Testimonials

Michael did an amazing job working with our family to help us train our new rescue to overcome her fear of riding in the car. With his training she has graduated all levels of obedience and received her canine good citizen title. He was always there with advice and helpful answers to many of our questions. He has great knowledge and is loving and patient with all his canine students. Geneva certainly loves him.
— Beth M
We were looking for a trainer on Cape Cod that could help us train our English Bull terrier, Dexter. If you know the bully breeds, any trainer that would succeed with them has to know and love them, and be a very special person. Michael loves the bully breeds and is that special person.
Michael is Dexter’s favourite instructor for obedience training. We have been so pleased with Michael and all his fabulous and helpful guidance to us throughout levels one, two and three! Dexter has learned to overcome some of his fears and anxiety. We are always working on his triggers, but life with our Dexter is so much better with Michael’s help.
Unfortunately Dexter has passed from cancer, but now we have two more English Bull terriers, sister Emmie and brother KJ. They are still puppies, and we wanted to provide them with the best training and social skills we could. We selected Michael for that.
Once again he is amazing, he has been instrumental in working with us, Emmie and KJ and guiding them to be ambassadors for the breed!
Michael even chose Emmie to work with in agility training, along with his own dog Blue, for competitions, as he saw something special in her agile and focused ways.
You cannot go wrong with choosing Michael McGrath for dog obedience training.
— PATTIE & JOHN M.
I first met Micheal McGrath almost 3 years ago. You see, we had a 10 month old 120 lb Rottweiler puppy who came with some temperament issues. Even though I’ve have 13 dogs previously, majority Rottie’s, and very skilled at training myself, I knew we needed help. Within minutes of meeting Micheal, the combination of his positivity and his upbeat energy made me feel comfortable right away. He knew exactly how to approach my jittery jumpy unsure pup with such a solid and calm demeanor that Bodhi ( and me too) was able to relax just a bit so he - we - could begin learn what to do.
We took group classes ( Obedience 1,2,3 and Canine Good Citizen) and also did one on ones with Micheal, all experiences were fabulous.
Micheal’s supportive style of teaching, along with his unending patience and arsenal of training expertise helped Bodhi and I to learn. With Micheal’s clear direction we made steady progress - which built confidence. We learned a mean sit and down stay, Bodhi heal’s like champion..ultimately we now work like a team. Best of all we both began to have a lot of fun!
Michael McGrath was our cheerleader and still is. I highly highly recommend him and will continue to work with him as long as we have dogs
— SHARON D-S
We adopted Milo, a 10 week old pit bull mix in April 2017. Our Jack, who we had just lost that January, was abused, never socialized and was fear aggressive with people and dogs and therefore we wanted to make sure we gave Milo the best start in life with obedience training and socialization. I found Joseph’s Obedience Training School through a Google Search. In reading about the instructors, I was immediately drawn to Michael’s picture. How could I not? He was surrounded by his 3 beautiful rescued pit bulls! I spoke with him on the phone and found him to share my philosophy in training and my love for these big block heads. Milo has gone through Puppy-K, Puppy Play Group, Obedience Levels 1 – 3, has received his AKC Canine Good Citizen with Michael and currently attends Adult Play Group sessions at Joseph’s. Milo also competes in Agility and he and Michael’s dog Blue are best buddies and make up Team Agila-bully! Working with Michael has allowed Milo to be a happy, well socialized dog with both people and other dogs. Not only do I consider Michael an excellent dog trainer, but also as my friend.
— KAREN V


 

With patience, Persistence, and Positivity anything is possible


About Me

MY NAME IS Michael J. McGrath

My heart is in helping dogs (especially rescue) and their owners reach their greatest potential through training, so that they can live happy fulfilled lives together. My philosophy is simple stick to the 3 P’s: Patience, Persistence, and Positivity. If you stick with the 3 P’s they sky is the limit to what you and your dog can achieve.


Michael is a wonderful and very caring dog trainer. I enrolled my very shy, soft spoken and anxious 10 year old daughter with her very hard headed and sassy rescue dog for the duel purpose of building both their confidence with the ultimate result of an obedient dog. Michael was extremely understanding of my daughter’s anxiety and very patient when she would speak to him in a nearly audible whisper. Over many months and several classes with his consistent praise and encouragement they were able to make it all the way to earn their Canine Good Citizen Title. More importantly he has instilled in her the love of dog training and the overall care and responsibility of dog ownership. Very recently we endured a scary event when a dog we were about to adopt bolted after my husband was involved in a minor car accident. I immediately called Michael to ask his advice. He was not only very thorough and detailed in advising us as to what to do, he also came to the site in very poor weather conditions while he was sick to engage in the search and also help calm my completely traumatized daughter. He explained to her that the dog would most likely be found the next day and had sought shelter for the night. He was correct and that is exactly what had happened. Michael personally coming out and comforting our daughter on that night was above and beyond what anyone would ever expect and we are eternally grateful. Michael goes above and beyond for the families he works with. I highly recommend Michael for all of your dogs behavior and training needs.
— MARYANN R
Michael met my GSD, Juno, when she was 8-months old and had just come into my life. I learned in the first 6 months of ownership that Juno had reactivity issues encountering strangers. There were times when her fear was so great that she would bark uncontrollably until removed from a situation. Her bark was intense, and her reactions became terrifying to everyone around her. My husband and I were overwhelmed by Juno’s behavior, but each time we came to school I watched Michael work with great patience to win Juno’s trust. He believed in Juno and me when other people did not, and this inspired me to persist at working with her. Although she did not make friends easily, his ability to reach her and connect with her was amazing and gave me great hope for her future. Michael was a tremendous support, encouraging me, as I learned to manage Juno both at the school and in other public places. Today she attends regular classes and participates in agility trials, which would not ever have been possible without Michael’s support. Michael is not only a skilled trainer; he is a tried-and-true advocate of dogs and I highly recommend him as a trainer.

-Daphne I

I was so lucky to have found Michael our trainer. I had just gotten a new puppy and he was in need of some training. I did not realize how strong he was going to get or how big so fast. I started with Michael in Obedience 1 and I left the first few classes in tears. My dog was just being a puppy and I was getting so frustrated. He was pulling and not paying attention at all. Michael took time with me after class to explain what I needed to do. He trained ME!! Fast forward after Obedience 2 and 3 and we are now getting ready for our CGC. Michael was amazing in truly helping me understand how to handle my dog. He is so patient and he is able to break things down to make sense of it all. I now have a well trained dog and I am excited to start him with some therapy work and we could not have done it without Micheal and his instruction!!
— Kelly C