Family K9 – Montreal’s Dog Trainer

Montreal’s best dog training for over 25 years. Using scientific, proven and humane dog training methods.

Building relationships

Through training, communication and understanding.

Montreal’s Dog trainer for 25 years, Family K9 Dog Training – provides dog owners across Montreal and it’s surrounding areas with the best private, in home dog training available. Family K9 Dog Training has a track record of success for over 25 years. Nick is often called upon by dog owners who have already tried to train their dogs with other dog trainers and not been able to achieve quality results.

In home dog training, one on one private dog training courses at the kennel and in kennel boarding and training options are available.

Professional Dog Training Services

Referred by Veterinarians, other trainers, groomers and dog owners.

Nick is a big believer in providing the highest level of service to his clients and their dogs. He enjoys relationships with many clients that have spanned over the course working with of multiple dogs. Family K9 Dog Training guarantees its training programs (except for Puppy Pre School since this is just the very beginning of raising an obedient dog).

Family K9 has proudly earned it’s reputation the old fashioned way. By providing Montreal area dog owners with the best dog training available for over 25 years. Attention to detail , professionalism and treating clients and their dogs with the utmost caring and respect. Backing all this up with a guarantee.

In the 25 plus years that Family K9 Dog Training has been in business there have been a proliferation of new dog trainers that crop up each year. Anyone can claim to be a dog trainer – please make sure you are working with a professional who has a long standing track record of success in canine training.

Nick is sought after in the training of from across Canada, the US and abroad as well. See the Dogs trained across Canada and USA page for details.

Obedience training, help with canine behavioural problems and dog training consultations

Family K9 Dog Training

5.0

Based on 118 reviews

Kailin Sarrah

21:29 10 Feb 23

Working with Nick has truly been a life changing experience for us! Nick is professional, kind, and you can tell that he loves and values what he does. He's been available for follow up questions and also is very quick to reply.Tabasco spent 3 weeks with Nick and we were blown away by all of the progress he made! His leash manners are terrific, he is less anxious around people near our home, and we've seen improvement in all areas of concern. Would absolutely recommend Nick to all those looking for help and guidance concerning their pup, one of the best experiences we've had! 🙂

Matti McNicol

20:36 14 Dec 22

This is our sweetest little/giant boy, Rove. We adopted him from Lebanon about 8 months ago. We were told he was amazing with dogs/kids/people….turns out wasn’t so true. We found Nick and family K9 as a reference from a friend and let me tell you, this man does magic! We were so skeptical and worried to leave him for 3 weeks but Nick is so gentle and kind (and I happened to know his wife, who is just as sweet and lovely) so we trusted them. When we came to pick our dog up, the transfer lesson was a revelation. It was a DIFFERENT dog (yet the same sweet soul we know) but suddenly he’s listening to our commands, heeling at our feet while walking so calmly.Remember, Nick can’t change a dog’s DNA, but he can help give you and the dog confidence to deal with anything. Rove is very aggressive towards other dogs and I am sure he will never change, but now we have the proper skills to correct his behaviour with confidence and to the point of him being able to sit and lie down near another dog (MIND BLOWING). If you have a problematic fur machine at home, Nick is your man. The follow ups have been so great too, anytime we have a question, his responses are so fast and informative. Worth every penny. Thank you, Family K9

L L

13:07 11 Nov 22

Our dog Charlie was very agressive with other dogs when on a leash. We tried many trainers before but nothing worked until we met Nick.Nick really understands what drives a dog’s behaviors and he helped us navigate that through the training.Thank you Nick for all your help with Charlie!

Lindsay Dayton

16:59 17 Jun 22

We are indebted to Nicks help for our french bulldog Winston. We sent Winston for in house training a little over 3 weeks ago because of dog reactivity, pulling on leash and our dog getting overly excited with us and strangers. I love walking and I wanted to enjoy my walks with my dog, which had become a source of stress, which routes best to take in order to avoid other dogs. I do have to say, I did my research, I knew Nick was good but could he really help our excitable bulldog? From the first meeting with Nick I already had determined he knew what he was doing. All of his years of experience under his belt were very evident. He had a clear plan. In a very short time after getting Winston home from the in house training, he is a different dog, calmer, and looks up to us for direction. He can now lie on his bed quietly as we eat a meal. I can go on walks with no stress knowing Winston will not have the same reaction towards other dogs. Nick gave us the tools and foundation to have the dog we envisioned. We will keep practicing the tools to keep it up. Can't wait for all the adventures with our dog in the future. Thank you Nick for making this a reality for our family.

Keegan James

02:47 02 Jan 22

Nick is simply the best dog trainer we have worked with. We tried a few other trainers before but none were as effective. From the first lesson we noticed a difference.We have two dogs who were fighting at home and since we began training with Nick the aggression between the two has disappeared.I found Nick to have an unrivaled understanding of how dogs think and what drives them as well as how to explain that behaviour to dog owners.I highly recommend Family K9, you will not be disappointed!Thank you Nick for helping our dogs get along; our family is now at peace!

Anita Leskow

23:35 05 Sep 21

Our dog Rambo was 8 months when we had decided to begin the obedience training with Nick. We were having on going issues that were worsening with his biting. Walking him outside was risky as we would never know when he would decide to randomly jump up and start biting. Nick right away helped us understand how to change our habits and give us different tools to help him be the best dog he can.After each session we would see very good improvements. Continuing the training at home and staying consistent has changed Rambo to a whole different dog than when we first brought him. Playing and walks have since become a much more enjoyable activity. He listens to commands and understands right from wrong.When I began looking for trainers I stumbled upon Nick. I read the reviews and saw very good ones. I right away knew that we were going to go through with Family K9. In each session you can see how passionate and knowledgeable he is about his work. I would recommend family K9 to anyone who is in need of a trainer. My family and I are very happy and thankful for the help Nick has given us. Rambo has turned into such a fun-loving dog.

See All Reviews

Puppy Pre School

Training for you and your puppy to get started in a positive direction!

Puppies love to learn and teaching them good habits is much easier than correcting bad ones later on. This course is designed to help people with puppies aged between 8-16 weeks old get started on the right track . It consists of 3 private lessons and takes place in your home covering house rules and manners as well as beginning obedience.

Obedience training

Hands on training with you, your K9 buddy and Nick @ your home or at the kennel!

This course is designed for the owner who would like to have solid, obedience & control of their dog. Commands such as: sit, heel, come, place, leave it & off. Obedience as well as house manners are addressed and the course is taught in six 1-hour lessons.

Good manners

All dogs should have good manners. Learning not to jump up on people and furniture, not to chew and destroy things which could be dangerous for your dog, not to bark excessively etc ..

One on one private obedience coaching

Want to refine or take your dogs training to the next level?

Private obedience, coaching to help with your dogs’ existing training can be a very useful way to ameliorate your skill set.

Board and train in kennel

Family K9’s most comprehensive dog training package!

Three weeks to a happy and obedient companion that you can confidently take anywhere. Your dog will receive daily lessons and playtime with the other dog as well as tons of TLC.

At the end of the dog’s training, Nick will teach you how to properly maintain your dog’s training for the rest of his/her life.

Nick’s methods are gentle and encouraging & help to strengthen the bond between human and dog. Family K9 is so confident in this service that it is backed it with a Lifetime guarantee.

This training package is in high demand with limited space available. Advanced reservations are required.

Nick & Boss – German Shepherd Dog in Training

Behavioural consultations

In certain cases a consultation can prove very useful when we need to asses a dog’s behaviour prior to training. Or for those who live very far away a phone consultation is the next best thing to training together in a hands on fashion.

Help with reactive dogs

Dog aggression

Human aggression

Separation anxiety

House breaking

Training & management solutions for all types of behavioural issues

Zoom consultations

Montreal dog training videos

Dog training videos. Covering a wide range of dog breeds and mixes, temperaments, drives. With a focus on helping owners of canine companions meet their needs and goals.

Indy – Border Collie Mix. Trained Fall 2022.

Click here or on the Blog link @ the top of the page to view a wide collection of videos

No more pulling on leash

Focused heeling, communication and cooperation.

From playful dogs who pull on leash to get everywhere quicker to dog reactive dogs.

See video

Training special needs dogs

Dogs possess very impressive adaptability

See video

Teaching canine manners

Building belief systems in dog training

See video

Help training reactive dogs

Is your reactive dog causing you problems and stress?

Have a look at these videos.

See videos

Family K9 Dog Training - Montreal Dog Trainer

5.0

Based on 21 reviews

Kimberly Camacho

2023-05-15T16:49:23+0000

We enrolled our 2-year-old Shiba Inu, Mochi, in a 3-week in-kennel training program due to her serious degrees dog agression and reactivity. Nick, demonstrated exceptional skills... in handling her while also helping us understand and respect her boundaries. Not only did Nick bring about a significant improvement in Mochi’s behaviour and leash walking within just a few weeks, but he also proved to be incredibly reliable. He was always available to answer any questions or concerns along the way and provided tailored options that suited Mochi’s specific needs. We wholeheartedly recommend Nick to anyone in need of a trainer. He is truly blessed and gifted in what he does, and we are forever grateful for the strengthened bond he helped us build with Mochi.read more

Moose Murphy

2019-10-12T12:07:33+0000

Nick’s commitment to teaching Shiloh and educating us was unparalleled. Our puppy came home confident, calm, attentive and happy. Knowing that Nick’s dedication to support and... guide us as Shiloh progresses is a testament to his passion in training. We are so fortunate to have had such a rewarding experience and beyond grateful. 🐾Shiloh and family💚read more

Maroussia Ramo

2019-06-26T15:14:09+0000

Nick first of all we want to say thank you! We sent our girl Shelby a german shepherd with SEVERE fear agression for the 3 week in kennel training... and it was simply the BEST... decision we made!Let me tell you Shelby was a piece of work for us before... we were stressed out to take her out because she would just explode at the sight of a dog or person (bark, lunge, growl). We tried about 3-4 personal trainers.. with absolutely NO success... When we found Family K9 we were at our last resort and were ready to do anything to help out our girl and ourselves live better lives !When we got there she went crazy barking, growling and all that.... but Nick built such and incredible bond with our dog and she just loved him!Nick did MIRACLES for our dog! In 3 weeks she came back to us a different dog, still fearful because that's just how she is but so much more trusting of us and controlled when faced with a stress factor! We crossed dogs, we had people over only a day after going to get her and we had NO reaction from her !! she looked more relaxed and that made us all so much more relaxed!Nick took the time to explain to us every detail of our dog's "Psychology" and gave us SO many tools that work wonders !We would recommend Family K9 any day! What he did for us and for our big girl Shelby is a miracle and we could never say thank you enough!read more

Catherine Groulx

2019-01-22T15:44:48+0000

J'écris ce commentaire en toute modestie parce que je pense qu'il peut vous aider si vous êtes dans la même situation que moi.Voici l'histoire de Mako. Mako est un Cane... Corso/Grand Danois X Redbone Coonhound/Malinois de 2 ans. Donc, un chien ayant énormément d'énergie tout en étant gigantesque.Mako a bénéficié du service "board and train" de 3 semaines avec Nick. Malheureusement pour moi, Mako porte très bien son nom. Depuis, qu'il est tout petit, il mord, saute sur les gens, vole des objets interdits, ouvre les portes et se sauve etc. Tous les comportements négatifs qu'un chien peut avoir, Mako les avait. J'avais honte de mon chien et honte de mes capacités en tant que maître. Mes consultations avec des entraîneurs en renforcements positifs n'ont jamais eu les résultats prévus pour contrer les mauvais comportements et mon chien me considérait comme une distributrice de gâteries. Je suis la propriétaire d'un chien tellement "hyper" qu'il a mangé 3 cages et un mur pour ne pas faire son "temps de punition". Vous voyez le genre? Bref, mon chien était devenu un adulte de 125lbs et il était dangereux. Il a envoyé 3 personnes à l'hôpital parce qu'il était trop excité. J'ai pris mes responsabilités même si cela représente un investissement d'argent important. Mako est revenu transformé. Il est plus calme dans la maison. Il ne cherche plus à voler des objets pour me faire réagir. Je peux vider et remplir le lave-vaisselle sans crainte. Il ne charge plus la fenêtre en grognant si quelqu'un passe devant chez moi. Je peux avoir des invités et Mako reste à sa place si je lui demande. Nous pouvons souper en paix. Il a tellement de focus que je peux jouer à tirer et faire de l'obéissance avancée avec lui. Il écoute mes commandes! J'ai même pu lui apprendre à mettre sa muselière et à entrer dans sa cage sans crise. En laisse, il ne tire plus à moins de voir un écureuil ou un autre chien et je n'ai qu'à le rappeler à l'ordre pour qu'il reprenne sa place derrière moi. C'est incroyable! Il a un comportement exemplaire dans la maison, dans la cour et en laisse au pied. J'en suis maintenant au point de faire des exercices en longe avec distractions. Mon seul problème est son agressivité envers les autres chiens sans laisse et nous y travaillons très fort. Qu'on se comprenne bien, votre chien reviendra probablement complètement obéissant en laisse et sans laisse. Par contre, si vous avez un chien de travail très exigeant, vous devrez continuer à maintenir les commandes quotidiennement. J'ai maintenant beaucoup de plaisir avec mon chien. Je peux mieux communiquer avec lui. Il me respecte. L'investissement en valait la peine et je n'hésiterai pas à confier un autre chien à Nick lorsque le moment sera venu. Pensez-y, cela représente peut-être beaucoup d'argent sur le coup mais combien peut vous coûter une poursuite si votre chien blesse quelqu'un ou un autre chien? J'espère que mon commentaire vous a aidé à prendre une décision et je remercie Nick pour sa persévérance avec Mako. Il a sauvé mon chien d'une euthanasie certaine. Merci! Hey Nick! Thank you for your time with Mako. He is now a perfect gentleman inside. I can walk him without his halti. I am training him for competition heeling, sit, down, stand with 50 feet long leash JUST FOR FUN! I can't believe it! He loves to work! He mastered the "out" command so I can play tug with him now. Now I see the amazing working dog he is! Thanks to you! You told me that I had a F1 and I didn't know how to drive. Thank you for telling me the truth. I'm now a better handler and Mako and I enjoy working together. Thanks! See you in a few months for the "refresh" class. You wouldn't believe how far we've come!read more

Martine Labelle

2018-02-01T17:22:01+0000

Spooky est une chienne de 5 ans avec un comportement très craintif. Nick a su lui apprendre à résorber sa peur et faire d'elle un chien beaucoup plus flexible. Les résultats... sont époustouflants, j'ai tellement aimé que lundi prochain, Nick passera prendre mon chiot pour l'entrainer elle aussi!Encore milles merci Nick tu es mon sauveur.read more

Julie Munro

2017-05-16T00:37:22+0000

Nick, Thank you so much for the time spent and energy spent training my dog Mali. After a few weeks back home, I can tell you how still impressed I am to see the changes in her... behaviour. Before the training, I could tell that my dog was stressed and reactive in a lot of situations, especially at home. Now, I can tell that she is more relaxed and laid back, she is very attentive and focus on our commands and she enjoys life around the house so much more, and so do we. I recommend you and your services to anyone who has some issues with their dogs, whatever the issue is! Thanks again!! 🙂read more

Peter Labetis

2017-05-09T20:53:32+0000

محمد ابراهيم علي

2017-03-24T15:50:26+0000

We could not have asked for a better outcome. Nick was patient and thorough with us and Stella, our 6 month old Black Lab. We cannot put into words how grateful we are to have had... Nick train Stella for her puppy class and intensive obedience class. We will definitely be recommending him to every dog owner we know and will be using him for all future dogs.read more

Lorna Peters

2017-01-26T01:39:44+0000

After only 3 sessions with you, Razor has done exceptionally well with his training. I've had many people comment on how well behaved he is & have referred you to many. Today... while walking, someone stopped their car to compliment me on how well behaved he is .. amazing feeling.Thank you Nick!!read more

Francine Goldberg

2016-09-15T15:17:40+0000

Nick is not even 5 stars, he is 10 stars. He is the best trainer in Montreal. Nothing is too daunting for him, nothing is too difficult . He can handle the most complicated... issues. I have a medical clinic and his training with Finn is almost miraculous. Words fail me to express how thrilled we are.read more

Chris Katsa

2016-07-30T13:13:14+0000

Too often we let good deeds and good people get pushed aside in the swirl of the day-to-day activities of life. While understandable, we believe that a general lack of... acknowledgement faintly supports the idea that positive interactions are no different than negative interactions.With that in mind, we wanted to share our experiences working with Nick Zevgolis owner of FamilyK9.As parents of a severely autistic boy, we wanted to ensure our dogs transition in the family unit, would be a happy, healthy and balanced experience that would not disrupt (only assist and support) the inherent delicate life dynamics of a household with a handicapped kid.We enrolled in Nick’s private intensive In Home Obedience – On and Off Leash training course hoping he could teach us how to work with our dog as well as help guide and train our young Shiloh Shepherd named Angel for our complicated lifestyle.From our very first training session, we’ve been amazed at how professional, knowledgeable, caring and discreet Nick has been with all of us. Throughout the training course, we’ve become quite fond of Nick as has Angel. He has treated us as something other than just a customer and he has given Angel a steady dose of love and effective training.Nick has been honest, forthright, kind and professional with us, in every interaction we’ve had with him.We would highly recommend Nick to anyone who is looking for a dog trainer; he is hands down one of the best out there!In closing we would like express our gratitude to Nick and let him know that our support goes beyond kind words, the whole experience from beginning to end was truly enriching, enlightening and always fun.The family of Angel the Shiloh Shepherdread more

Joy Kucer

2015-11-02T04:01:35+0000

Nick is a gentle man who cares about his people and their dogs. His results are outstanding! Thank you Nick,Bobby,Joy and Dan.

Ellen Doyle Sullivan

2015-08-27T19:24:29+0000

I have had 2 dogs trained through Nick - I drove them up from Cape Cod and it was well worth the trips !! He is a great trainer and 12 years later, Skyla and Hanzee are both... wonderful, well mannered dogs!! I would travel to Montreal again for training if we ever get another dog ( or when).read more

Vicky Arghiriu

2015-04-07T19:24:25+0000

You will never be able to find someone as dedicated as Nick. He is presently training our Cane Corso Porsha and we know she is in the best of hands. 10Years ago he also trained... our German Shepard and til today Vulcan has been such an amazing dog!!!Thanks for everything!!read more

Jonathan Levitt

2015-04-02T20:13:52+0000

Stephanie Margaret Cochrane

2015-02-26T19:24:33+0000

We could not be happier with the training program, along with the quality of service,support and results!!!

Peter Elikann

2014-10-27T02:07:41+0000

I’m not one who usually endorses businesses, but I am so motivated to write this and, at the same time, not sound like some kind of giddy fan.We sent two incorrigible Dobermans... to Nick and their transformation was nothing short of a miracle. It was an 11-hour round-trip drive from where we live in Boston, Massachusetts which I, initially, thought was a bit extreme on our part. Yet I discovered that we, by no means, would win any awards for traveling so far to use Nick as others have, apparently, flown in from all over the United States and the world.The thing that shines through more than anything is Nick Zevgolis’s over-riding love for dogs. I think if I, personally, worked with dogs around the clock, I would get a bit jaded and blasé about them and start to look at them as a job that I had to get through. But Nick, remarkably, remains enamored of each new one as he seems to delight in their individual personalities, quirks, and idiosyncrasies and appears to look at each dog as a challenge to win over and make that dog’s life that much better. So the irony is that Nick seems to be, simultaneously, a no-nonsense firm instructor with a tough self-confidence that will not be out-willed by a dog . . . while also being the most affectionate dog-lover. Ultimately, this forceful taskmaster is successful partially because the dogs just love him. The other piece seems to be (and I know the phrase “dog whisperer” tends to be popularly bandied about too much lately) that he does uncannily get into their heads and intuitively “get” them. Nick is also just a pleasure to work with. We were in the area for several days when our dogs’ training came to an end and he insisted we work with him and the dogs together even though they had already been trained. He was available to us almost around the clock and, even though it was a weekend, made it clear that he would stay with us from the crack of dawn until very late at night helping us work with our dogs if we wanted to. None of this was an extra charge. It wasn’t just a financial generosity, but, more importantly, a generosity of spirit. I have the definite impression that, when it comes to Nick, the money part of things is almost a secondary afterthought. I truly worry about this guy who seems like, if he could afford to, he would give away all his time to making happier the lives of his beloved dogs. But all this nice guy, dog-loving aspect that I write about wouldn’t count if what he does did not work. Nick Zevgolis is the singular most effective results-oriented dog trainer bar none.read more

Rosie Sacks

2014-09-21T04:32:35+0000

Nick is the only one I would ever entrust my dog, Chloe, with...his love and compassion for his dogs is evident at first meeting him...he considers all the dogs he trains as... family, and treats them as such....he excels in his ability as a trainer and goes above and beyond...Chloe loves him and considers it a treat to spend time with him...Thank you, Nick!!!read more

Herta Laporte

2014-07-13T12:47:50+0000

MY ROTTI KELLY WAS HARD TO HANDLE ,HE TOOK ME FOR WALKS,CHASED EVERY THING THAT MOVED,HE WEIGHS 120 POUNDS.------THANKS TO NICK,HE IS NOW THE BEST BEHAVED DOG ,HE IS OFF LEACH... MOST OF THE TIME IN OUR LITTLE FARM,HE FOLLOWS US AROUND AND DOES NOT CHASE ANYTHING.THANKS AGAIN NICK.read more

Rick Gioia

2014-02-21T02:42:31+0000

I hate to admit this - but - Lola is in much better hands with Nick than she is with me.

Maria Hamakiotis

2014-02-20T22:58:44+0000

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Get in touch

Write, speak, bark.

Poppi in for training fall 2019

Due to the nature of my schedule I am in sessions all day with clients and their dogs. Email is the best way to reach me as I cannot get to the phone very easily. Thanks in advance for your understanding.

Montreal Dog Training

Family K9 Dog Training provides the best dog training services to the greater Montreal area and it’s surroundings:

Dog Training in Montreal:

Ahuntsic-Cartierville, Anjou, Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce, Lachine, LaSalle, Le Plateau-Mont-Royal, Le Sud-Ouest, L’Île-Bizard–Sainte-Geneviève, Mercier–Hochelaga-Maisonneuve, Montréal-Nord, Outremont, Pierrefonds-Roxboro. Rivière-des-Prairies–Pointe-aux-Trembles, Rosemont–La Petite-Patrie, Saint-Laurent, Saint-Léonard, Ville-Marie, Villeray–Saint-Michel–Parc-Extension,Verdun

Dog Training in Montérégie:

Beloeil, Brossard, Granby, Candiac, Chambly, Châteauguay, La Prairie, Boucherville, Vaudreuil-Dorion, Pincourt, Saint-Basile-le-Grand, Saint-Constant, Saint-Hyacinthe, Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Saint-Lambert, Saint-Lazare, Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville, Sainte-Catherine, Mont-Saint-Hilaire, Sainte-Julie, Varennes, Salaberry-de-Valleyfield

Dog Training in Laval:

Auteuil, Chomedey, Duvernay, Fabreville, Îles-Laval, Laval-des-Rapides, Laval-Ouest, Laval-sur-le-Lac, Pont-Viau, Sainte-Dorothée, Sainte-Rose, Saint-François, Saint-Vincent-de-Paul, Vimont

Dog Training in South Shore:

Belœil, Boucherville, Brossard, Candiac, Carignan, Chambly, Châteauguay, Delson, Kahnawake, La Prairie, Longueuil, Greenfield Park, Saint-Hubert, LeMoyne, Le Vieux-Longueuil, McMasterville, Mont-Saint-Hilaire, Otterburn Park, Richelieu, Saint-Amable, Saint-Basile-le-Grand, Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville, Saint-Constant, Saint-Isidore, Sainte-Julie, Sainte-Catherine, Saint-Lambert, Saint-Mathias-sur-Richelieu, Saint-Philippe, Varennes, Longueuil

Dog Training in West Island:

Lachine, Dorval, Pointe-Claire. Kirkland, Greenfield Park, Beaconsfield, Baie d’Urfé, Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, Senneville, Dollard-des-Ormeaux, Pierrefonds, Roxboro, Sainte-Geneviève,Île-Bizard

Family K9 Dog Training

Teaching owners to think and speak dog for over 25 years!

1269 Route Harwood, Vaudreuil-Dorion, Qc, J7V 8P2

514-990-5959 (K9K9)