Reactive Dog Training in Kansas City
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What's going on at your house?
Tap everything that fits
Who else lives with the dog?
Tap everything that fits
Has it ever gone past barking?
No judgment. I've seen all of it
What have you tried so far?
This is fixable
Book your free call and I'll walk you through exactly what I'd do for your dog.
You're not alone
Storm went from being insanely reactive losing her mind over everyone, every dog pulling me all over the place barking and in defense mode ready to go after anyone we would come across. … She has completely transformed I finally feel like I can breath and I'm not struggling or scared to be around distractions anymore!
The Problems I Work On Every Day
Most behavior problems are a regulation problem, not an obedience problem: your dog isn't bad, it just learned one move that works. I come to your home because that is where the triggers actually live, and I'm usually working with several dogs in your exact situation at any given time.
Leash Reactivity
Barking and lunging at other dogs is often frustration, not aggression, and it's self-rewarding: the other dog leaves, so it worked. I teach a new default, moving away with you instead of exploding forward.
Separation Anxiety
Nonstop barking, destroying the crate, whining that starts the moment you grab your keys. Life can't be ending every time you leave. We build real confidence about alone time, right where the panic happens.
Resource Guarding
Growling over food, toys, the couch, even a favorite person. Guarding compounds: it works in one spot and spreads to others. I give you safe, clear steps to set that boundary before it escalates.
Fear & Anxiety
Shaking through storms, hiding from strangers, a dog who only trusts one or two people. I focus on giving that nervous energy somewhere to go, so your dog can look to you for guidance and actually relax.
Aggression & Bite History
Snapping, lunging, maybe they've already bitten another dog or a person, and you're walking on eggshells in your own home. I work these cases every day, and improvement is the norm when we set clear rules and hold them consistently.
From First Call to Lasting Change
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Free phone consultation
We start with your dog's background and story. Then I walk you through how I train, what we'll work on, and how it all works, including pricing, payment plans, and the package I'd recommend. I'm a coach here to teach and guide you, and I'm always here for advice and feedback.
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First session
We meet at your house. We go back over everything together, and I see it all in your world, where the behavior actually happens, so I get an even better understanding of what's happening and why. Then we start the foundation: building the behaviors you want, stopping the ones you don't. You leave with specific skills to practice: 10 to 20 minutes, 3 to 5 days a week.
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Follow-up sessions
Every 2 to 3 weeks. You do the work between visits, then we do three things: troubleshoot what came up and adjust, build on the skills you have or add new ones, and keep moving toward your goals. Dogs are moldable. Usually it's just that the human hasn't had the right information yet.
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Lifetime Support Guarantee
Every program includes call, text, and email support for as long as you have your dog. Any hands-on sessions down the road are paid, but I'll always be honest about whether you actually need one.
How Often Do We Train
Homework built into your life
You don't need an hour a day. You just need 10 to 20 minutes practicing specific skills that fold into your routine. No drilling: short, engaging work that's actually fun to do with your dog, practiced around real events. The doorbell stuff when the doorbell rings, the leash stuff on walks you already take.
Sessions are every 2 to 3 weeks on purpose: low pressure for your dog, for you, and for me. You get plenty of time to practice and feel confident. Three to five short reps a week isn't a New Year's goal, but a habit you can keep.
What every package includes
One-on-one, in-home training sessions, about an hour long.
A plan tailored to you, your dog, your household, and your lifestyle.
Every dog in your home included, with no per-dog charge.
Unlimited text, call, and email support between sessions.
Equipment guidance: what to use and how to use it.
I come to you, anywhere in the Kansas City metro.
Lifetime support: text, call, and email, plus another session if we ever need it.
Package pricing
Four 1‑hour in‑home sessions
$900
For mild behavioral issues and dogs who need a foundation. We usually focus on 2 to 3 things over about 2 months.
- All the dogs in your home included
- A custom plan for your lifestyle
- Unlimited text, call, and email support
- Equipment guidance
- Lifetime support
Six 1‑hour in‑home sessions
$1,100
For medium cases where we work on 3 to 4 things, like recall and impulse control, with time to make them reliable. Around 3 months.
- All the dogs in your home included
- A custom plan for your lifestyle
- Unlimited text, call, and email support
- Equipment guidance
- Lifetime support
Eight 1‑hour in‑home sessions
$1,300
My most reserved package, for severe cases like biting or fighting in the home. The most time to work through serious behavior safely. Around 4 months.
- All the dogs in your home included
- A custom plan for your lifestyle
- Unlimited text, call, and email support
- Equipment guidance
- Lifetime support
Frequently asked questions
Just need one session?
A single in-home session is $300.
What if we need more sessions than our package?
You just pay the difference. If you start with the 4-session package and your dog needs 6, you pay the price difference between the two packages. Never a new package, never a penalty.
How do payments work?
One payment, or split it in two: half at the start, half in the middle of your package.
Do you travel outside the Kansas City metro?
Yes, for a $25 travel fee per visit that covers drive time.
Not sure which package to choose?
Free phone consultationAn Investment in Yourself and Your Dog
Training your dog the right way is an investment: your peace of mind, your dog's future, and honestly your next dogs too. I know my training isn't cheap, but sometimes you have to invest to get the results you want. My program isn't right for everyone, and that's okay. If it sounds like a fit, let's schedule a consultation. If it's not, no hard feelings.
Meet Andrew
When you hire Good Dogz KC, you get me every session, not a rotating staff. You're paying for quality, educated information: not from somebody who's still learning, but from an expert who's been doing this with dogs of all ages, sizes, and breeds for nearly seven years. I've worked with thousands of dogs, I've had hundreds of dogs board and train at my house, and I've lived with them around kids, around other dogs, navigating new places, new houses, and new people. I have a training program that works.
What I care about isn't an obedient robot. It's a calm dog and a household that finally feels easy. Obedience is a great tool, but it's skill-based; it doesn't manage how a dog feels under stress. So I start with the emotional side, helping your dog actually settle, and use clear, fair boundaries to get there.
If you're reading this, you already know you're the one who needs the education. It's not that you can't do it; you've never been taught the skill. So how could you teach it to your dog? My program starts with a foundation and moves into harder and harder things as we progress, keeping it low stress. Progress happens over time; it's behavior. And these are normal things: every dog owner is dealing with something, and all dogs, just like humans, have things they could use help with.
My job is to be your coach and your mentor. I'm never going to tell you "you have to do this." I'm a resource and a springboard: I'll give you advice, tell you honestly what's worked and what hasn't across the thousands of dogs I've trained, and I'll always be in your corner. My goal is to see you and your dog succeed. This is an investment, and it isn't cheap, but you'll learn a skill that lasts the rest of your dog's life and every dog after: from then on it's troubleshooting, not starting from scratch.
Andrew helped shape a very unruly, slightly aggressive black lab into a very loving family pet. Paisley is learning her boundaries and how to abide by them more everyday.
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Reactive Dog Training FAQs
What families ask before starting reactivity work.
What is leash reactivity, and why is my dog fine off leash?
That off-leash version of your dog is real, and it tells you something important: most of the time this is frustration, not aggression. The leash is a barrier. Your dog sees another dog, wants to get there, can't, and all that stuck energy comes out as barking, lunging, and spinning. Every walk where that happens is a rehearsal, so the habit gets stronger even though nothing bad ever comes of it. I teach your dog a different job at the end of the leash, checking in with you instead of exploding, and I teach you how to run the walk so the rehearsals stop.
Will my dog ever walk calmly past other dogs?
Yes, and I want to be honest about what that looks like. The goal is neutrality: other dogs become background noise, not a party and not a threat. We get there in stages. First we work at a distance where your dog can still think, and they learn that noticing a trigger and looking to you pays better than losing it. Then we close that distance over real walks in your actual neighborhood, on the streets where the problem lives. Most families feel the walk start to change inside the first few sessions, and the rest of the package is there because replacing a rehearsed habit takes repetition.
Is reactivity the same as aggression?
They're related, but they're not the same problem, and the plan is different. Most leash reactivity is frustration or fear with a barrier involved. Take the leash away and many of these dogs are social. Aggression is about making something go away, and it shows up without the leash too. I work with both every week. If your dog has bitten, guards food or space, or you're managing real safety concerns at home, start on my behavior training page, that program is built for it. If the problem lives on the leash, at the window, and at the fence, you're in the right place.
Why train at home instead of a group class?
A group class asks a reactive dog to learn calm in the most overwhelming room in town. Most reactive dogs are over threshold before the first sit, and nothing sticks when a dog is over threshold. I come to you instead. We start where your dog can actually think, your living room and your own street, and we work the real triggers: the neighbor's fence dog, that one corner, the apartment stairwell. Then I coach you, because you hold the leash the other six days of the week. The homework is built into walks you were already taking, so the walk you practice is the walk you live with.
Do you use e-collars / "shock collars"? Is that safe?
Yes, I use an e-collar. It's a communication tool, like a tap on the shoulder: a leash for when your dog is off leash. It's not punishment and it's not a forever tool; it's there to help your dog build boundaries while we train. It has three core functions: a low-level stim that guides your dog like a leash (come back to me), a higher adjustable level, and a vibrate that teaches your dog to move away from things they shouldn't get into. I use it for recall, off-leash walking, boundary setting, and stopping unwanted behaviors like barking or digging. The level is Goldilocks, like a hot stove: your dog has to notice it's on, but it can never be painful, and it can't be so low they don't care. Just enough for them to pick a different choice. Pair that with a positive path that still gets them what they want, and your dog learns there are two avenues to the same result. Over time their brain naturally rewires toward the behaviors we want.
Will this actually work for my dog? Is my dog too far gone?
That's up to how hard you want to work for it. All dogs, just like humans, can change; how far they go depends on how committed you are. I've had really hard behavioral cases do phenomenally well because the owners put in the work: they invested in themselves, invested in their dog, spent the time, and succeeded. If you want results without putting anything in, you'll fail. That's why I build training into your everyday life. I'm a busy father with kids, my own dogs, and client dogs, so I know exactly how important your time is: 10 to 20 minutes, 3 to 5 times a week. You don't need an hour a day and you don't have to train every day. You just have to be consistent over time, with guidance and expertise on what to do next. And for what it's worth, rescues with unknown histories are most of my work, and age isn't a wall (dogs aren't even mentally mature till around three).
We tried training before and it didn't stick.
Common, and it makes sense. Group classes teach your dog a cue ("sit," "stay"); they don't teach you how to hold a boundary. And for a lot of dogs, a group class is just too much: they're past their threshold and can't pay attention. It's like taking your kid to a playground and trying to teach them math. That's not setting them up for success. Group classes are great for dogs that can already handle that environment, but if your dog hasn't learned that skill yet, you're going to fail. That's why I start training in your house: fewer distractions, so we can practice and build a solid foundation. Then we work your neighborhood as your dog gets confident, then bigger and more chaotic environments: more stimulation, more dogs, more real life. Laying the foundation is everything.
How often are sessions, and how much homework is it?
Sessions are every 2 to 3 weeks, on purpose, so you're never overwhelmed and the change has time to stick (it's reps in real life between sessions, not a cram). Homework is about 10 to 20 minutes a few days a week, built into your normal routine and practiced in the moments the behavior already happens (the walk, the doorbell, dinnertime), not an hour of drilling sits and downs. As for sessions and cost: packages are 4, 6, or 8 one-hour in-home sessions, most people start with 6, and all the dogs in your home are included. When you're ready, you can either schedule a free phone consultation, or pick your package up above and sign up right away.