i.e. will immediately come when called). As well, the standard sit, down, stay in one place, was very easily trained with Jon and SMS. We have since run into numerous park rangers and other recreational trail users who have commented on how well behaved these Pit Bulls are.
With their program, if you have an interest in training your dog to behave, you absolutely cannot fail. Jon will not let you. He is much stricter with his human clients than with the canines, because YOU are in control and not the dog. When the dynamic is the other way around, Jon’s there to remind you that you are the boss and you have to start acting like it. With the success of the program, I didn’t have to go to group lessons week after week, and we took the entire winter off. When new issues popped up (toy and food aggression), Jon was more than willing to set up some one-on-one time to help us work through the issues and get some additional tips. Again, the initial program cost includes all of this. I have never had to pay another dime for any lesson.
One additional note about the “Lifetime Guarantee” on the SMS collars. I’m pretty skeptical about such offers, but this really is legit. When Lily managed to crack her collar when we were hiking up a steep trail, I took it back for a replacement without any hassle. The only question was how we managed to damage it, so that they can refine the engineering in the future. All of my dealings with Jon and SMS have been positive.
I fully recommend Jon as a trainer and Sit Means Sit as a program. If my experience doesn’t convince you, call Jon for a demonstration, and I’m certain he’ll impress you with what he and your dog are capable of.
Todd Saveland
