FAQ

We’re a balanced training facility that focuses on clear communication and leadership in the human-dog relationship. That means we use both reward-based techniques and, when appropriate, tools and corrections that communicate clearly to the dog. We meet every dog where they are — some dogs respond beautifully to food and praise alone, others need more structure and clarity to feel confident and settled.

We don’t subscribe to any single ideology. Our trainers are skilled across the full spectrum of techniques and tools, and will use what’s most effective and humane for each individual dog. Learn more HERE.

Board & Train is our most intensive option. Your dog stays with us and works with a trainer multiple times per day. It’s ideal for dogs that need significant behavior work, or for owners who want faster, lasting results without managing the training process themselves. Owners attend a “go-home” lesson every Friday with weekend homework for owner and dog. This structure ensures that owners are learning with their dogs and that their dog is more responsive to the owner after the program ends.

Private Lessons put you in the driver’s seat. A trainer works directly with you and your dog, teaching you the skills to handle and reinforce training on your own. It requires that you work with your dog every day between lessons and is best for owners who want to be hands-on.

Summary: Board and Train is good for all training needs and very effective for more intensive behavioral work. It’s immersive and free of distractions for the dog, puts most of the workload on your trainer while still educating you, and achieves faster results. Private Lessons is built for obedience and less intensive behavioral concerns, requires more work from the client, and can takes a bit longer to achieve results in some cases.

Yes. We’re here to answer any questions you may have during and after your program. Completion of a Board & Train includes a follow-up private lessons that is good for a year after your program ends. Once you’ve completed a program, we make it easy for you to book smaller programs and even individual “tune-up” Private Lessons and Day Training sessions. Maintaining positive results is ultimately your responsibility as the owner, and we’ll do our best to set you up to succeed at it.

No. Well-trained dogs are confident, relaxed, and more engaged with their owners and not shut-down or robotic. The dogs that look suppressed after training are usually dogs that have been punished without being taught what to do instead. Our approach is about communication and clarity. When a dog understands the rules and trusts its handler, you typically see more personality, not less.

Dog-to-dog aggression ranges from mild social rudeness to serious bite history. Many dogs can be significantly improved and we’ve worked with hundreds of them. “Fixed” is a strong word, though. Most dogs benefit from structure, clear leadership, and controlled exposure, and most owners can manage their dog safely in public after training. We’ll be honest about prognosis after evaluating your specific dog.

House training is not a specific aspect of our training programs. Board and Train programs can help through it’s predictable daily routine and structure. We will also give you direction on how to continue the same routine and structure at home. In a Private Lessons program we can give you the training and guidance you need to house train your dog at home. If you have a new puppy less than six months old, our Puppy Group Class is a great place to learn about these basics as well.

We recommend starting as early as 8 weeks old in our Puppy Group Class. The socialization window closes around 12–16 weeks, which means early exposure to people, environments, sounds, and other dogs has a lasting impact on your dog’s confidence and temperament. Early training also prevents bad habits from getting established. Waiting until a dog is older to address problems is harder, and more expensive, than preventing them. If you’re interested in a Board and Train or Private Lessons for obedience and more intensive foundational skills, we recommend that your dog be at least 14-16 weeks old.

No, the option to use any training tool is up to the client. We will recommend certain training tools if we believe it will help you achieve your goals and only when appropriate. Both tools, used correctly by an educated trainer, are effective and humane. A prong collar provides clear, momentary feedback on leash that many dogs respond to better than flat collar pressure. E-collars, when properly conditioned, allow off-leash communication and consistency at a distance that other tools simply can’t replicate.

If a training tool is recommended, we will make sure that you understand it and are comfortable with it, before using it in your dog’s training.

We work with bite history dogs and our training staff are well versed on handling protocols for dogs with a propensity for aggressive biting. We also have experience in handling court mandated training. We’ll want to understand the context of the bite, the severity, and your goals. Board & Train is often the appropriate level of intervention, and we may ask for an in person consultation before recommending a specific program. In rare cases we may ask you to muzzle condition your dog before the start of the program.

Yes. Our recommendations depend on the severity of the situation. We typically recommend either our Board and Train Program or a Private Lesson package. Board and Train makes sense for more serious cases like fighting and sever resource guarding. It also produces faster results due to the immersive nature of the program. Private Lessons can be an effective way to modify less serious dog-to-dog behavior and will focus on providing training guidance to you and your family in how to train and manage the dogs at home. For these types of cases, we typically recommend up to 10 Private Lessons to achieve desired results. We’ll gather extensive information and assess the situation before recommending which program is the best fit and whether one or both dogs should attend.

Yes, we do require that you participate in your dog’s training. Our training philosophies are based in improving communication and leadership between dog and owner. Almost all of behavioral issues in dogs are related to the nature and quality of this relationship. This is especially important for Board and Trains where we require that the owner be present during weekly “go-home” training sessions and do the homework assigned in order to achieve the best results.

We’ve dealt with several clients who have heard this from other dog trainers. If this is the case, please call us for an in-person Consultation with one of our Trainers. There’s a strong probability that we can fix the problem behaviors that other trainers can’t. We firmly believe that 99% of dogs can become balanced with the right leadership and guidance through dog training.

No, at least at first. For the safety of our Trainers we require your program to start at our facility. This also presents a neutral focused environment for dog and trainer to get acquainted and for the Trainer to assess your dog without the distractions of their “home-turf”. If the situation warrants addressing specific home-related behaviors, you can discuss moving the location of your lesson with your Trainer. There is a travel fee associated with off-site sessions that depends on the distance between our facility and where you live. We typically do not do off-site lessons at locations that are more than 20 minutes drive-time from Downtown Buffalo.

No. We do not accept any aggressive or reactive dogs into our Enrichment Daycare program. Because of our extensive experience with aggression cases, we are stricter about this policy than the average dog daycare. K9 Connection Enrichment Daycare strives to be the safest and most stress free daycare in the Buffalo, NY area.

With that said, we can help get your dog into a more balanced state and develop better dog-to-dog skills in one of our training programs. We have many years experience and success dealing with dog reactivity and aggression. Please review our training programs and contact us a call to get started.

Due to limited kennel capacity, we currently offer boarding only to established clients who have already completed a training program, or are members of our Daycare Enrichment program. We typically do not offer weekend boarding.

We train all breeds and sizes from Chihuahuas to Great Danes. We also have programs for all ages, including puppies. All dogs deserve a chance to have a better, more harmonious life with there owners.

These are classic signs of a dog that hasn’t been given clear structure or consistent expectations — it’s not a character flaw. A Private Lesson or Day Training package is usually the right starting point. We’ll assess your dog, identify the root patterns, and give you a clear plan. Most owners see meaningful improvement within the first few sessions when they apply the skills consistently.

Yes. Resource guarding (growling, snapping, or biting over food, toys, space, or people) can be addressed through training in most cases, but it requires a structured approach. We’ll evaluate the severity, identify the triggers, and build a protocol around both behavior modification and realistic management. We’ll also be straightforward with you if a dog’s level of guarding poses a safety concern that requires ongoing management at home.