Have you ever been walking in a park, or down a sidewalk and you see a dog that you just know is going to jump up on you? It happens all the time. Usually the dog’s owner says something like, “Oh, it’s OK… she’s friendly.” By the time you’ve gotten yourself untangled from the dog, the leash and the owner, your pants are paw-painted with mud and you’re cursing the dog and the owner. Overly friendly dogs can be brutal. At the same time, overly aggressive dogs are no ‘walk in the park’ either. It can be frightening to own a dog that is unpredictable with people and/or other dogs. Then there’re the dogs that never shut up… the ones living in your neighborhood that bark incessantly, making you want to go out and buy a paint ball gun. But what can you really do with the dogs that are just too much to handle… even for trainers? Well, Buffalo is now home to one of the best dog training institutions in the world. I’m not talking about doggy daycare here (even though that is one of the offerings). I’m talking about certified trainers who look forward to the challenge of taking on the worst of the worst – dogs that are too far gone, and the only answer (up until now) is finding a farm or buying the farm.
The opening of K9 Connection is a big win for Buffalo. Not only is it a super cool and unusual business that is gaining all sorts of world recognition, it is also set up in an enormously well-suited location on Niagara Street. When I arrived to take a look around, I found lead trainer Josh Moran out in front of the building working with a client (and her master) on the sidewalk. Inside there were more dogs working one-on-one with the trainers. In a large room a trainer was instructing a dog to sit on various blue seats before walking, then stopping, trotting and ultimately healing before walking into the next room. Situated next to that room was another large room, with more rooms off to the side. There was also a huge outdoor area for the dogs to play… actually, that’s not accurate. That’s what I originally thought. The dogs that attend K9 Connection are not there to play. They are there to learn how to be obedient. “These dogs share your house,” Josh pointed out. “The least they could do is be respectful. For some dogs, this is their last stop. The owners have tried everything else, and now it’s up to us. We excel at training dogs that are considered hopeless.” As if proving his point, Josh rolled up his sleeve and showed me one of his arms. It was covered with puncture wounds from dogs that he has ‘worked with’ over the years. You may think that I’m exaggerating, but I am not. To tell you the truth, I’ve never seen anything like it – and that’s when I knew that these guys were the real deal.
Although owner Tyler Muto was not there when I stopped in, I did get a chance to catch up with him at a later point. “I always had a love for dogs,” he told me. “I grew up in Rochester and I came to Buffalo for electrical engineering… then went back to Rochester and got my degree in philosophy. My plan was to go to grad school, and while I was working towards that end, I wound up taking care of a friend’s dog. Part of my dog sitting duty was taking the dog to training classes, and I began asking the trainer questions…
“Shortly thereafter I began to work with some of the dogs, and after the facility owner saw how naturally I took to the training she brought me onboard as an apprentice. Eventually I moved back to Buffalo when my wife was attending law school at UB. By that time, I was accustomed to handling aggressive cases, and I realized that there was nobody in Buffalo conducting this sort of obedience training. So I started my own business with $300. My goal was to experience every type of training method… in order to be as knowledgeable as possible. I wanted to know it all in order to pick and choose my own methods. That came mainly from my background in philosophy.
^Tyler Muto
“At this point, I’ve traveled the country and learned from the best trainers in the world. I have found that it is important that we have flexible relationships with our dogs. We must always adjust to work with a dog’s temperament. I think that so many trainers get stuck in one or two teaching principles… at K9 we are always learning and applying. I have an amazing team that works with me. We are constantly two steps ahead of anyone else. We are that good because we never stop learning. After posting our training videos online we started getting emails from all over the world, asking us about our training methods. I’m in communication right now with a trainer from Brazil who is coming here to learn… then there are five professionals from around the country, Europe and India, who are coming here in the spring. People appreciate that this is not smoke and mirrors… it’s logical. It is very transparent. And it’s ultimately the end results that make us successful. We have a great reputation in Buffalo… if you ever hear of anything negative, then it’s coming from another trainer that doesn’t understand what we are doing. To put it simply, we are here to end the frustration between a dog and an owner.”
K9 Connection is a 10,000 sq.’ facility with an additional 4000sq.’ outside. Previously the building sat vacant, but before that it was a children’s daycare. When Tyler got ahold of it, there was water and mold damage throughout (see ‘before’ photos) and some of the ceilings were caved in. “As of today, I have spent over $350,000 to fix it up. Evans Bank has been amazing to work with. No other bank was willing to take me on. I’m 28 years old and it wouldn’t have happened without a bank believing in me. That and the New York Business Development Corporation (NYBDC). The deal was all facilitated through Evans Bank. It’s like a dream come true. This whole concept would also not have been possible without the awesome team I have working behind me. My staff has worked incredibly hard to help me achieve this. Particularly my lead trainer Josh Moran, who has been me for 3 1/2 of the 4 1/2 years that I’ve owned the company. As for location, we wanted to be in the city, because we have clients all over and we needed to be centrally located. We feel that th
is section of Niagara Street is an up and coming area (more to come). We will also be opening a dog daycare in the near future. If anyone is interested in the training, we offer a free 90 minute consultation before any commitments are made.”
“For people who want a dog who listens ever time, any place, with any distraction” – K9 Connection.
K9 Connection will not train a dog to be aggressive. The behavior modification programs are geared toward dogs “who exhibit aggression, fearfulness, excessive barking, door dashing, separation anxiety or unruly house behavior.” Private lessons, lifetime group training and boot camp are options.
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