We had Gordon for our puppy class. Class was a lot of fun! It starts with puppy play time, where the pups don't just play, but are under his supervision so you can learn about good play patterns, and the dogs can teach each other their styles without the owners interfering. After that comes lots of important lessons and demonstrations, with Gordon teaching you all the basics of how to get your pup well socialized, and the psychology behind the timing and methods of training to help you better understand and remember. It's a far more comprehensive puppy training class than I've had in the past, where we just covered the basics of sit/down/stay. This class will really prepare your pup to be a great new addition to your family! read more

I cannot recommend Zen Dog Training enough! We took the puppy class led by Gordon. It's truly amazing all of the content that he can fit into six sessions, and we loved that the five to ten minutes of "play time" at the beginning and end of the class gave our puppy a chance to meet other dogs and learn how to play nicely. (Side note: we always felt so safe during this time as Gordon is great at keeping an eye on pups and recognizing signs of play getting too rough). Our puppy, Puck, learned a variety of commands throughout his six weeks in the class: sit, down, stand, stay, his own name, leave it, "let's go" to get moving on walks, and "heel" to stay by our side on walks. He also learned many behavior corrections. Puck literally stopped play biting in 2 days after using Gordon's "out of the pack" technique (that alone made the class worth it to us), and Gordon's "leash step" tactic is already working on curbing his jumping on new people. Most importantly for us, WE learned so much as dog owners! Gordon taught us about puppy socialization, how to help our dog build confidence, which training tools we should have, and how to make sure we are recognizing and responding to any signs of him becoming a "fearful" dog. The experience with Gordon was truly invaluable and I think we would be lost as new puppy owners if we hadn't done this class. We were on the fence about paying for a puppy class and thought maybe we could find all of our resources on Google and using podcasts alone. Folks, I am here to say that you should not try to take dog training into your own hands. You truly get what you pay for -- this class is so worth it, and Gordon is a true professional. We have zero regrets about our decision to attend! One thing to keep in mind with this class (and probably any good puppy class) is that you do have to put in work outside of the class. Gordon really stressed this and made sure we all understood what our "homework" was for the week, and had access to training materials that we could review in between classes. I think if you are looking for a perfect solution where the trainer will train your dog for you, then this might not be the class for you -- but if you are looking to learn how to train your dog, and are invested in making sure you work in training sessions every day for the 6 week duration, then you truly couldn't find a better place than Zen Dog! HIGHLY RECOMMEND! Thank you Gordon for all of your work with Puck - we will miss the Tuesday class :) --Mary & Brandon read more

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Gordon was great at helping to guide us through the unique challenges we had with our dog. His puppy class was so much fun and we looked forward to it each week. He gave us so many games to play with our dog to reinforce good behaviors and helped us correct behaviors like barking and biting that we didn't want in a way that wasn't scary or painful for our Nessie which was so great because I probably wouldn't have been able to be harsh towards her. We got so much confidence from his classes and our tiny puppy is brave enough to play with all the bigger dogs we see around boston. read more

loved our time at Zen Puppy Training! Gordan and crew have a love for each puppy that comes through the doors are are helpful in class and beyond with anything you may need! read more

We took Roxie, our 4 month old Australian Shepherd mix, to the puppy training class with Gordon and it was incredible. It is incredible how different his class is. It helps to not only train them, but also build their confidence and socialize with other dogs. read more

We adopted an enthusiastic 1 year old dog back in October and as first time dog owners needed some guidance. We had 3 sessions with Emily from Zen Dog over the last few months and she was excellent. Our pup is an overall sweetheart, but we needed help on some manners and reactivity over space/furniture. We worked on leash walking/distractibility/confidence, training games and tricks, recall, and resource guarding. More than anything, Emily listened to our concerns and needs and helped guide us through best approaches. We still have some things we're working on, but we feel so much better equipped to handle situations than we did previously. Emily was responsive, supportive, and overall a great partner in guiding us through new dog ownership. We would highly recommend Emily to anyone looking for a great trainer in the Boston area. It took some convincing for my boyfriend to be on board to spend $$ on training, but after the first session he agreed that it was the best investment we could have made. Totally worth it! read more

James was amazing with our Maple! We saw results within days of using the tips and tools he shared with us. We loved that he only taught us positive reinforcement tactics and did not use any negative reinforcement. Maple loved him immediately and has gained so much confidence because of our work together. Cannot thank him enough! read more

Instagram: Duke_angryfluff I signed up for puppy group class with Nayiri. Once a week at 8:30pm so you can do after work. There are about 6 puppies in the class, range from 50 pound to 5 pound! My dog is on the smaller side but he doesn't have a problem with bigger dog. Each week there are homework you have to do during the week and class focus on different things. Nayiri is AMAZING! They teach a lot things that's super useful like everyone will grab the dog and give them treat so later in the park the dog won't run away from you. Everyone will hold the puppy so they get used to be held by strangers so they won't be afraid of vet or groomer. We also did basic training like leash walk, listen to the command etc. my dog listen to me so much better. I think this is the best 200 dollar you can invest in your puppy. One weird thing is that everyone in the class came as couple, like ok~ if I didn't know was a puppy class I would thought this is a new born baby class!!! Also there are some exercise you need to do with a partner like one person holding the puppy and other feed treats into the mouth. Like a bit discrimination for single people. I have to force my boyfriend who has a commitment issue to come with me. good thing the class is so fun he end up coming every week but I would felt kinda shitty if I was single! Anyway, my usual off the rail rent :p read more

Zen Dog Training - Pet Training Near Me - Somerville, Massachusetts

Gordon came by to help us get started on the right foot with our new little guy, Mango. Despite reading a ton of books, watching a bunch of training videos, and reading forum recommendations - nothing was as helpful as having Gordon right there with us explaining things and the incredibly informative resources he gave. It only helps that Gordon is just a generally great dude and you can tell he really cares about pups. Would HIGHLY recommend - the money we spent on Zen Dog Training has probably been the best money we spent on Mango! read more

Zen Dog Training - Pet Training Near Me - Somerville, Massachusetts

We did an in-home training visit (outside with masks on) with Gordon to work on some basic training with our 12-week-old puppy, and found it to be an excellent value. My husband and I learned so much from the visit, and came away with tools and reference materials that made us feel so much better equipped to train and socialize our pup than before discovering Zen Dog. As a bonus, we've already seen some really positive behavior changes in the couple of days since our session by employing the training tools that we learned in the visit. Highly recommend Zen Dog! We also found their written and online materials to be hugely helpful and would highly recommend those as well. read more

Gordon and Zen Dog Training is the best there is. Gordon is very organized, thoughtful, and responsive. Our 8-week old puppy, Cosmo, is learning so much from Gordon. Gordon gave us so much information to help train us (the people!) so we can keep up good habits at home to give Cosmo the structure and training he needs. Within our first session we were seeing major differences in Cosmo's confidence and understanding of boundaries. Gordon is so kind and thoughtful, he is a fantastic person to work with. The philosophy of Zen Dog Training is extremely helpful too- it gave us a good perspective to stay calm even through some of the most frustrating little puppy moments. We have been using Gordon's hand-outs, online videos and have had several in-person training sessions. As a person who does a lot of research, it can be dizzying to sift through all of the materials, but Gordon really helped distill all the information into some core concepts that we were able to implement right away. Cosmo and the whole family are benefiting from this approach! We highly recommend Gordon and Zen Dog Training! read more

Zen Dog Training - THANK YOU GORDON! Love- Cosmo - Pet Training Near Me - Somerville, Massachusetts

I waited over a year to write this review to remain somewhat anonymous because unfortunately I did not have a good experience. My mini dachshund is extremely anxious and afraid of everything around her. I've had her for 5 years at this point and have tried everything. She's on 5mg of Prozac a day which at this point has plateaued and seems to have no impact anymore. My vet recommended trying Zendog before increasing her dosage. She was 4 at the time of the appointment. The trainer arrived at my home after calling me to complain about having nowhere to park because of all the construction around me, despite me giving clear direction on where to go - it already wasn't off to a great start which I felt bad for. When she entered my apartment my dog barked like crazy as she always does and the trainer immediately started barking (no pun intended) orders at me telling me to "turn her around! Make her face you! No don't touch her! Pull her this way! No not like that!" It felt chaotic. She made me feel completely stupid for not being able to control her which was the whole reason she was there in the first place. Her response to all of this once my dog calmed down? "Wow, she really IS scared!" .... umm no kidding that's why I hired you?? Then she proceeds to pull out a cartoon booklet and read it to me word for word on the do's and dont's of dog training for almost the entire appointment. There was nothing in there that wasn't common sense for a dog owner in my shoes, but I patiently listened until she was done. She sat on the floor and tossed treats to my dog for maybe 10 minutes before suggesting we go on a walk. We walked a few blocks down a greenway and returned. A follow up appointment was supposed to be made, but it was never scheduled and I never heard from them since. It was a complete waste of $325. I'm giving this 2 stars because I'm sure I have a unique situation and maybe the training sessions go differently for others, but I did not find any value in listening to her read a cartoon book to me for the majority of the appointment. The fact that there was no follow up (which was included in what I paid for) also was disappointing but I was so disheartened afterwards I didn't care to reach back out myself. read more

From first-time puppy parents We got in touch with Zen Dog Training when we brought our 9-week old cockapoo puppy home. We started working with Gordon immediately and he helped us get started with our puppy's training. Gordon's training technique and explanations were really useful for us as first-time puppy parents. He took the time to explain to us the rationale behind each and every training technique and what to expect from it. The training materials and references have been quite helpful and we still go back to those every now and then. We saw immediate results with some of the training tips. Our puppy is now nine months old and Gordon has been always available to help us out with any questions/concerns we have. He is super friendly, knowledgeable and he is great with our puppy. He has helped us form a great bond with our Ryuu. We can't recommend him enough!!! read more

Emily is awesome!! My partner and i have a 13yr old rescue pitty who is dog reactive and she has truly been a godsend. She has gone above and beyond to help us with training sessions that meet our schedule, and is reachable whenever anything comes up. I've worked with many trainers and companies in the past, with many a difficult rescue pup, and haven't seen as much success. They've got a great model and a ton of great tools and resources! Highly recommend! Oh and all for a really great/reasonable cost! read more

Zen Dog Training was everything we needed for our puppy Charlie! Gordon and his team offered practical guidance on how to help train, demonstrated live in a setting with other dogs, and created a fun evening that my wife and I and Charlie all looked forward to. Highly recommend! read more

We took a puppy class with our new Havanese puppy Josie with Nayiri at Durty Harry's in Charlestown. Josie learned so much. Mostly the basics but it was very helpful for us owners about how to train your dog. There was plenty of puppy playtime and time for questions. I wish the classes were longer than 6 weeks!! read more

Zen Dog Training - Pet Training Near Me - Somerville, Massachusetts

First, they are very busy, so don't expect to get in right away. I moved to the Boston area apartment in the fall of 2020. My two pups had no experience walking on leash in a highly dense city environment. My very social rescue lab mix would freak on leash by growling and barking every time he saw another dog, which was frequently. It was a disaster for both of us, and my other dog. While, I'm fairly good at training my two dogs, this was an extreme situation. I was lost other than to resort to a shock collar. After two in person sessions with Emily, she'd given me the tools to manage my pup. Hooray! We graduated with honors. Walks are no longer an anxious event but enjoyable. Very satisfied. read more

Gordon came over yesterday and changed my life, in just two hours. (Reserving the 5 star for our follow up shortly!) He really helps the owner understand the way a dog thinks, and how to understand and interact with them. I was so pleased. Gordon left around lunch time and then I went to work. When I came home, the most amazing thing happened; there was no barking :) Just happy, smiling puppies waiting to go outside! I was giddy with excitement!! For those of you who are reading the negative reviews, while everyone is entitled to their opinion, try to remember that Gordon has to correct human behavior too, which some people may not take kindly to. He does so in such a nice, caring way and in no way made me feel stupid or inferior, he was just super helpful. So looking forward to our next visit :) read more

We had a great experience with Zen Dog Training. From our initial phone call with Michelle to working with Neil, we were impressed with their professionalism, knowledge, and training. When we were at our wits end with housebreaking and other basic training issues, Zen Dog and their staff put us at ease. Throughout the entire process it felt like they genuinely cared about our 5 month old Tibetan Spaniel. We even got a personalized call from Gordon, the owner before we scheduled our home visit. They recommended the puppy package (in-home consult + 8 week classes) and it was honestly, the best thing we could have done for our pup. In-home consultation: Neil helped us with housebreaking, walking on leash and so many other things. Neil is a very talented and patient trainer; our puppy loved him immediately. Puppy classes: Well organized, lots of great basic training and lots of built in time for the puppies to socialize. This really did the trick for her. Although she cowered in the corner for a good 4 weeks the way Neil ran the class and provided a safe space for her to socialize made all the difference. She loves dogs now! Thank you, Neil and ZDT! We are forever grateful for everything you did to support us during a tough transition. read more

Took my newly adopted dog to puppy class and despite having and sort of training dogs before, we learned a lot. Cassie kept us motivated and accountable and it was great to have Rex socialize with other dogs. The class felt applicable to real world scenarios and allowed for individual advice. read more

Gordon was a delight to work with! He came super prepared with tons of materials to give us after the session and we were able to ask him all our questions in our 2 hour intensive session. Gordon gave us the tools to succeed with Charlie and a level of attention most trainers wouldn't. Huge thank you to him and can't wait to work with him more in the future. read more

Our sessions with Emily Fleming were full of useful information and tips for me as a first time dog owner. Emily broke concepts and methods down and explained things clearly - how to communicate with and better understand my dog. She has a wonderful friendly and compassionate manner. She also answers questions by text when something comes up. I felt 100x better after our 1st session. She gives you all the tools and confidence to train your dog. I highly recommend her as a trainer! read more

Julie at Zen Dog Training is fantastic. We are SO happy that we signed up for personal training sessions. Our dog is a 2-year-old rescue that we just adopted. She is very fearful and skittish -- when we first got her she would cower on walks, refuse to let strangers touch her, and be very aggressive towards dogs. After just the first session with Julie, our pooch was so confident and excited to go on longer walks. There's a lot of homework and continual training, but we noticed immediate results. Julie also gave great advice to socializing our dog with humans and other dogs, even during COVID. Julie even brought her own dog to help socialize ours! As much as our dog learned, we learned so much too! Julie explained a huge amount of information during our visit, and provided us with comics and instruction materials to take home. Another awesome feature of Zen Dog is the email newsletter with training tips, and the massive repository of online training information and videos that we can access anytime. Finally, we really appreciated the COVID safety measures that Julie took. I would highly recommend Julie at Zen Dog to anyone who is looking to learn new skills or help new dogs with behavioral issues. It is worth every penny. read more

We hired Zen dog to help with train our 2 year old dog that we just got from a rescue. Gordon was super friendly and did an amazing job teaching not only our dog, but also really taking the time to train us and made sure we understand why we were doing certain exercises. He was also able to help us better understand our dog and how she thinks, so we can react to her behavior accordingly! In the few days after our training, we have already seen great improvements with our dogs behavior on leash. She was pulling us around before, but now we definitely feel in control of our walks. There is definitely a lot of information to learn, but Gordon provided plenty of worksheets, reading material, etc. so we can easily refer back to everything. Can't wait to see further progress from our dog! read more

I would put a half star if possible. I definitely do NOT recommend working with them. AVOID ELISSA CARRERAS who gave me the worst customer experience I've ever had. First it took them over two weeks to agree to a schedule that was then constantly changed over and over. I found CARRERAS to be rude, extremely pushy and constantly in my face during these training sessions. And was always trying to change appointments after committing to a time. Also made comments like I think an electric fence is for lazy dog owners", "I cannot train your dog because you love him so much" (my dog loathed her from moment one and never got close or paid any attention to her) "this dog can only be trained under force (violence)", "I don't want a bad reference for a dog that I couldn't train", (Hello?). The best moment was when she start yelling (like in a cat fight) inside my house to my husband, again: daring to yell at the client in his own house. The pinnacle is that you have to accommodate to their schedule. It seems that Gordon is the one with good ratings. If you can work with him go ahead but no one else. Today we have a wonderful trainer to whom my dog loves and plays with from ZEN PAWS. Sorry Gordon. Swear it's all truth. read more

Life saver for me and my husband who are first time dog owners. We purchased the Puppy + package which includes one at home session as well as the 6 week class. Nayiri kept every session fun during what could have been an incredibly stressful time. She helps you to connect with your dog, set realistic goals, and execute them easily. Couldn't recommend this more. read more

We've worked with numerous trainers / training schools, and unfortunately, they were either unreliable, we didn't see enough progress, or they didn't offer the flexibility we needed. Furthermore, we didn't meet a trainer whose communication style matched ours. Our last "try" if you will was Zen Dog. A neighbor recommended them to us. From the very beginning, our trainer, Emily Fleming, was absolutely OUTSTANDING (yes, she is deserving of alllll the caps). She's reliable, kind, funny, SO sweet with our fur baby, and always has a solution. We also appreciate how patient she is with our questions - she doesn't rush an answer, and she always makes sure we feel good before moving to the next topic. Our dog, Odin, recognizes her as "one of the pack." It's so cute to see how excited he gets when she comes over! They really have a sweet bond. We really can't recommend Emily enough. She is a wonderful person and the greatest trainer we could have hoped for. read more

My partner and I worked with Gordon over the course of two training sessions for our two pups. Gordon is insightful, fun, affirming, and a strong communicator. He shared with us training plans that were customized to each of our two dogs, and they've already improved considerably over just a couple weeks. We now feel much more in control of our dogs' behaviors, and understand better how they interpret and learn from us. We're looking forward to continuing to work with Gordon. read more

Neil did a great job helping correct my bad habits when moving from my 15 year old elderly dog to a new and energetic puppy. My only reservations were in creating the feedback loop of observation and correction that we would get if in person. Given the restrictions of working virtually, I think this is a great option. Also very much appreciated the drop off puppy socialization events. The team really tried to provide meaningful feedback to get Zeus and me on the right track. read more

Zen Dog Training - Zeus My Great Pyrenees Golden Retriever puppy at 5 months. - Pet Training Near Me - Somerville, Massachusetts

Gordon just left our house after an amazing evaluation and training session for our dog, Leo. First off, his service area doesn't include the town that we live in so we were extremely grateful when he said he would come out to us. I'm 39 weeks pregnant and we were getting nervous about Leo's behaviors but Gordon assured us that he can help- and he did! He also gave us a packet of useful information to refer back to. We already had success in using one of his methods to interrupt our dogs behavior, and I'm excited to keep using those methods and to see our dogs progress. Prior to having Gordon come, we have seen and reached out to numerous other trainers. We spent hundreds and hundreds of dollars on trainers who weren't able to help us stop our dogs behavior effectively and humanely. We are so glad to have found Gordon at Zen Dog Training. read more

We had a wonderful experience working with Emily Fleming at Zen Dog. Our sheepadoodle puppy started off relatively well-behaved, so we didn't think we had that much to do. But we were totally shocked by how much he still had to learn and everything we were able to teach him in a few short lessons! It was fantastic for my husband and I to really get on the same page and to make sure we were using a common language with our puppy. Emily was always very available by text for questions. We had an awesome experience and are so glad we used Zen Dog! read more

In one word: Awesome! We brought our new pup to Zen Dog "Puppy class" at Durty Harry's in Charlestown. Our instructor Nayiri was extremely knowledgable of all things puppies/dogs and did a great job going over the fundamentals; potty training, leash walking, "sit" "down" "stay" "leave it" and much more! Weekly handouts were also given to reinforce the lessons over the week which was helpful. Nayiri is extremely dedicated to her students/pups and will follow up on any specific issue you might have and work with you 1 on 1. She is fantastic. She makes you feel there is NO such thing as a dumb question which is great for a first time dog owner like myself! The best of all was the socialization for both dog and owners. The puppies got to play, wrestle, learn from each other while the owners could share/relate stories. I also made a point to join their online membership for access to their training videos. However the videos are definitely dated and the videos take a while to load, etc. if only they were more updated/modern I'd utilize them more. but overall Zen Dog training is a great community to be a part of, I highly recommend, as does my dog Charlie :) read more

Nayiri is the sweetest trainer ever. My Zailey LOVES her! I'm hoping to get her into an advanced puppy class so we can keep on going with her! She's gentle and uses all positive training methods, which doesn't work for all dogs, but it's exactly what Zailey needs! Thank you Zen and Nayiri!!! We heart you!!! OH and Zen also has awesome liver treats. Not that I've tried them, but the fact that my dogs have all tried (and succeeded at times) to get and eat the whole bag, tells me they are a favorite of theirs! read more

I give Zen and Nayiri 5 stars hands down. She is patient and knowledge with all the dogs...and owners! For each class she makes herself available before and after for additional personalized questions and also has great positive tips on how to control unruly behaviors, I haven't heard her stumped once! Our class was a true mix of big and small and she managed all the puppies wonderfully. My pup looked forward to attending each week to see Nayiri and friends and it's great we now have the knowledge and control of the situation to continue to train her positively. read more

Nayiri was excellent in helping us train Luna with obedience. The class was great for socialization! I would definitely recommend the 6 week puppy classes! read more

Zen Dog Training - Luna with her Graduation Certificate. - Pet Training Near Me - Somerville, Massachusetts

We knew when we got a Vizsla that we were in for a wild ride. Signing our little Charlie boy up for classes at Zen Dog with Nayiri made that ride so much smoother! The classes themselves were great (and semi-private since there was only one other dog in the class -- hooray for winter puppies!) and the private in-home lesson we added was well worth it and not too expensive. The training materials (aka "homework") were high quality and really went into detail on the things we wanted to focus on with Charlie. They made for an easy reference point when we'd forgotten exactly how to train certain things. (Oh, we're not supposed to reel him in with the 30' leash? Whoops!!) Overall outstanding experience. Seriously missing our Tuesday night classes & puppy play time... Looking forward to enrolling our pup in adult classes when he's ready for advanced training! read more

We have two older dogs who have been barking in our new living space and driving us, our housemates, and our neighbors bonkers. We did (so far) the three visit package with Elissa Carreras and we feel so much relief. Elissa came into our home and gave us great tips, starting from square one. Her methods are kind, upbeat, and focusing on the positive. She is an exceptional communicator with the dogs, and she is compassionate with our frustration while gently guiding us with simple, doable steps. She reminded us gently that the dogs are only doing what has worked for them in the past. It turns out WE are the ones who need the training (our words, not hers), and she showed us how to do it in a way that we can incorporate easily into our daily lives. We are so happy to be connecting with our dogs again and finding enjoyment in these creatures who were desperately trying to tell us what they needed. Elissa's help has brought us all some much needed peace. We will definitely recommend her to friends and we will return to her when we need more guidance. read more

My partner surprised me with our puppy Kona for my birthday... which was great because I always wanted a puppy but not so great because I wasn't prepared for the amount a work it would take to train her! Playbiting, jumping, pulling on the leash, chewing... you name it, Kona did it. Enter Nayiri from Zen Dog Training! As soon as Nayiri came in, Kona tried to jump all over her but Nayiri started her training "magic" right away, discouraging Kona from jumping while explaining exactly what it was that she was doing. Soon she had Kona sitting instead of jumping all over the place, and she was able to keep Kona under control during the entire visit. Nayiri spent two hours with us, listening to what we wanted to work on with Kona and prioritizing our needs. She was really patient with all of our questions, and gave us really clear and easy to understand instructions. She even left us with a bunch of training material (that she and another trainer wrote themselves!) so we would have written directions on how to keep up with Kona's training in between visits with Nayiri. We've seen such a difference in Kona's behavior since working with Nayiri. We know she has a way to go, but we're confident that if we stick with our new Zen Dog training plan Kona is going to grow up to be a really well-behaved dog. And we know that if we have any questions, Nayiri is really easy to get a hold of! read more

Gordon is all about positive energy and champions a training methodology that leverages modern, positive reinforcement tactics. If you're hip with that, then you'll dig Zen Dog Training. You will find that most dog trainers rely on fear as a key motivator in yielding the end result of improved behavior. The Dog Whisper is a good example of a trainer who champions this approach. Gordon's "Zen" approach to dog training is very different. His method promotes positive reinforcement for good behaviors and what he calls "shunisisms", for bad behavior. Shunisisms are a way of communicating to your dog that she is not behaving correctly, but without making her fear the consequences of bad behavior. Gordon has visited me twice now at home for two different dogs, and the long term results of implementing his training practices have been positive in both instances. Your visit will start with a sit down intro to the Zen approach to dog training, along with a discussion about the different behaviors that you want to focus on improving. After that he will move you through a series of games designed to introduce positive reinforcement and shunning techniques. As you progress, Gordon will introduce new games that continue to build upon these tactics and fit into the overall Zen training framework. In both of our sessions, we also went outside for some on-leash training that was particularly helpful. Gordon champions a "loose leash" approach to leash walking, which means getting your dog to understand that it's ok to walk as long as there is no tension on the leash. The minute that she starts to walk too far ahead, or creates any tension on the leash, he will teach you how to regain control of the walk using tactics that again fit into the Zen training program. Regardless as to how your dog immediately adapts to the new training tactics introduced by Gordon during your visit, the session will have ultimately created an opportunity to jump start a fresh training initiative with new rules and a new approach. Your dog will be tired after this visit. So will you. But if you stick with it in the weeks after your session, you will see your dog start to respond. And not feeling the need to inflict fear in your pooch... that actually feels pretty good. As a last note, it must be mentioned publicly: Gordon bears some serious resemblance to the actor/comedian David Cross (Arrested Development, or if you can think way back: Mr. Show with Bob and David). You should probably poke fun at him for this. Happy Training! read more

We adopted our shelter pup (a terrier-basenji-beagle-squirrel chaser) in August, and while we were told she was a year old, this girl was clearly still a puppy. Being of an 'immature' age, she not only brought lots of laughs and loves to the house, she also brought lots of trouble! This mischief maker was perfectly content to chew on, jump on, and scratch at just about anything she could find, so training was a MUST. I found out about zendog through Dogma and Catma's website, and it sounded great. I had a wonderful chat with the owner, Gordon, and we decided on the 'Puppy Plus' package, which included a two hour home visit and 6 weeks of group classes at the Crate Escape in Belmont. Our home visit was extremely informative, and we got lots of great tips from the trainer on how to do loose-leash walking, discourage mouthing, entertain her active little mind and keep her somewhat sane during the tumultuous puppy months. In addition to the visit, we got a DVD following the trainers on home visits... I hate to say that it hasn't been cracked open yet (our visit was in September) so I can't attest to its quality or helpfulness. The group classes were a bit less useful, as the other dogs seemed like they'd been through training before and could probably lead the class, whereas our pupster spent the entire time trying to make friends. The trainer was extremely knowledgeable, though, and did make an effort to help us out individually as much as she could (which is hard when there are 8 other dogs and their owners needing attention too). After the 6 weeks, we'd learned that cheese and chicken can work wonders with dogs (we're vegetarians so Maya isn't getting cooked chicken anytime soon), taught the pup to sit, lay down, stay off the couch (a fellow classmate suggested spraying her bum with a water bottle when she got up there... definitely not allowed in the positive reinforcement Zen Dog class, but probably the best lesson I learned!!!), come when called....sort of.... and discourage some of the negative jumping, mouthing, and attention-grabbing behaviors. Maya still has a long way to go before she's 'trained' but Zen Dog did give us a good start and some tips to work with over time. I wish they hadn't placed us in the adult class, though, as Maya was never really in a home or structured foster care and therefore was far behind the others. This made learning a lot more difficult for her, and I felt like a parent with a struggling kindergarten kid trying to keep up with the first graders. Overall, I'd give Zen Dog a thumbs up for their work, even if it didn't turn Maya into the well behaved girl we'd thought it would....then again, I guess she wouldn't be her crazy little self if she lost that charming puppy energy! read more