Argos Dog Training

My experience at Argos has exceeded expectations - Jonathan is amazing; my dog is now healed. When we began training with Jonathan, Otto was a high-energy, uncontrollable, 10-month old goofball - our daily walks would cause me so much stress and I dreaded taking him outside. Through training with Jonathan, Otto (and I) have learned how to control our excitement and successfully communicate with one another. Working with Jonathan has been a fantastic experience and the end result has been better than I thought possible. Training at Argos has significantly reduced the stress I feel when walking Otto and has completely changed the way I view my relationship with my dog. Would recommend to a friend (or anyone, really).

When I started coming here my 4 month old white shepherd puppy was out of control. I desperately searched for a trainer that would help me keep my pup under control as it was getting harder to handle her. Jonathan helped me get a better grasp of understanding my puppy which helped me further my training with her. Our relationship has improved for the better and I could not be more happy with how she turned out. I highly recommend this place.

Training with Martin was an absolutely amazing experience. In what seemed like a very brief month and a half, he helped me communicate better with my little girl (a very aloof and independent Corgi) and we now spend a great deal of time training and playing games rather than being frustrated and always correcting her. I honestly did not know what to expect when I started with Martin. Was there some magic code words I can learn to train my very resistant and stubborn pup or maybe just a matter of laying down the law and being strict with her? As it turns out it is neither. It was all about communication and having an appropriate mental image. By understanding how to communicate (which is basically having a mutual conversation with your pup), we were able to get through our challenges and she is now more closer than ever. Comes when called. Less aggression. Incredibly responsive to commands (verbal and non-verbal). Much easier to take on walks. This is just a few of the benefits we have had at the completion of training. If this does not convince you, certainly schedule a meet-n-greet with Martin. His enthusiastic and friendly personality will make you feel welcomed and that he genuinely cares about training your pup. Definitely a must try!

12/21/17: Zappaa just had his first group class last night at Argos Dog Training and I just had to write and say how EXCITED we are – it was an amazing experience! When we tried some other training organizations five years ago with an earlier puppy, it was chaos and we just didn’t ‘get it’ – and neither really did our dog, Zippaa. This time around we started off with the Argos Puppy Kindergarten on Saturdays and as soon as he was old enough we enrolled him in the Structured Day Care and Training Program. Three days a week he would go to Argos all-day – each night he came home happy, mindful and eager to please. After some dinner and fun play with us, he’d settle down in his crate (sometimes needing a kong with some peanut butter), while we watched TV. Martin and Jonathan taught him all the basic commands over the ensuing weeks and we get to check out great videos each day. Then last night’s class it was time for us humans to learn to use them with the dog… I can’t tell you how smooth it was!! Sure, WE had to learn but the dogs were already accustomed to the commands and the techniques, so it was much easier to begin working with them. Martin and Jonathan were great giving us instruction, space to practice and stepping in with advice and tips as needed. We left feeling empowered and successful😊 and Zappaa was happy, too! We have five more weeks of group class and this time around training a puppy, instead of dreading the group classes, I can say I’m really looking forward to them:) PREVIOUS (EDITED FOR SPACE) We can’t say enough good things about Argos – finding them changed our world!! Unlike the rescues we’d had over the years, Zippaa joined us as a puppy – one we could give the perfect start in life: we treated her right from the beginning – we used a crate – we did puppy kindergarten – we did obedience classes... After a confusing and ineffective training experience with a different ‘cookie-cutter’ training organization we found Argos. The three of us, my husband, me and Zippaa all went to a consultation – wow! A chance for a one-on-one with the trainer!! We got to discuss our goals, our concerns and our lifestyle – he listened! And then he introduced us to D-Dee (she was the same age as our dog) and showed us all that she could do – that was after she’d already just laid there in ‘place’ for more than half an hour! There was no judgment about our dog and us, just understanding, insight and solutions!! We agreed on a board & train package as well as private lessons and then moved on to group lessons – and it was fun! Zippaa was happy and so were we:) Successes started coming immediately and our skills and confidence grew from there!! When we struggled, he reminded us of steps we should be taking and/or gave us new suggestions. This training was patient and personalized – not the one-size-fits all from the last organization. Of course it was on us to do the homework: practicing what we learned and being consistent. Then we began preparing for the therapy dog certification. We passed the certification on the first try – and were even approved to begin immediately in hospital settings! Our first placement was at the West Roxbury VA where she’s a hit with the veterans every time she makes her rounds😊! He built our confidence and therefore our enjoyment with our dog! In our time working with Argos we have seen them do amazing work with dogs that have all kinds of phobias or troubled pasts. In our case, Zippaa was obsessed with tennis balls – she would lose her mind when one appeared. We use them in the dryer to ‘fluff the laundry’ and any time one happened to fall out it was a mad scramble – she’d even come bombing from another floor in the house to find the ball. It was hilarious to watch – except for thinking about the danger if she saw one on a busy street (not to mention how gross it would be to put a dog ball in with your laundry😉). Argos worked slowly and patiently with her to break the obsession.