MindfulPups

We love Mindful Pups! The day after we brought home our new puppy, we had a home visit from a Mindful Pups trainer and it gave us all the tools we needed to start raising a relaxed, confident and sweet dog. (We’d read numerous books on the topic. A single Mindful Pups visit was worth more than all of them combined.) Over the next two months, the guidance from Mindful Pups shaped everything we did, from his sleep schedule and crate training to chewing prevention, the use of positive reinforcement, potty training, teaching “come” “sit” “down” and “leave it,” beginning leash training and, overall, helping him become a calm and confident city dog, comfortable with sirens, horns, and crowds. At three-and-a-half months, Jasper took the two-week puppy intensive. He's reached a new level of calm and confidence, especially in his interactions with other dogs, his leash manners and his patience (who knew a puppy could be patient?!?!?). Mindful Pups posted daily Instagram stories of our pup-in-training—which were not only adorable, but helped teach us, his humans, too! (This program was more than worth the price—and I don’t think there’s anything else like it in NYC.) What stands out most: the Mindful Pups team doesn't just love dogs. They understand canine behavior and use that knowledge to tailor a program to each individual pup. Before Jasper started the program, we were nervous about sending him to any sort of daycare or boarding facility. (We'd heard about dangerous situations at some local places.) But Mindful Pups, and the focus on training, is truly unique. We now know each of the trainers by name. It was clear from the start that they are, indeed, mindful — assessing and teaching each dog individually, according to temperament, behavior and life stage. We feel 100% confident of his safety with them. Nothing is left to chance. We are so grateful to have joined their community. Would give them ten stars if we could!

As a first-time puppy and dog owner, I was utterly overwhelmed and had absolutely no clue where to start with our Jaba. When Dina came over for a training session, she was like an interpreter for not only my husband and me, but for our two kids, too. She empowered all of us with concrete tools to communicate with and to Jaba. I also attended the Puppy class with my 8-year-old and it was transformative in our ability to manage Jaba's schedule and needs and make it so much easier. Mindful Pups put Jaba on a schedule which we still follow to this day and ensures that Jaba is rested and so that we have a structure to our day. He attended a Mindful Pups two-week puppy class where he learned basic things like threshold training (not racing through a door), how to interact with other dogs, and most importantly how to calmly handle the incredibly over-stimulating environment of our Brooklyn neighborhood and home, with two boys constantly at play. I really cannot say enough good things about Mindful Pups. We feel so lucky we can work with them!

We did a three week intensive board and train with Dina for our nine month rescue puppy and it was transformative. Due to exercise and play restrictions after a bone fracture, our puppy had missed some key socialization windows, and she was anxious and very reactive to other dogs on walks. Dina took on the challenge without hesitation and worked with us to understand Scooby's specific personality and needs. By sending dozens of videos during the board and train, Dina helped us understand Scooby's body language, her fears, and her needs. She showed us in each video what she was doing to help Scooby work through her challenges. We still have ongoing training to do, but we feel so much more prepared and equipped to deal with everythng and help Scooby be confident and successful both at home and in the world. Dina, Sam, and all the trainers at Mindful Pups clearly love what they are doing and bring so much joy to the process. They have already helped us so much. We're looking forward to completing more training sessions and continuing to make progress. Highly recommend.

We had such a wonderful experience with Mindful Pups. Dina paired us with Jojo to work with our dog, Remi, on her reactivity toward people. We honestly felt a little bit hopeless, but Jojo totally changed the way we viewed and handled reactivity. Now we all have more confidence and understand how to advocate for Remi but also make her feel safe enough to handle occasional greetings with strangers. We are so thankful!