The Pup School

If you are looking for a positive reinforcement dog trainer who is effective, friendly and a great communicator that your dog will love, I can honestly and wholeheartedly recommend Dan and "The Pup School". Go ahead and skip to the last paragraph for why I think Dan is a wonderful trainer and person in general. The next few paragraphs are how my wife and I came to a decision to find a trainer/coach for our puppy Ollie (which you can either skip or read to see if you are in a similar situation). Although my wife and I first time dog owners, we researched and studied diligently before deciding how we wanted to raise our new puppy with our kids before deciding on the positive reinforcement method. As a physician, I am a big proponent of evidence based methods, and the positive reinforcement method seemed both effective and fit our more nurturing style in raising our kids. Once we decided on the positive reinforcement method, I read several books, including authors Ian Dunbar, Zak George, Tamar Geller and including other titles such as "Puppy Training for Kids" and "Power of Positive Dog Training". These were great, and we got off to a decent start with our puppy Ollie. But books and videos could only take us so far. Ollie, a cute small cockapoo, is very reactive to new things and is definitely a barker! I would say that even during this pandemic, we tried very hard to socialize him as a puppy, exposing him to both people and other dogs in positive interactions. But his BARKING.... WOW, even understanding it was just his way of communicating, it was becoming almost unbearable. And we always felt he was constantly scared of new people and dogs despite our attempts of socializing "by the books". Our main "problems" with puppy Ollie were his constant barking and what we perceived as fear around other people and dogs. Then we fortunately found Dan! By the end of our first session, Dan was able to gain our puppy Ollie's trust, which is definitely not easy. At that time, very few people have been able to do that, especially not after one meeting. We also requested Dan to bring his own much larger (well-trained) dog for socialization. Ollie was terrified at first, but by the end of the session Ollie was able to stand next to and "sniff" his companion without fear. After several sessions, Ollie's barking and his "fear" of other people and dogs have significantly improved! But most importantly Dan has taught us the skills to develop this improvement. Dan has the philosophy of teaching his clients the skills to train our own dogs, which in my belief is the most important quality. His friendly (no fault) demeanor allows very comfortable interaction in which we can ask all the questions we want without feelings of judgement. He has a wonderful personality and is a great communicator (to both humans and dogs), which I feel are his strongest points. I am giving my highest recommendation to Dan without hesitation or solicitation!

Dan has been a wonderful trainer for us and our pup Rosie! His technique using positive reinforcement has been very effective - we started seeing improvements in our dog's behavior, and our communication with her, after just one session. Our sessions are always very productive, and he also organizes puppy socials which are great opportunities to practice new skills and meet other dogs. Can't recommend Dan highly enough!

We have had an excellent experience working with Dan at The Pup School! Our Australian Shepherd puppy has learned so much, and we have learned even more! He has made the training process so much less stressful and more fun. The positive approach to training has strengthened our relationship with our pup and given us confidence in her. If you are interested in a dog trainer, we strongly recommend reaching out to The Pup School and Dan!!!