Courteous Canine, Inc. DogSmith of Tampa

Really nice experience with training & behavior modification. Angelica and Beth are awesome, and their love for dogs (and creating harmony in homelife) is evident in their approach. We had some issues with separation anxiety, and my wonderful vet (next door to trainer) highly recommended this place. No one likes to admit that their dog has «issues» but once we recognize them, we can help them! I will be bringing my next pup here for puppy kindergarten.

Good positive dog training… my dog sits when the word just starts to come out of my mouth. He enjoyed the trainer Alex very much.

Lovely little place with all the dog training capabilities you could want. I wish i lived here so i could go all the time.
We were visiting from Virginia and were looking for a place to take our Shiba Inu to try lure coursing to prep for the coursing ability test.
We had a great time; the staff was friendly, and our pup Nymeria had a lot of fun chasing the lure. We actually got a lot more runs in than i was originally anticipating which was even better!

We took our dog here for Puppy Kindergarten back in 2002. She enjoyed it so much we brought her back for the Canine Good Citizen certification training. Sadly, she is no longer with us. But when we were ready to get another dog we knew we would take them to Courteous Canine! We took our new dog to Puppy Kindergarten in 2012 and we also did one of their speciality classes, Really Reliable Coming When Called. The facility is clean and air conditioned. The classes are small enough that you can address specific issues with your dog. The times and dates are varied so it was easy to find a class that fit our schedule. Every instructor we have worked with was extremely knowledgeable and patient. We highly recommended Courteous Canine!

I would use Lisa Morrisey again in a heartbeat but this company no way. I had an emergency with my kids school and had to cancel last minute and I explained and they totally charged a $ 20 sur charge. Also after expression I wanted a refund for
My unused lessons before this they refused.

Courteous Canine has been a solid puppy and dog training facility for over a decade in the Lutz /​North Tampa /​New Tampa area. I took a dog through their obedience courses about 10 years ago and then just completed another program with my new puppy. Both experiences were very good, my dogs and I both learned a lot and I received tips on specific issues and suggestions for future training. The puppy course is about $ 150 and has a great feature allowing a set number of sessions over several months — the flexibility when you have a busy schedule is fantastic!
Courteous Canine is all about positive training, reinforcement and redirection which works very well for most dogs if reinforced consistently at home. They also stress socialization and create classes that develop social interaction which is key to adult dog good behavior around both people and other animals. If you have a dog that has aggression, fear or other anti-​social issues, definitely have a phone consultation first so they can assess your dog and recommend the best program which may end up being a private rather than group program. Courteous Canine also has advanced lure and agility training for those that want to take their dogs in that direction. Dock diving is also an option. The staff is caring and excellent with the dogs and owners. Melissa was very helpful. I highly recommend Courteous Canine!

A reviewer wrote the training is better than Cesar… I just can’t co-​sign that review. I do however think this is a great place if you struggle with training. If you have a solid handle on training and are just looking to try some new things, you may get a little flustered with the basic instruction and slower pace (in my humble opinion).
I had the pleasure of working with Pamela. She is the type of trainer that talks non-​stop to dogs and she wants to see other owners do the same. That non-​stop talking actually gets my 90 lb dog extremely excited and makes handling him a challenge.
I pulled Pamela to the side and let her know that the non-​stop talking doesn’t work well for my dog. She was fine with my method of training and we moved on.
I give it 3 stars because Pamela didn’t appear to recognize that all dogs do not respond to one type of training. Depending on a dogs background, skill set, etc., you may have to alter your method. As a trainer, I just think this is something you should not only know, but pick up on immediately and adjust accordingly (my 2 cents).

Why 5 stars? Because my pup is a whole lot smarter, and I am too.
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We adopted Moose the golden retriever pup on July 13^th. From July 13 – 23, we were dumb parents, and the dog ran wild. He was crazy, and we just didn’t know what to do with him. We didn’t want to start off with bad habits, and it led to lots of confusion and frustration.
Then Melissa from Courteous Canine came over for session #1 of 6 on ⁷⁄₂₃. She’s been a God send, and so incredibly helpful in teaching us a wide-​range of tips/​tricks.
During the week, we just jot down things that we’d like to learn for the upcoming session, and when Melissa arrives, we just start firing questions. She covers each topic very thoroughly, and Moose loves her to death. He is so attentive with her, which is partially because she has unlimited treats, and partially because she speaks dog fluently :)
We will be using the boarding service soon as well when we head out of town for an upcoming weekend, and we’re excited about that, as Moose will actually be going home with one of the trainer’s, rather than sitting in a cage most of the time. We love our pup, but don’t want to be those parents that never do anything because we are grounded to our dog.

WONDERFUL!!! Just can’t say enough good things about this company and their employees!!! We starting using The Dog Smith after adopting our 3^rd dog as it was no longer feasible for us to board outside of our home, nor did we really desire to do so. Beth is the AMAZING pet sitter assigned to our family in New Tampa, and I think our 4-​legged kids are actually a little disappointed when we return home after they spend a week with Beth! Scheduling is easy with MANY available options and can be done online. Plus they are always super helpful to customize to best fit your needs! Before their 1^st sitting appt. they come out to meet and get to know you and your pets… potty/​feeding schedules, quirks, medications (if needed), ect. AND Beth is ALWAYS packing treats!!! Even my nervous nelly Shih-​poo loved Beth in 5 mins! And they will send you updates while your away! We just LOVE getting little videos and updates of our kids when we can’t be there with them :) GREAT, GREAT, GREAT!!!

This place is DOG NIRVANA. The people they have working here are better than Cesar Millan! Seriously, whether you have minor dog issues or major dog issues, contact them and ask for Angelica. She is a master dog behaviorist, and a wonderful human being.
Thank god we found this place!