Stephanie was a godsend for our family! The amount of time she personally put in to making sure we could keep our rescue pup who wasn’t so sure about our new baby was incredible. Thanks to her our fur baby was able to stay apart of our family! Not to mention both our dogs actually listen to us now :) would recommend to anyone!!
-Emily Knorzer
As a dog trainer, Stephanie works well with both the dogs and their owners. I had an aggressive and disabled German Shepherd which is not a situation that I would recommend as it involves a lot of external and internal judgement and other difficulties. I trained him with Stephanie and she understood how to help and never made me feel guilty or inept. The dog had limitations and we could not change his personality. But, in highlighting and nurturing his many strengths, we were able to curtail the aggression. Training with Stephanie was what he was bred for and he blossomed. She was one of his few friends and I loved watching him with her. I was even able to board my dog with Stephanie knowing that he would have a great experience and that I would not need to worry about anyone's safety. I am grateful that we were able to team up with Stephanie for such an enjoyable and long lasting experience.
-Sandra Brewer
Stephanie is hands down the most knowledgeable, experienced dog trainer you will ever find. She’s trustworthy, cares for your dog like her own, stays in constant contact, and delivers exactly what she promises. She trains owners to mimic her training tactics to keep your dog a pleasure to live with for life!! If you’re looking to train your dog - run, don’t walk - to Shepherds K9 Services. It will be the best investment you ever make for your family!
-Catherine Linzalone
Stephanie is an amazing, genuinely kind person and a phenomenal trainer! She has trained both of our Dobermans, and we now have two obedient and happy dogs who are confident and enjoy their off leash freedom. They are always so happy to see Stephanie and her expertise, dedication, and passion for training and dogs is unsurpassed! You won't find anyone like her!!
-Debbie Dunn
“Stephanie was incredible to work with. I interviewed multiple other trainers and minutes after I met Stephanie I knew she was the perfect fit for my Doberman pinschers. Stephanie sent photo and video updates, taught more than I even thought possible, and was kind and correct with my dog. I cannot thank her enough for what she has done for us! I have sent her info to friends and family and wholeheartedly believe she is the best dog trainer you could find for your best friend. Immaculate facility, friendly staff, excellent exit training. I will be coming back for advanced training forever!”
-Evie Moore
“Three years a go, I rescued an injured Doberman puppy, Maple. Maple is a sweet girl but began showing signs of fearful aggression. This made me extremely nervous as I have numerous kids in the home. Luckily, my brother-in-law recommended Stephanie. Stephanie took Maple for 3 weeks. When she returned, she was calm, confident, and happy!
Since then, Stephanie has specifically selected a German Shepherd puppy from a breeder that she knows and trusts for me. We are currently working on obedience and advanced training together. She not only works with my GSD but also works with me! She answers my every question and spends an extensive amount of time explaining and/or demonstrating. Simply stated, Stephanie will go above and beyond to achieve your goals, reduce your stress, enhance your relationship, and teach you and your dog in a kind, patient, and respectful manor. She loves working with dogs and it shows in every dog she handles!! She is always consistent with amazing results as members of my family have come to her for obedience training for 4 dogs and purchasing 3 dogs from her. I will always look to her for my training, boarding, and grooming needs!”
— Melissa F.
“Excellent services! We did the 4-week board and train. It was nice to know that Stephanie, the owner, is the only person that trains each dog, not multiple people. She seemed very knowledgeable during our initial consultation and answered all of our questions. Her facilities were beautiful and clean. Our dog has anxiety issues and is very timid, but he responded to the training very well and better than ever. She also gave us follow-up info on how to continue the training and included lifetime follow ups! Furthermore, she was able to help us out at the last minute during the Christmas holiday for boarding when we had to go out of town. While our dog was there, we were able to sign him up for a refresher course with her and grooming. He smelled and looked great when we picked him up! Overall, great quality and value for what we paid for. We will be returning and referring all of our friends!”
-Dr. Liz
“Besides being a certified dog trainer, Stephanie is a kind soul. She was so supportive though the emotional shock of losing our dog. When the time was right, she helped us find our newest family member. At her beautiful facility, she laid the foundation of his training. She is committed in her approach to training dogs and teaching Owners what their role in the dogs life needs to be. She is always available when you need to contact her. She is a friend for life. I would highly recommend Stephanie to anyone who is serious about their pet.”
-Concetta
“As a trainer in Wilmington I was contacted for a unique experience to help a new dog owner with training after a board and train with Stephanie half way across the state. Stephanie layed an incredible foundation for this dog and provided detailed instructions for the owner at pickup time. When I began working with the owner it was the easiest first lesson Ive ever done. I had to keep challenging this dog just to create a behavior in order to teach. The entire purpose of this arrangement was to teach the the new owner how to maintain the training Stephanie had started because the owner lived so far away. To my surprise the owner was really proficient in the skills necessary to maintain the training. We are going to move quickly with challenging new environments, distractions, and a nice balanced between enjoying a dogs life with manners while building trust through leadership in his new home.”
-Thomas
“To say that life with our German Shepherd, Kelso, is what it is because of Stephanie would be a massive understatement! Kelso isn't a regular GSD that needs some simple training. Kelso had some extreme tail chasing OCD that started around 4 months old. It was very difficult and all our plans for Kelso being a great protection dog were quickly put on hold. We weren't sure that we would ever be able to get Kelso to be the dog that we purchased him to be (working wise). Now at just over a year old, Kelso is on track to achieving the goals we had for him. The pathway here is taking longer than planned and has A LOT more trainings than anticipated but we are here for it because Kelso is happy and healthy! Stephanie has been patient, informative, and extremely supportive of our desire to take each step slowly as not to send Kelso literally into a tail spin! Stephanie is known as Auntie Stephanie to Kelso and he absolutely loves his monthly trips to work with his favorite Aunt! We agree with Kelso, she is pretty amazing!”
-Rebeccah
Just wanted to tell you how grateful we are for what you do! A month ago, I was sure having family over for Thanksgiving and Christmas was going to end up being a nightmare. Instead, Denali welcomed them and even willingly posed for pictures (2). I can't begin to tell you what a difference there has been in his behavior. Thank you! Hope you and your family are having great Thanksgiving!
- Lisa
Stephanie has been an amazing gift to us! She has worked with and trained both of our dogs, one being an older (and aggressive) French bulldog, along with our Dogue de bordeaux puppy. The off leash training has been a game changer for our family and dogs!!! Not only did she do a great job with the training, but she has continued to follow up with us and do refreshers with our dogs when they are needed. We also board the dogs with her because the pups love her that much! Thank you, Stephanie! We recommend you to everyone we know with dogs! You’re the best!
-Kristen Pack
Great facility for training/boarding and Stephanie is simply the best. She found us the perfect German Shepherd puppy and has been with us every step of the way. She's very knowledgeable, responsive and professional. She does a great job teaching our dog and us. Outstanding service!
-Dave Wedding
Stephanie is one of the kindest people I’ve met. That’s what drew me to getting Penny(now a 5 year old German Shepherd) trained. She helped guide me through being a new dog mom. She’s professional, respected and very out going. She’s the only person I trust with penny.
If you are on the fence about dog training services — go visit her and talk to her. She’s very knowledgeable.
Definitely recommend 10/10
-Kelly Sohoritis
As a trainer in Wilmington I was contacted for a unique experience to help a new dog owner with training after a board and train with Stephanie half way across the state. Stephanie layed an incredible foundation for this dog and provided detailed instructions for the owner at pickup time. When I began working working with the owner it was the easiest first lesson Ive ever done. I had to keep challenging this dog just to create a behavior in order to teach. The entire purpose of this arrangement was to teach the the new owner how to maintain the training Stephanie had started because the owner lived so far away. To my surprise the owner was really proficient in the skills necessary to maintain the training. We are going to move quickly with challenging new environments, distractions, and a nice balanced between enjoying a dogs life with manners while building trust through leadership in his new home.
-Thomas Peolling
Stephanie is fantastic to work with! Extremely knowledgeable and able to explain the why behind behaviors and training techniques. Training with her has helped me with both of my dogs and I can’t wait to see how much further we go. I have recommended her to numerous people!
-Alexandra
“Stephanie has trained all four of my goldendoodles and there’s no one else I trust with them! She really cares about the dogs and the owners which allows both pet and human to succeed post training.”
— Brooke B.
”I have had a wonderful experience with Stephanie guiding me through the training of our two German Shepherd dogs. Our dogs are well equipped to put a good face forward with the foundation that Stephanie has laid out for us. She has trained me to be a pack leader and that has translated well to so many areas of life as well as for our dogs to have the life security to remain calm minded.
We get compliments from neighbors, vets, groomers and people who see us waiting at those facilities. Her leadership, love of animals and wisdom have been critical components in producing those results. If you want a qualified, impassioned and caring partner to help guide you in sharing a long quality life with your dogs, I can’t recommend her services and wisdom enough!”
- Bina Z.
“Stephanie is absolutely awesome! She handled our dog with such care and love and did wonders for her and for us as handlers! She was transformed into a new dog once we got her back. She listens in detail to your needs and works miracles. Very responsive at all times and does great follow up. We truly could not be more thankful for all she has done for us and Luna! She is the best at what she does!”
-Tamera
“Shepherds K9 Services was the perfect match for my 6 month old GSD! As the large dog he is becoming it was super important to me that he has great manners and is respectful. I placed Zeke into the 3 week kennel training and he gained every bit of knowledge I wanted and more! He is confident, easy to handle, and we love how his goofy personality never changed! I believe the price is very worth the reward. Stephanie and her staff are great to work with and responsive to all messages and concerns. Zeke will be heading back to be boarded whenever Im gone, they take such great care of all the dogs on property!”
-Carrigan
“My 3 dogs were undisciplined to put it nicely. There was always chaos in our home from the barking, fighting, and just general bad behavior. I couldn’t take them for walks or even car rides as the lunged and barked and generally acted like they would attack anyone (human or animal) that came within their sight. We had previously tried 3 other training services and they were all failures.
I was referred to Shepherds K9 Services by a friend who had her dogs trained by Stephanie, and am eternally grateful for the recommendation. Each of my dogs spent 3 weeks training with Stephanie at Shepherds K9 Services and now we have dogs that have gotten compliments from strangers on how well they behave. We can take them out in public and know that we won’t be embarrassed at their behavior.
I am so grateful to Stephanie for everything she did for us and our dogs. From the first meeting with her, my husband I could tell that she knows a lot about dog behavior and how to correct bad behavior. She is quick to reply when I have a question about how to handle a problem and even just to offer encouragement when things got hectic when we first brought the dogs home and began “our training”. Thank you Stephanie for everything!!”
-Kimberly
“Superior dog training! I spent a lot of time researching trainers for my 5 month old Bernedoodle. Finally a friend referred me to Stephanie. She has been nothing short of amazing! The results are more than I even hoped for! She not only trains the dogs, but equally as important - she trains us - the owners - to mimic her training and keep our dogs well behaved and a pleasure to be around. She is patient and loving to our dogs, responsive, always willing to answer a question or help with a behavior, even after training is complete. She doesn’t just tell you how to correct - she explains what the dog is thinking. You can easily see how much she loves her work. She treated Luna as if she was her own. I swear I almost cry every day because Luna is such a joy to be around me and anyone she meets! If you’re on the fence about training, don’t hesitate to contact Stephanie. She absolutely ROCKS! This was the single best thing I did for myself and my dog!”
-Catherine L