Nitro K-9

Best Dog Trainer in Seattle

by AlliLee at Citysearch

Steve Walter, I'd say, is Seattle's dog whisperer (hope he doesn't mind that comparison.) I was almost ready to give up with my German Shepherd Mischa and sell her. She had behavior problems I couldn't understand, correct or get a hold of. I was embarrassed to walk her because she would become aggressive and lunge and bark at other dogs; And there I was, standing over her saying SIT, SIT, SIT and she coulda cared less I was even there. We got complaints from 5 different neighbors that she barked and barked and barked in the yard. She has lunged at small children and other dogs that move fast toward her. I needed to get control of her separation anxiety, her nervous mind, and aggressive behaviors toward other dogs.

I was desperate, because I really wanted to keep her, so I went online to see who was out there. Steve had rave reviews and after emailing with him and the preliminary evaluation I knew he was the guy who would help us! By starting with leash-control basics, he taught me how to correct Mischa at the right times, how to hold the leash, how to establish a connection with her. He taught me about dog psychology (when I think she is being cute and cuddly, or responding slowly because she is bored, he clarifies that she is dominating me.).

By the half-way point of training, I already noticed a huge difference in her demeanor and I felt a bond forming between her and I. She responds to what I say quicker. I feel like I understand her and her behavior better. I'm impressed with what has been accomplished in 7 classes!! She even responds to silent hand signals! WHAT!?! awesome. She still has some issues I need to work with her on but I feel so much better educated on how to handle those situations where she isn't listening.

Steve is an excellent trainer, he is prompt at responding and setting up appointments, flexible in meeting locations, he has an intuition for the dog's behavior, he is helpful and he has a great sense of humor (even if I don't always get all the movie references! My bad!) He knows what he is doing and I'm impressed hearing his story of how he got to where he is now; How he saw this need and filled the niche! Mischa and I are so glad we got his help and I look forward to continuing on with more training--Off-leash classes, search-and-rescue, guard-dog classes, HERE WE COME!

Steve & NITRO K-9 - THANK YOU ! ! ! ! ! !

by JeremyL at Citysearch

My wife and I are blessed to have a 6 year old 75 lb female rottweiler (adopted from the shelter when she was 1).

Before meeting Steve, our little rottie knew a few commands like sit, lay down, come & stay (when she wanted). She was generally well behaved around other people but wanted to be dominant with other large dogs at parks and out on walks (any time we came close to other large dogs).

Over the past year or so, she began exhibiting more aggressive behaviors towards other large dogs that we came across (dog parks, on walks and especially the other large dogs in our apartment building). She was even showing aggressive behaviors towards dogs on the street while we were driving past them in the car.

Then one day it finally happened. Someone in our apartment building issued a complaint with the manager about our dog being aggressive towards their dog. And as luck would have it, we ran into the manager (with his 2 dogs) and our rottie lunged at them and was extremely aggressive. We needed to do something before we were asked to move out of the building.

So the hunt began for a trainer to help us with our serious issue.

After visiting a few places and talking with a few people we had picked someone who sounded good and almost scheduled a session.

That was before we found the Nitro K-9 website. We read up on the reviews and compared them with other trainers and were very impressed with the kudos people were giving Steve.

We opted for calling Steve.

We started with a meet and greet session with Steve at a local park so he could observe and then recommend a course of action.

Right from the start Steve was very professional and quickly gave us a plan suited to our specific situation. He gave us a few pointers on leash work to get us started until the real sessions began.

After the first session, we were amazed at the transformation of our rottie. She was showing signs of being able to act normal around other dogs. A few more sessions and we are now able to walk past other large dogs without her even paying attention to them, she has her attention focused on us.

We are complimented on almost a daily basis on how well behaved our rottie is and we owe all of that to Steve. Thanks Steve!

If you are having aggression issues with your dog, I recommend Steve / Nitro K-9 100%!

Expertise, Quality, Professionalism, LOOK HERE!

by manatwork at Citysearch

I found Steve through a co-worker at my office. I have a German Shepherd that has been highly aggressive and we did not know what caused it or what to do.

At the initial evaluation Steve told us we needed to abandon the food methods and train him with a prong collar. I was scared to death of these collars, because every other trainer I had ever worked with said they were cruel and bad. Guess what, they are NOT!

I was grateful to learn an alternative to food training, I also cannot believe just how much we actually learned. We have taken lots of puppy class's. I can tell you straight out, Steve blows them all out of the water.

Steve has the most gentle manner I have ever seen a pro dog trainer display. He is gentle and explained the reasons why we should not use food and showed us how to use it.

The collar is VERY easy to use and I was shocked at how gentle and aware Steve is with my dog. He has the perfect bedside manner.

After just 1 session our 100lbs terror was on his way to cooling out. He comes when we call him, he has become a better pet than we thought possible. We are complimented every-time we take him out.

He has FAR exceeded our expectations and shown us a far better way to communicate with our boy.

I highly recommend Steve to anyone looking for the best trainer I have ever come across.

Steve from Melissa and myself-

THANK YOU, THANK YOU!

Don’t take your dog anywhere else!”

by WallStreet at Citysearch

This man has been incredible, just beyond words. This man is punctual, professional and very funny.

I struggled allot with the leash work and staying calm, but he helped me and was patient every step of the way. My dog was lunging, barking and out of control.

I am a single mother and I felt like it was my fault for not being home more for my precious boy. Steve helped me through concentrated specialized training to identify the issues I was having as well as the issue my dog was having, we could not be happier!

I love this man, and he has taught me far more than basic dog training, I have a deeper bond with my dog and he has an entirely new focus on pleasing me.

I just wish I had found him sooner. I tried SO many other trainers and was at a point of desperation and anxiety I cannot describe.. He made it better, and my Scooby dog is normal again!

I read the review below, and that sounds like somebody that doesn’t know Steve at all. He may not be a food trainer, but he has always explained his training and methods in great detail. I have a strange feeling like this is somebody that has no idea what they are talking about. Steve is mature and true professional it makes me think of the simple fact, you cannot please everybody. Well he made an IMPACT in my life and thank you STEVE!

Believe some of what you read

by SGriff at Citysearch

Steve knows what he knows really well. the thing is that no dog trainer knows everything but steve doesn't seem to get that. I've read the rave reviews here and i don't have a problem believing that steve is good. He's been working with me and my dog for a few months now and there has been some improvement. BUT a lot hasn't improved either and the more i've talked with him about other options the worse he's become. He doesn't return my calls and arrangements we had made earlier are now curiously unavailable. bottom line is that if Nitro K-9 is working and you're paying steve's great. But when it's not working (and it won't with all dogs) steve can get petty and uncooperative. Just remember that you know yourself and your dog and anyone who says their way is the only way and can't handle you questioning or leaning away from their theories might not be as professional as you should expect. just so you know, and full disclosure here, i am obviously disappointed in how steve has handled things but he is a committed trainer. just not the most professional or mature guy when things aren't going his way.