Dog Academy of NC, LLC

Michael Ward is an amazing dog trainer! I can honestly say I was skeptical about sending my dog to any trainer. I throughly searched several reviews from local trainers and The Dog Academy of NC had the best reviews and Michael was accredited so I gave him a chance. Absolutely the best decision I could have made when it come to my dog, Blue. He’s 10 months old and we’ve had him since he was 6 weeks. The transformation Blue made in the short 3 weeks is actually impressive. It’s like a whole new pet! He’s a lot more calm and well behaved. Michael actually taught me a few things about myself. He showed me how to calm down, and communicate to Blue without aggression or yelling. I learned that dogs react off of energy, so in turn I constantly check myself to make sure I’m being a better person to communicate with my dog more effectively. If you’re thinking about taking your dog to obedience school, I recommend The Dog Academy of NC.

STAY AWAY!!! This guys dares call himself a «trainer» My dog was with him for a week for the boarding/​training program. This was the most horrible experience ever! Went I went to see her after 5 days that I wasnt allowed to see her (because he needed to bond with her) She had WOUNDS on her neck! from him over using the pinch collar! she also had infected sores all over her body! When I ask him what happen he said dont worry about it shes fine. FINE! was far from what she was! she wasnt just physically ill she was also petrified even of me! It cost me $ 400 in vet bills just to fix the wounds he had caused her. Please if you love your dog stay away from this HELL HOLE!!!

I read all the reviews before deciding to give Michael Ward my business. I know a few people have had bad experiences, and that is too bad. I have had an incredible experience working with Michael, and would like to share it with you.
He was very professional and helpful from the moment I contacted him. While doing a consultation with me and my dog I immediately got a sense of the type of training my dog would recieve. From that moment on I knew he was going to be an excellent trainer for my dog.
A little background. I adopted Brutus, a 7 – 8 month old American Mastiff mix, knowing that he had extreme socialization issues from a puppyhood of abuse and neglect. Wanting to get him on the right path I knew he needed a lot of work and also a firm hand in his training (he was already 96 lbs when I adopted him).
Michael uses a mixture of correction and praise in his training. This means using a pronged metal training collar to correct your dog when he/​she doesn’t listen. If this isn’t your cup of tea, then so be it. There are many methods to train dogs, and different dogs will respond to these methods in different ways. Coddling my dog was only going to reinforce his issues, so I decided that a balanced correction/​praise method was the right one for my situation.
For Brutus, a dog that will snap at you if he is afraid (like if you are a stranger and you stick your hand out to pet him) I felt this type of method was absolutely neccesary. I like to think of it as a «tough love» method.
I enrolled Brutus in three weeks of dayschool training with Michael, dropping him off before work and picking him up at the end of the day. Each day when I picked him up Michael would spend time with me explaining the work he had done with Brutus during the day, and having me do a fifteen minute session to critique my handling skills. This was extremely helpful in learning how to provide my dog with the correct levels of praise and correction.
The first week was really hard, especially correcting him when he wasn’t listening. The «tough love» early on meant that as time progressed I had to correct Brutus less and less, which meant getting to praise him more and more! I definitely had second thoughts during that first week, but having gone through the whole process I now see that it was by far the most important time in his training. He had to know who was in charge, and that listening was not optional.
After three weeks Brutus is a completely different dog. He no longer is afraid of everyone and everything, and is better trained in obedience than the dogs I had growing up. He still has a lot of work left to do, and I bring him to Michael twice a week for doggy day-​care so that he continues to get socialized with other dogs and learns how to play.
This type of training isn’t for everyone, but it certainly was the perfect training for me and Brutus. I was never going to be able to love him out of his issues, but I can now control him enough that he feels safe when I have him on the leash, so that we can go out into the world and make progress. If you have a dog with serious issues, don’t hesitate to get a consultation with Michael, and see if he is the right kind of trainer for you.

We had our dog trained here and take him here 3 or 4 days a week for doggie day care. Talking to Michael it’s clear that he knows a lot about training dogs. He has a very spiritual philosophy about dogs that really reinforces with me how much he loves dogs. I recommend this place to anyone considering training and boarding their pup.

In considering this business for training my Mr. Ovie Alexander, I called for an appointment and setup a consultation. I withdrew from giving this person my business when I read this article:
I’m sorry. He may have done some good things for two people’s dogs, but ANY situation like this stinks of something much larger.

I adopted a Shar-​Pei mix many years ago and I admit that I did not socialize him as well as I should have. He grew up to be a very aggressive dog who terrorized my friends and was making a good headway in destroying my house. I fenced my yard in order to avoid having to do the midnight walks with him – and yes, midnight walks became the norm because he would growl and lunge at any other dog (and sometimes people!) that he sees in the walk. Needless to say, we spent our first seven years together in relative isolation from other dogs and other people.
Michael first impressed me during the free evaluation he offered for me and my dog. Within the first thirty minutes, he was able to bond with my dog – the same dog that other private and group trainers have told me to either medicate or even put down due to his people-​aggressive and dog-​aggressive-​nature. In the next four weeks of intense training in his boarding program, I was at the Dog Academy of NC almost every other day as Michael trained both me and my dog how to properly interact with one another.
What I loved about the program: a) Michael Ward – the trainer. He has a very hands-​on training approach. I can’t believe I previously paid other trainers to help me with my dog and some of them wouldn’t even get within three feet of him! Furthermore, Michael has an intuitive grasp of my dog’s (and I would say all dogs’) psychology. b) The emphasis on owner-​responsibility. Michael was adamant that if I wanted to rehabilitate my dog, I would have to have some major changes in the way I interacted with my canine companion. He worked almost as much with me as he did with my dog. He spent hours with me and my dog on each lesson, making sure that I grasp the correct tone or body language to give my dog. c) the use of other methods besides the «treat» method. I know that it is more PC to use treats and positive reinforcements to train dogs these days. However, due to the high level of aggression displayed by my dog, Michael had recommended that I learn how to correctly use a prong collar and an e-​collar. Properly using these tools was one of the most difficult things I’ve had to learn, but in the end, I believe it to be most appropriate.
After all the hard work by me, Michael and my dog, I got back a dog who I am now able to take to various Dog Parks or Dog Events in the Triangle. In fact, he has been rehabilitated to the extent that I have been able to adopt another dog to be a part of our «pack.» And yes, we both signed up for Michael’s Puppy Kindergarten :)

I’m not a client of Michael Ward, but I’ve witnessed the incredible results of his compassion and hard work as a dog trainer.
My boyfriend’s sister in Morrisville brought her then 6-​year-​old Shar-​pei to Sandra and Michael. Back in California, I’d heard stories about Pumba’s aggression issues and how he’d attacked friends and family members in the past. When Pumba began his stint at Doggy Day Care, my boyfriend and I were amazed to see photos and videos of Pumba listening to commands and playing with other dogs just days and weeks after his enrollment!
Almost two years later, Pumba has made a complete 180-​degree change. He is extremely obedient, responds to commands, and his aggression issues are almost non-​existent. My boyfriend’s sister no longer needs to put up her dog fence around the house, and you can clearly see how much happier both dog and owner are today. Pumba is a true success story, and I believe Michael and Sandra were instrumental in his transformation. They’ve really proven that with the right amounts of hard work and patience, you really can teach an old dog new tricks.
My boyfriend and I visited his sister last week, and I met Michael and Sandra when we dropped off her dogs before our trip to the Blue Ridge Mountains. They are a very friendly couple who were so excited to see us and the dogs. Their yard is huge, with plenty of space for dogs to roam and play. In addition to dog-​training and kennel services, the Academy rescues dogs and works to find them new homes.