GAK9 Reviews

The Eureka Police K9 Unit just finished a week of Jeff's Tactical Trailing in Northern California. Without reservation it was THE BEST investment our agency has made on a training seminar. Jeff's knowledge and experience are un-matched, but it's his teaching style and commitment to individualized instruction that really set him apart from other trainers. Each of our teams ended the week feeling energized and positive about the progress made under Jeff's guidance. A special thanks also, to his dedicated and extremely professional support staff! We look forward to having him out next year for the full tactical program.

I just finished the basic Obedience Training with my Westie and I cannot say enough about the people at GAK9. Specifically Amy and Gabby were so helpful and are just great to work with. My stubborn little westie is well behaved and a joy to be around. I am now taking my 12 wwek old GSD for puppy school and intend to do take her as far as we can in her training. Thanks you to GAK9, they are wonderful and I would reccomend them to anyone.

I recently had the pleasure of spending a week on Edisto Island with Jeff and Kelli. What an awesome location with every possible training site at our hands. The accommodations were perfect and the hospitality far and above.

I have had the opportunity to attend GAK9 SAR trailing seminars five times in the past few years. I was fortunate to have Jeff as an instructor several times and learned a tremendous amount from him and the other instructors. Jeff has a realistic “no fluff” approach to trailing and instructing. He is honest about what he is seeing and has great integrity in his training methods. His years of working dogs, and training numerous teams, shows in his well delivered style of teaching. Jeff is able to quickly adapt to each handler and dog, feeling and seeing what each team needs to make progress. He instructs with a play by play narrative while you are working. This allows you to try and catch the behaviors of your dog or handling skills as they are happening. You will be sure to learn a great deal, not only from your personal instruction but the critiques he gives other students as well.

Anyone who has the opportunity to attend a seminar with Jeff will not be disappointed. Just remember to open your eyes to realistic trailing. With this thought process you will be able to make leaps and bounds in you and your dog’s abilities.

Thanks for a wonderful week!

Jeff invited us to spend 2 weeks of training at his place in Edisto Island, SC. Loving the sea and working dogs we couldn't refuse. Not only did we have the best training one can imagine but Jeff & Kelli made sure we enjoyed other things in life. Good food, good beer and wonderful places are what awaits you there.

In my eyes Jeff is one of the best trainer a dog handler can wish for. Contrary to many trainers Jeff doesn't want you to like him and would highlight the mistakes you make. He is fair, calm and sees everything. He can read dogs like no one and most important he can teach. He is not stingy with his knowledge and is not afraid to share it. He is very honest and would never say something just to make you happy.

During these 2 weeks we stayed at the cabin. A wonderful cosy place with a chimney for fire in the evening. For us it was perfect.

I can only recommend anyone to attend this K-9 Handler's course. Beginners or experienced handler I'm sure you won't be disappointed.

Thanks Jeff & Kelli for this amazing time. We will never forget it. It was our first time in the US but definitely not the last.

Greetings from Switzerland
Alis, Marco & K-9 Cannelle

We spent 15 days wonderful at Edisto in your company. you are welcoming people and warm, we shared with you your joy and your knowledge. Jeff you have shown patience and professionalism, you always acts with respect to persons as dogs, you knew transmit us your knowledge with passion, but always with humility. We had a very good teacher but also friends.

The South San Francisco Police Department K9 Unit held a 4-day trailing course. Jeff Schettler and Kevin Baughn were the instructors for the course. I was highly impressed with the knowledge and experience from both instructors, as they were both police dog handlers. Our K9 Unit had 6 dogs attend the course, and by the end of the 4 days all of them were trailing on hard surfaces. It was truly impressive of what the instructors taught the dogs to do in such a short amount of time. If you are looking for a top notch trailing course, I HIGHLY recommend Jeff Schettler from Georgia K9.

Respectfully Submitted,

Marty Mahon
Police Sergeant & K9 Unit Supervisor

We had the privilege of having Kelli choose a GSD puppy for us. We explained that we wanted a family dog that would also be great protection, if needed. Her knowledge and instinct about dogs is incredible and it shows in the fact that the 6 month old male that she picked for us is absolutely perfect! We love him!

Before Kahn came to live with us, he spent time at the GAK9 facility in Edisto Beach for his obedience and intermediate obedience training. It was wonderful being able to bring a well-trained GSD into our home. The transition and adjustment was smooth and we had relatively few issues due to the fact that Kelli and Jeff and their staff did such a great job. We are currently in the follow-up training with them and when we meet with Kelli, it is so helpful to have her correct us as we correct Kahn!

Kelli and Jeff are so very knowledgable not only about training, but also about dogs. The wealth of information that they have is invaluable and it is great that they are willing to pass that knowledge to their clients. They really know their stuff!

Thank you, Kelli and Jeff, for bringing Kahn into our lives! You guys rock!

I went to train for a week with Jeff not knowing what to expect. At the end of the week my dog Getty had progressed beyond what I could ever have imagined. Getty came there being only somewhat interested in detecting human remains and left at the end of the week totally obsessed with finding them.

Thank you Jeff and Kelli for your insightful and thoughtful way of training and for your love of the process. You brought out the best in Getty.

Jeri

How to describe training at GA-K9? WOW!! I recently had the opportunity to learn trailing from the best, Jeff Schettler. I won’t kid you; it was lots of work, but I found it rewarding and even though hard work it felt like a vacation. I am a new handler with a new pup and I owe our success to Jeff. GA-K9 training in Edisto Island SC was a great experience and I found the training techniques used exceptional. Both Jeff and Kelli’s compassion for the work they do created an excellent learning environment for both dogs and handler to excel. I was amazed at how quickly Ace (my pup) learned and I am sure it was Jeff’s guidance that helped in his learning. Not only did he take time with ACE, but, during spare time when we were not practicing trailing, Jeff helped with some issue I had with my other dogs. And Kelli is amazing at the work she showed me with scent detection dogs. Her compassion for the dogs she was working with, I believe, made them excel to extraordinary lengths. On another note, outside dog training, Jeff and Kelli’s hospitality made my week stay at Edisto Island a real pleasure. My experience at GA-K9 is above excellent, including their Canton GA location where I have been working with Amy to solve some dog aggression issues with one of my GSD. Amy has been terrific. She is patient and has sound training practices that seem to be helping my dog aggressiveness with other dogs when other trainers and their training techniques have failed. I would highly recommend GA-K9 no matter what you training objective is, whether for basic/advance obedience or for working trailing and scent detection dogs. GA-K9 is fantastic!!!

I was honored with the chance to be a bloodhound handler for the Dearborn County Sheriff's Department in Indiana. I was also asked to researh facilities and trained trailing bloodhounds. I reviewed gak9.com and was impressed with a very well organized and informative web site. I contacted Jeff Schettler and he quickly sent a proposal and other information. This information was usefull when pesenting options to the Sheriff and command staff. After extensive research, Jeff Schettler, his staff and company excelled beyond any other compaired facility.
I had an opportunity to visit the Canton Georgia facility prior to training. The Georgia facility was very clean and well staffed.
My Handlers course was at the Edisto Island SC location. Jeff Schettler has created a perfect learning environment at Edisto Island. The Edisto Island atmosphere and excellent traning from Jeff Schettler is a pefect combination--this does not suck.
Please review the you tube video's and photo's on their web site. K9 Raiko is an excellent additon to out Sheriff's Department. In just a few days she has already made a great impression with the community at a fair, in general contact, training demonstrations, and conversation with the public. Raiko is itching for her first call. Thanks Jeff

Ok, I've turned into that weird dog lady. LOL. I took your advice and Tank and I went off to Petsmart, Target and Lowe's. He did extremely well. It took him a few minutes in Petsmart (the 1st place we went) but then he settled right in. We then walked down past a whole bunch of stores and strange objects to Target where we sat out in front of the doors and tons of people went past. The whole time he was on either sit or down. Then we made our way down to Lowe's where we did it all over again. 3 employees came out to pet him and then they all were like "you can bring him in the store where it's cooler" so off we went. What a Good Boy he was!!!! He was so patient and well mannered when kids and adults were petting him and saying how pretty he was. You guys did such a wonderful job with him. It's such a pleasure going places now. Anyways, I just wanted to let you know of Tank's new adventures. Oh yeah, there were lots of loud noises and tons of distractions and he listened to me so well. I seriously can't thank you enough. Hope all is well with everyone there (especially those little pups). We've also been to different walking trails where he loves to explore the whole time while completely listening to me. I haven't dared to let him off his leash at those places. I couldn't bare it if he took off on me for some weird reason but he does so much better in front of the house and in the back off leash. One more thing, he held "place" for 3 hours!!! Yep, what a good boy!!!!

Jennifer, with GA-K9, could not have been more attentive and informative at her recent presentation to Kennesaw Elementary students. With the help of her beautiful German Shepherd, Caleb, Jennifer easily held the kids' attention with her enthusiasm and stories. The students at Kennesaw Elem were excited to learn that Assistance Dogs can do more than just lead the blind! Thanks, GA-K9!!

I can\'t speak highly enough of Jeff and his staff. If you want SAR training, GAK9 without a doubt is the place to go to. Jeff is refreshingly honest in his teachings that are based on years and years of experience. Equally important, he is right on in his approach. IMO, if there is such thing as a SAR dog whisperer, he is it. My only regret is that I live too far away to train with Jeff and his staff on a regular basis.

Just spent a week in Georgia with Jeff and his trainers and it was one of the est weeks of my life. Jeff is one of the rare but true 'dog-people' out there. The real deal. He knows dogs, knows training, and is a superior instructor. It was well worth the journey from Utah!

Http://www.traintoadopt.com

I own a business that amongst other things, involves tracking with and without a dog. I also evaluate products and services for potential clients. I have reviewed every book of this type I can find and I was amazed at this book. It was the first time I have read a K9 trailing book and not been confused and sometimes upset by what I was reading. Jeff has taken the science of trailing, combined it with common sense and weeded out the questionable techniques of those that have come before him. Too many people in the tracking field seem to blindly follow what has been etched in stone by past authorities and authors. He is humble enough to validate the wisdom of past research, but is brave enough to challenge accepted methods that simply do not work. I usually read a book over two or three times to form an opinion. In this case it took me about 10 minutes of speed reading. The book is well illustrated and relaxing to read.There are many fine books and experts out there I can highly recommend, but so far this is the best book yet and I am looking forward to his future book or books. I strongly suggest you order a copy of this book. Also, while you wait for it to arrive read some other books about K9 trailing so as to appreciate how good this book is in comparison.

http://www.trackersedge.com

If you are looking for a professional, caring team to train your dog, I urge you to call GA K9 today! After losing our white shepherd this past June, we welcomed an 8 week old white shepherd puppy into our lives in August. We knew immediately we had our hands full with this one. He was a stubborn, dominant alpha male and just as we were beginning to doubt he was the one for us we found GA K9. They scheduled a consultation with us right away and recommended we enter him into Advanced Obedience as soon as he turned 4 months old. The results are REMARKABLE! We now have an obedient and loving puppy; at times we cannot believe he is the same dog. He needed direction and purpose which he now has. He is wonderful with children and people and is great with other dogs. GA K9 teaches both the dog and the owner, and it is amazing how the right balance works. The only way your dog will not continue to excel is if you do not build on the foundation GA K9 provides! DO NOT THINK TWICE about working with GA K9, you will not find another organization that takes such a personal as well as professional interest in the well being and success of both you and your dog. We are forever thankful to everyone at GA K9!

I have been working a police k-9 for about 5 years and have caught a lot of people with my shepherd. I, along with others from my departments k-9 unit have recently had the opportunity to spend a week with Jeff in a trailing school. I learned so much about "reading the dog" as he finds himself in and out of odor. I believe my find ratio will double because of this training. This is an excellent class for all levels. Thanks again

Excellent training. Very hands on. Learned a ton of new information.