The Dog Behaviorist NYC

We truly can’t recommend Dominik enough. As first time dog owners we knew we wanted to start our puppy off on the right foot so we started training with Dominik when our Corgi, Rollie, was only a few months old. We started out with basic commands and making sure Rollie loved his crate, learned how to train Rollie to do a great job on walks without pulling and progressed from there. People ask us all the time when we are out and about in Brooklyn how we trained our dog to quietly lay under our table at outdoor restaurants and be so well behaved. Working with the place board and actually practicing what Dominik taught us was the key. We recently started working on recall and getting our 8 month old pup to actually drop things or spit them out when we ask snd they were always blown by the progress. We truly can’t thank Dominik enough for the amazing foundation he’s helped us set for Rollie. I think training is an absolute must do as a responsible dog owner and I can’t really imagine anyone doing it better than Dominik. I emailed and chatted with so many people in the city before deciding Dominik was the right person — let me save you some time and just take my advice — he is!

Dominik is an incredible and truly gifted dog trainer. We have tried a few trainers over the 2 years we have had our dog and none have even come close to comparing. Dominik has been working with us for the last four months on a variety of behaviors - resource guarding, recall and leash walking/aggression, etc. Homer (our pup) feels like a different dog. Dominik is patient and understanding. He explains everything in such a clear and logical and makes you understand the reason behind the training techniques. Homer is a really sensitive dog and Dom has tailored the training to fit his specific needs, to great success. To boot, Dominik is kind, funny, reliable and a pleasure to work with. Homer loves him - he runs into "place" every time he walks in! If you are looking for the best of the best in NYC - look no further and book a session (or several) with Dom. Worth every cent and we look forward to continuing working with him for years to come. We are so grateful to him and all he's done for our little family.

We are hugely indebted to Dominik for the work he did with our pit bull Wally. We adopted Wally as 1-year-old from the ACC. He was very easy to deal with initially, but after a few months, he settled in and became quite reactive and almost completely unmanageable. While very sweet and loving, he became uncontrollable on leash, unable to meet strangers without jumping on them, and so frantic when we would leave the apartment we had to give him a bone each time we stepped out. We reached out to Dominik at our wits' end. Dominik taught us how to manage Wally's anxieties and behavioral challenges through the use of tools and techniques. Wally responded almost immediately to each of the new "things" we introduced - the clicker, the prong collar, the place board, and the e-collar. He has gone from being totally out of control to a very strong work in progress. For every problem that we had, however weirdly specific it might have seemed, Dominik offered a concrete and practicable solution. These actions were not silver bullets - they took (and continue to take) a lot of work and practice, some of it very tedious - but all of them have paid off. Today, outside on the leash Wally is all manners - passersby are often openly impressed by his self-control, attentiveness, and politeness (all of which was literally unthinkable a few months ago before we began). Another thing we really appreciated about Dominik is that he is forthright, and does not over-promise. He is realistic about each particular dog's struggles and how they might and might not improve. This gave us a lot of confidence when he did identify improvements and strengths in Wally - we knew he wasn't just saying things to make us feel good. Finally - if you are wary of working with Dominik because you have read or heard from other trainers that "aversive" training tools like the prong and e-collar are always inherently inhumane, I would just say that if you could see the happy and (relatively) calm dog we have today and compare him to the bundle of nerves and aggression he was prior to using these tools, you might feel differently. It is so evident that, on a day-to-day, minute-to-minute basis, he feels safer and more confident, even if he is still highly excitable in certain situations. When paired with clear instructions, a very regular training regimen, and heavy dose of positive reinforcement, they can really transform a dog - even saving their lives. That said: it is clearly not advisable to use these tools without experience or the input of a professional.

We had 3 training sessions with Dominik and went from having no idea how to deal with our territorial/aggressive dog to feeling confident that, with commitment and dedication, that we would have a well behaved dog. We had a specific problem of Mountain (our 50 pound pit bull) going berserk when anyone would come over to our apartment (and even running to nip people’s legs). We loved his holistic approach to dog behavioral training, and especially appreciated his way of explaining / teaching us using analogies that we could understand. 100% would recommend if you’re serious about solving your pup’s behavioral problems.

Dominik was a life saver! We have worked with him the past few months with our young puppy and he has transformed his behavior for the better. He also focused on training us and improved our confidence in handling. Dominik has a uniquely balanced approach to training. Our dog now enjoys his time in his crate, is able to stay on “place”, walk without pulling or jumping on strangers, and respond when called. We are so grateful for Dominik!