First Friends K-9

Bruce, the owner is amazing! We have taken both our dogs here for trading and boarding! We wouldn’t go anywhere else!

Excellent novice class! 7 month Shar Pei at the begging completed 8 week class. She now knows all commands from the first time. The most amazing thing that majority on dogs in class were able to do them by the graduation! Small, big, pure breed or not they all were trained! Owner lead the training and he is GOOD!!!

Folks, the world of dog training has evolved and this place is in the Stone Age. You do NOT have to yank and crank your dog to get reliable skills and training. Putting puppies and all dogs in prong collars and choke chains isn’t the answer. It’s an easy recipe for making fearful dogs worse, and aggression worse as I see some of the reviews have also shared. And when that doesn’t work? They take it up a notch and put your dog in a shock collar. Lovely! That’s not training. It’s inflicting pain and intimidation so your dog either acts like a robot or shuts down (or both). We took a puppy here years ago and I was in disbelief to see how popular it still is. Our puppy completely shut down at this place due to the aversive methods. I repeat, there IS a better way and thankfully there are more options coming for people to take their dogs. Your dog isn’t trying to dominate you, we control when they eat, when they go outside, their entire world. Dogs do what works for them. And a good trainer can use what motivates in a positive way versus using old school methods like this. Do your homework and listen to your gut – there are better ways!

DISCLAIMER: I personally am a fan of positive reinforcement techniques and NOT aversive techniques. I wanted to write this review so that people who sign up for these classes are aware of the techniques used.
According to the humane society’s website, there are generally 2 types of collars — regular collars like flat ones and harnesses and aversive ones like prong/​pinch collars and shock collars. First Friends K9 is a school that believes in ONLY using aversive collars. It is touted as a training collar and this is taught as the standard to be used. According to the humane society website:
«Aversive collars rely on physical discomfort or even pain to teach the dog what not to do. They suppress the unwanted behavior, but they don’t teach him what the proper behavior is. At best, they are unpleasant for your dog, and at worst, they may cause your dog to act aggressively and even bite you. Positive training methods should always be your first choice.»
I understand that used correctly prong collars can be useful but personally I believe it should only be used in certain situations and should not be taught as standard for all dogs. If you are interested in dog training and believe that your dog should be taught using non-​aversive techniques, then this place is NOT for you. It certainly wasn’t for me.

Excellent facility and great staff. I took my 1 year old German Shepherd there for novice classes and we made great improvement. Not only does Bruce focus on training the dogs he also teaches owners to be confident and patient. I will highly recommend this facility to any and all my friends.

I love First Friends so much that I bring my pets here even though I no longer live in Indiana. I’ve worked with many trainers, and find that they often don’t take the time to listen to what you actually need. Instead, they propose generic solutions to a myriad of behavioral problems without taking into account the individual needs of the owner. First Friends not only assesses what you would like to get out of your training process, but helps you understand how to deal with behavioral problems long-​term. Not only are they wonderful to work with, but Bruce and his entire staff also genuinely care about the dogs that come here. I did several training sessions with my larger dog, and sent my puppy for a week of private training with Brian. He was essentially psychotic before, and he returned from First Friends acting like a finishing school graduate. Everyone is always impressed at how well behaved my dogs have become. I highly recommend First Friends!

DISCLAIMER: First and foremost, I have to say that the 6÷21÷2014 review from Nate H. really rocked my husband and I. This review is specifically limited to the puppy obedience class, and our experience. While not wanting to take something from the internet as absolute truth, even if a shred of that review is true, we cannot and will not in good conscience leave our dog with First Friends K-​9 without our supervision.
As for the training, we have absolutely loved it. Our GSP puppy Booker has responded so well. In talking with other dog owners we have heard mixed reviews on the methods, but we are not fans of the solely positive reinforcement methods (if you only want positive reinforcement for your dog, this place is NOT for you).
We are completing Puppy Obedience class next weekend and Booker has come leaps and bounds. As a high octane breed it was important that we stimulate our dog both mentally and physically. These training sessions work. If you do your homework and are patient with your dog (tough for me!) you are rewarded with a puppy well on his way to being a respectful, well behaved member of your family. The sense of pride when your four month old puppy doesn’t jump up, is child friendly, and can do a sit stay in the middle of Broad Ripple’s Three Dog Bakery is awesome.
Regarding the day care/​boarding: when enrolling in a class, you are offered three free days of doggie daycare. We used all three, and after the third time Booker came back with some pretty serious scratches on his shoulder and scruff on his neck indicative of some pretty rough play. It is my guess that these scratches bled because they scabbed over and we are waiting for the fur to regrow. I was pretty hesitant about their facilities and doggie daycare from the start, but after the scratches and the review, we will not be leaving Booker in their care.
Lastly, the jury is still out on whether or not we will advance to any of their other obedience classes. I just won’t take away from them the success we have already had there.

Bruce is an amazing trainer. He doesn’t train the dog, he trains you. I learned so much from him, and he is very good with animals. When I first took my dog there, she was uncontrollable around other animals. The first person we met with there had a difficult time controlling her. She then handed the leash over to Bruce, and my dog was instantly a different dog. She knew who was the boss. She didn’t as much as tug on the leash. Bruce gave me the tools and knowledge to be able to handle her.

My German Shepherd was so animal aggressive. After the class she was able to sit and stay amongst the other dogs. Her photo is above with the other animals. Thanks Bruce.

I made an appointment to have a half hour assessment done on my dog after she had been attacked by another dog. I was so nervous bringing her in that I asked for help from the lady outside because there was a shepherd out on a leash and I didn’t know what to expect when I went in. She was so kind! We went in and I was greeted and my trainer came out to get us. She was super friendly and we walked back into the room where they do the doggie day care and some training. She decided we should go outside and work first. She was very knowledgeable and made me feel completely at ease. My dog was quick to pick up her cues and she didn’t treat me like I should know better. It truly is training more for the humans. My dog acted like she was an angel and I was so worried she was going to behave badly. My nerves feed her and I feel much more empowered and I’m sure my dog will be happier that I’m not going to be such a nervous dog mom! It was an amazing surrounding to be in, seeing all the dogs so well behaved and it is worth a stop becausse you just don’t know what you can learn.

This review is based solely off their Boarding. Their training works and is second to none. However if you board your dogs there, expect to have them back as if they were staying at a dog shelter/​kennel. It doesn’t matter if you pay extra for all the extra walks etc. they will come back with matted hair and pee and poop all over

Our dogs were completely unmanageable before we came here for their novice class. Now I can walk both of our dogs, which are 110 pounds and 45 pounds, without any trouble. Bruce and the entire staff is very friendly and helpful! We could call or stop by anytime we had questions or concerns about behavior. We are now planning to take them to the advanced class and have since boarded them overnight. All of the products and services are also reasonably priced. Plus, it’s a family business and you can tell they value pets as family members. My husband and I highly recommend first friends to anyone with dogs!