We had a wonderful experience with Whole Dog with our new puppy, who is a 5-month old rescue. Irina came over for a 90-minute in-house consultation and training. She was excellent, gathering info about our puppy and then doing some basic training work with treats. But most helpful was the great method for potty training. Because our puppy was OK being in a crate the method was perfect. The puppy is in the crate for a couple hours, and then is out for 2 or 3 hours on the leash with us or very close at hand. We keep her on a regular schedule of eating, doing business, games, training, etc. She only had one mistake in 2 weeks of using this method, and of course the mistake was our fault. We plan to enroll her soon in some of the group puppy classes Whole Dog offers. They are excellent and have very fair prices. Robert read more

Whole Dog is a great place for training, terrific resource to our community. Wonderful instructors and great selection of courses. If you are looking for a place to build strong relationship with your pups, learn about positive training methods to change behavior over the long-term - this is the place to be! Liz is an amazingly patient instructor and people are really the ones being trained here. Even for the tough(er) nuts like reactive pups they can assist - you will not be disappointed by committing to your future happy household by taking classes here! read more

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We had a wonderful experience at Whole Dog Institute. Our puppy benefited from the Puppy Relationship Building Class with Quinn. We noted significant improvements in her demeanor and attention span. Quinn was patient and insightful in his training. Would highly recommend this place ! read more

The instructors at Whole Dog Institute understand dogs and are kind, patient, and willing to work with wherever you and your dog are in your positive reinforcement training journey. We started out in private lessons with Tina, who provided lots of invaluable exercises, tactical advice, and targeted online resources, then 'graduated' to the reactive dog class with Tina and Liz. I highly recommend Whole Dog Institute. read more

I worked with multiple trainers prior to meeting Liz, and she helped my reactive dog more so than anyone else. I would wholeheartedly recommend Whole Dog Institute. read more

Love the positive reinforcement training methods. Highly recommend it.

I've worked with the team here for both private and group dog trainings, prices are extremely reasonable and team is super knowledgeable and great to work. Fantastic experience, I recommend it to anyone looking for training help. read more

We have been thoroughly impressed by our first visit with WDI! Our trainer has so much knowledge that is really helping us understand our dog and how to work with him. We are learning a lot of new things that we would not have figured out on our own. The fees seem very reasonable for the benefits we are getting. read more

We have had such a wonderful experience attending the puppy play and train classes with Pamela and Jordaan. Both instructors are extremely knowledgeable, kind, and professional. I love that the class size and structure allows for individual attention to each pup and we have already gained many valuable tips from taking our puppy to these classes. There are not many places I would trust with the care and training of my puppy but I have full trust in Pamela and Jordaan! I would highly recommend them! read more

This is a very helpful training school for dogs. We learned a lot about how to improve our dog's behavior. The instructors are knowledgeable and are good problem solvers. There are a lot of variety in classes offered. I would highly recommend this school. read more

We highly recommend Whole Dog Institute for all stages of dog training and behavior modification. The Puppy Relationship Building course is so valuable for young puppies and their "people." We learned a great many useful and logical methods to help our puppy learn basic commands and socialization at an early age. The trainers are well qualified professionals who are knowledgeable and skillful in their communication. We're looking forward to the advanced class to further our puppy's good skills and behavior. Thank you, Robin Kirk, for being Parker's trainer! read more

My dog and I are having a great time in Intro to Nose Work!

Sue is the best! Started training with her when Milli was a puppy (8 years ago) and have trained with her in agility and nosework. Yes, we compete for titles, but it's not about winning - it's about having fun with your dogs and keeping their lively brains engaged. Of course, it's not so much about training the DOG as it is training ME. Sometimes I am a slow learner, too! LOL. But my dogs love her to pieces and I am a WDI fan for life. read more

Whole Dog Institute has been amazing to work with! A trainer has come to one of our homes, and three of us, who adopted sisters from the same litter, all take classes together! It is quite a challenge to get these pups to focus, but she helps us find a way! The classes are really clear, organized and productive, and Irina sends us a follow up email to review the exercises which helps us to practice during the week! I have been so thrilled with the experience! read more

I contacted this place when I got my really shy dog earlier this year. The trainers and behaviorists here are really experts. Tina fit me into her really full schedule and gave one-on-one time with my pup. She sent tons of advice and tips and personalized videos of exercises for my dog. I definitely recommend the services at Whole Dog Institute. read more

My dog and I had a wonderful experience at the Whole Dog Institute. We will definitely be back to continue his training! Even as a 5-year old dog, he was able to learn new tricks in the relationship building fundamentals course. read more

Love them - I've been taking nosework classes there for I think five years, and know most of the trainers - they do great work and really empower both the dogs and the owners. Highly recommend to everyone. read more

We took our 4 month old puppy here for the "Puppy Relationship" class. You have to complete certain classes to move on to the next. I wish we could have done an evaluation to asses my dog and myself and the training we'd already done at home. I feel like it was a waste of money and time. (Was supposed to be a 6 week class, but due to trainer's schedule it was dragged out to 8.) The class in no way helped us advance toward taking any tests like AKC star puppy or CGC. The information we received in class was nothing more than a quick google search on dog training could have provided. I'm giving two stars instead of one due to the fact that the class did offer socialization. read more

Whole Dog Institute's intensive day training program has been a fantastic investment. Blue made astonishing progress in a few weeks, and we have been able to maintain key skills at home. I would highly recommend this program for anyone looking to jump start training or correct bad habits. We learned about Whole Dog Institute's day training program after attending puppy class the year before. Our puppy class instructor, Kate, had done a great job of teaching us how to instill good manners in our new puppy, and we had the best of intentions to follow through. But then work, school and and life happened, and 18 months later we found ourselves with a sweet, friendly family pet who we had allowed to develop a few really bad manners. We enrolled Blue in the 15 day-training intensive with the goal of improving Blue's three problem behaviors: leash pulling, impolite greeting of guests, and recall. When we came for a "parent-teacher meeting" at the end of the first week, I was amazed by the skills and commands Blue had already learned. Not only that, but it was clear that Blue LOVED learning and working in his training sessions. He was eager and excited to work, and actually seemed proud to demonstrate his new skills! Blue has always attended dog day care for socialization and exercise. However, I've never seen him more exhausted then after his days at Whole Dog Institute. He would return home, stretch out the floor, and fall into a deep sleep until the next morning. The mental work of learning takes a lot of energy. In the morning, as we were packing up to leave the house for the day, Blue would stand by our front door and whine because he was so excited to go back to school. Kate and her team followed methodical, quantitative assessment methods to track Blue's progress on a dozen or so commands and skills. Manners are consistently reinforced throughout the day. This means the staff asked Blue to wait at every gate, every time, even for pick up and drop off. Before the program, Blue was a relentless leash puller and had damaged his trachea pulling on a collar and put his spine out of alignment pulling in an easy walk harness. My son could not walk him around the neighborhood. WDI showed us how to correctly use a prong collar, using a light jiggle to remind Blue to leave slack on the leash, and a light redirection sideways if he is pulling forwards. I was hesitant at first, but Blue is happy to have this collar put on before a walk (he hated having his easy-walk harness put on), and he seems comfortable, happy, and calm when walking, without the relentless urge to tow us down the street. Blue walks easily and even my son can walk him. If the leash becomes taught, a small jiggle is all it takes to remind Blue to create some slack, and even this small reminder is rarely needed. Walking our dogs has now become a fun family routine, instead of an unpleasant shoulder-straining chore. Another problem behavior we wanted to addressed was rude greetings. Thankfully, since he weighs 60 pounds, Blue no longer jumps up on visitors. However, he is very curious and friendly, and his favorite way to learn about a new guest to the house is a hearty sniff of the person's butt. Kate taught Blue a command to touch his nose to a visitor's outstretched hand, which gives him an outlet for his intense need to sniff, without goosing the guest. A third command that has "stuck" in the weeks since graduation is "wait". We give the verbal and hand cue to show Blue the boundary of a doorway and ask him to wait instead of allowing him to shove his way through ahead of us. Blue still wants to push ahead, and the command is a good reminder to help bring his focus back to us. "Wait" has been especially useful as a safety tool when unloading our two dogs from the car. Blue learned many other commands, and I'll admit I have not practiced these at home. So, I was excited to learn that WDI is now offering "refresher" day stays. We are planning to bring Blue a couple of days a month to keep his skills up and help us to incorporate more of what he has learned into our home routines. read more

I've take the intro to k9 nose work class and moved onto the intermediate class afterwards. I don't have enough great things to say about it! My dog is not particularly dog friendly or playful, this class was a great way to stimulate her mentally and great caution is taken in the class to ensure nobody handles your dog without permission or let's dogs greet each other. My dog is super excited for training class every week, she loves it. The trainer, Sue McKinney, is very knowledgeable, friendly and willing to answer any questions you have. I would highly recommend taking a class here! My dog and I are repeat customers. read more

Sue is amazing! We are so happy we found Whole Dog Institute. Sue has a keen understanding of dog behavior and how to motivate and train them. Her technique is a nice mixture of showing how to interact with your dog and teaching how a dog thinks, learns and copes with stress. She is patient, calm and supportive. She is truly a gold mine of knowledge when it comes to dogs and the people who love them. read more

We have taken numerous classes as WDI, most recently several years of nose work classes with Sue. Very happy all around! We also frequent the chiropractic services- Dr. Engle is great! read more

My husband and I took our puppy to the relationship Building class. It was excellent. Irina is a great instructor with both experience and a real love for dogs. Our puppy learned good manners and we learned much more about how to properly train him. We'll be going back for the next course soon. read more

Whole Dog Institute did an assessment for a foster dog we were considering. Sue was spot on in her assessment; her assessment helped set realistic expectations for us and helped us work with our dog. We kept the dog and did some training with Sue. that was 3 years ago, and our dog is doing great. Working with Whole Dog Institute was a wonderful experience; we are very happy with our choice (of both dog and trainer!) read more