AMERICAN DOG SCHOOL

FYI: We have not boarded our dog with this facility, but we have worked with Tami for obedience training since 2009. This review is about her training classes, not boarding.
I'll start this review by saying that Tami is not the trainer for your sweet little Yorkie, or your fluffy Golden or happy Lab. Go elsewhere if you think all dogs need for good behavior is lots of treats, a  Gentle Leader and lots of love. She is not for you.
Here's why we think Tami rocks.
I used to believe dogs' behavior was a reflection of their human's attitudes and laziness about training. I thought prongs and discipline were evil tools used by evil people. You see, I had a great German Shepherd mix who didn't need much obedience help. All positive reinforcement methods worked for him and  I naively assumed that all dogs had the potential to be as good as that pup.
Then we adopted a purebred German Shepherd with working dog lineage who had been neglected and abused to the point of losing a limb because he was tied up in someone's yard. I thought we knew GSDs, I thought we could train him the same way that we trained our other dogs.
I was so wrong. And when all that we knew about dog training didn't work on him, that poor pup almost went back to the rescue. We were clueless, frustrated and ready to surrender. He was aggressive, possessive, destructive and dominating. We were at our wits end.
Then, one day in a German Shepherd Rescue discussion forum, a fellow GSD person told me to get a clue, GSDs are NOT like other dogs and shouldn't be trained as such, or they WILL become destructive. That's why there are so many who die in shelters. People think they're getting Rin Tin Tin, and sometimes they luck out, but for the most part, most GSDs from shelters are like mine. Messed up and in need of some serious leadership by a human who gets it that forum member sent us to Tami.
Tami gets it. The minute we met her she had our dog under her command and we knew we found our answer. That's why you will see a lot of GSDs, Mastiffs, Akitas and other hard-working, prey driven dogs in her class. Sure, the occasional happy Lab shows up, and her methods will work on dogs like that too, but Tami's training is serious business for dogs and humans who are at their wits end. Yes, she uses slip collars and prongs, but so do police dog trainers. So there.
Five years after starting training with Tami our dog is much better. He still has issues, but for the most part she deserves credit for saving our dog's life, and our sanity. And she's done it for LOTS of other pet parents too, which is exactly why we've voted  her "Best in Fort Collins" year after year.
People who think that one type of training works for all dogs are sadly mistaken. That's like saying that one type of education works for all human kids. It's so misguided.
Tami is an awesome trainer and our $300 we paid was well worth it. Our dog is still here, and having a great life because of it.