When I adopted my dog May this past March I knew I had my work cut out for me. She was a feral country dog who didn't know how to walk on a leash or sit. I bought a personal training package from Instinct and the trainer came to my home to train my dog and me. It was such a good decision. Both May and I really liked working with the trainer Lauren S. Her approach and tone were awesome. I knew from the first appointment with her that it was going to be great. I'd been trying to figure out how to get May to sit for weeks. Lauren got her sitting in a session. All in all I think we had 9 sessions with Lauren. In that time we learned a lot and have been applying it. My relationship with my dog is so much better because of Instinct. The thing I will caution people against is having unrealistic expectations of your dog and the trainer. If you go in with the desire to make your dog a unquestioningly obedient robot then you will be disappointed. Just focus on the over all quality and happiness of your dog's life read more

Instinct Dog Behavior & Training - Nashville - May sitting in her "spot". This is the place she was trained to go to calm down and not jump all over me when I come home. - Pet Training Near Me

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We are so glad we called Instinct! We had a bad experience with a previous trainer, but the second Ayelet got on the phone with us we knew we were in good hands. We were even sent an hour long questionnaire about our dog's history/health/behavior/etc. prior to training. Y'all...they care so much! We have a 1 year old rescue pup who's dog reactive, and we've been pretty much unable to take him on walks or near other dogs at all. Jenna helped us overcome all of this and we could not be more grateful. She coached us on how to slowly warm him up to lots of different scenarios- we even had a playdate with another dog today with no issues! His reactivity will be something we'll continue to work on for months, but I can't tell you how relieved we are to have gained some confidence with it. Jenna really helped put things into perspective and helped us understand how to read our dog and take things at his pace. You really can't rush progress like this, and I love that Instinct doesn't promise "quick, fast, easy results" because those are not effective or even possible. We would absolutely do this again if given the chance, booking with Instinct was a game changer. read more

Instinct Dog Behavior & Training - Nashville - Jenna working on tricks with our reactive dog outside a dog park - Pet Training Near Me

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Katie Williams has been doing a fantastic job training our 6 month old Golden Doodle, Teddy. She has wonderful suggestions plus videos. Teddy loves when Katie comes to visit. Today he had his first visit with his groomer. She thought he was the best trained puppy she had groomed in years. Katie is very positive and understands dogs well. She has given us many resources and is always willing to answer any of our questions. (never judging) Katie is always punctual and totally understands the psychological aspects of animals too! We are very fortunate to have Katie come to our home. read more

We are so proud of our Dash. When Katie our trainer got here last summer, he was a fantastic corgi in every way, except he had a case of resource guarding. He viewed the front door, food, and human attention as a resource. When any of those things were threatened, Dash would throw a naughty fit, particularly toward our other corgi, Baxter! Katie demonstrated ways for us to pre-empt those moments and redirect. Dash began to ease. She since has helped us with walks; running away when off-leash, and general spastic behavior of an adolescent corgi puppy who is frankly, adorable. I am not sure who Katie trained more - us or Dash, but what I can tell you is that he has matured so nicely under her care. We all have grown ~ Thank you, Katie! The only reason we don't give a full five stars is that scheduling with Instinct was a bit challenging and the 10 package sessions took a little longer than originally thought over months. They honored all of our sessions, however; there was never a question and again, each one paid off! read more

During Corona, I was rescued by my best friend Dove. I knew nothing about her past except that she was very stressed and reactive. As a new dog person, I did not understand what that meant or how to help her. I quickly learned that navigating apartment hallways and elevators and running into other dogs was very upsetting for her. And walks where there were loud noises would scare her a lot. I also wanted to learn to build a stronger bond with her and to understand her needs more. I turned to Jenna at Instinct after hearing great things about her. And she taught us all that I requested and a lot more. My dog loves her. She's magic with her. During our earliest classes, we began to understand that the environment is a big determinant of behavior. Since we can't immediately change the environment, we learned to treat its challenges as opportunities. Dove and I have both learned so much! One class that stands out was when we stood right in front of the busy elevators at lunch time in order to show Dove and me how to manage things we cannot control. It was fun! I've learned to advocate for Dove when we are in tough spots. I tell people, "No, you can't pet her." That's something I needed to learn. Last week, we went to a very busy coffee shop and she looked up at me as if to say, "We've got this. Let's have some fun." It was wonderful. And we go on long walks where Dove gets all the treats and smells all the smells. We have more fun now. Thanks to Jenna !!!! She is the best teacher and we are always grateful for what she has taught us. read more

Instinct Dog Behavior & Training - Nashville - My girl Dove loves our classes with Jenna. - Pet Training Near Me

Lots of good reviews so maybe my experience was unique. They didn't seem to like my dog and then I never heard from them again after I paid my money. read more

It's been a long road with our rescue beagle Lucille, but a year after finishing our training package with Ayelet Lucille has become anxiety free when home alone! We rescued Lucille from the humane society and not long after bringing her home we realized she had separation anxiety. We tried all the home remedies we could but after a couple of months with little to no improvement we called Ayelet. She gave us a phenomenal foundation to help Lucille and at the end of the training session Lucille had all of the skills she needed to become independent and less anxious! Unfortunately, a month later we moved and Lucille was back at square one with her anxiety. We then began working with a behaviorist to find the right medicine to get Lucille back on track. That, combined with the skills Ayelet helped us teach her, and lots of patience and hours of endless training, have now made Lucille independent and anxiety free when home alone! As you can imagine this has changed our lives and helped Lucille overcome what seemed like an impossible feat. Many thanks to Ayelet for being such a helpful resource in our journey with Lucille! read more

Instinct Dog Behavior & Training - Nashville - Confidence and independence: Lucille is a new woman after working with Ayelet! - Pet Training Near Me

Sabra Dog Training is simply the best! We started working with Ayelet after adopting a dog with a lot of fear and anxiety. She helped us train her to be nice to guests, walk and run on leash like a pro, and to be overall more obedient and under our control. Ayelet was great at really getting through to our dog and then teaching us what we could do as "homework" to make sure our dog was really learning the behavior. I would recommend Sabra and Ayelet to anyone who asks! read more

Ayelet demonstrates an amazing gift of communication - both with people and their furry friends. As a fellow trainer in a field where any Shmo can call themselves a "Dog Whisperer", it's comforting to know there are people like Ayelet out there who are using state-of-the-art, science-based training who I can trust to refer clients to. I never have to worry that she will hurt or scare a dog as she uses only force-free, positive reinforcement methods of training. read more

Instinct Dog Behavior & Training - Nashville - My sweet Karma loves Ayelet! - Pet Training Near Me

I wish I could write the same review 20 times so I could give this company 100 stars! Ayelet was amazing with our little active 3 month old Border Collie Lab. I've never seen him as focused and eager to learn and please us since we adopted him. She was very knowledgeable and informative when it came to correcting normal puppy behaviors such as nipping, jumping and housebreaking. What inspired me the most is that you can tell that Ayelet loves what she does and is not just there for the money. She took her time and didn't move on until we mastered and understood every concept. Our little puppy was being his usual self by nipping at her and she didn't move on with us until he understood that nipping was unacceptable. My wife and I are excited to try out the things she taught us. I highly recommend Ayelet!!!!!! read more

Ellen is FANTASTIC! We were recommended to Sabra Dog Training for our 2.5-year old Sheepadoodle, whose mix of energy, intelligence and perseverance was resulting in behavioral problems at home and at daycare. We just finished our 5th meeting with Ellen and could not have been more pleased. She has been so accommodating to meet both at our house and at daycare to see our pup in his natural element. She has worked with our dog walker, my husband and me to make sure that our pup is getting consistent training from all individuals in his life. Our pup had a more traditional board-and-train experience as a puppy, which was very good for sit, stay, etc. However, we needed someone who could come into our daily life and help address our pup's specific behaviors (loud barking, inappropriate herding tactics, outbursts on leash, jumping over couches, etc.). Ellen has the MOST practical solutions. While it is always true that you get out of training what you put into it, Ellen gives us the best advice for practical, easy-to-implement, low cost solutions where applicable so that we save the more time-intensive, interactive training for the behaviors that need it most. All of her ideas seem like something I should have thought of myself, but NEVER would have without Ellen and her many years of experience. Ellen is a board certified animal behaviorist with a master's degree in Experimental Psychology / Animal Behavior, so we always felt highly confident that our dog was in good hands with someone who has devoted her entire life's work and study to understanding animals. Who else could have discovered that half our pup's frustration with squirrels was that he could't see what his little fur brother sees out the window! I cannot say enough positive things about Ellen and Sabra. Four paws up from our whole family! read more

This review is way overdue and it's a long one! I cannot say enough amazing things about Sabra!! We got our pup in late February from the humane society, she had parvo when we first brought her home and then covid hits, so there goes all scheduled training, socialization, everything. My husband and I bought books, watched videos, tried so many techniques to help my pup with basic skills as well as socialization skills. We got to the point where we were at a loss because everything we were trying was unsuccessful. She wasn't fun to be around, we were getting overly frustrated with her and she with us, we had a witching hour every night where we couldn't control behaviors - it was awful. Not to mention, Charlie was horrible around strangers and other people. We started our search for dog training in the Nashville area and came across Sabra. My husband booked a consultation and we were connected with Jenna just a couple days later. The consultation was via phone and she listened to our (very long) list of wants/needs for our sweet girl. From there, we moved forward with their board and train option. We had a video conference first and again, went through some of our wants/needs/struggles etc and then off our girl went for 6 nights. Jenna was very realistic from the start on what she thought she could accomplish in that timeframe and made sure she understood our top wants and needs; how to get Charlie less nervous in situations outside of the home, how to deal with her behaviors in and out of the home, what was an ideal environment for her outside of the home to make her feel comfortable and still allow for her to be successful. When Charlie came home, we were amazed! She's a smart girl, which we knew, but she came home with so many important skills and even better, Jenna was able to provide us with the necessary skills to ensure she continued to be successful. We learned the importance of positive reinforcements, high value treats, and so much more. With our package, we also received 3 training sessions where we could continue to work on the skills we learned with Jenna and any other skills we might want help on. From her training, she learned "touch", leave it, drop, wait and we are able to wipe her paws without teeth marks even those these are all great, the most important thing for us was how to deal with Charlie and her behavior while on walks, in public spaces, etc. it was a definite learning curve for us both, but with lots of work and training, Charlie has become a wonderful dog and so successful with dealing with high anxiety situations. She's also been described as being social and playful while at daycare, which makes my heart so happy for her. Last weekend, there was a cul-de-sac birthday party with about 20 people total (kids and adults). My husband wanted to take her out to see how she'd do - I was still a little nervous, but she did amazingly! She barked a couple times at people, but it was definitely a, come pet me and see my bark. She allowed all the kids to pet her (she's always great with kids) and had the absolute best time. She also allowed a couple of adults to pet her too - huge accomplishment. She listened to commands and was so so good the whole time. I couldn't be more proud. I know for a fact that this would've NEVER happened had we not gotten the help from Jenna. To be honest, I'm not sure what we would've done without her help. I know we would have a totally different dog, and one that I'm not sure my husband and I would've been able to handle for the long haul. With Jenna's help, we are able to work with Charlie in a way that's positive for her and for us. We know the tools and skills to help her be successful and a joy to be around. I can't thank Jenna and Sabra enough for their dedication to helping families like ours. We love our girl so much, and it was clear that Jenna did too. Thank you, thank you, thank you - a million times over read more

I couldn't say anything but the absolute best about Ayelet's approach toward our dog. My wife and I consider ourselves very lucky to have had Ayelet help us with our first dog. Highly recommended! read more

Our experience with Jenna was amazing. She is definitely knowledgeable and provided great advice to improve our relationship with our dog. All based on positive training and it totally works! read more

Jenna from Sabra is amazing. Prior to getting my puppy, she had three homes, not been socialized, was extremely hyperactive and was, in Jenna's words, just a little bit "extra." We had her working for food, in puppy socialization classes, and learning to sit and stay and be patient in no time. After she was spayed, her energy was hard to manage again, so we taught her to run on a treadmill. Jenna goes above and beyond, she provided excellent email support when things got rough later after we moved to a new house. I cannot say enough positive things about our experience with Sabra. I really don't know where we would be with out them. Both my pup and I are so grateful. read more

TLDR spoiler? Calling Sabra Dog Training was one of the best decisions I have made in my adult life. Ayelet changed the life of a deeply scared 6 year old little dog and a family that didn't know how to communicate in his language. Full version? Our little guy Winston was discovered on a hoarders property on Super Bowl Sunday 2014, and having never been socialized with people, he had to be captured by animal services with a very scary loop and pole. He ran away from his first foster home, and was found living in a storm drain... where he had to be recaught with a loop and pole again :'( This poor kiddo learned that PEOPLE SUCK and they are DEFINITELY only here to hurt and scare him! He found his way into a great foster home, who loved on him the best they could, but he still kept a good distance. We adopted him knowing that he was special needs in September 2014, but it's fair to say that we (I) underestimated his trust problems. After the first few weeks of little Winston FREAKING OUT every time my boyfriend moved or just existed near him too long (think extremely aggressive growling, barking, lunging, etc at my guy and an unhealthy attachment to me), we investigated all the local trainers - including one that was a send-away camp type solution which would cost $3,000 and by their own admission was unsure how much they could help. Then we found Sabra. We were taken by their accreditations (I dare you to find someone more intentionally professionally educated in this field) and reviews that we came across, and decided to give them a try - truly we were a family in crisis. We opted for the one on one training option (she has several training options to choose from!) - ABSOLUTELY worth the cost (sorry Ayelet.. probably worth more!!) - she came to our house on our schedule and broke down every element of dog psychology, teaching us how to engage with our little guy. From the first time we met (in a neutral space to help Winston feel like she wasn't invading his home), to the first session where it's part getting to know you/part starting work on training (we did almost ALL getting to know you just about because Winston and we needed a LOT of help), to learning techniques to establish trust, how to navigate "strangers" at the holidays - I'm here to tell you that Winston is a NEW DOG and we are educated to now speak his language. Less than four months ago, Winston was sure my guy was there to skin him alive. Tonight, they were hanging out together watching tv. Even as I type this, the pup is hanging out with my guy. It's heart warming, and we have Ayelet at Sabra Dog Training to thank. I'm thrilled to provide a more in depth review of our experiences with Sabra and Ayelet or answer any questions - seriously, hit me up!! read more

We highly recommend Sabra Dog Training! Ayelet's methods were very easy to incorporate into our daily routine and the results were amazing. She helped our two dogs overcome their leash aggression and pulling. Her insights into their body language really helped us make progress quickly, and the techniques we learned also apply to other training areas. It was a great experience for all of us, and we will miss the weekly sessions! read more

Our experience with Sabra has been nothing short of wonderful. We worked with Ellen and she as well as Ashley have really gone above and beyond for us. Ellen has been patient with our reactive, rambunctious pup and has provided us with the most simple and cost effective solutions to solve our issues. When things haven't worked, we have let her know and she always has an alternative solution. We can't think Ellen enough for helping us help our anxious boy! read more

Sabra changed my life (and my dog's life). We have a rescue that was suffering from separation anxiety. I couldn't enjoy myself outside the house, because I was constantly worried about him. Ayelet took my husband and I through a program to help, and it worked!! It took hard work and dedication, but we can now leave our dog in a completely relaxed state. We have worked up to 5.5 hours (and could probably do more). He lays in his bed, watches things outside, sleeps, and doesn't even mind being left. - He was also reactive to dogs on walks and would go a little crazy. Ayelet helped us learn to walk with him without pulling and we can now walk by dogs with little issues. - This is all fantastic, but the most amazing part is that my dog thought it was FUN the whole time!!!! We also learned other basics along the way. We also had the pleasure of working with Jenna. She is amazing as well. I can't say enough about this positive experience. If you are looking for a trainer, Sabra is the BEST. read more

Instinct Dog Behavior & Training - Nashville - Pet Training Near Me

Ayelet is great, I have been working with her on my German Shepherd for 5 months now, and the progress we make in just one session alone is incredible. I highly recommend giving it a try. read more

Ayelet was AMAZING. I could not say enough good things about her. We did the day training program with our five month old puppy and the results we saw were incredible. Our puppy was walking exceptionally well on a loose leash, responding to basic commands, and able to get past a few fear issues she had. Ayelet was often taking initiative to introduce new positive behaviors and training, such as suggesting bringing our puppy into our daughter's playroom to work with her on leaving her toys alone. Ayelet was available via email and text constantly for questions, and gave such personalized attention to our puppy's training. Would highly recommend her! read more

We recently used a new service from Sabra - pet sitting. We had a previous relationship with Ellen, one of the trainers at Sabra. I had gotten an email announcing this new service about 10 days before having to travel to Oklahoma for a family members memorial service. I had no idea, up until that time, what I was going to do about having someone care for my pets. My dog is a good fella, but very unpredictable around strangers - I did not feel comfortable about boarding him somewhere unfamiliar. That email solved the problem. Ellen came to our house several times a day to tend to the animals and I could rest easy, knowing that she had the skills to handle him safely. Pricing was very reasonable and Ellen communicated with me throughout our weekend trip. Highly recommend Sabra and Ellen to keep your pets at home if you need to be away. read more

Ayelet has a wonderful way of working with dogs. She helped my dog, Stanley, learn to walk on a leash, behave appropriately when guests arrive and generally with his high-strung anxiety. She listened carefully to what my concerns were and was able to quickly understand Stanley's erratic behaviors. She is compassionate, knowledgeable and is highly recommended! This is a five star review because I can't leave six!!! read more

I'm so happy to have met Ayelet years ago in New York City, before her move to Nashville. As a fellow CPDT-KA, positive-reinforcement trainer, I find her to be an invaluable resource for support and advice. She has an amazing ability to share her knowledge in achievable and understandable ways. She cares deeply for every dog she works with and has been helpful to so many people. She only uses up-to-date training, based in science, that is conducive to positive experiences for both dog and owner. I highly recommend her! read more

Sabra Dog Training and Ayelet are wonderful! I could not recommend her enough. I recently adopted a rescue puppy and--because she was very scared to even set foot outside and because she was my first puppy--I felt very overwhelmed. I contacted Ayelet in Nashville and she has worked with my puppy through one-on-one training sessions, in-home pet sitting, and dog boarding. She is always friendly and professional, knows how to respond to any behavior my puppy showed, and provided me with much-needed peace of mind that my puppy would be okay. My puppy is now 4 months old and loves to be outside, has learned many appropriate behaviors and tricks, and gets excited to play with other dogs and to cuddle with people. Ayelet is a big part of why my puppy has grown so much! read more

I was oversold on the amount of sessions I needed to buy as I was told that if I bought a month's worth of sessions, she could fix or at least improve my dog's behavior. This was in no way the case and I should've just done one session to get some pointers. She was not receptive to my concerns as there was no improvement at all. read more

Amazing for so many reasons! Sabra was extremely professional. Dog training can be stressful and my pup and I were immediately put at ease. Ayelet took the time to explain where their training approach comes from and why. It is completely focused on the dog and really listening and looking for their cues. Being a "crazy" dog owner I did not want to see my dog scared during any of this and I didn't. I noticed immediate results with some "issues" and can't wait to work on more. It's such a pleasure to have a dog that is always a joy and never a stress. Yay Sabra!! read more

My boyfriend and I adopted an Australian Shepherd mix at four months old. From four to ten months old, we've been in some form of an obedience class- from puppy manners to family manners to the canine good citizen certification. While we learned a lot from group classes, and worked diligently to master the basics, the information was highly generalized to the average well-tempered dog, and wasn't helpful when we were having trouble combating adolescence at home. We contacted Ayelet after our dog informed us he would not share toys with his friends, which unfortunately was learned the hard way. As owners who put a lot of time and effort into training and understanding our dog, it was scary to discover there was so much we didn't know. Ayelet's response time on a Saturday was practically immediate, and we were able to see her within 48 hours of calling. She came over and taught us more about our dog in one two-hour session than we had learned in six months of training. She truly is an expert. We have continued to work with Ayelet ever since. She answers every email, every phone call, and is 100% there for her clients. We've seen so much improvement in our dog and have learned more about his limitations with dog interactions. She's cheered us on with every success and has refocused us with every setback (though there haven't been many.) No matter where you're at with your dog, I highly encourage you to utilize this trainer. She's a wealth of knowledge and an incredible resource on dog behaviors, and to top it off she's highly personable, energetic, and passionate. What's not to love about Sabra Dog Training? Go Ayelet! read more

A wonderful and informative session. Having a deaf dog has been a bit of a challenge at times, and while I had a small amount of training knowledge I picked up from here and there, Ayelet was able to show me the best way to utilize all the tools to make them the most effective. After a few days my dog was much more responsive to my commands and cues. It was a great feeling to finally feel as though I had a handle on the situation! read more