Testimonies

Andy Senske - "Lilly"

I have been a veterinarian in Houston since 1978. I have owned, shown, and trained dogs, for the past 30 plus years. I have been the veterinarian for the Houston Kennel club and the Astro / Reliant Series of Dog Shows for more than 25 years. Many trainers have crossed my path. Dean Rivera, the owner of K-9 Academy, is the best I have had the pleasure of working with. His knowledge,ability, and results, in obedience, protection, agility, and behavior modification, are excellent. Our German Shepherd Lilly, is an incredible dog at 18mos of age because of the training she received at K-9 Academy.

I highly recommend Dean Rivera and K-9 Academy for any training needs you have.

If you have any questions feel free to e-mail me at asenske@sbcglobal.net

- Andy Senske DVM

Ms.Davis - "Ike"

Having my dog Ike trained with Dean has been the experience of a lifetime! Dean is an amazing trainer. He is very knowledgeable of dog behaviors and characteristics and regularly attends seminars, keeping himself a breast of any new advances in training. He never trains with fear. All the commands were given in a calm low tone. He never shouted or scolded my dog and only used praise to encourage him even during protection training. My dog loved the training so much that he would become excited each and every time we approached the training center. Dean was also very patient with me, making sure I understood and was comfortable with every exercise. He never left me uneasy with any of the training whether it was obedience or bite work and gave me extra classes to ensure my confidence. I have watched my dog grow into an awesome animal thanks to Dean! I would recommend K9 Academy to anyone wanting the best possible training for their dogs.

- Ms.Davis and PPD-I "Ike"

Jaris Family - "Karli"

I want to thank Dean for his knowledge, and for what he does. Karli, our GSD, is a 10 old month puppy who wanted to play, bite and jump on everyone, which made it difficult to bring her around anyone. She didn't want to hurt anyone, she just wanted to be up-close and too personal. Well now she is much better behaved and she is so much nicer to be around. Taking her on walks is alot easier now, because if I stop to talk to someone I can have her sit or put her in a down position and she will stay. With me being a police officer I want a dog that listens, and is easy to control, plus I feel comfortable with my family able to control as well. Dean also gave me the training that I needed to continue on with her. Thank You Dean, from my family (and Karli), WE APPRECIATE YOU!!!!!!!!

- Jaris Family & "Karli"

Jack and Jason Oddo - "Titan and Kane"

Puppies "Titan" (Cane Corso on the left) & "Kane" (American Pit Bull Terrier on the right), trained at 8 weeks of age.

Start to finish this was a truly an amazing experience. I came into my basic obedience course as a somewhat non believer and oh how K-9 Academy’s Dean changed that! I will refer this company to anyone and convince people who are going elsewhere to do otherwise and use Dean. My dog was about as far from obedient as you could get prior to his obedience course and in 10 sessions that made a 110% turn around. The transformation and simple things Dean taught my dog and I have completely changed our control over Kane. It was a delightful experience and I hope to continue my dog’s education with Dean moving forward in the near future.

- Jack and Jason Oddo

Mr. Earnest Prince and Family - "Baloo"

We adopted a 2 year old APBT scheduled to be put down. Baloo had severe dog aggression, people aggression, and also had a desire to be as destructive as possible. We contacted Dean and he immediately came to assess Baloo’s needs and designed a course taylor-made for Baloo. In weeks Baloo was under control doing basic obedience on and off leash. Dean also found a way to channel Baloo’s aggression by enrolling him into the personal protection course. Now, Baloo has a safe controlled way to release his tension. He loves to guard our home, and we can even take him to the park without worry of being kicked out due to Baloo being out of control. Finally, Baloo has had to take a back seat to our new baby in the house. We were worried as to how Baloo would adjust to our new baby. It seems as though Baloo knows he has to be extremely delicate around our baby, and when she cries he is the first one to go check on her. Baloo would not be alive if it had not been for Dean and K9 Academy. This is a service I recommend to ANYBODY with a dog. Mr. Dean cares more about a dogs well being and health than about making a profit. It shows in the training.

Thanks again Dean!!!

You are the best!!

- Earnest Prince and Family

Andrew and Angelique Blitch - "Piper"

We found a stray puppy roaming our neighborhood, scared and exhausted from heat and dehydration. After taking her in and regaining her strength, the dog was just too much to handle, jumping on everyone, pulling on the leash, and tearing up things around the house. We decided to give Piper a chance and hired Dean to get her adjusted to living with and protecting our growing family. The obedience training went beautifully and she is now a well-adjusted dog that is eager to listen to our next command. Piper now knows a variety of commands which she obeys even if there are significant distractions. She enjoyed going over the jumps, ramps, and through the barrels at Dean's training center which he patiently guided her through. Dean incorporated confidence-boosting games into Piper's training, helping bring out and nurture her inner guard dog. Piper is trained to default to friendly-dog mode, where anyone can come up and pet her. But, on command, Piper jumps into alert mode, barking, showing her teeth, and throwing herself between me and the threat, making anyone think twice about attacking us. Dean exceeded our expectations and we highly recommend his training services. There is not a more capable or more qualified trainer in the city of Houston.

- Andrew & Angelique Blitch

Stephanie and Daniel - "Boss"

Our Dog Boss was real hard headed. He never wanted to listen and he would do anything he wanted. We were so amazed that with Dean and his training, Boss became the dog that we always wanted. He listens and protects! Our family is so happy with Dean’s training and we thank him so much for his help.

- Stephanie and Daniel.

(Home Alert Program)

Danny Gumbs - "Bolo"

Mr. Dean came in and worked with my dog for two weeks and you can see the big difference. Bolo is more obedient and controllable seems like Mr. Dean’s methods work. If you are looking for a good trainer that knows his stuff get Dean at K-9 Academy.

- Danny Gumbs and "Bolo"

Syed - "Jasper"

Dean brought out our pets natural instincts through a systematic training approach involving extensive handler instructions and independent field work.

We now have a balanced family pet, who is obedient and alert when needed.

I plan on using Dean for additional training and would highly recommend him for anyone interested in getting a little "work" out of their family pet.

- Syed, Sugar Land, Texas

(Shutzhund III - Jasper)

Manuel Solis

Mr. Manuel Solis,

Houston's most famous immigration Lawyer, has also trusted the safety of his properties to Dean's Canine Security Cadets.

- Manuel Solis Law Firm

Shawn Guillory - "Rocky"

I have been using Mr. Dean’s dog training services for some time now and I could not be happier. He started training my dog Rocky when he was only 8 weeks old, and he needed it badly. Rocky was one uncontrollable pup, always going about his way and doing something he was not supposed to. But if you see him right now, 2 years old and grown, he is the most obedient dog I have ever known and I have known plenty. I even had Mr. Dean train him as our guard dog to protect me and my family and Rocky is very good at it and he loves it. Seeing how much Rocky has grown and his improvement in training, I don’t think I would have done it any other way or picked anyone else other than Mr. Dean and his amazing skills working with dogs. It is definitely a wonderful investment, Rocky is capable of doing more than I ever expected of a dog. Thank you Mr. Dean for your brilliance and dedication.

Sincerely, Shawn

- Guillory Family (Scarsdale)

Ms. Serna - "Daisy and Duke"

Our dogs Daisy & Duke ruled our back yard, we couldn't even step out into the patio cause they would jump all over us. Thanks to Dean we now have control of our dogs (not the other way around). We are able to let our kids go out and play, our children are no longer afraid of Daisy & Duke. Thank you Dean for teaching us how to control our dogs bad behavior!

- The Sernas, La Porte TX

The Kelley's

Dean came to our home to train our 7-month old Labradoodle. Our puppy had started biting and snapping at family & friends and we were concerned that he was getting out of control. After only 8 hours of training, our puppy is well on his way to becoming a perfect puppy. Our puppy no longer jumps on everyone, has stopped biting and growling and will obey, stay, sit and down commands immediately. Amazing!

Dean trained our dog as well as the members of our family. He is patient, calm and very thorough in his training. He took the time to explain every command and action so that we understand why we were doing the action. We highly recommend his services to all dog owners. You will be so happy you called Dean!

- The Kelley's, Houston, TX

Robert and Barbara Loving - "Suzy"

Dean, Thank you for your time and patience in the training of our dog Suzy. She has learned alot and we have learned a lot too. Hopefully the commands that Suzy has learned will keep her safe from harm and more obedient to us. We appreciate all your efforts. You are a great trainer and thanks again.

- Robert and Barbara Loving

Christina Cross - "Bruno"

I am very thankful to Dean for training my dog Bruno to obey and listen to me. I was having a hard time controlling Bruno because he was such a big and powerful dog. Taking a daily walk was something that I did not look forward to everyday. But after the first session with Dean I noticed a difference in Bruno. He began to walk with me, listen to me and obey. That was everything that I hoped this training session would be!! Dean definately has the expertise and patience that made it easy for me to understand how Bruno responded to my commands. I sincerely thank Dean for teaching me how to be a better owner to Bruno.

- Christina Cross

Christina Gay - "Rufus"

When I took Rufus to K9 Academy he was a mess, in a matter of two weeks he learned to Heel, Sit, Stay, Down, Come when called and best of all his jumping issues are controlled, I'm amazed with the progress of my puppy.

- Christina Gay and Family

(NE Houston)

Mario and Jessica Compean - "Aries and Delila"

Before Aries & Delila were trained we were at the point of getting rid of our dogs. It's hard to deal with two 120lb Cane Corsos when they are out of control. We called K9 Academy and with Dean's help it's like we have two new dogs. Now we can walk them, take them to the park, take them around other dogs plus they can also sit, down, stay, come, jog at our pace and all with one command. With our busy schedule it was convenient for Dean to come to our home and do all the training at Aries & Delila's environment. We would definitely recommend Dean Rivera with his K9 Academy to anyone that needs Obedience & Protection training with any dog.

- Mario and Jessica Compean

(South Houston)

Godfrey Family - "Jedi"

Mr. Dean,

I write to say a big "Thank You" for the excellent care you took with our dog JEDI when you took care of him for some 2 weeks for us while we were out of town. My entire family is extremely pleased since we gave you one Jedi and you brought back an improved, better looking, well behaved, bigger, clean and shining dog. We have been enjoying him more now than before since we have gotten him back from you. I am sure we will continue with your training of our dog and will always request your help when we have to go out of town. You have done an excellent job over and above what was expected. Thanks again and we look forward to you working with our Jedi.

- Godfrey Family

Dave and Tracy Brackin - "Bella"

We met Dean almost two years ago when we took our dog Bella in for obedience training. She is a chocolate lab and a little bit on the hyper side but did wonderfully. Dean did an excellent job. He was very patient with us as well. He worked with our whole family to make sure we all understood the commands and procedures for Bella to follow. Bella is very protective of our family. A couple of weeks ago there was an intruder in our backyard. I heard Bella barking like crazy and went to check on her. When I stepped out of the house on to the porch, there was a man standing three feet from me. When he made a move towards me, Bella lunged at him and chased him over the fence. We were so proud of her. My husband and I took Bella back to Dean for a refresher course and he showed us one of his dogs that he has trained for protection. Dean somehow convinced my husband to put on the heavy training jacket and let the dog bite him! Let me tell you... my husband is a BIG man; over 300 lbs!!! When Dean gave the command, the dog ran to David and lunged at his arm. She was pulling him across the yard!! As soon as Dean gave the release command, she let go and sat down. He did this three times and every time the dog was very obedient and controlled. We had our two year old daughter with us and she and I were right there in the yard when all this took place. We never felt threatened and the dog never once lost focus with us being so close. We have great faith in Dean and the work that he does. We are looking into getting another dog and when we do, we will definitely be using Dean for the all the training.

- David and Tracey Brackin

"Tanner"

From the very beginning, we taught Tanner, "No jump", "no bark", and other simple commands to make sure that our dog was respectful and loving to the people that came into our home. We had no idea that these simple commands would be the biggest mistake we made. One day an intruder came into our home, while we were in it. Fortunately, our presence scared the burglar away. But one of the scariest things was, our dogs let him come into our home and did nothing when he was in. This is when we called Dean. Dean's first visit was not one that left us with much hope. We have kind-hearted dogs he said. However, he assessed both our dogs aggressiveness and entered just Tanner into his Home Alert program. In just a short time, Tanner was barking and protecting the doors and windows. Tanner would not let Dean step foot into our home and he made sure that if someone was at the door or windows that we knew they were there. Dean constantly allowed us to ask questions and gave us plenty of feedback as to what his plans were in training Tanner. It seems that Dean's program has really given Tanner back the confidence and training he needed to protect his home and family. Meeting with Dean and allowing him to train our dogs has been a great success and leaves us feeling much more secure!

Thanks Dean!

Sthepen Family - "Max"

"A wolf from the wilderness to the civilization."

Max our German Shepherd has improved completely from being a wild undisciplined dog to a well behaved West Point Graduate.

- Sthepen Family

GSD - "Max" Sthepen

Mitchell Family - "Millie"