My dog Senna and I had an amazing first experience at Paw Sessions in Greenlawn today. I had spoken…read morewith Laurie twice by phone and text before scheduling an initial evaluation for my two year old Miniature Schnauzer. Right away I could tell how kind, knowledgeable, and accommodating she was--especially with my unpredictable schedule working. She got us in for a last-minute evaluation to observe his behavior and determine which group training class would best fit his level and my goals. The facility is in a beautiful part of Greenlawn. I'm not from the area (I drove about 45 minutes from Shirley), but it was well worth the trip. The space is large, clean, and air-conditioned, with a front office stocked with treats, leads, and info on local adoptable dogs. The training area in the back is incredible--designed to feel like a real-world outdoor space, but indoors. Think: dog park meets small town street setup, complete with benches and gates. It's the perfect environment to simulate life scenarios without having to worry about weather or distractions. Laurie met us with her sweet, obedient dog Elliot and we dove right into the evaluation. She was hands-on, switching Senna's leash to a training lead and teaching me exactly how to use it--why the technique matters, how it benefits both of us, and what cues to watch for. It was part evaluation, part mini training session, and incredibly helpful. Laurie's training style is rooted in kindness and positive reinforcement. No yelling, no punishment, no harsh techniques--just consistency, praise, correction when needed, and treats if needed. This approach aligns perfectly with how I've raised Senna since he was a puppy, and I felt confident trusting Laurie with his continued training. The evaluation itself was $175, which I'll admit is more than some places I called. But let me be real: I'd gladly pay more to work with Laurie than deal with the impersonal, uninterested responses I got from other training centers. She was responsive, informative, and genuinely cares. We've now signed up for an advanced socialization class, and I can't wait to continue. She offers a full range of classes: beginner obedience, off-leash recall, dog first aid & CPR, park outings, and more--all throughout the summer at various times, which is ideal for people with non-traditional work hours. Bonus: Laurie also makes her own single-ingredient dehydrated treats--and Senna LOVES the beef chips. He's picky, but these were a hit. They're the perfect size, break apart easily, and are ideal for training sessions. I even bought a bag to take home. They're healthier than most store-bought treats, and supporting a local business felt great. Another plus: Laurie offers private, in-home or at work training sessions for those with unpredictable schedules like mine. She was flexible, easy to reach by text, and clearly passionate about what she does. Finding a good trainer in Long Island wasn't easy--I filled out multiple contact forms and barely heard back from anyone. Laurie called me within hours and kept in touch every step of the way. If you're looking for a dog trainer who gets it, who respects your time, communicates well, and truly loves what she does, go to Paw Sessions. I'm so happy we found her, and I can't wait to see Senna grow through these next few months of training. I'll update this review as we progress--but for now, it's a solid 5 stars from both of us.

Great people and our dog LOVES weekly play sessions with them. We really appreciate the team at…read morepawsessions and highly recommend!

Allen is so patient and kind. He helped tremendously with our dog who was chewing on everything in…read moreour house and basically dragging us around our neighborhood while we tried to walk her. He gave us the tools and training that we needed as well as our dog and we couldn't be happier with the results.

This is a fantastic training facility. They really care about dogs and are extremely helpful. My…read morepuppy greatly improved under their guidance. It was great to see how well they worked with the individual strengths and weakness of every puppy in our very private puppy class. The feedback from the trainers was incredibly useful and personalized. We finished puppy kindergarten and are extremely excited to start the next level. They really aim to find the best in your pup and provide targeted advice. Additionly, they provide life long training. There were six puppies in our class, and you could see definate improvement in each dog by the end of the 8 week course. Highly recommend!

We have our pup in training at this location and we couldn't be happier. Friendly, patient And…read moreintelligent staff. The owner is a veritable genius as far as dog training is concerned. This woman knows the dog next move intuitively! Couldn't be happier or more impressed.

A canine miracle worker!…read more I recently had the privilege of working with Gia, and I cannot express enough how incredible their positive training techniques are. If you're in search of a dog trainer who will not only transform your pup but also your own relationship with your furry friend, look no further.

If I had to sum up our training with Gia in a sentence... it is absolutely the kindest thing we…read morecould have possibly done for our reactive dog. Please excuse the essay as I explain... We got our dog as a rescue puppy at just shy of 8 weeks. He had issues since we got him, including growling when handled, fear of dogs/other people/a leaf blowing in the wind (not kidding) which presented itself as barking and lunging. We initially worked with a trainer who used a prong collar and said we needed to be stricter which did not help and in retrospect may have worsened his behaviors. We have worked with Gia virtually (FaceTime/zoom) for 5 months and have seen tremendous progress for our pup. The initial consultation was like having a psychiatric evaluation of your dog - it was so interesting! The questions that she asked and her reasoning behind why he was reacting were so helpful. We meet virtually either once a week or once every 2-3 weeks on different behaviors (as you can guess he has a lot of phobias), and she gives us homework and techniques to try between lessons. We have "gone" with her on multiple field trips including home depot, dog parks, downtown, neighborhoods with bikes/skate boards and the virtual format works perfectly. During this time we also got our dog started and ant-anxiety medication and Gia was also able to provide guidance on that based on her experiences with other dogs. She is always available via text/phone, provides feedback or answers questions if we run into problems between sessions, and her social media platforms give us ideas and suggestions for our dog as she has a lot of clients struggling with similar issues. We used to be unable to take our dog literally steps out the apartment door without him reacting and having a meltdown. I was afraid to be in certain situations with him as I was unsure of how to manage it. Although I recognize our dog may never like all people or dogs (and hey what person does!?), Gia has helped our dog to become safer, happier, and less stressed (and in turn us too!) in the most humane, kind way all while explaining to us why/what is going on with us. Gia - we can't thank you enough!!!

We hired Lorrie to help us with us with Brody, our reactive labradoodle. Brody was barking at…read moreeverything while inside our home and while on leash. In addition, Brody was pulling on the leash, making dog walking unpleasant. Lorrie designed a reasonable plan to help curb Brody's reactive behavior. Brody enjoyed his trainingy with Lorrie, as did his humans! Lorrie is extremely knowledgeable, pleasant, and fun to work with. Most importantly, she sets realistic goals which are attainable. After the training session Lorrie emails a synopsis of what was learned and what the owner needs to work on with your dog to maximize the training experience. These notes are invaluable as one may revisit those instructions now and again if unwanted behavior resurfaces. We highly recommend Lorrie to assist in training your dog! You and your dog will undoubtedly be better for it!

Lorrie was outstanding and comprehensive in helping us manage our minidoodle's fears and anxiety…read more(and ours!) She was validating and understanding. She helped us learn to read her body language and doing the consent test to see if she wants to be pet so we can teach others who come to our home. We learned to read her signs of stress to decrease and manage her anxiety. Lorrie gave us valuable interventions to manage bedtime, potty training , walking reactivity, increasing her social comfort level, and so much more. We are very grateful to Lorrie !! Sharon & John

If you are reading this, your search for dog training stops here. This is the place you need and…read morethey will change your life! This sounds a little over the top BUT I'm not lying. I tell our trainers Katie and Nicole all of the time that they are life savers. We brought our puppy here at 1 years old - a small wild, energetic Jack Russell who knew every time I was on a video meeting to bark his head off and embarrass me EVERY TIME! Walks were out of the question since he would pull on the leash to the point he would choke himself... sitting on the deck was a nightmare in our own backyard because he would bark at the wind (yes, the wind), the leaves moving, the birds and obviously the neighbors. Does this sound familiar? I questioned my decision of getting a puppy and then I found Max K9. We did a 3 week Board & Train where I was super hesitant of dropping him off (because no one wants to leave their baby anywhere), but they were so good with sending video progress and pictures and including my husband and I in the process. I joke with everyone that I think they implanted a program into his brain! Lol! The transformation was unreal. We were instantly able to communicate with him and actually go on a walk.. outside in the real world. What a breath of fresh air, literally! Max K9 has given us the ability to live an active lifestyle and have our pup enjoy it with us. Hikes, traveling, morning walks, trips to the store, brewery visits, long car rides out of state... you name it. I would do it all over again if I had to without a question. So if you've made it this far, thanks for reading. I hope this helps you make your decision to having a better relationship with your pup and enjoying life with them every step of the way.

I am SO thankful for Sherry at Maximum K9. I don't know if I can put into words how helpful she has…read morebeen in training our Stormie. Stormie is a rescue who we adopted in 2019 and underwent 2 surgeries in 2021 due to bilateral CCL surgery. She was cooped up for an extended amount of time during recovery. We were unable to take her outside without her reacting to other dogs and sometimes even people. Stormie even gave us difficulty when we wanted to go for a short walk. It was so frustrating and difficult taking her out in public that we needed help. We have heard of Maximum K9 from many of our friends and even the great reviews I've seen on dog groups and online. I called to inquire about the types of training (group vs. individual) and it was clear that we needed to take private lessons. We signed up for a package of 6 lessons with Sherry that were one hour long for 6 consecutive weeks. Our first day, Sherry got to know about Stormie's behaviors - positive and negative, what we were having difficulty with and what our goals were. Sherry worked with us each week when training Stormie (and me) on how to modify or progress a skill. We learned how to heel, which we never were taught from another trainer elsewhere, and the importance of heel. We were given homework on what to practice from the training sessions to continue our work outside of the facility. Sherry helped Stormie become less dog reactive in a safe manner at Maximum K9. Stormie was slowly exposed to the board and train dogs in the facility that had various levels of size and temperament. Each week, Stormie learned how to follow her commands and not react to different dogs. With Sherry's consistent training, Stormie was able to heel with me in a circle with other dogs and sit next to them without any reaction at all. I cannot find the words to thank Sherry for helping Stormie and myself. I came into Maximum K9 with Stormie trying to pull my arm off and reacting to dogs in the lobby to now leaving with my arm back intact and her in a nice heel. I will refer all my dog lovers and friends to Maximum K9 and Sherry going forward! Thank you again!

Leslie is a truly outstanding dog trainer who creates confident, smart and thinking dogs. I sampled…read morea variety of trainers before I met Leslie and nobody else I've met comes close to her positive attitude and the dedication she gave to my labrador (Walter) and me. Leslie shared a number of articles and videos to review before our first session so that I would understand the "marker training" method which is popular. My dog and I were already off to a good start with this information and we had yet to have a first training session! At our first session, she provided us the right "tools" for the job such as training collars and leashes. She always has these items (and more) with her at all times to make each session efficient and productive. When the time came to work with other dogs as distractions, Leslie had other dogs for us to work with. She is extremely organized and takes many notes during each session for when she provides a follow up email (typically within 24 hours) containing homework for the week, session notes as well as many excellent articles and videos relating to the session. I have only praise for Leslie, her training methods and being a joy to work with. Her methods use positive reinforcement and the end result for Walter is that he is a very happy and extremely well behaved dog who also gets along with other dogs. Leslie is a terrific choice for an experienced, well educated and passionate trainer in my opinion. Walter and I worked very hard on our homework, read the handouts, watched the videos and applied every suggestion she offered. I now have a wonderfully well-behaved companion who thinks before he acts and I look forward to many years with my confident K-9!

Great trainer, very happy with results. Didn't take many sessions to see success with my dogread more

From the owner: Kay9 Training and Walking offers obedience training, behavior modification, and dog walking…read more Service is offered throughout the Long Island area in both Nassau County and Suffolk County including, but not limited to the following towns: Bay Shore, Central Islip, Cold Spring Harper, Commack, Deer Park, Dix Hills, East Meadow, Farmingdale, Hauppauge, Huntington, Jericho, Levittown, Plainview, Massapequa, Melville, Merrick, Mineola, Smithtown, Syosset, West Babylon, Westbury, and surrounding areas. If your town was not listed but you neighbor one of the listed towns you are most likely also within our service radius. Please contact us to learn more about our affordable rates and services offered and inquire now for a free consultation!

Super big guy, super nice, super badass. He has helped my confidence with my 3yr old newfy male who…read moregets aggressive & protective of me around new dogs. I have worked with other trainers and Alex has been the most straightforward and helpful. He is a dog behaviorist who will find every way for you to succeed with your dog. Prices are reasonable for his skill level.

From the owner: I'm a Certified Dog Trainer that goes to people's homes and trains the owner to train their dog…read moreand/or puppy with issues like obedience, behavioral, puppy training and eliminating fears/phobias. I have more client reviews on my website and/or Google.