5-stars for Inna and the Wag The Dog training program! My wife and I found Inna (via Yelp) shortly after taking our miniature poodle home with us at 11 weeks old. Being our first dog, we did not know what to expect. Inna visited us for 4x1hr sessions over the course of about 8 weeks and we could not have been happier with the results. In short - the puppy is trained, but it is really the "masters" that learn all the tricks. Inna was patient with us as we learned the benefits of positive reinforcement. Bebop the Poodle has become most excellent with the basic commands - come, sit, stay, touch, watch - and we, as owners, feel confident that we can continue teaching more desirable actions on our own now that *we* have been trained. Inna is very accommodating and provided a quality service in-person, but is also available for help via phone or email when we've had questions. She clearly loves dogs and is a much-welcomed visitor for little Bebop. We heartily endorse Wag the Dog for personal 1-on-1 training, and imagine that group sessions are equally effective. read more

Inna was super helpful in setting up a framework to deal with my dog Ellie's reactive behaviors. Through gradual exercises and follow-ups, the difference for my pup in just two months is impressive. Definitely recommend! read more

She's really amazing at what she does. We have a reactive dog and she was patient and kind and taught us a lot of ways to redirect. I appreciate her positive reinforcement training style as well. We have come so far in our first five lessons. read more

Great, patient, calm dog training. We've had a few trainers in the past but thought the techniques we learned here were the most efficient, and to be honest even a little fun! We've noticed a definite difference in our pup's behavior/aggression. read more

My 4 month old Bull Terrier puppy, Buck, was an absolute basket case before we contacted Inna at Wag the Dog! Thanks to 4 personal training sessions at home and to 6 puppy class sessions, we now have the most perfect, straight-A, puppy. He has truly transformed into a happy and confident dog who is absolutely OBSESSED with his trainer Inna! Inna was so patient with our four legged terriorist and, most importantly, she taught us humans the tools to succeed in training and also how to build a positive relationship with our pup forever. Inna has completely changed or lives. Thanks to Inna for teaching our Buck how to: Not jump up on people, walk on a leash like a perfect gentleman, not nip/bite, make eye contact with us on command, "leave-it", sit, stay, come, lie down, relax, LOVE his crate, ignore other dogs on the street, play nice with other dogs at the dog park, greet house guests calmly, allow to be picked up without aggression, allow us to sit on our couch, allow us to sit on the floor with him, ride in the car, go to his bed, and the list goes on!! After just 2 months Buck has become a dog we can be very proud to love and to take with us anywhere. Worth so much more than it costs! read more

Wag The Dog - Pet Training Near Me

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Thank you Inna for such a wonderful "Reactive Dog Training" class this past December (2018). We adopted a lovely doggo from TX, who upon arriving into NYC developed some severe leash reactivity. We found him gentle in every other aspect of living but we're worried about how we could help our little buddy adjust. Inna, and all of her amazing POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT (!!!) has brought such ease to our lives in only a few short weeks. We're so happy we're learning along with our pup and no one has to deal with shocks or prongs or anything that might hurt or suppress! We even made our first encounter with dogs off leash just today and feel more hopeful than ever. Thank you, Inna!!!! read more

My pup has two stages in his life: his rebellious, inside peeing, stranger barking, leash tugging youth, and post-Wag The Dog training adulthood. Throughout our training lessons, Inna transformed my little guy into a dog I'm not anxious to take to friend's homes or to the office. He has been loveable and looked adorable from the beginning but now has the temperament to match, and none of that would be possible without Inna, whose teaching (both of my dog and myself), post-lesson contacting, and general approach to pup life transformed my little guy (and thus, my household!). 10/10! read more

Working with Inna has been a great experience! Our adopted dog Bonnie started having some behavior problems and aggression towards other dogs a few months after she came home. Through working with Inna we've learned to combat these issues and now feel like we have the skillset to continue training her on our own. read more

Inna is an amazing dog trainer. She has been traveling all the way to upper Manhattan to work with my leash-reactive dog and me for the past few months and we couldn't be happier! When Inna first came to us, Obi was so anxious about walks that he wouldn't even take treats the moment we left the apartment. He is still a work in progress but there is such immense improvement, it's unbelievable. Inna is dedicated and experienced. She is knowledgeable and unrelenting. Most of all, she is encouraging. We are absolutely blessed to have found such an amazing person to work with Obi. I highly recommend Inna for dog training (apparently she does cat training too!). If only Wag the Dog was closer, we'd be frequent flyers in her group classes as well! read more

My pug Buddy attended the Basic Manners class with Ina...she was great! Buddy responded to her and the lessons really quickly. Her instructions are easy to follow for both the Dog and their owners...Ina was easy to talk to about other training issues not covered in the classes, giving some much needed tips. I would recommend her training classes to anyone. read more

My frenchie came into my life last May at just 3 months old. Being that my best friend trains but is outside of NY I reached out to her to help me find a suitable trainer near me. Thank god she found inna! From the very first email I could tell that Inna is in it for all the right reasons. For her love of dogs, her belief in no bad dogs, and her patience and kindness in answering all the silly questions we come up with for our fur babies. Our first class was postponed due to only 2 dogs signing up, but Inna assured us we would go on next week regardless of numbers since she didn't want our puppies to go too long without getting into class. We did get a third dog, and class went on for us 3 which was incredible because it was basically private training! Every class started with some playtime, and then Inna would teach us about why we train with positive reinforcement, and the importance of the topics covered in class. She was always extremely patient with our questions and so informative. She would even let our class go over the hour limit (almost every week!) just so we could get the extra exercises in. We covered all our basic puppy manners and I never knew my dog could be so well behaved at such a young age. The home works we received to work at home with were easy enough to do without her, but Inna was always a phone call away should we have a question. I can honestly say that both I and my dog thoroughly enjoyed training with Inna. It got to the point where my dog would start jumping in excitement just by mentioning her. And when we pulled up outside class she knew and was so happy! Our entire class was very upset that it went so quickly as we all genuinely loved the class. I have nothing but the best to say about wag the dog NYC! Inna even follows up after class ends to make sure the pups are still on the right track. At the end of the day, it's about you and your dog and Inna gets that. If she sees a dog not responding a certain way, she's happy to tweak her plans to work for your dog which is so helpful because dogs have so many different personalities like we do! Her knowledge in the field is so extensive and it's evident even just in conversations with her. If you need a dog trainer in NYC I don't just highly recommend Wag The Dog, but you'd be cheating yourself choosing anywhere else! Thanks Inna for all you've done for me and Nova!!! read more

My 3-year old labrador Mira had some bad experiences that made her very anxious and dog reactive. It was a lot of barking and lounging, to the point where I dreaded going out with her. She was only like this when walking with me, so it was to "protect me". I was so frustrated that I now dreaded taking out my wonderful dog. I contacted Wag the Dog, and Christine was amazing. Before we even met she gave me great advice and she is 100% force-free etc. With her training methods. Only positive reenforcement. She is always available by phone and gives more service than anyone I have had before. Now Mira and Me are almost back to the way it was before her trauma. She gave me and Mira our life back. Im so grateful that I contacted them and still have Christine as our trainer, as I dont want anyone else. read more

I enlisted Inna to help me with my 6 month old goldendoodle last month and I'm so glad we found her. Inna was incredibly helpful educating me about puppy behaviors and offering me techniques that actually worked. She was communicative through email between sessions and sent me recaps of our sessions to refer to, which I used frequently. Honestly, I wish I had found her sooner because she was so helpful. Her fees are competitive and worth every penny. I highly recommend working with her. Thank you Inna! read more

Wag the Dog and Inna rock! After attending the puppy kindergarten with her, we hired her several times to work on specific issues. She is bright, savvy and cares so much about the dogs. She is completely dedicated to the profession and gets down and dirty with the training unlike other schools that are more concerned with printing out a fancy "graduation" certificate than getting results. read more

Wag The Dog saved us! Our dog Houston was a mess when it came to other dogs. He was extremely reactive around other dogs and neighbors in our building, but after attending the reactive dog class (and of course continuing the training everyday), he has been a million times better. Inna's class was so helpful and motivating. Now we can walk him down the street confident that he won't lunge after his neighbors! read more

We just finished Basic Manners class with Inna, and our dog, McGee, learned so much! Not to mention the fact that we learned so much. The training exercises are easy-to-follow, the program made sense to us and McGee, and we have a better, more manageable pup because of it. I'd recommend Wag the Dog to anyone. read more

We had a great experience with Christine! After months of trying to train our adopted hound and getting nowhere, we finally caved in and called Wag the Dog. I only regret not doing it sooner! We made progress almost immediately, and have continued to make progress in the months since. We can finally enjoy our walks without any leash aggression, which makes all of our lives better! read more

After acquiring a dog with some issues, I sought out Inna at Wag the Dog for a consultation and training classes. The consultation was very helpful and informative. Along with the classes that helped me understand how to manage my new pet. Friends have commented on how well behaved and relaxed the dog has become, and I'm able to take him around with me now. Two years later, I moved in with someone. The dog had some adjustment issues with a new person in the apartment. So I called Inna again for a home visit. She made the new roommate feel at ease with handling the dog and taught some new tricks. I highly highly recommend Inna to anyone with a troubled pet. She's very patient, insightful and I feel like she really cares about the animals she meets. read more

Almost two years ago I adopted my first dog Bradley - he was a rescue Shetland Sheepdog, about 8 years old. He was an incredible and sweet dog to me and my family, and very well behaved in the house - however, he was very, very reactive to other dogs and other people when out for a walk. For months and months I tried everything with Bradley - I worked with a couple of trainers trying everything we possibly could to make Bradley less reactive, but nothing worked. And it was getting to the point where it was upsetting to go out for a walk with him because he would become so aggressive and it was obviously stressing him out - not to mention al of the nasty comments I would get from other people. I was really relieved when I came across Inna's Reactive Dog class last spring - it was comforting to know that I was not the only person experiencing these problems. I enrolled Bradley in the class, and it pretty much changed his life. Inna was AMAZING - she was so patient and kind to Bradley, and her click techniques and games like "Look at That" were SO helpful for him! After Bradley was finished with Inna's class, he was able to deal with seeing dogs and not freaking out. I also know Bradley really loved the class because every Thursday night he would race to the car and always be really excited to go - especially since there was always delicious treats for him there! I cannot stress this enough - if you are having issues with a reactive dog, you HAVE to take Inna's class. It will drastically improve your life with your dog. Also, from having worked with other trainers before Inna, it is apparent how much she truly cares for the dogs. She was always so kind to Bradley and never became frustrated with him. read more

I first found Wag the Dog when I was looking for a puppy kindergarten class for my pit bull puppy, Juno. As as first time city dog owner, and first time pit bull owner, I was very concerned about having a well behaved dog that got along with others and was able to follow basic commands. By the end of those 6 weeks, Juno knew all her basics, was able to play well with others and in general was a much more well mannered pup. I loved how Inna structured the class, with puppy playtime in the beginning, then a talk about puppy behavior and care, and then we finished with training. Inna also provided handouts with homework assignments that complemented the work we did in class so we could continue to practice what we had learned and be prepared for the next class. It was a great experience for Juno and I, especially as we were getting to know each other as owner and pet. The second class I took with Inna was a few months later because I wanted to continue the work we did in the puppy kindergarten class. It was the off-leash control class, and it was incredibly helpful in taking Juno to the next level of listening to and responding to commands, even with distractions, such as toys, other people and other dogs, all around her. i also loved that a large part of this class focused on strengthening the bond of trust and communication between my pet and I. I felt like after we completed this class, I had a lot more trust that Juno would respond to me in difficult situations and that she had a better understanding of what I expected from her when I gave her a command. Finally, I called Inna in to work with Juno and I privately a few weeks ago after Juno started having adolescent behavior issues that I wanted to nip in the bud, such as jumping on people when greeting them and still being very mouthy with people's hands when playing. Inna came to my house where we spent a long time talking about my concerns and Juno's issues, and then after observing her doing these behaviors, Inna was able to offer up simple, straight-forward tactics for me to do with Juno to curb her bad behavior. With continued practice and check-ins, Juno is now becoming a very polite, well behaved pit bull who can represent her breed in the best possible way! The thing I loved about working with Inna is that she is a very positive and observant trainer. It was obvious right away that she has spent many years working with dogs and understands many types of different dog's behaviors and problems. With my pit bull in particular, she was able to offer up suggestions that addressed issues specific to the breed so we could work with her on them before they became a real problem. She is not prejudiced towards any particular breed or type of dog and I learned so much not only when she was working with my dog, but when she was working with the other dogs in our class and their particular issue. For me it was important to be in a positive learning environment and I loved the click and reward method used in class to highlight the desired behavior as opposed to trying to dominate or "correct" the dog. I very highly recommend Inna and Wag the Dog if your dog has behavior issues or if you just want to remind yourself and your dog about good manners. It has been very helpful and very bonding for me and Juno. I am looking forward to continuing to take classes with her to keep the good behavior going well into her adult years. read more

Great course taught by a very knowledgeable trainer. She was always helpful and kind. She never watched the clock during the classes, which is great because she made sure that every lesson on the curriculum was taught. read more

I met Inna from Wag the Dog after adopting a 3-year-old rescue miniature poodle with separation anxiety: fear of dogs, people, and barked relentlessly when I left the apartment. With Inna's advice after two months he transformed into being as loving with the people in my life as he is with me, not one bite incident, and comfort walking outside. His barking problem stopped completely and he learned to live outside his crate when I was away with NO problems at all. I now have a VERY happy boy and I can go about my life with no problems or complaints. Fantastic organization - would recommend to anyone! read more

I am writing this review the second after I taught my puppy in 10 minutes the name of one of her toys. That's all Inna! I have been to other puppy classes where it was all about training your puppy to be absolutely controlled. Not in Inna's class. The classes were not just about obedience and controlling your dog's behavior (which she teaches through clicker training) - they were about developing a life-long relationship with your pet, and growing a friendship between the two of you. Inna didn't just make the classes informative, but also fun. From the minute we met her we could tell that she had deep understanding and empathy for dogs. I have taken both Puppy KG and Control Unleashed. I grew up with dogs, and because of Inna I have the friendliest, most well adjusted, well socialized dog I have ever had. read more

My girlfriend and I enlisted Inna's services for help with our puppy Odie. We hired her for four private lessons and it was the best possible investment we could have made towards our pup. She helped us out immensely with a number of essential commands/behaviors such as impulse control, walking on a leash, stay, come, etc. Thanks to Inna, we have an extremely well - behaved puppy and I cannot recommend her services enough! read more

I took my rescue dog Lily to the basic obedience class. She is a small 3 year old terrier mix and was very shy and fearful when I brought her home. The positive training boosted her confidence and she has improved immensely. Inna was always ready to answer my questions in emails and after class. Inna also taught me how to interact confidently with my dog to achieve positive results. Inna is great with dogs and I will continue to go back to her for more training and advice. I highly recommend Wag the Dog to anyone with a dog! read more

Inna and Wag the Dog have been enormously helpful. I adopted an extremely high energy and reactive dog. Not only did Inna offer us loads of beneficial advice in her affordable Reactive Dog Class, but she came to us and did one on one work too. She continues to be interested and respond to e-mails and phone calls! I highly recommend her positive approach to any and everyone read more

Inna is amazing and so accommodating! She was quick to answer all of our questions before we decided on Wag the Dog for our puppy's first obedience class! Initially I was worried because we have a large breed puppy, which means he was going to grow a lot faster than his three classmates, and I was worried that because he was so much bigger he may hurt one of the smaller dogs, but Inna reassured me that it's important for puppies of all sizes to interact and develop their social skills/social cues with each other! She told us what to look out for and when to separate. The class was amazing! She was patient and had a very positive approach when teaching us and the pups. If we had any questions she'd always do her best to answer and explain it as many times as we needed to get the idea of how to work with our dogs. The class wasn't just about training our puppies, but also training us and giving us the tools to develop our connection with our pup! Most puppy classes are 5-6 weeks long, but I wish it was longer. We had such a great time with Inna and the other puppy owners...can't wait to continue training with Inna...she has such great insight with puppies! Don't hesitate to reach out to her. read more

Inna is the best. She is patient, dedicated and has a true love of dogs. We requested Inna's services a month after we got a mini-Aussie puppy named Jordan. He was a handful and we needed help with potty training, crate training, basic commands but mainly BARKING. Her patience with us was amazing. A lot of people would get annoyed by us walking down the block because Jordan just wanted to play with everyone and would not stop barking at other dogs. With Inna's help and step by step training at home we were able to positively reinforce NO barking with Jordan with click- treat training. We hired Inna for 4 at home sessions. she would stay and answer any puppy questions we had. We highly recommend her and actually decided to get another puppy since she gave us so many great tips for puppy training. It's a tonnnnnnnn of work but the biggest reward & a lot less confusing with Inna's training advice. She is a must for your dog training. read more

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I have two huskies and people always are amazed at how mellow and well-behaved they are - thanks to the puppy kindergarten classes & basic obedience classes. Both classes were extremely beneficial to both of them. I had done it with the female dog first, and then again a year later when we got the male pup. The dogs loved going to the classes, and now every time we see Inna in the neighborhood they are ecstatic. read more

We initially hired Inna to help us out when we brought our new puppy home 4 months ago. She's been very responsive and reliable ever since. When we have an occasional question, she writes back instead of trying to push us into another training session. We also attended her puppy class for basic training. She kept the class small (5 dogs) so we all received her individual attention. We highly recommend Inna's one-on-one, as well as classroom training sessions to everyone :) read more

Wag The Dog services Great for Cats Too: My rescue cat, Pye, was a terror. I could not play with him, pet him or even sit by him without fear of an "attack." When I walked passed him he attacked my feet, and Pye liked attacking my other cats. Needless to say, things were not working out with Pye, and I kept him in a cage most of the time, letting him play outside of the cage when I or the other cats were not in the room. I was feeling really awful about the situation. I was afraid of him and he was stuck in a cage most of the day. I needed help, quickly. I was so overjoyed to find Wag the Dog and Inna. Inna changed the way in which Pye and I relate to one another. Inna explained cat behaviors, and Pye's behavior specifically. She trained Pye and I on how to have structured play time together, and she taught us different communication tricks to do together. After many weeks of following her instruction, Pye and I trust each other, and he doesn't attack my feet anymore! Pye has really mellowed out. He is still a work in progress, but our relationship is so workable and better because of Inna's great work. Wag The Dog services cats as well as dogs! Thank you Inna ! read more

I took Inna's 6 week long class for leash reactive dogs and it literally changed my life! I have a French Bulldog/Boston Terrier mix (Lottie) who relocated to NYC with me from Georgia. Unfortunately, Lottie was not used to the new setting and her behavior was so extreme and embarrassing during our walks that I had to start cutting the walks extremely short. She couldn't go half a block without lunging and barking at another dog, or even the sound of another dog in the distance! I read endless articles and watched dozens of youtube videos to deal with our problem, and tried diligently to solve them on my own, with no luck. Inna is truly an expert with dog behavior. She explained why reactions happen, how to notice signs that your dog is about to react, and strategies on how to properly replace their inappropriate behavior with appropriate behavior. Lottie also LOVED the class! Every week when I got out her carrier, she would jump right in because she knew it meant we were going to class. Overall, this class not only made my life much easier, it made Lottie a super happy dog! I highly recommend this class, or any of Inna's classes, to anyone who is having trouble with their dog's behavior-she is the best! read more