Ethan Holden
Dec. 22, 2025
My wife and I adopted a sweet, 1.5 year old Shih Tzu from a local animal rescue. We both owned dogs growing up, but this was the first dog that we could truly call ours. Consequently, Rizzo was also the first dog we were 100% responsible for training and taking care of. The first few days were ok, but then we quickly ran into major issues with crate training and serious separation anxiety. Every night and every time we left for work, Rizzo refused to go in her crate. When we placed here in there, she always withheld some pee, despite frequent walks and a watering schedule. Soon we found ourselves in a cycle of soiled crates, constant baths, and a permanent sense of anxiety and stress for everyone in the house. We reached out to Brad, who scheduled a free in-home consultation with the whole family. Out of the eight trainers I reached out to in the Middle Tennessee region, he and one other were the only ones who responded promptly and positively. Brad impressed us during the consultation because he did not try to upsell us on the most expensive plan, instead picking one that he thought was best for us and Rizzo. We ended up going with a plan that featured five total one-on-one, in-home sessions. There was notable improvement after the first session. Brad didn't rush us to schedule the second session, instead encouraging us to take our time working on the principles he established during that first visit. He also encouraged us to text and call with any isses we had during the week. I took full advantage of this, sending multiple emails, videos, and texts while we worked together. Brad always responded promptly and with action steps I could try implementing then and there. By his second visit a couple weeks later, we were able to get Rizzo to go in and out of the crate on her own. By the fourth session, we had solved the crate-soiling issue. We made so much progress that we were able to spend the last two sessions working on basic obedience. All of us are so much happier than we were before! I fully recommend working with Brad. If you listen to what he says, take notes, pay attention to how he is training your dog, and faithfully do your homework, I don't see how there wouldn't be an improvement in your dog's overall behaviour. Actively engaging and being a participant in the dog training process is key: my wife and I worked with Rizzo every night, thirty minutes a night. Just like with a personal trainer, you can't expect to see results if you aren't willing to put in the sweat equity. We do not regret our decision at all, so if you are on the fence or in a similar situation, you can't go wrong contacting Brad!
