Island Dog Obedience - Honolulu, Hawaii

Carol M.

We recently had the pleasure of working with Maria to train our two dogs: a 9-year-old goldendoodle with deeply ingrained habits and anxiety issues, and a 6-month-old puppy who needed foundational training. After their two-week train-and-board program, we couldn’t be happier with the results!
Our 9-year-old, who used to bark at everything—dogs, people, random noises—is now calm and composed. Walks, which used to be stressful and full of pulling, are now enjoyable, and she’s even close to walking leash-free! The transformation has been remarkable, and her anxious behaviors have diminished significantly.
As for our puppy, she’s learned excellent habits that are easy to reinforce at home, and her training has set a fantastic foundation for her future behavior. Both dogs are now more confident, well-behaved, and a joy to have around.
Maria’s experience and dedication shine through her work. She is not only great with the dogs but also an excellent communicator with her clients. She sent us daily updates, including photos and videos, which made us feel connected and reassured throughout the process. At the end of the training, she took the time to teach us how to reinforce the lessons at home, ensuring we were confident in maintaining the progress made.
We are now looking forward to taking both dogs to outdoor restaurants and other public places with confidence—something we never thought possible before Maria’s help. We can’t thank her enough for creating a more peaceful household and giving us the tools to enjoy life with our dogs.
If you’re considering a trainer, we wholeheartedly recommend Maria. Her expertise, communication, and results are unmatched!

Amy S.

We sent Kirra to Ryan for the 2-week board and train program. She is a rescue with a lot of energy and Ryan was able to help her focus and learn some basic obedience. She is now able to be trusted alone at the house (outside of her kennel) and does a lot better on her walks. Ryan helped her build a great foundation that we can continue to work on to grow and mature. He took the time during graduation to teach us how to continue her training.

marcus K.

Kristy did an amazing job with my dog, Knight, during his boarding and training program. Knight has a ton of energy (and still does!), but thanks to Kristy’s expertise, he has made huge improvements in obedience and listening skills. The training was thorough, and I can tell she genuinely cares about the dogs she works with.

While we still have some work to do, life is already a lot less stressful because of the foundation she helped build. Kristy was patient, professional, and really knew how to work with Knight’s high energy while reinforcing positive behaviors. I highly recommend her to anyone looking for an experienced, reliable, and skilled dog trainer. Thank you, Kristy and island dog obedience for all your help!

Kara S.

Ryan did an amazing job at training Ellie. My main concerns were recall/listening, pulling on the leash when walking and jumping. During her training, Ryan was very response and also made sure to send me updates on what they were working on with pictures and videos. When I picked up Ellie, I could tell immediately that her behavior had significantly improved. Ryan took the time to walk me through everything he taught Ellie and how to keep up her training. I had a lot of questions and he was super patient and made sure I was comfortable before taking Ellie back home. Ellie is so much better on walks and has a lot more confidence in public. I no longer have any issues when I let her run around outside because she listens when I call her back in the house. She is also much better at bedtime and will walk straight into her crate when I tell her to go to sleep.

Overall my experience with Island Dog Obedience was amazing and I 100% recommend Ryan to train your dog!

Steve V.

We asked around for referrals for a dog trainer and heard great things about Island Dog Obedience. We opted for the board and train while we went off island for a bit. We're in our sixties and had forgotten what a challenge getting a puppy can be. Our Golden Retriever is going to be a bigger dog than we were used to as well. She was constantly biting our hand and feet with her extra sharp puppy teeth. We were all getting frustrated including the puppy.

Island Dog Obedience and Maria and Emily completely changed our dog and us. She is far more calm now, and we can communicate our needs to her. When she gets excited we have tools and techniques to help her calm down and focus. She doesn't bite anymore, and doesn't fight us at bedtime. We have been trained how to be better dog owners. We highly recommend Island Dog Obedience, it's been a wonderful experience.

Kristin N.

Our doodle puppy was doing great with training when at home, but she’s not very food motivated, so when we went places with distractions, I had no leverage. She cared nothing for the treats and I didn’t know how to get her attention and train the behavior I wanted. So I reached out to Island Dog Obedience for help. In all honesty, I was very, very hesitant about the e-collar at first. However after meeting with Maria, learning more about it (modern e-collars work similarly to TENS machines they use in physical therapy), and trying it on myself, I decided to go for it. Maria and her team are wonderful trainers and they worked their magic with our pup!

During the 2-week board & train, I got photos and videos every day with updates. She went on adventures every day, stayed in the trainer’s house, and I felt comfortable knowing that she was being cared for like part of the family.

At pickup, Maria gave me a tutorial on training techniques and tips on places to go to continue off-leash training. Our pup came back to us with her same sweet personality, but now with wonderful manners! No more jumping, reactivity to dogs is much less, leash walking is good, and she’s even great off leash. She did try to slip back into her old ways at first, but she very quickly realized the new rules apply everywhere. You do still have to continue the training after they come home, but it’s practicing a behavior they already know as opposed to teaching a new one, so it goes much more smoothly and quickly.

I can’t recommend Island Dog Obedience highly enough! We’re a loyal client, we boarded her when we traveled, and our second pup will be going for her B&T in a couple of months! Make the investment into your pup’s training, it will be worth it.

Ric R.

I enrolled Daisy, a 6 month Golden Doodle, into the 2 week board and train with Island Dog Obedience. Daisy spent her time with Kristi and I couldn’t be more happy with how her training went. Kristi provided very thorough daily updates on Daisy, the progress she was making, challenges she was having, and included videos of the work that was being done with her everyday. Throughout the training, Kristi answered questions I had about the training, and spent two hours at the end of the two weeks going through the new commands and ensuring all were understood prior to bringing her home. Not only was Daisy trained individually but she was socialized with other dogs which she very much needed. Since returning home, Daisy has tried testing me but with consistency she has done very well with continuing to follow commands. She goes out in public with me to restaurants, stores, etc. and has no issue being around groups of people, loud noises, and other dogs. Even at a young age, the training Kristi provided to Daisy was so well orchestrated and Daisy adapted so easily. I highly recommend Island Dog Obedience, specifically the board and train. I am so happy with the results of the training and will plan to use Kristi and Island Dog Obedience in the future if I welcome a new pup into the family.

Antiquarians A.

Maria did an outstanding job in training my 5-month old Goldendoodle puppy, Sophie. Maria's expertise, patience, and dedication have truly transformed Sophie into a well-behaved and skilled companion. Sophie was a piranha puppy, always biting me and everyone she interacted with, but now we can enjoy her. My older dog did not get along with Sophie because she's too excitable and cannot control her impulses. Now Sophie is more tamed; no more biting or jumping on dogs and people.

The progress Sophie has made under Maria's guidance is remarkable. From basic commands to more advanced skills, it's evident that Maria's training methods are effective. I appreciate the regular updates and insights Maria provided throughout the training process, which helped me understand the techniques used and helped me improve my communication with Sophie.