Garden State K9 - Succasunna, New Jersey

Melissa N.

We sent our 1-year-old male Golden Retriever, Mango, to Garden State K9's Top Dog Program with Erin, and we cannot emphasize enough how life-changing this training has been for our family. We never expected to need a program like this—we assumed we’d train Mango at home—but with two young boys, managing an 80lb puppy proved more challenging than we anticipated. Erin provided Mango with the language and tools to succeed in such a simple and streamlined way.

After three weeks with her, Mango now has incredible recall, walks beautifully in heel, obeys sit and down (and stays!), and knows "place" (and stays until released)—among so many other skills. One of our biggest concerns was his mouthy behavior, especially with our kids—he had ripped jackets and often stole socks right off their feet! Erin taught us how to manage this, and these behaviors have completely stopped. Now, if he ever tries, we know exactly what to do, and he understands the command. It finally feels like we’re speaking the same language, and life with Mango is so much easier and more peaceful.

When we picked Mango up, Erin spent over two hours reviewing everything with us, ensuring we felt confident in continuing his training at home. Thanks to her thorough guidance, Mango has thrived since returning.

We are incredibly grateful for Erin and Garden State K9. This program is a significant investment, but for us, it was worth every penny. We wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to anyone looking for a truly high-quality training experience.

Devin S.

My fiance and I rescued our puppy, Monte in May. He was very skiddish when we first brought him home and within the first two days, he escaped from the house and ran away. We came to learn he was afraid of loud noises, men and certain types of dogs and would try to flee away from these fears.

We decided to bring him to Garden State K9 for training in August. Melissa Moroney was his trainer and Monte stayed with her for four weeks. When we picked Monte back up he was a brand new pup! We are now able to take him to the park and have him run around off leash and follow commands. He is able to play with other puppies and is super friendly and goofy. We are so thankful for Melissa and Garden State K9 for helping our puppy have the fun and worry free life we wanted for him!

After Monte graduated from the Top Dog program, he now goes to the facility for group play and any parties they have. He has a blast with other dogs and always finds his way to Melissa to give her lots of love! Our pup has so much confidence and everyone says what a good boy he is, we are so glad he is able to have fun and we do not have to worry that he will escape or fear other dogs and we can thank Melissa for that!

Monte is now starting agility training with Melissa at Garden State K9 for the next few weeks as he is very energetic and super fast! Looking forward to seeing Monte in action and working with Melissa again!

Stacey W.

When we adopted Tank, he had been either on the streets or in a shelter for the first 3 years of his life. He did not acknowledge his name and had a real fear of ceiling fan, among other minor behavioral issues. When we went to Garden State K9, we were unsure if these issues could be resolved.
We enrolled Tank in the Top Dog program and Darryl Jackson picked him up for a 3 week training program. I am a helicopter dog mom and was worried about leaving him for that long. Darryl addressed my concerns and Tank happily left with him. Over the course of the 3 weeks, Darryl sent photos and videos documenting Tank's training journey. My husband and I were thrilled with his progress. Darryl brought Tank home 3 weeks later and trained us on how to work with Tank.
Tank has been home for a little over week, we work with him every day and the change has been incredible! Tank is happy and loves being the king of this castle.
We can never thank Garden State K9 and especially Darryl enough for the work they did with our Tank. The professionalism, dedication, patience with me (lol) and love for our baby is truly appreciated. We love Tank and are so happy that he feels safe in our home now.
Thank you Darryl!

Mike, Stacey and Tank

Lauren S.

We can’t thank Garden State K9 and especially trainer Jim enough for the incredible transformation in our 2.5-year-old pitbull, Zoey. Before training, she had basic obedience but was a nightmare on the leash and unpredictable around strangers, which led to a few nervous chomps. With a baby on the way, we knew we needed professional help, and the 3-week Top Dog program was exactly what we needed. Jim treated Zoey like one of his own and sent us regular updates on her progress, which meant the world to us. Now, her leash walking is flawless, and we receive compliments everywhere we go. She’s calmer, more confident, and we can finally include her in all of our weekend outings. We’re beyond grateful to Jim and the entire team at Garden State K9 for helping turn our stubborn little girl into a well-behaved lady! If you are considering training, this is your sign to book it today. It was the best decision we ever made.

Deanna G.

We sent our 3 year old pit mix to a board & train with James and he came back a changed dog!! He was so reactive towards kids and animals and with a new baby we wanted to take action immediately. James was so helpful during our lesson and treated our dog like he was one of his own. He definitely set us up for success to keep up with training and we are so excited to work with him again in the future! He’s the best- highly recommend! 🙂

Holly W.

By far the best referral we’ve ever received!! We are fur-ever grateful to Garden State K9 and their talented staff. We enrolled two of our puppies in their day training programs. Dallas, although one of the most loving puppies we’ve ever adopted, was fearful of almost anything that moved. To put his collar on took a lot of patience and the better part of the morning. Our puppies trained with both Melissa and Bryan. Melissa worked with them on Heal, sits, downs, climbs and recalls. It was mind blowing watching her put his collar on in seconds. Melissa began working with our three month puppy Joey as Dallas began training with Bryan in their Top Dog program. Bryan was amazing to work with and was life changing for both Dallas and our family. He took the time to update us on his progress along with photos and videos. Bryan brought Dallas home and reintroduced him to his little brother. He spent hours with us to make sure we were equipped with the skills and techniques to continue his training. We take our dogs to work and just about anywhere we go now. When it comes time to boarding we will be calling Melissa and Bryan 😀 Thank you for your love and devotion to our fur-babies!

Michelle C.

Can’t thank Garden State K9 enough for leading my German Shepherd Rex on the right path of socialization and obedience. Cody was a great trainer who informed/updated us constantly on Rex’s progress and explained it in great detail to maintain his obedience in check. Rex struggled with basic obedience and we didn’t know how to properly train him, Cody helped start an excellent baseline.

Michele C.

I contacted GSK9 on a recommendation of a friend. Our Belgian Mal puppy was only 12 weeks and showing serious signs of aggression not only towards our family and anyone who tried to pet him. I wasn’t sure when I brought him in for an evaluation that we were even going to be able to keep him it was so bad. We signed him up for Top Dog and it’s the best thing I ever did. He is so good. Bryan Hascup was our, and is still our trainer. He kept us updated and was so honest. Never sugar coated his progress. We board and train with GSK9/Bryan when we go on vacay. He instilled all the things we work with Kal on a daily basis. He’s a totally different dog. He loves the kids and tolerates strangers. He is the most well behaved trained dog everywhere I bring him. We just got a puppy and will be bringing her as well to top dog with GSK9! Can’t say enough good things about this place! If you’re thinking about it, do it, you won’t regret it, it changed our lives.