Joyce is an excellent trainer who helped my dog that was pulling on the leash and struggled to pay…read moreattention or calm down in exciting environments. I cannot recommend her enough!

My husband and I were referred to Joyce Loebig when our vet suggested we find a dog trainer…read morecertified in the Karen Pryor method of clicker training. We found her simply through an online search on the Karen Pryor site, and we uncovered a gem of a trainer. Joyce came to our home in Cleveland Park to train Bailey. We found Joyce to be effective, thorough, and a delight to be around. She has a very calm, sincere vibe about her, and a great sense of humor. She also was not self-serious, and really approached dog training in a playful, but very effective manner that set us at ease as we began to train Bailey. Joyce worked with us to teach us the clicker training method, which reinforces a dog's good behavior by clicking and handheld clicker then providing a treat to the dog. We worked on 'touch' and 'sit' during the first session, and also our dog's small dog syndrome, where our dog barked loudly at other dogs while on leash and also our cat in our home. The clicker/positive training method is especially effective for our dog, who is still gaining self-confidence after a being rescued by Rural Dog Rescue from a high kill shelter, and then enduring months of different places to live, as she was transferred between her NC foster family to a local doggy daycare, then our home. Bailey's behavior is a work in progress, and we continue to work with Joyce, but we moved in the right direction during our session. And she managed our expectations about the pace of progress, which was important. Joyce sent us a thorough follow up email and was candid and upfront about pricing, and other dog training options. Joyce will also train your dog in your home while you work, which I think is a huge positive for DC's long work hours. She is extremely positive and professional, and I would highly recommend her.

My fiance and I got a new puppy and knew we needed training. We were having issues with both crate…read moretraining and housebreaking, and decided that in-home training would be best for our puppy. Our expectations with Janet were far exceeded just after the first lesson. After the first session, Koda was no longer afraid of his crate and went in willingly, with little to no whining. With each week that passed, the accidents in the home became less and less to the point where now they are a thing of the past. Koda is still a ball of energy as all puppies are, but the skills and techniques that Janet taught to us and Koda will ensure that Koda grows from a well behaved puppy to a well trained dog. I cannot say enough about how wonderful Janet's methods are with teaching our puppy. She is truly a dog whisperer of sorts - worth every penny! Thank you again and we will pass along your information to anyone who asks about how we got Koda to be such a well behaved puppy.

Janet is incredibly knowledgeable and our Maltese is doing so great as a result of puppy camp. I'm…read moreso glad we sent him.

Brittany helped us do an incredible 180 with our two adopted dogs, which has, without exaggeration,…read moreimproved the overall quality of our life. Five weeks ago, we couldn't let visitors into our home through the front door, walk past other dogs, or be in-the-midst of little ones without major stress for both dogs and humans alike. Fast forward to now, and our dog-reactive pup can pass other dogs on walks with minimal (and occasionally, no) reaction; our kid-fearful pup can hang out near the chaos of little ones playing at the park without stressing out; and we can do introductions with guests visiting our home that don't make us dread having visitors. Prior to Brittany's help, I hadn't walked one of the two in more than a year because the experience was always so stressful. Now, I'm proud every time he turns to me for cues and reassurance as we go on more confident walks together. Our training experience with Brittany really strengthened our trust of, and bond with, both dogs. Like I said, life-changing. Here's what we loved most about working with her: 1. She genuinely cares about our dogs and treated them like she'd treat her own fur-child. It put all of us at ease. 2. She does 100% positive reinforcement behavior training, so we knew (and believed in) her methodology. 3. She customized the training plan for our dogs. We got to pick our top priorities, and she chose the specific activities that would help us and our fur-children accomplish those goals. I could go on and on... we're just so thankful we found her. Thank you so much, Brittany!

Brittany ROCKS! If you need positive reinforcement in your life (with your pups), I highly…read morerecommend calling Brittany and Dances With Dogs. Her training and patience will change your pup(s) and your relationship/interaction with him/her. She is life-changing. Call her now!

Lisa came to meet Saba, our newly adopted lab puppy. She gave us some great tips for teaching her…read morehow to behave and how to train her to walk on lead. Lisa was great at empathizing with and understanding Saba, and helping to address Saba's anxieties.

As a client of Silver Spring Dog Training, I have been very happy with their service. I met Lisa…read moreHenderson when she taught a Puppy Kindergarten class at Washington Animal Rescue League. I noticed right away that she had a wonderful way with the dogs as well as their human guardians. Since then, I have used her to train my rescue puppy on behavior issues. He is very smart so I need someone who can understand him and encourage good habits. I would recommend Lisa Henderson to anyone who is looking for a competent dog trainer.

We live in DC and it's a 45-minute drive to Your Dog's Friend, but chose them anyway after *lots*…read moreof research about the best puppy kindergarten and dog training classes in the DC area. I love that they are a nonprofit organization, how experienced their trainers are (with all relevant certifications), and that they are positive-only (as recommended by AVSAB- American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior - and is best supported by research). We started with puppy kindergarten with our golden retriever (6 sessions, starting around 14 weeks) and LOVED it. I can't say enough good things. The trainers at Your Dog's Friend are so knowledgeable about research-based, positive training and socialization. Everything we learned from Sarah Stoycos and the other trainers we have put into practice with our puppy, Griffey. After puppy K, we signed up for puppy first-grade and will be starting this weekend. We hope to keep going all the way through Canine Good Citizen and potentially do some of their nosework and agility classes, as we think Griffey would enjoy them!

We had a great experience with the basic obedience class! The instructions were really clear and…read morethe lessons moved quickly enough that my dog stayed engaged the whole time. I'm already seeing improvement in her recall when we're at the park! Highly recommend these trainers and will be back for more classes.

Much like the other reviewer, I don't typically leave reviews. However, Gabriela is absolutely…read morefantastic. My partner and I started working with her when Nova (our 3-year-old rescue) had to leave daycare due to her anxiety and reactivity, and was also getting scared and overwhelmed on walks. Gabriela worked with us virtually and we were able to see dramatic improvements in Nova's well-being. Over the course of four Zoom sessions, she helped us understand what Nova was thinking and going through, and helped us communicate with her in a way she can understand. During our first Zoom consultation, Nova was rocketing around the apartment, trying to chew on everything in sight and create chaos. Six weeks later, during our last Zoom session, Nova slept on the couch calmly. We still have things to work on, but we ended our final session with a clear roadmap for what we were going to tackle next. Gabriela is very knowledgeable, and has been excellent to work with.

Gabriela is extraordinarily knowledgeable, thoughtful, and encouraging. She knows everything there…read moreis to know about dogs and dog training, and she is generous with her time and expertise. She really helped us with our new rescue dog and gave us the tools we need to continue to help him in the future! We're grateful to Gabriela and will be going back to her if challenges pop up in the future!

I can not recommend Scott and Suzy at Dogs by Dancer highly enough. They are thoughtful and…read moreprofessional and my dog loves Scott and is always so excited to see him. I had such a great experience, I am going to send our other dog to Scott. Scott clearly cares about the dogs, is proactive with outreach and has also followed up regularly to see how my dog, Taco, is doing post-training. Taco had several behavioral issues and is so much better, calmer and more confident after his board and train. The follow up group classes are such huge bonus. If you are looking for effective and professional training by someone who clearly loves dogs, Scott Dancer is your guy.

I do not recommend Dc dog wizard, "Dogs by dancer" or any dog training program by Scott Dancer…read more Scott made unsafe choices for the dogs in his care. My dog was returned to me covered in feces/urine. The progress I made with my dog's challenges is gone due to whatever occurred with Scott. Communication was unclear & poor, Scott was incredibly unprofessional & disorganized. Save your money & go elsewhere.

The most awesome training school with so many options. The most exciting is the parades…read more I have had 2 Danes, a boxer and a little feisty ankle breaker take classes and graduate. The trainer Allie is available 24/7 to answer questions too

I have had three dogs trained at this facility in the past and just had another graduate. It is…read morevery affordable then a lot of others who wants hundreds of dollars. The place only charges 120.00 for 6 weeks and it is worth it!!!!!

Haywood and his team are the absolute best!…read more They have been incredibly helpful and kind and supportive while helping turn our German Shepherd pup into a "fine canine citizen" as they say. We opted for the day-care package and it was a delight. Easy drop off and pickup. Incredible value for the price given how much attention and training our Fletcher received. Never once were we even the slightest bit dissatisfied with anything. Special shout outs to Marshall, Sarah, and Jason who have been just awesome. You can tell they're all good folks because our dog gets as excited and loving when he sees them as he does with someone in the family. Thank you so much.

My pit bull and I have been working with Academy for 6 months with much success. I adopted her from…read morea shelter, and she was reactive to others dogs and pulled one the leash. The biggest problem was her strong prey drive, as I have a cat! I found the individual and group classes, taught by Kranti and Tiara, clear and flexible. I practiced the homework easily during her daily walks, and they supported me with extra help when I needed it. Now my pit bill and cat co-existing in peace and harmony. Pit bull has improved 100% with her impulse control on walks/squirrels/cats, and I feel closer then ever to her. It was well worth the time and money.

A big thank you to Jessica at Urban Canine for her help with our new pup. I was AMAZED at the…read morethings she could get our dog to do in just a few minutes, and all of it well explained so we could continue practicing at home. After our sessions, there was follow up with helpful links to articles to read, toys and treats that our dog might find motivating and general checking in to see how we were progressing. The training style is gentle and natural, the focus is on getting our dog to behave because of positive motivation. I am sure that most dog owners can attest to those moments when you just want to yell at a dog to get their attention, but we also can all agree that it rarely actually works. Jessica helped show us other methods for teaching our dog and they really help to keep us calm and give us viable alternatives that WORK!

So happy I recommended Jessica to my client who bought a new puppy! However, this happy family had…read moreno canine experience. While all three generations in this puppy's household adore her; they are very grateful for house training help from Jessica, along with her insightful education of new dog owners, her gentle training methods, her connections to helpful vendors and services in the area, and so much more! I can highly recommend Urban Canine!