-
May 2024 by jeff anderson
We initially used Red Star Kennel’s for boarding our Golden Retriever when we were out of town. When we returned, Ruger was better than when we had brought him there. Fast forward a few years. Due to our experience with Red Star with Ruger, we decided to have our 2 Golden Doodles: Stella (18 months) and Sadie (6 months) trained at Red Star in their Boot Camp. This was a wonderful experience for both Stella and Sadie and our family. Irena and Mark answered any questions we had and eased our anxiety of being without our dogs. At the end, they (incredibly) met with my wife and I and 3 of our boys so we would all be on the same page regarding the “next steps”.
Irena and Mark were extremely professional and up front with both positives and possible challenges in the future.
We have been incredibly blessed by Irena and Mark’s skills and could not recommend Red Star Kennel enough for boarding and/or boot camp training. It was worth every penny.
It is so nice to be able to have them off leash and not fear them running off or not listening. Their training has done wonders.
HIGHLY RECOMMEND RED STAR KENNELS
Jeff and Amy Anderson
-
April 2024 by Alyse LaGuardia Hall
While I was doing research on the best place to send our English Mastiff, I stumbled upon Red Star Kennels. My vet happened to have known a few other dogs that had gone through their program and had awesome results.
Skeptical that I was doing the right thing, I called to inquire. Irina not only answered all of my questions on that first call, but she spent about 30 min with me giving me tips to help our situation at home until we could send our boy.
Driving up to their place, I was so anxious, but the minute I pulled in and met Mark, Irina and their staff, I was instantly at ease and confident my boy and I were in the right place. Drop off went smoother than I ever expected. Cash has a lot of hesitancy meeting new people, but it was clear they were going to be able to handle him from the start. While in their care, Mark consistently updated me on his progress along the way and when he got an upset stomach and strained his leg at one point, he called me right away to get my approval on their treatment course. Holistic, exactly the way I would’ve treated him myself. He bounced back quickly and their training wasn’t affected.
Now here comes the pick up review. Mark spent about 30 minutes with us before we even got to see him. He caught us up and told us all that he learned about him throughout the weeks. My husband and I were sitting there thinking he was selling us a pipe dream. When it came time for him to bring Cash out to us, our jaws dropped. The dog we dropped off was not the dog walking out to us. It was evident of the bond him and Mark formed and their mutual respect. When it was time to hand him over to us, Mark made sure that we didn’t leave there without the confidence to continue his training and handling at home.
I truly cannot recommend them enough. I’m getting emotional writing this. Due to a few incidences prior to his training, there was a lot of stress with him in our house and I was starting to resent my dog a bit. It’s painful to admit that. However, I’ve fallen head over heels back in love with him. He’s such a more respectful, confident, calm, and obedient dog. That’s saying a lot considering he’s over 160 lbs. I know this review was long, but I wanted to make sure that I made the point of how incredible Mark and Irina are. They truly have a gift and love your dog as their own.
Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.
-
March 2024 by Ben Johnson
Red Star has improved our lives so much. Our four year old dog is a sweetheart, but it was impossible to get him to listen, to not pull on walks and not jump on guests. After 3 1/2 weeks at Boot Camp, he’s infinitely more well-behaved. Instead of dreading going on walks, we look forward to them. He comes when called and does not jump on people when they come over. After the Boot Camp was done, Mark did a great job of explaining/showing us how to keep the training going moving forward at home. This was the best investment into our pup we ever could have made. It improved our quality of life immensely, and I cannot recommend Red Star enough.
-
February 2024 by John G.
Irina and Mark are excellent trainers that know dogs well. They are wonderful people that we met in 1999 and have been boarding and training there ever since. We have become good friends and I have recommended the kennel to other friends for their training and boarding needs. Too bad for Maddie L. I have never heard of anybody having an issue with the kennel or the way the business is run. Red Star is top notch!
-
December 2023 by Breann Parrott
I can’t recommend Red Star Kennel enough! They have been amazing to work with from the very start. Our dog came back a well mannered gentleman and Mark has gone above and beyond to answer all questions and follow up after we brought our boy home. Their boot camp was fantastic for our 9 month old German Shepherd and they have always taken great care of both our dogs while they were boarded at their facility.
-
December 2023 by Antoinette Porter
I wish I had brought my dog here sooner. The trainers and staff are wonderful and fully explained the 4 week boot camp process thoroughly to me. I'd not been able to train my dog proper recall or tame her barking no matter how much activity she had. Living in the country meant I always had to keep her on a long lead for the fear she may run after a deer and not come back. I've had her home for almost a week now and it's been the best (quiet) week of hiking with my dog! She has her freedom to explore, and I can enjoy the hike without untangling the lead every few steps / being secure that she returns to me when I call. We've had a bunch of run-ins with deer and squirrels and she comes *immediately* when called. If you're reading this, get all the gear you need for that activity you've been dreaming of doing with your dog before they come home because you can do that activity on day 1. Thank you, thank you Red Star!
-
October 2023 by Deanna D.
We sent our 1 1/2 yo mini Irish golden doodle to the 25 day boot camp this past June. We went back and forth upon deciding, though knew we needed a big change if he was truly going to work for our family. I had heard and read great things about Red Star and we knew we had to give it a try. Our biggest concern was the possession aggression our dog displayed with various household "contraband" (growling, snapping, etc.). He would also listen to my husband, though nobody else in our family and was socially "out of control", especially when someone "new" came into our house or yard. Honestly, dropping him off kind of felt like a vacation in a sense, as things had gotten pretty stressful! We knew we'd miss him, but the staff were great at communicating and welcomed "check-in" calls. When we picked him up at the end of the month, we could immediately see a huge positive change in him. The 2 hours spent with Irina upon pickup were so valuable... knowing we were about to take him home for the true test (with high hopes), she gave us the knowledge and confidence to work with him on our own in the weeks/months to come! Fast forward almost 4 months, and we are amazed at what those 3 1/2 weeks in June (and some very manageable follow up work) did for our pup! He is so happy and relaxed, and we can tell that he wants to make us happy, too. We are enjoying him so much, and because he's so much easier to deal with, our kiddos are able to really enjoy him now, too (as evidenced by lots of cuddles and playtime):). I was concerned that somehow sending him to bootcamp would change his personality, but it seems as though all of his positive qualities from before have just been magnified and any challenging behaviors have greatly if not completely dissipated. At risk of sounding dramatic, it has been sort of a life-changing experience for our family. We feel that we now have a happy, well-adjusted pup and we truly owe it to Red Star Kennels!
-
September 2023 by Mary Glaser
I have a very high energy 4 year old Norwegian Elk Hound (Belle). I did the 28 day boot camp in September 2021. It was a game changer. She has been a great companion after her camp and behavior training with Mark. Worth every penny!
-
September 2023 by Dan Shaske
We took our Giant Schnauzer to them for obedience training. BAD IDEA!They LOST OUR DOG!!! We had to take them to court. We won damages, but our poor dog? We never saw our baby again. DON'T TRUST THEM!!!!
-
September 2023 by Suzanne H.
Excellent trainers and kennel! We have been training and boarding our dogs at Red Star for over 20 years. Mark and Irena are very experienced trainers and run a top notch operation. Our dogs love them and are comfortable going there when we go away. I've received the best service from Red Star! Thank you Mark and Irena!
-
August 2023 by John Blankenbaker
The transformation with Kody was unbelievable. We had gone to 2 puppy classes before with other trainers. His territorial barking was out of control; he would eat socks, bark, sticks, grass. You name it. He would not come when called and went in the road and out of the yard. He went to the April boot camp and all of that is resolved. I was concerned with the cost but it was worth every penny. Awesome experience.
-
June 2023 by Rebecca Gustafson
Had a private lesson and was amazed by the results of my time. Thank you so much!!
-
June 2023 by Marc Raymond
Excellent training and review with owners after training!
-
May 2023 by Alicia Sund
We did a private lesson here, it was a complete game changer!! I was so impressed! The skills she taught us turned our reactive dog's behavior around. We have seen a dramatic difference. I would highly recommend for training and behavioral problems ❤️ We are forever grateful for her help!!
-
May 2023 by Karen Smith
Thanks to the Red Star team for training our family on how to help our canine kid stay on her best behavior. My only regret is that I wish we would have signed up for bootcamp sooner.
