We had a great experience with the basic obedience class! The instructions were really clear and the lessons moved quickly enough that my dog stayed engaged the whole time. I'm already seeing improvement in her recall when we're at the park! Highly recommend these trainers and will be back for more classes. read more

Classes are great. Staff is wonderful. I had a few follow up questions and received a comprehensive response that was pages long. read more

positive gentle reinforcement that works wonders for training. Highly recommend their classes and workshops. Very kind and responsive

Your Dog's Friend is the BEST!! All of the trainers at Your Dog's Friend are super amazing!! Sarah has been our go to trainer because she is very experienced, knowledgeable, skilled, and personable. She has taught our whole family and dogs. They truly reinforce positivity when training the trainers and dogs. Our family has taken all of our puppies for puppy parties, puppy kindergarten, first grade, and now we're looking to sign up for second grade. Each level and classes were excellent experiences - I had looked forward to training every week and now am looking forward to continuing with them for additional trainings to come. I have recommended Your Dog's Friend to EVERYONE who has a dog :) read more

The trainers are knowledgeable and responsive to each pet and owner's needs! We brought our 4 month old puppy here for Kindergarten and the puppy play parties -- he loves it and sleeps the whole next day! read more

We have taken a number of classes through Your Dog's Friend and they were all excellent. He acheived his AKC Good Citizen on his first try! When we are out walking, visiting parks, and in public places like stores and restaurants, strangers often tell us what a good dog he is. This is all due to the many classes we have taken here.He is a rescue and the agility classes helped him build his confidence when he encountered obstacel in the wild. He even learned to get in a kayak with the in the box command! This organization is excellent! read more

We live in DC and it's a 45-minute drive to Your Dog's Friend, but chose them anyway after *lots* of research about the best puppy kindergarten and dog training classes in the DC area. I love that they are a nonprofit organization, how experienced their trainers are (with all relevant certifications), and that they are positive-only (as recommended by AVSAB- American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior - and is best supported by research). We started with puppy kindergarten with our golden retriever (6 sessions, starting around 14 weeks) and LOVED it. I can't say enough good things. The trainers at Your Dog's Friend are so knowledgeable about research-based, positive training and socialization. Everything we learned from Sarah Stoycos and the other trainers we have put into practice with our puppy, Griffey. After puppy K, we signed up for puppy first-grade and will be starting this weekend. We hope to keep going all the way through Canine Good Citizen and potentially do some of their nosework and agility classes, as we think Griffey would enjoy them! read more

Your Dog's Friend - Pet Training Near Me - Rockville, Maryland

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I have been taking Apollo, my 5 month old mixed breed pup here for the last 2 months for a puppy kindergarten and socialization. It's really convenient that it's close to my place, which is just the icing on the cake: everyone here really cares about dogs and bettering the community by helping us be better owners. Couldn't recommend them enough! read more

Your Dog's Friend - Apollo at socialization! They do a good job of keeping the dogs safe and happy so they can learn to play appropriately. - Pet Training Near Me - Rockville, Maryland

My pup and I had a great six session in person basic training experience here. I learned ways to prevent my pup from pulling on the leash and fun games to play to engage her while walking or on a rainy day. I was also given advice on how to try to stop her from jumping on people when she gets excited. Time will tell if it works but overall I think it's a great way to start training your pup without breaking the bank. read more

Love this place. They're so helpful, caring and kind. They followed up and helped me find a trainer specific to my dog's needs.

I emailed them for advice and Nicole and Debra were super nice and helpful. I really appreciated their advice. Very nice people! I will definitely use their services in the future as I will soon be getting a new puppy. read more

We brought our Golden puppy here for Puppy Kindergarten a few years ago and I'm just now realizing I haven't given them a review! So full disclosure this is based on our experience in 2016. Their puppy kindergarten has rolling registration (specific dates/times listed on their website) which was something we really appreciated as did the other puppy families we made friends with in the class. My family has gone to two other places over the years for puppy training and neither offered rolling registration. Your puppy had to be a specific age at a specific time or else you were out of luck. Not here! They get extra points for that! The classes themselves are for six weeks in a row. Each class starts with a puppy play session. They divide the room into sections based on size, age and behavior characteristics. This was great for the dogs but also the humans as our class was at 6:45 on Monday nights. Managing a puppy in the car during Rockville rush hour can be a bit of a challenge. It was a huge help when running a few minutes late. You weren't "those people!" as puppy socialization time provided a bit of a buffer. The class itself taught the basics. All of the lessons have stuck with my now four year old golden up to this day. The class is pretty serious and includes homework. Shrugging it off wasn't an option but it really paid off in the long run. One part of the training that really stuck out to me was teaching the puppies to respond to their name. Not to sound like a snot - my dog excelled at this as she comes from a line of champions so she was taught her name early on. But you'd be surprised at the number of pups who haven't a clue as to what their name is. These basics you don't always think about really do come full circle here. I absolutely recommend them. It's a class but also a personalized experience for your dog. The only negatives for us: 1. The distance - it was a real pain coming from Olney in rush hour. My next puppy will attend at an earlier time! 2. The parking lot is sort of dark and hidden in an industrial section of Rockville. For a bunch of puppies who need a potty break every hour or so the "accommodations" could be better. Especially mid-winter when it's dark and dreary. Easily fixable. read more

If you are bringing home a new puppy, I highly recommend enrolling in puppy classes at Your Dog's Friend! We have a 7 month old goldendoodle and we enrolled in puppy kindergarten a week after we brought her home with us when she was 2 months old, and also did puppy 1st grade after she finished kindergarten. Sarah Stoycos is a GREAT trainer and a wonderful resource for all questions and concerns. We had her for both classes. Our pup Indie LOVES Sarah and smothers her with kisses every time she sees her. Our puppy was very timid and shy when we brought her to her first puppy class and the change in her confidence over the 6 weeks of the class was amazing to see. Puppies get to have play time before the class starts and the instructors will try to match the puppies up with good play partners and they are always supervising so that your puppy has a good experience and learns good play habits. YDF is all about positive reinforcement training so its fun for both dogs and owners. Puppy kindergarten goes over the basic commands: sit, down, stay, leave it, etc. They also do a lot of socialization with people (the instructors) and objects. You have to do the homework for it to stick with your pup. It's an investment and all the hard work will pay off! Puppy Parties: The puppy parties at YDF are AWESOME for young pups who haven't had all their vaccinations or are scared/shy around other dogs. It's a longer version of the puppy play before class and is supervised by instructors to ensure all pups are having a good time. And it's a great way for your pup to get some energy out. read more

They are just the best group of trainers!!! I've taken three different classes with them, one being online. You can tell the trainers love dogs and they're not there to be "alpha" or dominate the dogs. They take the time to address questions and concerns. They are positive reinforcement based and therefore a positive experience for me and my dog. Unlike another place I went to where my dog would tuck her tail in upon seeing that trainer, who was also the owner....he was a jerk your leash type of trainer. Also used electric shock on his own dog to demonstrate heeling (you could see him press it multiple times to have his dog obey) and he tried to convince me to put an e-collar on my dog. Anyway, Your Dog's Friend also has free webinars on weekends that give you information on assorted dog related topics. I just wish all the rescues/breeder out there would require potential dog owners to attend the Advice for adopters & puppy parents webinars before approving adoptions. read more

I love this nonprofit organization! It is the best dog training facility for educating dog owners, especially those of us with rescue and puppy mill pooches. Wednesday will mark my one year anniversary with my Westie that was used for breeding at a despicable puppy mill in Kansas. She has come a long way, but still gets spooked by noises and hates the leash. I attended one of their free workshops called 'From Fear to Confidence'. Jeni Grant was the informative facilitator and offered a wealth of valuable information. I look forward to putting her ideas to use, and attending future classes. My little one will thank me someday. As for now, all she wants to do is lounge on the couch, or in her (our) bed. read more

I can't say enough about YDF and Melissa. We adopted a 9 week puppy from a shelter and after a few short weeks in their puppy party camps and following Melissa's lead, our puppy has gone from a shy puppy to a confident, playful puppy that is welcoming to dogs and strangers. I highly recommend YDF to anyone considering them for training, socialization and other things related to your dog or puppy. THANK YOU YDF AND MELISSA! read more

Okay, this is really a review on why this dog training facility was not a good fit for me personally. It isn't a criticism of the facility as a whole or their approach. However, I hope this might help others evaluate if it is a good fit for them or not. Our dog was enrolled in the basic manners class. And I have three main points that I wish I had known: 1. The dogs and owners are all divided into different areas, pretty much large pens, so that they are physically separated by each other and there is almost no view of one another. I learn a lot in group classes (of any kind) by watching/listening to the instructor interact with others. Without being able to observe the rest of the class, I really did not learn as well. 2. The instructors really emphasize being happy and enthusiastic with the dog. If you are a shy or reserved person, getting the level of excitement that they would like you to exhibit might be excruciating. I'm not a zombie, but neither can I reach cheerleader levels. Again, more a point of personal preference, probably not a problem for most of the world. 3. The last is really my fault for not asking more questions about the goals of the class vs training techniques used. To me the 2 most important things a dog should learn are sit and heel. Our previous dogs were quite large and it was key to us that they behaved well in public and did not intimidate other people. I'd rather the dog only learned those two behaviors reliably, in a variety of situations, than about anything else. The manners class had a variety of goals, including loose leash walking. So really I should not have made assumptions based on prior obedience classes and should have asked more questions in that area. Anyway, like I said, not a criticism of the facility and training. This is just things I wish I had known or had put more thought into, and I hope they are helpful. read more

The trainers at Your Dog's Friend are amazing!!! They are highly skilled and personable. I've taken my puppy for puppy parties and online puppy kindergarten. Both were excellent experiences. I look forward to continuing with them for puppy first grade. Puppy parties and classes fill up well in advance, so be aware that you can't register last minute. read more

Very nice dog training place. Lisa was my puppy's trainer and she did a good job!! Worth every penny!!

I started off taking the Reactive dog class which is one of the few of its kind in the area. Thank goodness Michelle and Debra are so good. The staff focus on humane and positive-reinforcement as a means to train. No choke chains, e-collars or other abusive methods. After I took the reactive class, they asked me to coach and I have been doing just that on and off for about a year and 1/2. I've also taken several Nose Work classes here. Jacy and Rachel are both fantastic instructors who really know their stuff. The facility is kind of hidden. It's located around the side of a 70's era office building that also houses Techline and America's Granite. My first time here I was pretty confused. The training room is pretty large and they have tons of equipment--from (indoor!) agility stuff to X-pens decked out in tarps to keep reactive and non-working (in the case of agility) dogs separated. They even offer supplies like leashes, harnesses and treat toys for sale. read more

Where do I even start? This was, without question, the very best dog training class I have ever been to. After being bitten, my pup was afraid of large dogs. I wanted to get him to a place where he was comfortable going for walks again. I was referred to them via my vet. After reading the glowing yelp reviews, I spoke with Debra about getting enrolled. She was so nice, so helpful, and so knowledgeable about dogs and breed specific behavior. The class is always booked solid, but 100% worth the wait! They seem to offer it every other month, so the waitlist moves pretty quick. The class met once a week. You go the first 3x by yourself, then take your dog for the remaining 5 sessions. They only use positive reinforcement- no prongs or zappers. You get a clicker, homework, and your own private dog trainer. The paired me with Jean Robertson, who is AWESOME and has 2 boxers of her own. She just *got* my dog and genuinely understood how to help him, and was an amazing and patient teacher with me. I can't even articulate how thankful I am for this organization. My dog is bouncy and happy when we go for walks, as opposed to the bundle of nerves he used to be, and I know it's because of what we learned there :) They offer lots of other classes too- can't wait to check them out! read more

Good job helping me train my dog. A little condescending at times, but good at teach me how to teach my dog. Would go back for more training if I wanted more advanced stuff from the pooch. read more

Six months since my first days at Your Dog's Friend and it's still such a great place to take your dogs for classes. I've had experience with many of the trainers, and I tell all my friends that this is the place to take your dog. Puppy First Grade solidified what my pup learned in puppy kindergarten and kept me in contact with many of the same owners. We've also taken Agility Games which is a great confidence building class for dogs and a very nice intro to Agility for people who really aren't sure if their dog would be a good fit. The class makes many accommodations for dogs that aren't 'issue-less' as another reviewer put it. All dogs enter one at a time to limit dog interactions for mildly leash reactive dogs, or older dogs that don't like the exuberance of a younger dog bolting up to them. Also all dogs work in individual pods to work on focus while the actual agility obstacles were just beyond the pods. They also have separate classes for highly energetic dogs (Control and Focus), fearful dogs, leash reactive dogs, and are even starting a reactive dog agility class. read more

wow! Just called this office the first time. The admin staff worker was incredible. She was extremely helpful giving me a world of valuable information. Sometimes you read rave reviews on yelp and are suspect about them. I now realize that all of these rave reviews are legitimate. read more

The BEST dog training facility in the DC Metropolitan area. I'm a new dog owner and my pup suffered from separation anxiety. In addition to helping both of us learn basic manners, Your Dog's Friend also worked with me to help with my pup's anxiety. Within two weeks, with their help, she was totally cured. I honestly, would still be up half the night if it wasn't for the extremely helpful, kind trainers at Your Dog's Friend. I also love how they have so many great classes for dogs. We are having so much fun in Basic Manners 1, that we cannot wait for 2 to begin. read more

I have taken a variety of classes at Your Dog's Friend with my two dogs and have always been extremely pleased with the instructors and the classes. Some of the classes I have taken were the Puppy Kindergarten, Basic Manners and Nosework levels I,II and III. I highly recommend both the puppy classes and the Nosework (scent detection). The puppy classes are superior to anything you will take at Petsmart. I especially liked how the class has a puppy playtime at the end to allow the pups to socialize with each other. The Nosework classes with Jacy are a unique way to bond with your dog. I found that my dogs really enjoyed the game of finding the scent. My younger dog who is anxious with strangers, really benefitted from the nosework class, She gained confidence and has less stranger anxiety now. You cannot go wrong taking a class from Your Dog's Friend. read more

I've learned so much from Your Dog's Friend and have been loving every minute of it so I wanted to take time to write a review. For the past 5 months I have been attending their free workshops, reading their wonderful newsletters, and have been been a member of their Foster Dog Alliance (that's how I first found out about them). I had wanted to take on a more challenging foster dog and it was indeed a challenge. Debbie was a 60 pound, not so well mannered, high energy dog. She was very jumpy and mouthy with greetings. In addition, during her first month of transition, she had some incidents of growling, nipping, and guarding. She's my 10th foster dog yet I had never dealt with those issue before. I wanted to start training right away but I wasn't sure how to enroll. Debra Ekman was very helpful and I was able to sign up to attend the following night's class. Debbie's progress has been absolutely amazing!!!! Before, her energy level was through the roof, she was impulsive, and it was hard for her to concentrate. Now she is much calmer, less likely to barge in/out of situations at home, and she has learned manners, commands, and tricks. Her amazing progress was possible through Your Dog's Friend's positive reinforcement training methods and clicker training. I learned the training was just as much for me too! Formerly, I mostly used repetition and luring with treats. I was able to take what we learned in class and apply it to problem solving at home. The clicker is a way to capture a very specific action and build incrementally. The click is coupled with a treat but because the treat doesn't come until after the click the dog doesn't become food obsessed and uses it's brain to figure out what behaviors get rewarded. One time when we went to class I thought Debbie didn't learn anything. The trainer had chosen Debbie's lesson to simply be her being in class in a relaxed manner. It was then that I fully realized what tremendous progress Debbie had made. To learn basic obedience commands is one thing, but to also learn how to calm herself and transform her behaviors into positive ones is truly amazing. Your Dog's Friend....you are indeed succeeding in your mission! read more

After being referred to YDF from my neighbor, my dog walking service, and my vet, I figured that this must be the place to go to learn how to best communicate with my dog. I had not been experiencing aggression or major problems with my dog - he is very happy and excitable - I just wanted to be able to understand him a little better and learn to harness some of his energy. We are graduating from Basic Manners 1 this weekend and the enhancement of our relationship is incredible. He listens to me now and he just seems so much more content. You may think you know something about communicating with dogs, but YDF teaches you things you never knew and sets the stage for you AND your dog to actually enjoy training. But be prepared, as most of the work to be done is that of the dog parent! Well worth it, though. read more

We took the scent and search class with Michele and it was absolutely amazing! My dog lacked confidence and was scared of things like boxes, trash cans, bags etc. This class helped so much and he had fun while doing it. He isn't scared to explore and doesn't react the way he once did. It has really changed our daily life and has made things like walks and even car rides much more enjoyable. I would recommend this class to anyone with a dog that needs a confidence boost and wants to have fun. read more

I found out about your "Foster Dog Alliance" program through Jasmine's House Rescue for my foster dogs and I must say that I absolutely love you guys! I see Sarah on Monday nights and I have learned so much through her positive clicker training!! I rant and rave about her after every class that I attend because I always leave happy and satisfied with my foster dogs! We work hard through the week and she is pleased with their progress (after I follow all of the advice the gives me for training with them!). I love the programs that Your Dog's Friend offers, including their puppy play group (which is genius!), and I have been very pleased with the several trainers I have been lucky enough to work with. They are all very well educated and friendly. Keep up the good work! read more

When Little One first came to live with us as a foster at about 9 months old, we thought she was the most perfect dog. She never made a peep and was very shy but smart. At the initial vet check, our vet told us that he thought that she was trained on a shock collar because she had burn marks on her neck and her hair was burned off. After about a month when we decided to adopt her, she started barking non-stop (which was a big problem because we were living in a condo at the time) and would lunge and snap at everyone and every dog in public. Being in the elevator to go down for her walks became a nightmare if someone else was in the elevator. Eventually, we stopped getting in elevators with other people and our neighbors avoided us as well. It was like she was Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. She was so sweet with us one minute and then she would turn into a 10lb Cujo when we were out. We were afraid that she would bite someone and then she would have to be put down. We were at our wits end and did not know what to do. After doing some research online, we found some free workshops offered by Your Dog's Friend. As we attended the workshops, we learned that her reactive behavior was due to the abuse suffered before she came to live with us. We also learned that the reason she was quiet and shy in the beginning was because she was in shock from the new environment and was so overwhelmed by fear that she did not have any reactions. The free workshops were taught by experts and really gave us an insight to Little One's mind. She wasn't a mean dog after all, but the abuse she suffered caused an already fearful dog to be very reactive. In other words, she was scared and she thought the best defense was a good offense (She is a Tibetian Spaniel so she might have learned that from Sun Tzu's "Art of War".) We were able to discuss Little One's issues with some very knowledgeable experts at the free workshops and all the experts recommended that we start positive training to build up her confidence and teach her correct behavior. However, there was never any pressure to start taking classes from them. The first class we took was Basic Manners 1 with Michelle (known to Little One as the Cheese Lady) they were able to accommodate her issues by hiding her in a pod so that she could concentrate on learning with us instead of being distracted by all the scary people and dogs in the room. Michelle is an excellent teacher and I learned so much from her. I think I learned as much if not more from her than Little One did. We really enjoyed the classes and the best thing was that my husband and I really learned how to communicate with her. Because we enjoyed it so much and saw such improvement, we moved on to Basic Manners 2, Confidence Building, Reactive Dog classes and Agility Classes. With each class, we saw great improvement in her ability to tolerate different people and situations. We also took a Control and Focus class with Al and T Touch with Pam. Even outside of classes, I can still email Michelle, Debra, or any of the other trainers for any behavior issues that come up and they respond right away to remind us of how to modify a behavior based on the positive training methods that we learned. It's like having a lifeline. It's been almost 4 years since Little One came to live with us and we found YDF. Although the hair on her neck has yet to grow back completely, she is now a completely different dog from the mini-Cujo, foaming at the mouth at the sight of strange people and dogs. After about 2 years of classes, we started fostering dogs again and Little One is has been a wonderful sister to all of our foster dogs. This would not have been possible without the help of the YDF workshops and classes. We recently attended the Bark in the Park event and she was fine with hundreds of dogs and people walking around her. She would go up to a dog, sniff to say "hi" and walk away. Or she would ignore the chaos, sit at my feet and look at me as if to say "I'm a good dog, gimme treat, now" (she's still learning manners) I was so proud of her that I almost cried. Sometimes, our foster dogs have some issues as well. YDF has a program called Foster Dog Alliance that we participate in to help the behavior of the foster dogs. This program is important because when I recognize a behavior issue, I try to correct it before the foster finds a forever home. Our family: Little One, my husband and I are very grateful for YDF and their role in keeping our family together. read more

Update: Peanut just finished Reactive Dog class and while we still need to work with him quite a bit to reinforce what we learned and get him to a calmer place when he encounters other dogs, there is definite, measurable improvement! Our coach, Lisa Arant, was spectacular and so supportive, and Peanut loved her! I would give this organization 10 stars if I could - it's been such a great experience through and through! read more

Solid 5 stars for this non-profit dog training facility. They offer unique classes and have dedicated, intelligent, awesome trainers. With classes like "Agility for Reactive Dogs", you will find a niche here that you won't find elsewhere, at incredibly reasonable prices. I've been to all the training facilities in the DC area: this is the best. I first came here for a training class with the first dog I adopted, then kept coming back for the Foster Dog Alliance and seminars like "Pet CPR" and "Why Won't My Dog Listen". Awesome stuff. So good I used to drive here from NW DC, even at rush hour. They offer unique training and trick classes you won't find elsewhere, with the highest caliber of trainers around. I can't recommend this place enough! read more

Great positive (clicker and treat ) trainors. This is a terrific organization that works to keep dogs happy and well behaved in their homes so that fewer dogs will end up in Shelters. In addition to a great variety of training classes to suit any person or dog's need they have very informative free classes on such subjects as nutrition, problems that newly adopted dogs may encounter, dog parks etc. To date I have attended 4 courses there with 4 different instructors and they were all top notch. Get your leash and get over there! read more

After reading the reviews on Yelp, I enrolled my GSD at a Your Dog's Friend Puppy Kindergarten class, and I couldn't be happier! Our trainer Sarah was very experienced, patient, and open to any questions we had. During our six-week class, my puppy learned basic obedience skills (sit, stay, touch, leave it, etc.) as well as leash training. I also liked how the dogs had ample time to socialize and play throughout each lesson. These short play sessions gave Otto a welcome break and allowed him to spend time with other dogs his age. I'd highly recommend Your Dog's Friend! read more

Great dog training & info center. I did puppy kindergarten and puppy first grade with my dog here and both classes were great. I am always impressed by the constant workshops and classes they hold around common dog problems. All very progressive positive reinforcement trainers. A+ read more

We did Puppy Kindergarten and thought it was really excellent. We plan to enroll in at least 1 more class, maybe more. The trainer:dog ratio is excellent (about 1:3). The trainers are very careful about which puppies they group together for playtime, they watch the puppies carefully while they're playing, and they intervene & re-group puppies as necessary to make sure it's a positive experience for everyone. The training portion of the class is focused on the basics which you might think your dog already knows, but so did we, and she most certainly did NOT act like she knew the basics in class- because it's a highly distracting and stimulating environment. She was too excited to even hold her bladder at first, let alone follow commands. So it was great for us humans to learn how to work with her in that environment. The trainers were also a wonderful resource for learning about best training practices in general, understanding dog body language, etc. Highly recommend these folks, best decision we've made for our puppy so far (well, that and crate training)! read more

HIGHLY HIGHLY RECOMMEND!! Just finished the 6 week puppy kindergarten course with my 3 month old goldendoodle! The prices are reasonable for a 6 week course and the staff is extremely knowledgeable and friendly! They are always willing to answer any questions and give really good suggestions to help address the problem! I can only talk good things about this place! I will definitely be returning in the future! read more

Took a Basic Manners Class, the instructors name was Michelle. She spent 75% of the class paying attention to her own dog ( which she brought along to demo but the dog does NOT know any basic manners of his own) and when she wasn't paying attention to her own dog, she was talking about him. Talk about a WASTE OF MONEY!! That's the last time I pay for the instructor to spend quality time with her own dog! Stay as far away as possible! There are plenty other places that will actually work with you to train your dog. read more

We love YDF! It's the only place we'll go for training! Lots of great instructors and workshops, easy to get to, helpful staff, great information and referrals on the website as well. We have a rescue dog and she has lots of issues. The classes we have attended have helped us work through her issues and get to a happier/less anxious life, though it's a work in progress. So glad YDF is there for us! read more