Cap City Canines — 4.7★ (18 reviews), Columbus Dog Trainer

Cap City Canines

★★★★★★★★★★ 4.7 18 reviews
Columbus, Ohio 43219
Positive reinforcementObedience Training
Columbus, Ohio 43219

Overview

Training methodPositive reinforcement
Experience10+ years

About Cap City Canines

Cap City Canines is a Columbus trainer led by a National K-9 School Master Trainer graduate, focused on building a meaningful connection between dogs and their people through structured private and residency programs.

How they train

Applied-behavior-based plans delivered as private, in-home lessons that educate the whole family, plus intensive board-and-train residencies for faster results.

Programs

Private dog training, behavior modification (excessive barking, separation anxiety, potty training), and 5-, 10- and 15-day board-and-train residency programs that include a series of in-home private lessons. Contact directly for pricing.

Experience & credentials

Owner Nicholas Hafford is a graduate of the Master Trainer program at the National K-9 School for Dog Trainers in Columbus, with endorsements spanning basic and advanced obedience, behavior modification, personal protection, police K-9, tracking, scent detection and assistance-dog theory. He's also an Ohio State University graduate with 10+ years in behavior-focused educational settings.

Who it’s best for

Best for owners wanting a formally schooled trainer for behavior modification or an intensive board-and-train residency.

What they can help with

Sit, stay, recall and reliable commands, from beginner to advanced.

Certifications & verification

GetDogSchool checks each credential against the official public registry. We mark Certified only what we could independently confirm. How we verify →
National K-9 grad
Listed by the trainer — not independently verified.

Reviews

★★★★★★★★★★ 4.7 18 reviews · Google
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BB
Brian Ballard · 3 years ago
★★★★★
Nick trained our 5 month old beagle pup. He did an amazing job with her obedience training. She spent 10 days with Nick and came back a completely different dog. She is more focused and acts more mature. I like that she was trained in a small group of dogs 3-4 including her, it wasn’t a “facility” and she got to interact with Nick’s family. There is a lot of follow up training required on the owners part to reinforce what Nick did but the training was a game changer! Nick is straightforward, down to earth, and easy going. He made me feel comfortable leaving Ella with him for 10 days. I visited and talked to a lot of other trainers and didn’t feel the comfort level I felt with Nick. Thanks Nick!

DB
David Barwick · 6 years ago
★★★★★
Nick has done an incredible job with our Great Dane puppy, Moose. Nick first visited for an in home session in early March 2019 when Moose was 15 weeks old. At the time, we were dealing with a huge biting issue and a dependence on treats for obedience behavior (if he couldn’t see a treat, Moose wouldn’t listen at all). Even though we made a lot of progress in just one session, we decided to enroll Moose in Nick’s 10-day board and train. The transformation over those 10 days was astounding. We got a preview of his training in a video that Nick sent us, but it was fantastic to see in person that Moose no longer relied on treats, he was no longer biting, and was amazing on leash with obedience commands and good with off leash commands. I was so pleased to have a puppy who I didn’t fear biting me nonstop (note that a 60 pound Great Dane puppy’s bites are extremely painful).

Nick stressed that training had to continue at home if Moose was to retain his good behavior and gave us a lesson when he dropped Moose back home in addition to a guide for how to work with him daily. We had one minor issue with Moose struggling to obey around children and other dogs and when I asked Nick for advice, he came right out to my house for a follow up lesson around other people and dogs. Nick made it clear that if any other issues arose, he was happy to come back out and work with Moose.

When we took a family vacation in June 2019, we knew Nick was the person we wanted Moose to stay with. Moose was overjoyed to see his pal and seems to have had the time of his life while boarding with Nick.

I highly recommend Nick’s services to anyone who is looking for obedience training for their dogs or working out problem behaviors. Nick helped us fully integrate Moose into the family instead of having to keep him in gated rooms for fear of biting. We constantly hear comments on how well behaved our dog is while out in public – people are shocked that he is only seven months old and can follow all of his commands even in very distracting environments! Nick is very communicative and open to his client’s preferences on training as well. You can tell he truly enjoys working with dogs and has a great connection with them. We’re extremely happy with everything Nick has done for us and I’m sure Moose can’t wait for us to take another vacation so he gets to see his friend!

(The photos I've posted show how well Moose holds his sit – I do not have to hold his leash and can leave him sitting without any supervision at all. In the photo in the neighborhood, children were nearby and cars were driving by and Moose was still obedient and well behaved.)

TC
Tammy Charlson · 4 years ago
★★★★★
Nick was very responsive when I reached out to him for training. He even worked with us and changed his schedule to take our dog, Harvey-an Aussiedoodle, for a board and train when we went on vacation, with short notice. He sent pictures and a video during his training when I checked in on him. He provided training to us when he returned him. (He picks up and returns). He took as much time as we needed. Harvey came back with so many manners and has been well behaved since his return. Previously we couldn’t keep him from counter surfing, pulled a lot while on walks and thinking he was in charge when we passed people and dogs. He would run through the house from window to window barking at dogs walking by the house. When he does any of these habits, if we firmly tell him no he stops. We did chose to use e-collar for part of his training. Since home have only had to use a couple times. He has been responding well to No.

Nick was going on vacation next day after bringing him home – he even followed up while on vacation to see if we had any issues or concerns. I highly, highly recommend him to everyone that comments how well behaved Harvey is now. Thank you, Nick.

MZ
Mary Zenelaj · 5 years ago
★★★★★
Nick trained my Golden Retriever Brady for 10 days. We had a phenomenal experience. Nick was very responsive any time I checked in plus sent pictures and videos of his progress and performance. Since Brady has returned home he has been a breeze to walk on the leash and listens to all the commands Nick taught Brady and myself.
I was hesitant at first on spending the money on training and being without Brady for 10 days but I’m so happy we decided to move forward.
We plan to get more dogs in the future and I will definitely be a returning customer. I HIGHLY recommend utilizing these training services. So worth it!!!
Zero complaints, great investment, fantastic experience overall!
Thanks Nick!!! Brady misses his new buddy!

EF
Emily Fruchey · 7 years ago
★★★★★
Nick was great to work with for the board and training (10 days) of our 8 month golden doodle. He responded quickly to my inquiry and was able to schedule our dog for training within a few days.
He is home now and is a completely different animal. Not only is he following the commands Nick taught him, he is much more calm. Before he was so jumpy and rough with our young kids that they didn’t want to play with him and tonight he is sleeping in my daughters bed. Total transformation! So happy with the results and I would highly recommend training with Nick.

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