Life changing training taught with love and respect I cannot say enough great things about Susan & the services she offers at N.D.O.T. It was soon into our initial consult with Susan that I knew she was offering something special with the training methods and communication structures that go into her Board & Train services. At the time of our consult we had a 2-year-old energetic blue heeler that was a perfect storm of energy, anxiety, and smarts. Arriving from HSSA, we are the second home for our little girl and knowing she's a working breed we tried to keep her both physically and mentally stimulated. We had already been through courses with another highly rated training facility here in Tucson (multiple individual 6-week courses: beginner-advanced as well as private lessons with trainers from the facility focusing on reactivity). One of the difficulties we still ran into was leash aggression and her anxiety around other dogs. Concerned she was going to hurt another animal or cause health problems to herself we were struggling to find a path to harmony with our little one. During the initial consult we discussed our backstory and the current training methods we were practicing. Susan shared the outline for how her typical board & train program progressed and then she spent time discussing how she planned to tailor the program to focus on the areas we were most concerned with. We left the first meeting with a boarding start date, some diet adjustments [we were overfeeding / treating :( ], and a ton of relief knowing how much we clicked with Susan's outlook/experience/reassurance. After starting and throughout the program Susan gave us regular updates on our little one's progress. It was incredible to witness the growth of confidence and trust this cattle dog gained during her first week with Susan and the pack. She transformed from an anxious, reactive, & lungeing terror around other dogs to a playful, curious, and happy member of Susan's pack. She was getting along with and safely learning how to interact off-leash around dogs of all sizes. During the final half of the program Susan went out of her way to ensure life 'post-graduation' was going to be set for success. We were able to join pack-walks at N.D.O.T. to learn and demonstrate the communication techniques Susan provided us. Susan brought our little one home prior to finishing training to join us for neighborhood walks in our own streets (helping us discover new opportunities for successful play and training in the future). We even got the opportunity to join Susan for multiple field trips with the pup. The communication had improved so much that we were practicing public training outings at everywhere from hardware shops to farmers markets. The program ended after enjoying a wonderful meal on a Resturant patio the pup calmly resting throughout (this is something 3 weeks earlier I never would have believed possible!) I am unable to overstate the gratitude I have for Susan's training and the improved communication skills we have developed with our four-legged loved one because of it. This training pays dividends. Keep Susan's contact info saved because even if it's not today someday you will want it. To me N.D.O.T. is the equivalent of a low-key amazing restaurant or bar. If you know someone who could benefit from working with Susan and you want to give that person the gift of a lifetime then just share Susan's info and let them know she really is life changing. read more

New Dogs - Old Trix - Trail pack walk - Pet Training Near Me

I can't say enough about the amazing work that Susan does with dogs. Our young Corgi,Benny, missed puppy classes because of Covid. At the same time I broke my wrist so five months later I had a young dog who had not been socialized and was totally out of control. I was completely overwhelmed. Susan took Benny and after three weeks he was a totally different dog. He is socialized so I can now take him out in public without him causing total chaos. He is now attentive and well mannered. Susan constantly stays in touch with me to check on his progress. It was worth every penny to have Susan work with our dog. I am very grateful for what she has done. Roni Woolston read more

If I could give an infinite amount of stars I would! Susan trained both of my high energy, stubborn, hard headed huskies and they were totally different dogs when they both came home. From leash training, to off leash walking, to learning good behavior/social skills and basic commands, she checks all of the boxes for everything you would want your dog to learn on their journey with her. She dives into what improvements you want to see specifically and is meticulous about knowing what's best for the dogs along with working with your wishes. Once your dogs time is up with her, that's not where the journey has to end. She does pack walks every week that are offered to all of her past clients so it's a great way to get your dogs some playtime with old friends as well as practicing and keeping up with their training. She's a great trainer, but my favorite part about her and her business is that she has a genuine love for what she does and a genuine love for all of the dogs that she takes. I at first felt Uncertain and sad about leaving my dogs with her for 3 weeks, but with the constant contact and videos and pictures that she shares throughout the process, it makes it totally worth it and eases the worry about them being gone for that time. I would recommend her 10/10 to everybody. read more

Not willing to put up with the hassles of new puppy, my husband and I adopted a rescue Labrador. Charlie came to us on his third home in only 3 1/2 years. He was a lovable dog but had some incredible behavior issues. We could not control him, could not walk him and actually feared that we would have to pass him along to someone else who was better suited for his needs. We were referred to Susan. She not only spent time with both of us and Charlie but also came to our home and gave us private lessons until she was available to take him in a board and train situation. The dog that was returned to us was not the same dog. He was engaging and pleasant, obedient and happy. Susan taught us how to work with him, how to understand him and how to encourage and develop his sense of security. We have had dogs for 25 years and always have them trained. Susan he has delivered, without a doubt, a completely different experience from anyone else. The psychological process that she uses is not only effective but more gentle than any prior technique. Without Susan, we would have felt like failures. We would not have been able to feel the true joy of our new dog. Charlie is smart and funny and now, well-adjusted. What we thought was a mistake has turned out to be one of the best dogs ever. We can't thank her enough. read more

I do NOT recommend Susan Del Signore / New Dogs Old Trix due to the following: This trainer failed to achieve desired/expected goals (ours AND hers) after 3wks and $3000+ -She was unwilling to put in any extra effort to reach those goals -She may have over-estimated her capabilities at time of evaluation of our dog -She may have been occupied with other dogs, guests, activities during training period -She asked payment for a 4th week ($1,000 per week) as solution to reach unmet goals -The idea of paying for a 4th week soon became a request for additional 5th week payment Training program is strictly time-oriented and not results-oriented -Procedure is dog in at 10am Monday, dog out at 10am the following Monday -Other trainers are results-oriented so their weekly session routinely involves more time -Other trainers exhibit far more pride in achieving desired results independent of time Follow-up was seriously lacking after training ended, and immediately became non-existent -A major disappointment regarding continuing education for dog and owner -After asking her about lack of long-term relationship, she cut off all communication -Customer care / long-term client relationship a total disappointment Dog still required additional training with another professional dog trainer -The Bad: We had to spend more money to reach the goals unmet by Susan -Also Bad: Our dog had to spend more time away from home and was greatly missed -The Good: The 2nd trainer successfully met the goals that Susan could or would not -Also Good: Training was accomplished at a fraction of the amount Susan charges -Also Good: Our dog received socialization training with cats, necessary in our home If the following issues are among your concerns, definitely look for another trainer: -Long-term help after training may be lacking or non-existent. -Susan will not provide training involving your dog and household cats. -Susan does not accept Visa or other cards. Business is done on a cash-only basis. Miscellaneous: -I deserve plenty of blame due to a lack of research to find a better trainer -Choice of this trainer was mistakenly based on convenience of her nearby location while ignoring her questionable training timelines. -Post-Susan research revealed performance-based trainers who meet goals instead of meeting fixed deadlines as she does. Her training process is akin to hiring someone to paint your house by the hour. After 3 weeks and thousands of dollars, your house is half-painted and there are many apologies and lots of cleanup required. Meanwhile, your only hope of getting the results you originally thought you would get is to pay more money. You can only hope another week or two will be enough to get the job done... Or you wise up and go elsewhere, spend far less, get results, learn from your mistakes, and pass what you learned on to others. I believe Susan tried, and it would be unfair to say our dog did not benefit in any way by her training. But the bottom line is that after 3 weeks and $3000, her goals went unfulfilled, our goals went unfulfilled, and the dog still had basic week-one uncorrected problems. Those have since been corrected by a different trainer, and I think I have learned the hard way that a trainer like Susan cannot always achieve satisfactory results in a strictly measured 128-hour period. Sometimes those goals may not be met until many days later as was the case with our dog and the 2nd trainer. Finding and working with trainers who employ a goal-oriented philosophy and who are dedicated to achieving quantifiable results is extremely important. If you have a difficult dog (is yours any more difficult than ours?) do your research. There are dedicated trainers out there with too much pride to admit defeat. They will not return a half-trained dog to their owner based on movement of the clock. Along those lines, one has to wonder what was going on with the hourly-paid house painter who only managed to complete half the job. We did not allow Susan to complete the job and saved ourselves a lot of money. By going with a results-oriented trainer, we no longer needed to guess whether $4000 and 4 weeks with Susan or $5000 and 5 weeks with Susan would be enough time and money for her to achieve the job basics. For those who are able to report a good experience with Susan, I think it is great. I am happy for them and only wish I could feel the same way. However, due to her unmet goals, her lack of commitment to continuing education, and her demonstrably poor client relations skills, I could never possibly recommend her. Do your research and don't settle for substandard treatment. There are truly excellent results-driven trainers in Tucson who have too much pride in their accomplishments to allow the clock to determine the quality of training you and your dog will ultimately receive. read more

This is the most amazing dog trainer. Pretty much cured our neurotic, unresponsive - anti-social, border collie in just 10 days. We were amazed!!! Highly recommend boarded training-- then you just need to follow up.. plus-- her house and training facility is really nice. Our dog didn't want to come home!! read more

When we got two puppies (different mothers, same household, 3 days apart) about 3 years ago, I expected I'd be raising two perfect dogs. I employed all the advise from books, TV shows, friends, dog training classes, clickers, collars, you name it, and for some reason, our two little puppies grew up to be misbehaved...putting it mildly. Enter Susan and New Dogs - Old Trix. From reading testimonials on her website, she seemed almost too good to be true. I was skeptical, but from her very first email, and the subsequent evaluation at her home, I knew she was absolutely that good, and all the great things others had written were absolutely true. Susan is calm, assertive, passionate, professional, patient, competent, persistent, generous, and most of all, gentle and loving toward the animals. She's all that with the owners as well. Susan and her team, her 4 dog pack, transformed our maniacs into sweet, relaxed, confident dogs. She saw that one dog is social, but not obedient, the other is obedient but fearful and anti-social. We were trying to train them both in the same way. During the individual board and train, all the behavior issues got worked out. Each dog came back calm and relaxed, and responded to the basic commands that keep the dog safe, and fun to be with. Susan did her job, and then it was time for us to do ours. They learned new ways to behave, and our job was to reinforce those new ways and have them master their new behavior. We weren't left on our own to do this. Susan was/is always available for support and guidance as we master OUR new behavior as pack leaders. We could say that Susan performed miracles, but really there weren't any miracles. She worked and trained and developed long and hard to become "one with the dog", and she gave us the tools we needed to continue the process. Our dogs trust our leadership and are on the fast track to becoming the dogs we've always wanted: calm, happy, well-adjusted members of our family. We started calling Susan our Sensei ( Japanese term used to show respect to someone who has achieved a certain level of mastery in an art form or skill). We highly recommend New Dogs - Old Trix to anyone who cares about their dog. Susan, we thank you, our dogs thank you, and every dog you have ever trained or will train thanks you. Barb and Lyle Tucson, AZ read more

We adopted a one year old Border Collie from a rescue, and realized immediately that he was so incredibly smart that we would be negligent if we didn't get him some extensive training. He became reactive to workmen coming into our home after just a short while of being with us. After doing our homework, we decided on Susan del Signore, New Dogs - Old Trix. Her training has made the difference between a "nice dog" and confident, well behaved companion. Her methods are gentle yet firm and the response from our pup has been absolutely wonderful. Best of all, her training includes follow up. She's available now to answer questions and help out whenever needed. Her in-home setting gave her 24/7 access to our dog in a normal setting, so she could see all of his behaviors, and it really paid off. Plus, she took him on "field trips" to get him used to other situations as well. AND, perhaps most important, she trained us as well! My husband and I highly recommend Susan del Signore. read more

Member Comments: I took in Lea, a female Rottweiler, four years ago at the age of two. She is a smart, sweet dog who gets along with people but who had been left alone a lot and was an escape artist who tended to be destructive in the house and aggressive with cats and small dogs. With time I got most of the problems under control, but in the summer of 2013 she killed a cat. I started taking her to a dog park, which she loved, but after a couple of months she attacked a small dog there (who was unhurt). There might have been a small amount of provocation that day, but none whatsoever for her attack on another small familiar dog there the next day (who was also unhurt). I had to do something if I was going to keep her so I sought out the advice of several trainers. I learned that Lea's problem is that she has a strong prey drive. She would never be completely safe unsupervised with small dogs or cats but she could get much better. Two types of training would help: exposure to lots and lots of her triggers, or having my command overcome her chase tendency. Susan said she could do the second type of training. I chose Susan because one review I read described her helping a dog who sounded a lot like Lea, and because Susan has regular Sunday walks for all her customers who want to attend. Susan did three hours of training at my home and Lea made amazing progress. She led Lea through a series of commands -- let's go, leave it, wait, sit -- giving her more and more freedom. We went by barking dogs, which usually sets Lea off, and she stayed quietly with us, off leash. I was hesitant to use the e-collar Susan recommended (technically not a shock collar but a muscle contractor), but Susan's approach is to use the least amount the dog can feel and only when the dog knows the rules and is being deliberately disobedient. She had me feel the level she chose for Lea and it was identical to what I feel when I touch the light switch after walking on the rug. I can also use just the vibration button on the device. Susan and I exchanged emails about Lea's progress. We have had two more sessions in my neighborhood where Susan helps with the specific problems I face on the daily walk with Lea. Susan is enthusiastic, loves dogs (and Lea loves her and the training), and professional. She is altogether a joy to work with and I recommend her without reservation. If you are considering her, I would add one thing: I had to follow through on the training. Susan gets results almost magically but I have to be consistent in what I do with Lea or Lea learns she can disobey me and get away with it. Susan has been as patient with me as she was with Lea and Lea now gets compliments almost daily on our walk. read more

Our heeler, Blue, was first trained by Susan in 2011 and came home a completely different dog. Throughout the years, he has retained almost all of the commands that Susan initially taught him. We brought Blue back for a brief retraining after he developed some leash reactivity, as well as our new rescue heeler mix, Mag. I was a little nervous and apprehensive that Blue's behavior was "set in stone" because he's 7 years old, but it was no issue at all and he has been very receptive to Susan. Mag didn't come with any particular obstacles or challenges to overcome, but she struggles with insecurity and is highly sensitive. Our once incredibly stubborn dog will now perform basic commands and is excited to play training games. We've received compliments on how much more confident Mag is and how she is able to settle and relax. We are able to settle and relax because she no longer barks at noises from 3 miles away! It has been and continues to be a real joy to work with Susan and I would highly recommend her to anyone introducing a new dog into the home, whether there are specific behavioral issues or not. I am much more confident in my handling abilities with my dogs and how to set them up for success, as well as tools to help when situations don't go as planned. Susan is also knowledgeable and up-to-date about dog nutrition, and has caught a couple health concerns in my dogs to check out with my vet. I have gained so much more than a dog training event. I have learned so many games and tools to keep the training process going and Susan has continued to help me with new concerns. I love that she genuinely cares about my dogs as if they were her own.Thank you so much for all you have done and continue to do for Blue and Mag!!! read more

Susan is the best. We did some class training with our Dog Denver, and not much had changed before meeting Susan. When complaining about our dogs behavior to a friend she recommended New Dogs Old Trix. It was just what we needed for our 1.5yr old golden retriever. Before going to New Dogs Old Trix our dog was unable to settle down, would put everything he found in his mouth, put his paws on the counter tops and take food, pull when walking, jump on people when they came over....and the list goes on. Once we got him back he was a much better behaved dog. We are able to walk him off leash, he is much better on leash (the kids can even walk him), if he does pick something up once we give the command "out" he drops it and does not run (it use to be a game to him). We can even take him to stores, which i would of never done in the past. Not only did she train Denver, she trained us :) She set us up for success when we brought Denver home. She included us in the training process, and was patient with our boys as they wanted to help. You can tell she loves what she does. She went above and beyond with our dog. She made a probiotic as he was having belly issues, brushed him, and even bathed him. We received videos and photos while she had him as well. If we ever get another dog, we will be sure to take it straight to Susan. I highly recommend Susan!!! Old Dogs New Trix is well worth the investment! read more

I adopted an amazingly smart border collie-aussie mix from Arizona Border Collie Rescue in December of last year. While he had an amazing friendly personality, he had absolutely no boundaries, nor would he come when called or stop on command. At two years plus, he was too old for puppy school. I found Susan through a mutual friend and dog owner, and Mogie went in for a three week board and train. Susan asked us to leave her alone with the dog the first week, then join in selected outings and activities in the second and third. Mogie's progress was amazing. He no longer played rough with other dogs, and is as attentive as a dog can be. He is well socialized with other dogs (a particular concern with herding dogs) and both of us have learned behavioral tricks to help him calm down when too excited. Susan develops an amazing trust and rapport with the dogs she trains, and we are ever grateful that we were able to utilize her with Mogie. We still return weekly for the Sunday "pack walk" with other alums, and he continues to improve. read more

We bought a 10 week old Golden Retriever puppy, we had not had the puppy experience in over 30 years but had just lost our most recent rescue Golden, I wanted to start from scratch after having a number of rescue dogs. He was a wonderful little guy, great personality and full of energy and...out of control. We enrolled in two puppy classes that were very good but we were still having lots of behavioral problems such as chewing on everything (socks, shoes, sandals, toilet paper, Kleenex's, paper towels, and irrigation drip line), and then running off with them, pretty frustrating. We loved the little critter but were having real issues that we could not solve and decided that we needed a professional. Through friends, we heard about Susan and New Dogs Old Trix, Cathy set up an appointment for an evaluation and shortly after, Maxwell went to live with Susan. Within days she had done wonders and we looked forward to the daily videos and photos of his progress, it is truly amazing the transfomation in just those first couple of days. After not seeing him for a week, we were invited over for our training session and to see him show off his new skills. Here I will mention my experience with horses and dogs, the trainer can do an exceptional job of training an animal but if the owner does not become a part of the training process, it will never be the success that it can and should be. After the initial meeting, I would do the morning walk and observe her in action with Max, her two dogs (and usually a couple of others) so that I could learn how to effectively give commands without confusing him. After our early morning walk, she would spend some time with Maxwell and me reviewing his training and how I should follow through so that both he and I understood what was being asked of him. After three weeks with Susan he came home and was a dramatically different dog, don't miss understand, he was still a nine month old puppy but normally would no longer pick up items, when he did and I gave the "out" command, he would always drop it and has not once run off with it. I wanted a companion to walk with me daily and hike trails, this is the highlight, on leash he controls himself and off leash, responds to voice commands so well that he is a pleasure to be with. Yes, it is moderately expensive but no training from a competent professional is cheap and you usually get what you pay for, this lady knows her business and it is training dogs. Most importantly, you have to be involved and take the time to continue the training regimen once your dog comes home. Susan is a friend now but that does not in any way affect my evaluation of her skills in training animals, she genuinely loves animals and treats them with respect and commands their obedience. During my walk with Maxwell this morning I was thinking just how much I owe Susan, Maxwell (it used to be The Monster) is now a wonderful companion to be around and we genuinely enjoy our time together. She made that difference. read more

What can I say about New Dogs Old Trix, it is the Best! I have two rescue's that I got when they were 8 weeks old and was referred to Susan by a co-worker. I knew that Harley and Blu (our rescues), boxer and american bulldog mixes would be a minimum 50lbs. We wanted to make sure they were trained properly so we could enjoy walking them. Susan had them each for 5 days/nights (when we picked up Blu, we dropped off Harley) of training, one at time (btw they were 5 months at the time of training). Of course she trained us too. She is truly amazing. Susan loves your dogs/babies as much as we do. I walk our babies very day through our neighborhood, about three miles, and I get complimented all the time about how well behaved/trained Harley and Blu are (more so cause I walk/run them with their leashes dropped and they stay right by my side). I have even be asked if I trained them myself because they are so well trained. Our babies are now 3 1/2 years old and besides a few emails we have not been back to visit Susan, until this last November. We were going on vacation and had schedule for them to stay with Susan while we were gone. They had the time of their life and she was very happy to see them and how well we have kept up with their training. She said they are welcomed back anytime. I highly recommend Susan and Old Dogs New Trix. I could go on and on about how wonderful she is and that she is constantly keeping up with new techniques, but I think I have said enough. Well worth the investment. read more