Jessica is the best!! We have a very precocious, independent, and stubborn goldendoodle that is probably way smarter than we are. We knew what we were getting into before we got our little girl, and wanted to make sure we laid a good foundation for her training. Jessica was not the first trainer we used, but she'll be the last. A few things about us: we believe exclusively in positive reinforcement, and would never do anything to "punish" our dog. We want to teach her how to behave well and be a part of our family, but we do not want her to behave out of fear of punishment. We had to let go of our first trainer because he had a series of "exercises" that made us very uncomfortable (and after googling the "exercises" made us infuriated). Basically, in order to control our puppy's very independent and stubborn personality (our dog thinks she's people!!), our OLD trainer made us repeatedly put her in an alpha roll IN THE MIDDLE OF 23rd STREET until her will broke (google "alpha roll" if you don't know), and also play what he called an "energy game" where we would menacingly walk towards our little puppy and corner her in a corner of our apartment where she was expected to cower and stay until we gave her a release command. My wife cried that night at the fear in our little dog's eyes. We IMMEDIATELY let him go, and he flat out told us that we could never have a well behaved dog unless we acted more "alpha" like the ways he suggested. We got Jessica's name through a referral (from our dog walker) as someone who works exclusively with positive reinforcement. We had a series of puppy oriented obedience classes with Jessica, and they were wonderful. Our little girl loved her training, learned how to be a good member of our family, and we did not have to strike the fear of god into her to do so. In addition to making really basic commands rock solid (sit, stay, down, etc), Jessica taught us how to stop our little girl from counter surfing, from stealing and eating our shoes, and any number of other naughty puppy things. And once again, we did all of this exclusively through positive reinforcement -- the training makes your dog WANT to be well behaved, as opposed to being simply scared of the alternative. That was maybe a year and a half ago. Our little puppy is now 2 years old, and is going through a teen phase where she is starting to bark at other dogs on the street when she's on her leash. Jessica was the first person we called, and after only ONE session, we have laid a foundation to stop this behavior before it escalates. We're not there yet -- we have more sessions with Jessica to address this issue -- but after seeing the progress we made after just 1 hour, i am 100% confident that by the time we are done, our dog's leash barking will no longer be an issue. The final thing I have to mention is that with any kind of "dog" training, the focus is really on training the humans. Jessica is a great "human" trainer, and even if you were to call her because you want to address a single issue with your dog, at the end of your training, you walk away with the tools and knowledge to help you deal with any number of other issues/tricks that may pop up in the future. read more

We highly recommend Dapper Dog Training! We are a busy family with two young children who recently brought a beagle puppy into our home. My husband and I are both experienced beagle owners. Nevertheless, we solicited the help of Dapper Dog to help us with housetraining and general good puppy behavior because beagles can be very difficult to train. We used Dapper Dog's "board and train" service and our puppy went to trainer Eric's home for a long weekend. Our puppy returned with a solid understanding of "come" on command (which is very difficult for beagles who are easily and almost always distracted by their noses); "leave it" (which includes learning to wait patiently for meals, sitting when waiting at the crosswalk, and sitting in a crowded elevator when going out for a walk); and "rest in a spot" (which means that our rambunctious puppy can now rest on his bed while we are eating dinner or watching television or working on our computers). After spending 4 nights with Eric, Eric and Jessica came to our apartment to demonstrate and help us practice the training techniques they used for our puppy. In addition, Eric gave us a detailed, but easy to follow written guide on how we should implement the training at home. It's hard to believe that after 4 nights of training, our stubborn and energetic puppy came back to us as a better puppy citizen (better leash walking, less restlessness in the elevator, no jumping when we're eating) and the "rest in a spot" is a HUGE quality of life improvement for a busy family at the end of the day. Jessica and Eric are articulate, could answer all my questions, and are really easy to work with. A puppy owner we met on one of our walks recommended Eric to us and I hope another dog owner who is having trouble or seeking to improve his/her dog's behavior will seek out Dapper Dog as we did. Because we were experienced dog owners, we were reluctant to use a training service. But, Dapper Dog was well worth it and Eric gave our puppy a solid foundation of skills and ironed out some stubborn habits. We will without a doubt continue to work with Eric to train us (the humans) become even better dog owners. This was a HUGE quality of life transformation and I highly recommend Dapper Dog for that reason. We can now enjoy our puppy more without feeling frustrated by housetraining issues, leash pulling and jumping etc. read more

I started working with Jessica a few months after I got my puppy, Howie. I researched a number of dog training services and even tried out a couple of classes elsewhere. My experience amongst the places I found was that they weren't individualized or required you to take certain courses which were not what I was looking for. Then I found Dapper Dog and it seemed like just what I was looking for and ended up surpassing all my expectations. Jessica has made my first experience having my own dog so much more enjoyable, and I know Howie is a much happier pup. At the start of our work I'd say Howie was in his "terrible 2s." Jessica patiently and knowledgeably helped Howie grow from a mischievous little guy into an obedient and loving dog. I would highly recommend Dapper Dog to anyone who wants to learn how to train their dog. One of the best parts of the experience for me was that not only was Howie being trained, but I was learning the skills to train him. I am now able to take what I learned and adapt it to work on other skills going forward. At our first session, we carefully went over what my goals were. Jessica would then teach Howie the skill and would help me learn it so that I could work on it with him over the week. Each time we met we would review Howie's progress since the last session and expand on it. I always felt like Jessica understood Howie and was able to find solutions/ways to train him that worked with his personality and learning style. After each lesson Jessica would email me with a detailed summary of what we did in our lesson and I often refer back to these if I run into an issue or need to tweak something. I cannot emphasize how helpful the lessons were and how much both Howie and I benefitted. I have gotten tons of feedback on how well-trained Howie is and on the huge transformation that he made. I owe it all to Dapper Dog Training and I would encourage anyone who is considering dog training to use them! read more

Our dog was really struggling with being alone - making a lot of noise and showing some signs of distress, so I researched on the internet and everything I read seemed to indicate that she was suffering from separation anxiety. Following this, we spoke with a trainer who, without any real investigation or testing, confirmed that our dog had separation anxiety. From there, I got lots of advice on how to deal with separation anxiety, ranging from never leaving her alone to putting her on prozac, none of which my husband and I wanted to do. Many of the methods offered were expensive, time consuming and largely ineffective. After several stressful weeks, we got in touch with Jessica. She was incredibly professional from the outset, quick to respond to my initial inquiry, and very thorough in exploring our situation. Before offering an opinion, she ascertained as much information as possible, and then ventured that she did not believe our dog was really suffering from separation anxiety, which is a more severe condition than many people appreciate. Jessica worked around our schedule, which was not easy, and made time to meet with us and our dog, after which she gave some very clear instructions for us to follow, to address the problem. It's been a few weeks now and our dog stays home alone for a few hours at a time without difficulty, which would have been unthinkable before we met Jessica. Aside from the incredible success we've had, what really set Jessica apart from everyone else is her analytical approach, which she uses to understand the problem and work out a practical list of instructions we could easily follow, rather than some wishy washy narrative about what we might hope to do, which sounds good at the time but is useless at actually solving the problem. I cannot recommend Jessica highly enough, she resolved our problem in the most efficient, cost effective and practical way - I am so very grateful to have found her! read more

Jessica is fantastic!!! As a first time puppy owner, I did a lot of research prior to bringing our adorable pup home. We knew early socialization was very important to us, as well as consistent, positive reinforcement behavioral training. That is where Jessica came in. We first spoke over the phone and discussed Alfie's breed, age, temperament, etc, then she came to our home to meet Alfie and further assess our needs. We had regular weekly sessions during which time she taught us invaluable techniques that tackled common puppy topics like chewing, biting, getting puppy to settle down, house/potty training, loose leash walking, as well as basic commands like sit, stay, come, down, leave it, drop it, roll over, etc. She e-mailed us written notes after every session and included ways to progress before our next meeting. Her appointment times were flexible and accommodating. I cannot stress enough the importance of Jessica's role during this time. It is well worth the time and money. The result is a happy, healthy, well-socialized, sweet companion and overall great pet. As other reviewers have noted, Jessica also helped us identify areas where my husband and I were not in agreement, and how to move forward without confusing Alfie. We also found that we had different priorities and enjoyed a different type of walk with Alfie. Jessica observed us both walking with him and gave pointers so we all, Alfie included, enjoyed our walks and bonding time. As Alfie matures and other questions arise, Jessica will be the first person we call. read more

This review is for private lessons with Jessica. We are so happy with how far our dog, Shea, has come in only a month. We wanted her to be stop pulling on her leash, for her accidents to stop, and for her nipping to calm down, especially when we have guests. We are so happy that she hasn't had a single accident since our first session, following Jessica's recommendation of making a couple of changes in our home. Walks are now so much more enjoyable with the new harness Jessica suggested. She also taught our dog "let's go", so she has been much more attentive to us on the street. Not only has her nipping become so much less with us, but we recently had a visitor over and she basically ignored him and played with her toys, something that never happened before we met Jessica. Not only did Jessica help us with our immediate concerns, but she also gave us tools for the future, and taught us some skills that we use daily, such as "leave it". I highly recommend Jessica for private training, whether your dog has big issues or small! read more

Garbo is a highly sensitive young Jack Russell and I travel a great deal, sometimes with her, sometimes without. I don't know what we would do without Jessica. She really understands and loves dogs without letting them get away with anything. She is just as insightful about human handlers and keeps a watchful eye on both of us. We have learned a lot. And have a lot to learn! Garbo has intense reactions to nervous children, men with hats, boys with skateboards...Jessica has analyzed the problems and found ways of calming her down. We have been practicing quiet time on the leash which seems to be helping. Right now, Garbo is recovering from a hip operation in Paris and so we are not out on the streets very much. Jessica is with us long distance on Skype and I hope we can get better and better. The great thing about working with Jessica is that she is creative. She really looks at each situation, each character involved and understands the interaction involved. We have a way to go, but I'm feeling confident. read more

Jessica has been working with our rescue mix, Dixie, for several months now. I was on the fence about hiring a trainer because we are both dog people and fairly good at training, but yet we couldn't overcome Dixie's most persistent hurdles on our own: leash pulling/lunging and jumping up on humans. Wish Jessica's help, we mastered clicker training. It seems easy and there are plenty of videos online, but I cannot stress enough how helpful it is to have someone teach you live, correct your form, and spot inconsistencies between the approaches of two owners. Most importantly, Dixie responded beautifully to the clicker training and is an obedient walker that ignores stimuli and trots alongside me glancing up to check in. The stuff dreams are made of for someone that's been dragged around on walks for so long! I highly recommend Jessica for your dog training needs. read more

Working with Jessica was great! Her expertise and positive approach was everything we hoped for! Thanks to her we are now able to train our puppy using the clicker effectively. When we began her socialization classes at the lower East Side Animal Hospital we had concerns with our puppies timidity around other dogs and struggled keeping our puppy engaged when distractions were present. We have seen tremendous improvement in both these areas. Jessica's classes also helped us to read our dogs behavior and provided all the instruction we needed to start our puppy on the track to success. The knowledge she has given us will be invaluable throughout our puppies development. Jessica instructs people and their dogs with skill and encouragement I would highly highly recommend her to anyone looking for a great dog trainer. read more

Turbo, our English bulldog puppy, attended Jessica's socialization class at the Lower East Side Animal Hospital. From the first class on we felt very welcomed and comfortable by and around Jessica. She is a very caring and attentive person. The way she gets around dogs is incredibly gentle and well experienced. Her verbal explanations of the commands followed by a visualization with the dog are very clear and easy to understand. After every class we get well written handouts to go over again at home. We're so happy and confident with Jessica that we asked her to prepare Turbo for his flight back home to Switzerland. You'll know your dog is in good hands choosing Jessica for any training with your dog! read more

In our time of need Jessica was a huge help! Our Jack Russell was pushing us and our neighbors to the point of maybe having to move. We contacted Jessica and within 2 sessions the problem was no more and our neighbors thought we got rid of our dog. She makes training fun and works around our hectic schedule. Eric and Jessica are always an email/text/call away and willing to figure out solutions to ongoing issues. Jessica is super knowledgeable, patient, professional and notices the most subtle of details/actions that make training easier and efficient. She has a passion and gift with dogs that makes something that can be difficult and frustrating into something easy and fun. Highly recommend!!! read more

Jessica is the dog whisperer! Our doberman puppy who is by his nature a bit tough, turns into a total licker when he sees Jessica. There is no issue that she hasn't dealt with before. She's so great at assessing the root cause of our problems, and then she gives us a detailed list of things to do to remediate the issues -- and it always works! She's helped us deal with biting, jumping, walking on a leash, leaving items on the floor, impulse control, calming down, barking, etc. She also is very tech friendly and is very responsive via email/text/phone. We have been a client 5 days a week for 6 months and highly recommend her! read more

My girlfriend and I each have a dog and the first few meetings of the dogs did not go well. My dog is also very aggressive around food, so we were seriously thinking it would never work out. Jessica worked with us to look for behaviors that each dog demonstrated when they didn't like what the other one was doing. She also helped us to create an environment where both dogs were comfortable and not jealous of each other. Fast forward a few months and the dogs get along great. My dog even lets my girlfriends dog eat out of her bowl...something I had to see to believe. Thank you Jessica. You're the best!!! read more

Jessica was wonderful with my puppy, Rio. She was very in tune to his needs and helped me problem solve when traditional crate training didn't work for us. We realized that Rio was very sensitive to being reprimanded and was actually using his crate to go to the bathroom as a "safe place." I'm not sure if anyone else would have figured that out! Jessica helped me master basic commands with Rio and taught me so much about dog training. I would recommend her to anyone! read more

We were running out of options with our dog who was suffering from separation anxiety. Jessica was able to break down our routine and provide new ways of dealing with the anxieties. We saw improvement immediately. Jessica is thoughtful and insightful and helped all of us through a difficult time. We are so grateful for her creativity and individualized guidance. I recommend her without hesitation. When all other training methods failed us, Jessica saved the day! read more

Poppet and I are so happy about our lessons with Jessica. Poppet is greeting neighborhood dogs nicely and there is a good understanding of who is the pack leader (mostly, ha). I learned the most as a dog owner. Thanks Jessica. read more