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    Core Canine

    5.0 (92 reviews)
    Closed 9:00 am - 9:00 pm

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    10 minutes

    Response rate

    100%

    Services - Core Canine

    Private dog training

    Puppy socialization classes

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    Aggie S.

    Our puppy just graduated from puppy kindergarten! She is the second dog to go through core canine training. April is great at what she does and we really enjoy the training classes. She explains dog training and offers real world and practical application as well. We love that she doesn't over explain because some dog trainers do that where sometimes we'd feel inadequate with our efforts. April is not like that. She is very kind and understanding of issues brought up to her and gives off a calm way when providing feedback. Highly recommend core canine and April if you are a new puppy owner or want to get dog training for your adult dogs!

    Puppy kindergarten graduate, Chestnut!
    Alice P.

    The 5 stars this place has is well deserved. You will not find a better value anywhere else--trust me, I've looked! At the moment it's $195 for a 5-week course (a 1-hour class one day of the week) of any level, and they also have free puppy playdates (you have to register for them). I've seen places where it's almost that much just for one training session. I live in Fairfax Towne Center but the drive to Alexandria was so worth it. I enrolled Chestnut, who was about 4 months old, in puppy kindergarten. Chestnut is our first puppy and our third rescue; our two previous dogs were seniors. I wonder now if I could have trained them with the material we learned for Chestnut; maybe we can teach old dogs new tricks after all, seeing how easy the classes made it for us to train our pup. We had Olivia as our instructor, with the exception of one make-up class where I had April. Having had both, they're both great instructors! I appreciated Olivia's calm and reassuring demeanor in particular. She was very professional and kind, and never seemed to get frustrated or lose her patience. There are no more than 4 dogs per class, and no more than 2 people per dog. The small class size means more individual attention to your pup from the instructor. We have only done puppy kindergarten so far, but we have enrolled Chestnut in middle school starting next month. The things we (both humans and dogs) learn play right into puppies' natural instincts, and we also learn more about canine psychology. For Puppy K, we learned sit, down, stay, place, wait, leave it, come/here, and basic leash manners. They also offer private and at home sessions, though you have to be within a certain radius to take advantage of the latter. I believe they also have courses to help you pass the AKC canine good citizen test. Highly recommend Core Canine to anyone looking to train their pup (which all dog owners should!).

    Yvonne C.

    Ollie and I had the best experience with Core Canine! April and Olivia are the sweetest and super helpful. They motivate you to train your dog and make it fun. As a new puppy owner, I was really overwhelmed and they made the process so much better. I've been to some training places, where I walk out feeling defeated, but not at Core Canine! Ollie went to middle school class and puppy socials with April. Then we did additional training with Olivia at home. We are going to continue our training with Core Canine because it's so much fun and we are both learning so much! Ollie whimpers every time he has to leave class or when Olivia leaves our house - he loves them sooo much!

    Graduation
    Justin S.

    Great training, came here for puppy class. I have had decent success in my own with my girl River, but coming here has really helped push it over the edge. I definitely recommend Core Canine for any new or old dog owners!

    Hazel
    Teressa B.

    April changed my entire life in less than a day. I almost cried seeing the transformation of my dog from the beginning of our session until the end. I rescued my dog about a month before booking the training and was struggling with her basic listening skills. She now comes when using the "touch" command and I no longer get trampled over when I go to feed her from her food bin because she "waits" until I release her to eat. It's been less than a month and I can see the wheels turning for my girl and she loves fulfilling the various commands April taught us in the at home one on one session. I highly recommend her and would definitely book with her again should I adopt another furry friend!

    Pemmy was tired but fulfilled after our session with Olivia.
    Ashley M.

    My puppy is...challenging. She is a Grade A Good Girl. She is also playful, (too) smart, (too) friendly, and very high energy. I've seen a lot of love for the owner of Core Canine, but it appeared if I was going to get any help with Pemmy's frantic and constant leash-pulling within the next two months, I would have to schedule with Olivia. Let me tell you, I'm so glad I did. She worked tirelessly with me, my husband and our dog and got us off to a great start. I love that she made concrete recommendations for both products and ways to help us with our dog. I'm already seeing improvement in a week that I was unable to do on my own after months of trying various ways the internet said I should. Not only that, I feel like our relationship has improved at the same time. Olivia also didn't get overwhelmed when I brought up the myriad of "also, she does this that could be improved...and this...and this..." Olivia definitely knows her stuff, is super friendly and approachable.

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    Review Highlights - Core Canine

    April fit so much into our training session and brought much needed relief and encouragement to our family and puppy.

    Mentioned in 83 reviews

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