Instinct Dog Behavior & Training, New Jersey and Philadelphia

My vet recommended Instinct and I've completed multiple training packages with Lauren. She was wonderful and I've recommended them to several people in the area. However, in February, I went through the full onboarding process for boarding: a discovery call with a trainer, submitting vaccination records, and getting my August dates entered in the system. I was told someone would reach out to schedule a required Trial Board and that my dates were held. Two months passed with zero contact. When I followed up myself on May 1st, I learned my dates weren't available — leaving me to scramble for alternatives at peak summer booking season. When I raised this, the response I got was a personal apology from Suze, an acknowledgment that communication had fallen short, and a promise to call me Friday or Saturday to discuss. I received no call. I'm unsure if this is limited to boarding, but know that you may need to follow up extensively with the scheduling and booking side of the house. The 2nd star is only there because the staff were polite and the trainers themselves are skilled.

We have been regular clients at Instinct Englewood for a few years. Our 5-year old Labrador retriever (Alma) has completed overnight lodging and Camp and Coach throughout the years. We were extremely saddened to hear that they would be losing their physical space in Englewood at the start of this year. The Instinct team offered a new service “in-home lodging”. At first, we were a little hesitant as Alma had never done overnight lodging at someone else’s house before. We decided to test it out for a trial run. We could not be happier with how it turned out. Alma stayed with one of their certified trainers, Brianna. Brianna was communicative, gave regular updates, and provided a ton of photos/videos so we always felt comfortable and in the loop. We knew Alma was in good hands. I strongly recommend those who are hesitant or new to in-house boarding to give it a try. We actually think Alma preferred this compared to overnights at the facility. We will definitely be continuing to trust the Instinct Englewood team with Alma for our overnight lodging needs in the future. Thank you, Brianna and the rest of the Instinct Englewood team for taking such good care of our girl!

Instinct was recommended by my vet. Ive had dogs my whole life, but my new pup,Nina,was different. She was constantly mouthing, jumping and was out of control. No matter how much activity she had, it didnt matter. I couldnt even sit on my couch. I was told by many to give her up, but I couldnt do that. We started with Lauren from Instinct for inhome training and there was such a difference from the very start. Its like she understood Nina and was able to teach us how to help her. She said it would be a good idea to make an appt with Dr Emily Levine to discuss my dogs behavioral issues. Dr Levine increased her medication and with that and the training with Lauren...we saw a total transformation! My vet was impressed as well with the change! Instinct is amazing! And I thank them ..sooo much..for helping us with Nina! ❤️❤️❤️

We have a 1-year-old Mini Aussie who needed extra training with behavior around other dogs and food. Emma was his trainer at his 2-week board and train camp, and she was amazing! Not only did she give us clear guidance, but she also taught us what felt like a new language of how to interpret our dog’s behavior. We’re so happy to be Instinct alums and can’t wait to use Instinct for boarding when we’re away. Our dog is so happy to see his trainer and feels so comfortable, which shows how much trust Emma and Team Instinct work to instill in the program with each dog family!

We are incredibly grateful for Emma Chanod and her expertise, especially when it comes to working with fearful dogs. This was our second time doing a Board-and-Train program with Emma, and just like the first time, we are blown away by the progress our dog Roxie made during camp. Roxie has always struggled with fear-based reactivity, especially around new people. After bringing her home, we immediately saw how much more confident and grounded she was. On New Year’s Day, she faced a huge test: meeting our daughter’s boyfriend, someone she had previously barked at nonstop. Thanks to the skills Emma taught her (and us), Roxie was able to retreat to her bed when she felt unsure, regulate herself, and then choose to re-approach calmly. By the time the kids left, Roxie even managed a polite “say hi” (touching his hand with a nose boop), something that would have been unthinkable before. Seeing her seek out her safe spots, use the tools Emma taught her, and recover so quickly was nothing short of amazing. We couldn’t be happier with the transformation and the confidence Roxie is building. Emma’s training has made such a meaningful difference in our lives, and we can’t recommend her highly enough.