Advanced Canine Systems - Westlake Village, California

Mandy Justine Roberts (Mandy)

Frankenstein to Frank-is-fine

We travelled from NYC to train with ACS and it has been the best decision we ever made for our 2 year old Lab, Frankie. Thanks to the whole team, we’ve managed to keep our lives together, our apartment and our sanity!

A bit of backstory: Frankie had been let down by previous trainers and even misguided by our vet. We became desperately unsure how best to help him which led to no structure or consistency in training methods. His mix of high-energy, poor genetics and pushy temperment meant his behaviour escalated to a point where he became incredibly powerful and unpredictable. Being both insecure yet hyperactive had led to bigger issues such as reactivity and aggression. His behaviour was intense and erratic, there was no pause button let alone an off switch. In a place as busy as New York his select reactivity made it feel like you were walking a ticking bomb.

The most intense war zone was, of course, our apartment building. I can laugh about it now but in order to manage the situation we resorted to carrying this 90lb dog up and down the building to contain his reactivity. And no, this does not work! Long story short, pre-intervention from ACS, it was a miserable living situation for him, for us and for our neighbours.

Frankie’s ACS journey started with an eye-opening virtual consultation with Joe and we had him enrolled in the Behavioural Modification programme. Joe was honest with us from day one about expectations and outcomes but even he saw Frank's potential over Zoom! First lesson started then and there and we were offered advice tailored to our situation. We kept in touch and had virtual lessons in the run up to Frank’s departure.

Whilst it may sound counterintuitive to train a dog away from home, especially when so many of their issues stem from the home environment, it was the BEST reconditioning experience and the PROOF of that has been in his return home. Now Frankie walks into our apartment, calm, confident and will immediately settle. We can walk through crowded streets, Times Square, Central Park and even ride the Subway during peak hours where he remains unphased and in sync with his handler. Mindblown.

During his time (just over 4 months) at ACS, everyone pitched in to nurture the sweet and derpy parts of his personality whilst dialling down the crazy energy into something constructive. The behaviours we were unable to handle were addressed and he was installed with some of the most incredible obedience I have ever seen. He is a working line dog that is finally working and he LOVES it. Meanwhile I’m loving the on/off switch!

If you follow their Instagram your expectations are justifiably high, yet somehow they’ve exceeded them. Thanks to a rock solid foundation and continuous development done by ACS, Frankie is now thriving at home and even able to develop more skills in new and challenging environments around the city. We are frequently stopped and his training is praised by total strangers. ACS restored our love for working with him and continue to cheer him on! We learnt to advocate for Frank and understand how to help him navigate life in busy New York. None of this would have been possible without the whole team's help. They taught us to become confident handlers and still continue to offer expert advice long after Frank’s progamme ended, he has matured into such a fun dog to train with and we will absolutely be back for more.

Seriously, even if this isn't your first rodeo I’ve observed some of the most accomplished handlers (both working dog and pets owners) benefitting from their incredible knowledge and experience... I cannot recommend this team enough, they went above and beyond for us and for Frank, plus they're just a fantastic group of people!

Brittany Oberle

If you want your dog to be apart of everything you do, feel confident in their abilities and build a great foundation and trust, then this is the place for you. Our dog Charlie is a 2 year old GSD Belgian malinois mix. She is the sweetest girl but we were struggling with getting and keeping her focus in our efforts to train her ourselves. She was overly excitable, not confident in herself, had some separation anxiety(and escape) issues. Jumpy puppy and her leash walking was a disaster (I think you get the
picture...) we needed help. It’s ok to ask for help I promise and they don’t make you feel bad about it at all, quite the opposite actually.The best decision I have ever made for Charlie was to start her training at advanced canine systems. I wish I would have taken more "before" videos because I can't believe how far she has come. The team here is incredibly knowledgeable, patient,
available, and professional. Her specific trainer Makayla was are amazing. She was so understanding, her overall presence with the dogs is incredible to watch. She is honestly goals. Joe is the best, seriously. He has so much experience, he is honest, and is so knowledgeable. Being able to watch him and learn from him really makes you WANT to do the work and put the time in. I love that they are direct, aren't afraid to tell it like it is and offer the best tools
and solutions for you. Charlie's training is ongoing but I am so happy we
found our place to continue her development and also have a safe trustworthy place for her to stay
when we have to board her. I really can't say enough nice things about them and I will forever recommend them to anyone who asks!

Anastasia Boissier

If only I had known about ACS when I got my English bulldog puppy!!!! They are such a phenomenal, hard working and truly dedicated team. We struggled a lot with our dog biting, and lunging at everything and an over all lack of obedience skills, and ACS didn’t just train Panda our dog, they also really trained us and gave us the skills we would need to set us up for success as owners.

When you have a dog that’s out of control, it can really feel like your life is falling apart and like it’s all your fault. ACS was incredibly understanding and non- judgmental of our situation with regards to everything we were struggling with.

We were incredibly lucky to have Joe and Makayla as our trainers, and I cannot recommend the two of them and their entire team enough.

Big thank you!!!!! We will definitely be back for group classes and boarding in the future.

emily claudy

We HIGHLY recommend ACS to all dog owners! When we first brought our 5 month old goldendoodle Scooby, to ACS, he was beginning to form some bad behaviors and we knew we needed help that we couldn’t find online. We had tried to ask our puppy class instructor for advice, but all they did was offer a refund. We decided to research nearby trainers and came across ACS. At the first evaluation, they observed Scooby, listened to our concerns, and asked us questions regarding what we wanted out of training. It was easy to see the trainers are highly experienced and they gave us valuable information to get us started.

We’ve been going to lessons at ACS for 6 months now and with a lot of dedication and their expert guidance, Scooby has come SO far. We can now go on walks with no reactivity, he walks in heel, he is more confident, our bond has strengthened, and so much more. They have made training fun for us and are always there to help. Joe is one text away if we need advice. Makayla, Scooby's trainer, has helped us every step of the way. She is extremely attentive and knows Scooby's personality, his behaviors, and works very well with him. All of the ACS trainers seem to show the same amount of attentiveness with each dog they train. We always feel confident boarding our dogs there under their care.

When we saw that ACS was helping to rehome a dog they had trained, we jumped on the opportunity and we now have a new family member, Bear. It’s clear that ACS put a lot of time into training her because she is remarkable! She always gets complimented on walks because of how well-behaved she is. ACS has been very involved in Bear’s transition and made sure to set her/us up for success; answering all of our questions, doing an in-home lesson, and checking in on her. They undoubtedly care about her a lot. The transition has been easy because she is so well-trained and we feel confident knowing that we always can ask ACS for advice.

We are so lucky we found ACS because they have truly changed our lives and our dog’s lives for the better!

Carlos Kelvin

Joe the owner and lead trainer runs a professional ,clean, and amazing environment for dogs of all sizes to get trained . The staff is kind and devoted to each pets individual needs.

We sent three breeds all quite different in temperament and bad habits that needed correction .

I could not be happier with the results and it makes having all three dogs more enjoyable and easy to manage .

Advanced Canine Systems is the place to take your dog for training they truly are second to none . I have taken my dogs to other training places and they do not compare not even close . Quality , Nurturing and results is what to expect from ACS.

As a testament to the care and training when we bring dogs back for refresher they are excited to arrive . Despite the discipline that is required to maintain their training they actually welcome it.

Having all three dogs speak the same language and commands has made life at this household much better for the dogs and us humans .
An amazing shift in lifestyle for the better.

Reza K

I have a 4 year old German Shepard that would rarely listen to me and loved to escape , which is not the best combination ! I took Rocky to the trainers at advanced canine for a 6 week boot camp to try and weed out the bad behaviors my dog has picked up, as well as helping to get rid of the fear I had that at any moment my dog could run out the front door and hurt himself or someone else ! Joe, Mack and Benny took great care of rocky while he was there , to the point where he was crying when they dropped him back off on his final at home training lesson. My dog is now night and day different. He comes when I call him, he’s goes to his “place” when I ask him too and the other day I left the front door open for 20 minutes straight and had him wait for me right at the threshold until I came back, while he saw other people and dogs walking by and he didn’t move an inch until I released him ! I can’t express how priceless that kind of trust in your dog is ! I can’t thank the team at advanced canine enough ! Thank you for taking care of my boy and making him a better version of himself !

Sean J. Beddoe

I was introduced to ACS and Joe through two different friends who have had their dogs trained there, one for protection and the other as a pet. Even before I purchased my pup I knew that I would bring her to his facility.

My dog, Luna, is a tamaskan wolfdog, a notoriously independent and smart breed. I brought her there at 10 weeks and left her with ACS for two months. She returned to me an amazing dog, even at her young age she excels at tasks and commands most adult dogs struggle with. She is also amazing with kids , thanks to the exposure she received with Joes children.

We will continue to bring Luna back to ACS when we go on vacation or away on business to continue to develop her as she grows up.

The support you receive from ACS doesn't end when you pick up your dog, they are available at all times for tips, questions and they ask genuine updates on how the dog is progressing at home. They are a wealth of knowledge and happily will teach you as much as you wish to learn.

I truly can't imagine having a dog without ACS.

Shelly Rudolf

I've been going here for years. I tried other places but always come back to them. We tried another company (not advanced canine systems) that allowed the dogs to play together but my dogs stained multiple bite injuries from other dogs, including one incident with an employee's dog attacking my Vizsla. I tried a different company with water features which ended up with a bill for eye infections and a water born parasite infection. So all roads always lead back to advance canine systems where my two boys have always been well cared for. I have been using them for over 11 years with no issues. Great staff and happy dogs. Brody and Jager say thank you.