Trail & Bone Anmeldelser 

My dog is a 5 year old Carolina Dog mix who was rescued from Mexico. We think she was either a street dog or under socialized and abused. Plus, her breed is naturally nervous and wary of strangers. And their bark is exceptionally loud and scary. I remember the first time we took her to the vet. Her loud bark bounced off the walls of the small room for 10 minutes while the vet threw her chicken from across the room. That was the visit. I learned to micro manage every situation that we encountered. If we had house guests we would meet them at a neutral place, walk around a bit together, bring her to the house through the back door while our guests sat still on the couch, position her crate so she could watch them sit still while she anxiously chewed on a bone from the butcher and after all that she could tolerate their presence in the house. We worked with a positive trainer who taught us to use treats liberally and taught us to take her on walks in nature away from others where she could sniff to her heart’s content. And she did get better. But still, last Christmas after 3 years of training, she barked so aggressively at my in-laws and they were so upset that my Christmas was pretty much ruined. Then she scared the neighbors’ kids in a situation that I didn’t foresee and she was trigger stacked. I had followed Trail & Bone’s previous program but I got an email from Jon, the owner, saying that Matt could resolve the reactivity completely. So I signed up. When I saw the video of Matt in a bite suit meeting a dog who bit him continuously and then I saw the same dog out in public as docile as can be I thought “who is this man and how in the world did he transform that dog?” In the course I learned step by step how he did it and how I could, too. Recently my dog and I have moved to an apartment building. Now she can ride in elevators and walk down hallways and stairwells with strangers and have no reaction. She’s excited to greet company at the door with no prep whatsoever and we can walk in crowded places with no signs of nervousness. And most importantly, I’m not nervous either. I am so impressed and so grateful for this course. It really has opened up our life together. Thank you, Matt

My husband and I have two Australian Shepherds. One is 7 and one is 2 and a half. Our younger dog started to become reactive to mostly other dogs, even though we take them to training with a group. I think it started when a smaller dog went after him over a year ago when we had him with us at a restaurant. Slowly, the reactivity increased but was not constant, and then it became a bigger problem when we had him out. He is a big guy and at 65 pounds lunging on a leash, I was not sure if I could get him back to the sweet guy I know, or how this problem even got started. After a bad trip with our dogs we had two choices. Fix the problem or leave the dogs at home. My husband and I were distraught and we found this course. We actually did the whole course from start to finish, and I really believe I have a different dog. Although a lot of trainers can give you pieces this really made me understand a lot more about the issue, how our dogs daily life increased the problem and that our younger dog was a different dog and he needed different things to have a fulfilling life. I'll keep doing the work that is needed. As a result of this course, I feel confident that I can handle any situation and that our lives will continue to improve together. I highly recommend this course to anyone who has a reactive dog, but you have to be willing to do the work.

This class was so helpful. I have a three-year-old Golden Retriever who had been through lots of training but remained leash reactive. Matt's explanation of the dog's behavior sets the groundwork for his pillars of reducing reactivity. I felt immediate relief when we began our "taste of freedom" walks as did Otis. We had so much fun exploring schools, parks and open spaces without the usual triggers around the neighborhood. Following the weekly videos and step by step instruction was helpful and by the end, Otis was able to walk past other dogs on a path without having a meltdown. Matt is receptive to questions and answered my notes almost immediately. I highly recommend this class and Matt's approach. It was life changing for both of us!

We have an 11 month old corgi-aussie mix- Skid (short for Skid Steer). He was quite reactive towards people and other dogs... Just completed the course and happy to say that things are SO much better!

We did each module in order, as suggested, and took the time to make sure we understood and thoroughly worked on each action item before moving forward.

Skid just went to an agility competition this morning with tons of other people and dogs around. We parked him right near the entrance so that Every dog and person that went into and out of the competition ring had to walk by us first.

He just observed, was curious, didn't bark.. he even let a big man come up and pet him. Before he would have barked/lunged at all the dogs and wouldn't have let the man pet him.

I think one of the biggest take aways is that We now have the Confidence to properly teach him what is and isn't acceptable behavior, and He is Conifident in Us- we got his back and he knows it!

I would highly recommend this course to anyone struggling with reactive dogs.

Thx Matt & Jon, keep up the good work

I give the training program 5 stars, it's great. I would like to take a star off for the backend handling but I won't because the program really helped us. I will explain at the end about the issues.

I found the program very easy to follow. The work is done on regular daily walks and playing with your dog (if they like to play) and in every day living with your dog. Matt explains what to do and why it works. I love the analogies he uses to explain things, they made a lot of sense to me. We've mostly only been involved with treat based trainers since we brought home a puppy almost four years ago. Behavioral problems developed over time and continued to get worse. We saw progress with this program very quickly and it didn't seem like a huge effort to accomplish that progress. Our dog seems much happier and I think he likes the clarity of the authority we developed as part of the training. We still have things we're working on but I have no concerns, I know we will be able to accomplish them. We just need the training opportunities to present themselves to address those remaining things.

The issue I illuded to at the beginning, when I signed up, a free three month membership to the Pack was offered and then it was a per month charge. The program was brand new, I actually signed up before it was open. When I got the reminder email about the charge coming up after the three months, I wanted to cancel that. There was no where in the training site to do that. I had to send a couple emails to even get a reply and then I was told it was already cancelled and was given a link to manage my subscription. Well that link didn't work AND I was charged for the next month. Another email was sent and then a credit was given. So it was all fine in the end but I felt it was very unprofessional that there is no way to manage a renewing subscription and wasn't impressed with the correspondence involved in getting it taken care of. Coincidentally right after this, I received an email asking for my experience with the training program. I replied to that in quite a bit of detail and had a couple of questions in it about our specific situation. I received no reply to that, which was disappointing.

I really would recommend the program to anyone willing and able to take their dog on daily walks.

I have really learned a lot about my reactive dog through this course. It really is about training the owner. Matt is very patient and instructive with good encouragement along the way. Great value for the training.

We are about 3/4 through the course and our reactive dog is 80-90% improved! The training all happens on our walk each day. I feel like the time spent on our Freedom Walks have helped us to bond even more. In general, our dog is much calmer and seems much more fulfilled. Things she used to react to on a daily basis, ( loud noises, walkers, scooters and skate boards ) don’t seem to bother her anymore. We are working towards being able to meet her biggest trigger, unknown dogs, up close. We have been through many trainers and have tried many methods of training, but none of them worked or came close to Matt’s expertise. He truly loves to train his dogs and is completely invested and dedicated to each case he has. We as a family our very excited to continue this course and are dedicated to making it work. Matt and this program has truly given us hope.

My dog Jackson is a rescue with a tragic background. He is reactive to all dogs and screams when he sees one. It's weird. I've tried one-on-one coaching, other reactive dog training and nothing comes close to this class. I am not quite half through it, and I am seeing so much progress already! Jackson rarely screams now, loves his walks and sometimes makes choices to move past other dogs on his own. We still have issues that I believe we will resolve in upcoming sessions. I wholeheartedly recommend this training. It will save you!

Loki, my dog was a rescue from our local paws and claws. He is an 80-pound Berna doodle, we adopted him 2 years ago he is now 4. Loki was mentally and physically abused by the previous 3 owners. His trust in humans was not good. He would bark at noises when he was in the house. The walks we took were horrible as he would bark and lunge at any dog, people he would see. This program changed his life! He now will not bark at people or dogs we walk by. This program taught Loki to recall, sit and stay. Follow Matt's program it works! Matt explains everything with easy-to-understand steps in the videos. I highly recommend this training for your reactive dog. It is worth your time and money.

I started this program because walking my rescue dog was an ordeal. She seemed afraid, no matter what we encountered. She would lunge so forcefully that she leapt as high as my head and the leash would crash her to the ground. She would pull me along, and several times I fell to the ground.

I found the program to be based on understanding of the reactive dog's needs and the effects of reactivity on the dog's owner. It progressed in a stepwise fashion, with each section building on the last. I especially liked that it was action-oriented.

Matt was a great instructor and coach who responded empathetically to participants' concerns.

My dog Bella and I have completed the program and now walks are not only not stressful, but they are enjoyable. Bella has encountered numerous dogs and people during walks, without reacting to them. I am no longer fearful of being pulled down at the drop of a hat. (Some of the suggestions seem counterintuitive, like using a long leash or prong collar, but I found they make a big difference.)

Now, we are planning for the future, socializing with other dogs, enjoying company in our home, and visiting friends and family with dogs.

This program does require work from the dog owner and is not a "magic cure," so if you're not willing or able to be an active part of the process, I don't believe you'll find this program to your liking.

I just paid for this and have requested a refund. They asked me to set a password, then demanded I download an app called Mighty Networks. I did both, but the password did not work. I was suspicious of an app that doesn’t work and appears poorly maintained so I deleted it. And trying to access the training modules in a way that is cumbersome and unreliable does not work for me. I have no idea if the training works. I can’t access it. This product goes by many different names which is suspicious in and of itself.

I bought the ebook for $9.00- it was 49 pages of an infomercial to sell you their $297 Training program.
The ebook had hints of the training and their "bubble theory" which essentially is finding your dog's threshold but it didn't offer any real substance on how to implement it. it should have been free.
They were unresponsive when I asked for my money back.