The Dogs' Spot - Dog Training Center and Boutique, North Kansas City MO

I have been looking for a great dog training center in the Northland. Found it!

Great trainers! Couldn’t be happier

With surviving adolescents and canine good citizen courses completed I've decided that the convenience of the dog spots location really isn't a reason for us to continue training there anymore. I will say they have a nice facility and I did accomplish socializing my Dogo Argentino in a safe controlled environment. I picked up more usable information in our puppy class than I did in CGC. The lecture time in surviving adolescents seemed long and a lot less interactive than you would expect. Other facilities do these group classes in a way you would expect that is much more interactive and interesting.
It was in this first course where I was sold a harness for my mastiff puppy at 5 months old under a completely false statement. They promoted a trade in program where you get a XL adult size for free when he grew out of a smaller size if I purchased a balance harness. I had no interest in getting one previously since I was fully aware he was going to outgrow it in months if not weeks. When we showed up for the CGC class a couple months later, he had doubled in size and I was told they wouldn't uphold the statement anymore. Put a fairly bad business taste in ones mouth to say the least.  I get things changed, but not upholding sales that have already been made to clients just comes off bad.
My recommendation on the CGC course would be to go ahead and skip it. You are spending thirty plus bucks a class for something you can just watch on you tube. The first red flag was the newbie trainer. Dude is teaching an AKC class but has zero idea what conformation is! Very odd. 6 classes and almost all of them the last 20 minutes the trainers had no curriculum left and just sat around asking what we wanted to do for the rest of the class. I don't know that I learned a single thing in the class except the 10 skills needed to pass the test which as stated before can just be watched for free. I definitely did not learn the one thing that he was automatically failed for! Lol The end of the program, 3 of the 6 dogs tested. The 2 other dogs passed and mine did not.   The handler let my boy wander up and mark a wall during the 3 minute duration I was away, which is an immediate dq. Unfortunately, the start of the test was literally the first time anyone had ever mentioned marking at all. Learning by FAILURE is the lesson plan apparently! I'm happy for the other 2 dog owners for passing but the reality is not one dog there would actually pass legitimately. It comes off extremely subjective when you pass a dog that won't recall or down but fails another because the handler lets him pee on a wall which was never prepped for.
I'll leave a pic of his test sheet. It just shows him passing everything which if I'm honest is a complete fabrication and shows just how watered down the program really is. He should have never passed. At least he stays and recalls though unlike the other candidates.

As stated this is a good facility, they have very nice people. I just can't honestly say I would recommend them at this point for training.

Karen is incredible, so knowledgeable and patient, she honestly saved us from having to put down our baby, Wesley. IT has been worth every penny, even struggling as we are, and we have learned so much from her! Being able to contact her via text between visits has been immeasurably helpful, and it's really obvious how dedicated she is to helping people and their pups. And I honestly trust her as much, if not more sometimes, as my vet. Cannot recommend her highly enough.

So glad we found The Dogs Spot for help with our reactive dog! Karen, who led the reactive dog class, has been a fantastic advocate and educator. Our dog made a lot of progress with the class, but even more helpful was private lessons with Karen. I specifically sought out a trainer/facility that practices positive reinforcement, and that's exactly the experience we have had with Karen and The Dogs Spot. Could not recommend it more highly!

We had the privilege of working with Karen and Ella with our dog in reactive dog 1 training. She was absolutely amazing with molly and and us and would always answer any question we had. We hope to get to work with her again in the future

Love this place. They are so Personable, with you and your dog. The trainers are fabulous.
We have learned so much in this past 2 years and come so far. Thank you so much for all you do.

We’ve been going for 2 years now with a super senior and our puppy. All the staff is very knowledgeable and kind. We have taken many different classes there and love them all.

Best training in town. The front desk person Holly is very professional and helpful. Highly recommend!

Been coming here weekly for the last year. My Labrador was a HOT MESS. We have grown by leaps and bounds with the help of owner Laura and her staff LeAnn and Grace. They have great patience and superb kindness and I wouldn’t want to go anywhere else. Also the Dog Spot community has also given me wonderful advice, assistance and support, especially Kathy.

I am a frequent visitor at the dogs spot. I have taken several classes as well as multiple fun runs. Trainers are very helpful and knowledgeable. I learn something new with every class! My youngest agility dog has grown so much during her time at class.

We have 3 German Shepherds and the only way to prevent shepherds from turning your couch into a chew toy is to keep their minds and bodies engaged. We started training at The Dogs' Spot in January of 2021 with our first shepherd. All 3 train there now in various activities including agility, scent work and one of them even did a Treibball class. The owners, Laura and her husband, Kirby, always make you feel welcome. Outstanding staff there. One dog is better in agility than the other 2. LeAnn and Grace are the instructors for agility. Both are very knowledgeable and have competed, or are currently competing, their dogs at a high level. The way our dog has improved with their teaching is amazing. The other two dogs are progressing through a series of scent classes to be able to compete some day. Tracy is the scent teaching guru and is amazing. Tracy is usually helped by Kathy or Natalie who are as nice as the day is long. We have never had a bad experience at The Dogs' Spot. If you want your dog to be trained the right way by knowledgeable trainers they will take care of you.

I want to give a big thank you to the staff at The Dog Spot! I had no idea what agility was when I started training here a couple years ago. I was just looking for something to help my Catahoula mix burn some energy. I had no idea we would get to where we are today.
We started training with LeAnn and Laura and now LeAnn and Grace are helping me advance the skills Willow and I need for success. We were able to qualify for Champs last week for the second time and are so excited. Willow and I have so much fun playing agility. We would not be the team we are without you. Thank you so much!

Visited the Dog's Spot today for the first time with my dog. Everyone was friendly and welcoming. The facility was clean. The instructors were knowledgeable and patient.

I train agility at a with a different trainer due to the use of more modern practices. Supposed lies were made by people about me and my dog when we went to fun runs. The business refused to talk to me and instead decided I was not allowed to attend. Worse part was instead of talking to me, they chose to force me to call by removing my online account to sign up. When I tried to talk to Laura, she had no knowledge of the lack of sportsmanship from the people they trained. Even went so far to imply my dog was reactive when he never reached to any dogs. In fact, I had dogs growling and jumping at my dog while I walked from the ring to his kennel and my dog was always kenneld in between runs to keep him from the reactions. Their people had harassed us even as my dog was in a kennel in our car. They would rather blame other dogs than work on the reactions of their client dogs. Owner is not aware of what us going on in the facility.

As the business wants to claim an investigation, they could not specify the problems nor discuss before kicking out. It was a one sided investigation that the owner still has no clue what is going on nor can tell me what made people feel uncomfortable. Can't change something if not brought to persons attention. Only thingi was told was went through wrong gate and even admitted I was not the only one.

Clients she keeps bully others. Not just Myself, but I have personally seen it to others. I have been harassed by others there but acted mature enough to not take up to everyone.

The Dogs Spot has been such a positive part of my journey training my deaf dog Win. Starting right in puppy classes they encouraged and helped me to understand his capacity to learn and ability to participate in whatever a hearing dog could. With the mindful guidance of positive trainers like Laura Hills, LeAnn Hiserote, Grace Pinnick, Tracy Martin and others, Win and I have grown in both skill and confidence. Because of the work we do together at the Dogs Spot our bond has truly grown. We have successfully competed in several Agility trials and become part of such a supportive agility family at the Dogs Spot. We are also starting a new training area in Nosework! Both Win and I look forward to all of our classes and class friends each week.

I have taken several classes at The Dog’s Spot and have participated in several events. The staff is knowledgeable and are excellent at promoting all around good dog ownership. I can honestly say that every interaction I have had with at The Dog’s Spot has had a positive effect on my relationship with my dogs. I have grown more confident in my ownership skills and feel equipped to handle many different interactions. Most of all all the people at The Dog’s Spot want the best for our canine pals and when I am there I feel like I found my people! Highly recommend for anyone who wants to feel educated and confident in their pet ownership. Regardless of your ultimate goal, there is a class and/or event for you at The Dog’s Spot.