Instinct Dog Behavior & Training Portland

This was not the best experience. You spend about an hour filling out your paperwork online with your dogs behavior and then have a follow up call. The first day of training was spent almost going over the paperwork. So essentially i spent my training session talking about my dog. My main focus was to work on my dog reactiveness when walking or outside. On the 3 visit apart of the package we finally went outside after I gave the "owner or manager some feedback" when we finally went outside she kept stating oh your dog isn't really that bad just some areas of improvement. Overall, it was not a good fit and I did not want to purchase any more packages. I would say if you go with them have a plan in place of what you are wanting and enforce it. I didn't think my 3rd visit i would finally take my dog for a walk... Update: Thank you for your response. I understand you may not have my name on file, as I prefer to keep my feedback anonymous. I appreciate your willingness to address my concerns, but I also feel it’s important to share my honest experience so that potential clients can make informed decision. Additionally, I did express my concern in the follow up email after the sessions. I attached picture to show I did use this service. I also found the behavior assessment they send after you fill out all the paper work it was 31 pages. Just to put it in scope that after filling out so much information, and then talking about it on a call then having to spend the entire first paid training session going over it again ( not cheap sessions either).

We’ve been working with Jennifer Malawey at Instinct Portland since our Portuguese Water Dog, Ziti, was about nine weeks old. She’s now almost six months and the experience has been absolutely outstanding. Jennifer's depth of knowledge, professionalism, and calm, encouraging presence has made her a pleasure to work with over the past few months. She doesn’t just train dogs, she teaches humans how to understand and communicate with them. As first-time puppy owners, we can honestly say that Jennifer has trained us every bit as much as she’s trained Ziti, and we’re much better for it. Jennifer helped us address several common puppy challenges: helping Ziti settle while we eat, go for walks more calmly and with fewer distractions, and develop self-control in stimulating environments. What stands out most is that Jennifer's approach is rooted in empathy, patience, and a deep respect for both the dog and the people involved. Ziti adores her, and we’ve seen her confidence and focus grow tremendously over the past few months. We always look forward to our sessions, because Jennifer makes learning fun and approachable. We can’t recommend Jennifer highly enough to anyone looking for expert, compassionate, and effective dog training. She has truly set us and our puppy up for long-term success.

I am really encouraged by my first session with Beth. She was able to meet with me and Greta in our yard. She was so careful with Greta's anxieties that by the end of the hour, Greta had figured out that Beth was a giver of treats and was worth sitting for. Beth taught me how to prevent Greta from feeling anxious by managing her behavior like putting her leash on and redirecting her when people walk away from her. In a whole hour with a complete stranger Greta only barked once and that was asking for another treat! Beth gave me clear definite steps to work on and gave me hope that someday I will be able to leave Greta alone for a while.