Sit Now Stay Dog Training - Lenexa, Kansas

Sierra M.

Amazing place that truly cares about your pups health and happiness! Top notch service, training and communication.

We needed help with our 2 year old English Springer Spaniel and they have taught me so much about how to be a better dog parent. They are teaching our dog the art of calm as we are working toward Neutral reactions to nearby dogs. Cannot say enough wonderful things about this team.

Blake S.

I very much hoped to give five stars when my dog started the training program; however, part of my two-star rating is results-driven. The Sit Now Stay team gave great effort with my dog, and I very much appreciate that. The staff always knew the names of all the dogs at location, and it was clear they cared. I do not question that they gave it their all, but unfortunately, it did not work for my dog. I would give staff effort five stars, but overall, the results just were not there for my dog. That's not to say it wouldn't work for your dog - I strongly believe my dog is particularly difficult.

I think what really bothered me was the assessment process. I trained my other dog, so I had a good idea that my dog in question would be a handful. I was very up front about him being a lot. He's a boxer mix who is full of energy. He jumps on visitors, pulls incessantly at his leash on walks, and is extremely reactive to other dogs. I could not figure out how to break him of these habits, so I enlisted in Sit Now Stay.

I was very cautious about seeking training for him, because I did not believe it would work. I made sure to warn the staff about his stubbornness and my doubts, but after his assessment, the staff seemed very excited with him, they assured me he was excited to learn, and they exuded confidence that could reduce his bad habits. I knew they were professionals, so I trusted this assessment and paid $1,650 for 10 days of my dog at location, three home lessons, and eight classes involving both my dog and I. My recommendation to staff would be to feel free to turn away challenging dogs or to lengthen the assessment process to better determine challenging dogs. I would have completely understood if the staff told me my dog was too challenging and turned me away. That would have saved everyone time and money.

The staff members were very gracious and even gave us a few more at home lessons because my dog clearly needed it. I recognize that a trainer cannot magically fix a person's dog, and that the owner must actively participate and train their own dog. That is what I did. I carved out time every day to work with him. However, when we neared the end of the program, I could see that my own, and Sit Now Stay's, efforts were not taking hold. Admittedly, he did learn to sit in place on an elevated platform, which is nice, but his three issues that I needed fixed (jumping on people, pulling on his leash, and being reactive) were persisting, though, often, he would not jump as much on return visitors. With the help of a manually operated shock collar (included in the price), he was sort of better on walks. But, as soon as you'd remove the shock collar, he was once again unbearable. To this day, he is the same way. I'm not sure if the presence of a shock collar for somewhat better walk etiquette would be considered training, but I do get the idea of hoping that classic conditioning would work.

It seems that he associated the Sit Now Stay location and/or his trainers with his training. While on location, he would listen to some commands, and occasionally he would not be reactive to a very calm dog when he was distracted. Though, during lessons, he would generally freak out when he saw other dogs, sometimes calming down near the end of a training session.

Presently, my dog jumps on visitors, pulls on his leash, and is reactive to other dogs at the same level he was at before training. Oddly, before training, he went to doggy daycare (though he went to time-out twice for rough housing), but during and after training, the doggy daycare folks noted he became too reactive to be around other dogs. I still can't figure that one out. He is currently simply unable to be around other dogs sans my other dog.

In sum, the Sit Now Stay team gave a great effort and were very flexible, and I like to think my dog enjoyed his time there. However, I wish their assessment would have revealed him as too challenging and they would have turned us away. A Sit Now Stay program will probably work for your dog, but it did not work for mine.

Sybil M.

Over 200 encounters with Sit Now Stay including group courses, individual sessions, Muscle Mutts, pool rentals. Clearly we keep coming back because of the positive experiences for our dog, ourselves. Love working with the staff and our dog at Sit Now Stay. Recommend without reservations.

Ashley W.

I absolutely love the trainers at Sit Now Stay! They're always so friendly and helpful, and clearly love the animals. I took my Golden retriever to them for some help in making him a better social boy after 2 years of pandemic isolation and loved them so much I now take both my dogs twice a week for Muscle Mutts. They're so patient and cater to each dog's needs individually. I cannot recommend them enough!

sandy D.

We love Sit Now Stay for our rambunctious pit/lab mix. We travel often and have boarded Rizzo here a dozen times without incident. We travel knowing she’s safe and well cared for. Rizzo loves the Muscle Mutrs program where she learns new tricks and walks on the treadmill. She comes home tired and sleeps basically the entire following day. We also love the indoor swimming pool which we have used numerous times year round. Strongly recommend.

Olivia W.

My boyfriend and I have struggled with our dog Vida’s reactivity for a couple years now. We have been blown away by the progress made since working with the trainers at Sit Now Stay. I love the way the group works as a team to figure out what would work best for each individual dog. We talked through a couple of different training routes based on their recommendations and ended up starting private lessons. Working with Sara has been nothing short of amazing. Not only do I see improvement in my dog, but also in myself as a handler, and Sara has equipped me with the skills to be more confident and in control of Vida. She is great at explaining what to do but also why we’re doing it which helps us a lot. My relationship with my dog has improved so much, and I always look forward to our next lesson with Sara and practicing at home. We have also had Vida do a day of Muscle Mutts with them and plan to do more in the future. Every trainer we’ve spoken with has been wonderful and are all clearly very qualified and exceptional at what they do. I would highly recommend for anyone struggling with a reactive dog to give Sit Now Stay a call. We are so happy we did!

Scott H.

We used Sit Now Stay for 5 days of 'Day Training' and both dogs have done over 5 days each of Muscle Mutts. Before engaging SNS in day training I did quite a bit of research and am very happy we went with them. Under every single google review for each dog training place, there are always owners who aren't satisfied and after going through the process, it's because our expectations as owners aren't realistic. Unless you're doing an intense boarding program for several weeks and all factors are in your favor (dog's temperament, age, etc.), your dog is not going to behave perfectly as soon as you get them home. What you will get is a really great starting point, some advanced yet specific-to-your-dog advice/tips on how to address the behaviors you're dealing with.
Oakley used to pull like a sled dog on walks before we brought him in - while he still pulls, it's clear that his mindset is different and he's very obviously aware that expectations have changed and he's getting better and better with every walk we go on.
Their muscle mutts program is also pretty incredible. We've used traditional doggy day cares, and have taken them to dog parks for a few hours at a time (BarK mainly) and both are great fun for everyone, but neither get them tired like Muscle Mutts does - they're usually tired the next day, sometimes the 3rd! We love this place, and we loved working with the staff, especially Sara who we got the most face-time with during our private sessions. We adore her and I'll be sad when our lessons are over!

Jerah W.

My boy Preacher has attendended 3 full acclimation days and 15 full muscle mutt days as of May 2023. I have been pretty up front with my expectations and goals I'm working on from the start. My dog needs to work with strangers on approach that triggers fear. Before I put him in acclimation, I was abundantly clear that I wanted an opinion and assessment on this issue he developed post an orthopedic surgery. $150 dollars later the assessment was to give them more money for a day train obedience package and that was pretty much it. The lack of any insight from this individual, as well as gaining the knowledge that the website boasts misleading credentials from famous training schools had me moving elsewhere for obedience to a more accredited trainer that had actually been to the schools advertised. Apparently, the owner who has been to the renowned school doesn't train anymore at the Lenexa location.Sit Now offers a one on one muscle mutts program though that is sold to customers a lot like the training program philosophy in which your dog will work one on one with a different handler every session, 4 separate times a day. This essentially is a much improved doggy daycare exercise program that fit directly into my goals of creating positive interactions with strangers in a safe way utilizing marker system training just as I would. It is probably one of the most unique programs in the KC area that I have found. Not many others are doing anything like it.After 15 sessions, the dog was rarely worn out. I didn't allow them to put him on a treadmill due to a knee injury, but was told they would mentally wear him out instead. Picked him up on his last day and he spent most of the night whining at me bored and draggin my other dog around the living room in her crate after I put her up to protect her from him wanting to wrestle all night. This has been a typical energy level 70 percent of the time after a day session. Occasionally, I get back a tired dog as advertised. I have been assured that he is handled by multiple handlers during these day programs but the reality is, I'm still asked to go get him or take him in because certain handlers "don't handle him". Upon his last day, I finally caught them putting a cloth over the front of his run due to bad habits I was completely unaware he was developing. I've also watched him walk the trainer that did his assessment like a rag doll with zero respect. This specific trainer has often said she does not work with him stating "he has his favorites."  Interactions like these lead one to believe that he does not rotate through handlers as they have sold me on. After deciding to bail on the company, I did find it interesting they never even asked me why I requested a refund for the 16 prepaid sessions I had left. I kinda chopped it up to everyone being fairly introverted, or maybe they just didn't care. I would love to say this program is awesome and that it's everything they state it is but unfortunately I can't afford my dog developing bad habits from situational experiences with zero transparency.  The fact that his kennel behavior has never been brought to my attention paints an extremely bad picture that it's being hidden to keep the income flowing, just like any old doggy daycare.