Dog Obedience Guy

Jonathan is amazing, he is so nice and takes a lot of time with you as the dog owner to understand what your goals are before starting the training with your dogs. I was at a complete loss after having 2 failed trainers prior to him. My dogs are both dog reactive and pull on the leash, but after just 1 session with Jonathan our walks have done a complete turn around. I was using a harness which gave my large dogs complete control of me, so we switched those. I was also using the e-collars I had been using for a long time completely wrong and causing more stress on my dogs. Jonathan taught me how to use them properly so I can now walk my dogs with more confidence and control without being scared of them pulling me or going after another dog. I would highly recommend him to anyone in need of dog training, he was a life saver! Plus my dogs love him!

Jonathan is simply amazing! Not only is he extremely professional, patient and kind, he also makes it so much fun. He taught me so much about training my puppy Gus. I was having issues with Gus going in his crate and Jonathan gave me advice on what to do. Once I implemented Jonathan’s expert advice, literally Gus was no longer going in his crate! It was life changing. Jonathan was always very responsive via text or phone when I had any questions. I even contacted him once at 9:30PM. I felt bad but he was so nice about it. People can’t believe when they meet Gus how well behaved and obedient he is for only being 4 months old. I give all the credit to Jonathan. When I get another puppy I will 100% be calling Jonathan again, no questions asked. Really can’t say enough good things about this experience. If you have a puppy or just need dog training in general, call Jonathan! You and your puppy/dog will be grateful you did! Thanks Jonathan! 🐶

You're probably reading Dog Obedience Guy's reviews because something is amiss between you and your canine counterpart(s). The disconnect could be any number of things - you may have a new puppy who is struggling to understand (or adhere to) your commands, or maybe you have multiple dogs in your household and they just aren't meshing appropriately. Your issue could be more complex - a deeply ingrained negative or aggressive behavior that's beginning to overwhelm your household. Regardless of the specific reason you are here, it all boils down to one thing: your dog isn't behaving the way you feel he or she should and you feel that maybe, just maybe, a professional may be able to assist you. Stop with the "maybes." You're here because some part of you, no matter how small, acknowledges that you are not the alpha of your household. If you were, you probably wouldn't be researching dog trainers. Look no further than Jonathon Washko - aka Dog Obedience Guy. We initially began looking for a trainer after tensions began to rise between our 8 month old male Akita puppy and our 12 year old female rescue mutt. We wanted someone who would come to our house to work with the dogs because the majority of the issues we observed manifested primarily in our home, where the dogs feel most territorial. In one 90 minute session, Jonathon taught us more about our dogs' behavior than dozens of hours of research reading books and articles and watching videos online. He immediately identified that our issue was that our very stubborn 8 month old male Akita puppy didn't respect our leadership because our 35 pound/12 year old female dog was the alpha of our household. We aren't novice dog parents; I've volunteered at the SPCA for several years and I used to be a veterinary technician, and my husband and I have raised multiple dogs, including an American bulldog, a rescue pitbull, a rescue mutt, and, now, an Akita puppy. Before choosing an Akita puppy, we did a lot of research and were excited about a new challenge (we don't want kids so we invest our time and energy into our careers and our dogs). Things with the puppy, Kuma, were going great for months - he was very obedient, housebroken very easily, and, generally speaking, a friendly dog. One Kuma began going through puppy puberty, things spiraled more quickly than we ever could have predicted. He started grumbling and showing displeasure when anyone, other than me and my husband, attempted to issue a command. That's when we realized some disconnect in our pack was causing Kuma to think that he was "above" humans. He also started challenging Loki, our senior female, which was very concerning given her age and increasingly frail frame. Once we found a local trainer (Jonathon) who specialized in behavioral issues AND offered in home training, we were eager to get started. Jonathon taught us how to assert ourselves as the leaders of our household without using any negative reinforcement or methods that would "scare" the dogs into submission. Within days of our first session, Loki was already more relaxed and less demanding of attention (she used to demand attention from all guests and acted very aloof and standoffish with newcomers to the house). Kuma took a little more time to fall in line, experiencing far more "extinction bursts" than Loki. Three sessions later, we understood how to communicate with our dogs, and how to instruct guests to interact with them in a positive, healthy way. The dogs are more relaxed and they look to us for guidance in unfamiliar situations. Jonathon teaches YOU, the humans, how to behave and this allows you to handle your dogs appropriately. The lessons Jonathon taught us will benefit our household for many dogs to come! We highly recommend scheduling a session with Jonathon - the things he taught us are things most dog parents don't know, but should. Be vulnerable, ask questions, and Jonathon will gently guide you through the process of becoming the best dog mom or dad you can possibly be.

Johnathan is fantastic! He took my dog from reacting at every little sound she heard to being super calm throughout the day. In a total of 3 sessions, making small changes to your routine with your dog, and a few exercises your dog will be just as well behaved as mine. I cannot recommend Johnathan enough. He is also available for questions anytime outside your sessions and is very quick to respond with a text or phone call. Additionally, the individual who you schedule the session with, Raimi, is great too! They work with yo into rind a time that works for you and your dog. I will be recommending him to anyone that asks me for a dog trainer.

We are so grateful for Jonathan’s help! Our older dog and new puppy couldn’t stand each other, to the point we had to keep them separated constantly or they’d fight. We were at our wits’ end and thought we would have to rehome one of them. After just a few sessions, they are now playing together nicely and sharing their toys, and our puppy is also much better behaved in general. Jonathan’s thorough knowledge of dog body language and pack behavior was invaluable, and his advice was tailored to our needs and extremely successful! He was also very easy to talk to and never talked down to us or made us feel embarrassed about our dogs’ behavior. If you are looking for professional help with difficult dogs I highly recommend giving him a call!