The Dog Institute of Williamsburg

The Dog Institute is now a central part of our household, Elizabeth and her team have been working with our pup since we got him (~9weeks), helping him overcome fear and teaching techniques for households with small children! Our pup goes to school 2x a week, has done board and trains and I’ve had training sessions with Elizabeth. Her team is so loving, gentle and most importantly extremely knowledgeable on dog behavior / psychology. My pup always leave school with a massive smile!! :)

The Dog Institute of Williamsburg has been a lifesaver for us and our puppy, Max. We brought Max to them when he was just 10 weeks old, and from the very start, we were blown away by Elizabeth and her team’s positive reinforcement methods. It was such a welcome change from the outdated techniques we'd seen with other trainers—methods we’d never allow for Max. The play-and-train program has been incredible. Max took to the training almost immediately, and by six months, he had even earned off-leash privileges—a testament to the effectiveness of the program. Two years later, Max still gets so excited to see Elizabeth, Allie, Masami, and Maria, and frankly, he refuses to "graduate" because he loves it so much! The Dog Institute has also become our go-to for overnight boarding when we travel. Knowing that Max is with people we trust completely gives us such peace of mind. Elizabeth and her team have truly set the standard for dog care and training, and we can’t recommend them enough. If you want the best for your dog, look no further than the Dog Institute of Williamsburg!

I called Elizabeth to ask if she could help me with a short training session for a deaf dog I was fostering. Since she was not my forever dog I did not want to invest in the whole puppy program but I also didn’t have experience with a 60+ pound, physically overpowering puppy that I couldn’t use voice commands with and needed to learn manners around my small kids. Elizabeth is truly a charitable soul, fitting me in the same day before she left for vacation. She worked with me for an hour, testing the dog’s reactivity for my kid’s safety, answering all my concerns and making sure I was comfortable handling her before I left. She mentioned she would love to help more people who are working with rescue dogs so don’t hesitate to call on her. Thank you so much, Elizabeth!

Gunner's most treasured source of joy is getting to go to The Dog Institute! When we drive somewhere, he usually needs to be carried out of the car, as he doesn't know how to get down alone yet, but when we pull up to at play and train he fearlessly leaps out of the car and starts sprinting towards the door to see his best pup pals and the amazing humans that work at the Institute. They send the most amazing pics and videos the whole time he's there so we can see how happy he is, and every time I pick him up, he returns home an even better boy than when I dropped him off. He also sleeps for hours on end after such a full morning of play, which gives me tons of free time back to get a bunch done. These breaks in the week for him and for me are such a godsend. The training I got to do with Elizabeth was truly invaluable. I love how she approaches the dog/owner relationship with such care and compassion. Gunner got into the training right away, and it was easy to see how the work we got to do together strengthened our bond and built up Gunner's confidence in remarkable ways – making him eager to step into new and more challenging territory, and ultimately making him a more calm and intuitive animal. Elizabeth was always open to chatting through anything, even responding to weekend texts and inquiries about Gunner's behavior that I didn't understand or was worried about. She taught me so much about the inner workings of Gunner's little mind, and this understanding felt essential to our training, and for dog ownership in general, so I am deeply grateful for all the knowledge she infuses into her training and her generosity of time and access during the program. I am so excited to enroll Gunner in his next level of training, as he just completed the Puppy program and I know it will be a key foundational step towards our ultimate goal of training him as a service dog. Cannot thank Elizabeth and everyone at the Dog Institute enough for loving Gunner and being such important people in shaping his best boyness :).

My puppy Cherry and I have been working with our Elizabeth for several months and she has completely exceeded my expectations as a Dog Trainer. Elizabeth has an incredible depth of knowledge and experience. Her positive and compassionate approach to training has worked wonders on our puppy. Her attentiveness, intuition and dedication to her work is rare and inspiring. Thanks to Elizabeth, our puppy is developing into a dog who is balanced, obedient and loves training! Working with her has been life changing and I can't recommend her enough!