The Adolescent Dog class was a lot of fun for both the puppies and their owners, and good value for money. Melissa and her team were great. The training venue was well equipped. Owners should have realistic expectations. You may not necessarily have a perfectly trained puppy at the end of the course, but you will definitely have the basic skills and tactics to continue the training on your own. My family feels we got that, so we are totally happy with the course. We look forward to additional classes in the future.
Great place to take your pups for basic training! Science based positive reinforcement training with experienced professional trainers!Definitely recommend!
**update**Nicole reached out to me and I also had a chance to speak with Sarah. I now have a plan to help my anxious puppy, and I was given many resources! While the particular class in person didnt work for my pup (shes very anxious, and it was too much for her) they have other classes that will, so if youre looking for help, keep asking!My pup didnt have a great experience here. We probably should have started when she was younger, but I did inquire before we joined. I was hoping to get more direction into another class or options to help her with her fear of dogs. Unfortunately after our last class she seems to be worse after she had made so much progress with the neighborhood dogs, and can get close to them with no fear or barking at all. Three stars because the person I spoke with through email was phenomal and very responsive and helpful.
Had a great time with my dog. They gave us the perfect tools to teach simply and easily. Highly reccommended.
I cant recommend Your Dogs Friend enough. They offer many different classes to help enhance the bond you have with your dog. Force Free, Positive Training Always! They also offer free webinars on various topics that I have found so helpful, from Dog Car Safety to Dog Oral Care.
Great dog training so far we are just starting basic manners but it is a positive training program that is very well run and friendly to the dogs and their people
Just signed up, so Ill be back to update my review. However the customer service was beyond expectations. Debbie was so very helpful, kind, informative and passionate. I couldnt wait to sign up, right on the spot! Im so excited for whats to come.
Your Dogs Friend not only helps so many dogs, but it helps the entire community. YDF provides a wealth of free online information and training about how to make the world a better place for dogs and people. Classes focusing on puppies, reactive dogs, and even multiple-pet homes are accessible to everyone at no cost. And, for more in-depth teaching, YDF has so many classes, both online and in person. YDF also exposes viewers/readers to a variety of trainers so that we might be able to find one that is a good fit I am grateful for all YDF does, and I only wish I could give more. Thanks to YDF!!!
We took our chocolate lab Otis here (@otie_oats on Instagram) for puppy class and first grade a few years ago when he was a puppy. The classes are incredibly informative and the techniques and training both you and your dog learn stick with you forever.Flash forward a few years and Otie will turn 4 in a week. We are complimented everywhere we go about how sweet and well behaved Otis is. Your Dog’s Friend is a major reason why.
Great ethnic food.!
As far as having parts in stock is great service in general needs improvement.
Anyone with a dog needs to know about this outstanding non-profit!We have an extremely challenging 9 month old puppy and would be lost without Your Dogs Friend.The puppy socials saved us during COVID lock-down. The webinars are excellent. The on-line classes and in-person classes are safe, fun and very well-run.The staff is dedicated to helping you and your dog become a better team. The trainers are all excellent, devoted professionals who are knowledgable and only using positive training methods.Our dogs favorite thing in the world is to go to the puppy socials to have positive interactions with other dogs. The puppy socials are small, well-managed and transform shy dogs and help socialize all dogs.We did an online puppy K (which I thought might be difficult or awkward) with Sarah Stoycos and it was fun and extremely worthwhile...and the opposite of difficult and awkward! It was fun, easy and we learned a lot. Sarah has a great way of bringing the group together and using other trainers and break-out rooms to provide excellent coaching and training.We just completed in-person first grade with Melissa Dilla and that was another excellent course. Melissa works hard to make every class positive, fun and educational. Her follow-up instructions and review are always helpful and valuable. If you are looking for a knowledgeable and wonderful trainer I highly recommend Melissa. I think our dog loves Melissa more than she loves me!The Training Coordinator, Nicole Wright needs to run our US government....she would fixed it in 48 hours.Nicole is the most organized, on-top of it person ever!! She keeps the place running smoothly allowing the amazing trainers to do their work!The DMV is lucky to have a resourse like Your Dogs Friend.
Amazing! Highly recommend! The staff is knowledgeable, kind, and patient. They took the time to allow me to arrive early so my shy Greater Swiss Mountain Dog puppy, Tirion, could take in the environment before the other dogs arrived. After the first visit they had helped his socialization so immensely he was excited to see other dogs. No fear. All happy appropriate playing. I can never thank them enough for getting Tirion over that socialization hump.
Great non profit dog training school. I have taken many classes with my dogs over the years. I highly recommend the puppy classes which have a continuous rolling enrollment. The Canine Good Citizen Prep class is excellent and well. In addition to their classes they also have free seminars on a various subjects and sell dog toys and games to stimulate and challenge doggy minds.
Adopting a puppy was easy; coming up with a plan for training during a global pandemic was not. I came across Your Dog’s Friend through my searches, and from the first few things I found on their site, I knew I had found a great resource. None of their advice sounded gimmicky or “too good to be true.” The online/remote puppy kindergarten class I took with Sarah Stoycos (Laughing Dog Academy) was something I looked forward to every week. It was so structured, yet so fun, and my puppy and I learned so much. Sarah is the type of trainer who truly has a passion for helping every person and every animal. She has an inexhaustible energy, and such a warm and kind approach. She is an enthusiastic and talented instructor, and she adapted her extensive knowledge to make the class a personal experience for every family and their puppy. I also took the reactive dog class that she and Marnie Montgomery (Joyful Dog) teach, and their insights and guidance have been instrumental in working with my reactive pup. Your Dog’s Friend is such a great organization, I couldn’t have asked for a better experience. Look no further, you’re in good hands!
Your dogs friend is an awesome place to learn about how to train your dog for different levels. They do a good job of explaining especially for kindergarten and first grade so far. We are interested in taking many more classes there including agility. Our dog loves it and the people and friends he makes too
Taking the reactive dog class and the staff are top notch. Lots of help in learning to manage all kinds of difficult situations. And its working! Our dog is now better able to handle seeing other dogs.
If I could give them a 10 out of 5, I would! We have been super grateful for all of the training through Your Dogs Friend that has helped us with house-breaking our very energetic new puppy. Sarah Stoycos has been amazing at helping us better understand and positively handle our puppys needs and training. All of the YDF people that we have been in touch with have been super helpful. Sarah and all of the YDF folks can read, speak, think and predict dog ;) Highly recommend their puppy training classes online, their really informative free webinars and the puppy parties. We are always looking forward to their next offerings.
Best training facility! Love the perspective each trainer brings to their classes. The variety of offerings will keep us coming back for years!
If you love your dog you need to invest in training. The dog will love it, you will love it, and this place is great. We liked the course and the instructor. They are competent and useful, so we warmly recommend them.
We came here with our dog for Puppy Kindergarten with Sarah and Puppy First Grade. We loved the class with Sarah! The class always started with socialization where the dogs were divided into groups based on temperament. The trainers were watching the dogs the whole time to make sure nothing got too rough. Then, we did lessons for things like sit, come, etc. First grade was more training. There was no socialization in the beginning of class like in kindergarten. We were a bit sad by that and so was our pup. The lessons learned were valuable. We also had a different trainer for first grade and we didnt really connect with her. She kept calling our dog by the wrong name and was not as personable as Sarah. Highly recommend Sarah. So personable and shows she truly cares! Your Dogs Friend still sends newsletters with tons of information that we read regularly.
Excellent classes to learn how to train your puppy. Sarah is a very good instructor and my dog loves going to class.
We went to Puppy kindergarten and had the best time. They help guide you through the basics and are so nice. Its a great way to socialize your pup and start him on some training! Highly recommend!!
The staff are great and i love how they separate the dogs by size a lot of other places do not do that. The only thing that i did not like is my dog gets so excited he would bark a lot so they would place a covered gate around us and we were unable to participate in class. So we just sat in the corner closed off nobody able to see in or us see out. I still give this place 5 stars despite my one concern. I will return!
We take our two dogs here and we love how all the organization promote positive training. All the trainers are knowledgeable. Not only do the dogs learn a great deal from the class but owners learn a lot about themselves and how they can better communicate through body language.
We attended two separate types of classes for two of our dogs and were not impressed with either. The first was a basic manners class for our puppy. The instructors ushered us all into small cubicles of fencing covered with tarp so the dogs could not see each other or interact. They then proceeded to walk around giving tips and a basic set of instructions. There was absolutely no one on one training and it was difficult to get the attention of the instructors. I do however believe this class would be helpful for a first time dog parent but not if you have had dogs before.The second class we attended was a scent tracking/training class. Sounds pretty cool right? I will say that this class was very effective for what it was intended but the name is kind of misleading. The owner of the training company told the class she is not licensed to train in scent tracking (like what police dogs do) but rather she teaches a game that you and your dogs can play. Not what I had in mind when we enrolled for the class. My hound mix is now really good at sniffing out clove oil to find the treats but did not actually gain any practical skill from the class. Still its a fun game that she enjoys so it can be worth it as long as you know what you are really paying for.Other impressions were relatively poor. The owner of the class brings her own dog but locks him in a covered crate so he cant see anything and no dogs can see him. The class is in the basement of a building and resembles a mostly unfinished basement with some padded floors like you might find in a gymnasium. Naturally the padded floors are stained and saturated with puppy urine.Overall not a very impressive training company or facility in my opinion.
We brought our dog to Your Dogs Friend for basic training classes and really enjoyed it. The trainers were extremely knowledgeable and always willing to answer our questions about the skills or any other issues we were having. Shortly after, we rescued our other dog who had severe separation anxiety. I sent our trainer a panicked email and she wrote back that same night with a lengthy and personalized response filled with ideas, strategies and support. I cant say enough good things about this organization and would highly recommend them to anyone!
What a wonderful resource for the DMV area. I’ve gone to classes, free lectures, and hired a private trainer who works with this group, and could not be more pleased. If you want accurate, effective dog training information, look no further!
Rosie loves going to puppy kindergarten and we are learning lots of ways to help her have a healthy, happy life.
Best place in the area to learn how to train your dog. Terrific trainers, excellent resources, superb free seminars.
I had did puppy kindergarten and I absolutely loved it ; was great socialization and Sarah the trainer was great!
Just getting started on my journey as a doggie father, but I have to say these people are great! The classes fill up fast though so sign up in advance and get on a waiting list if you need to!
Nice facility, instructors are very well educated in dog behavior and training, puppy party is a great way to get puppy play time in a safe, appropriate , supervised environment
Highly recomended. I mean seven stars on a scale of one to five. Whether you are trying to correct a behavior, teach your dog to be a better family member, or just learn some tricks and have fun. The people at Your Dogs Friend understand dogs and will guide you with training methods that are fun for both you and your dog. My dog wagged her tail through the whole session and came away eager to show off what she learned.
Great trainers that take a personal approach with individual students and their dogs. Lots of practical information and things to work on at home.
Very welcoming & very knowledgeable on dog behavior training for the owner & companion
Great place, they really care about training.
Best positive training place to take a wide variety of classes and dont forget to check out all the wonderful FREE seminars
Force-free, choke-free, zap-free training! You and your dog will be treated well and everybody will have a great time while learning. There are also free workshops about twice a month. Ive learned a lot about dog body language, dogs & children, aggression, health, and training from the free workshops.
A great group, teaching me how to train my dog using positive reinforcement. This is a plus for both of us.
Great place for dog training. My son and his new puppy enjoy their classes, and the staff is friendly, dedicated and knowledgeable.
Great trainers. Perfect space for puppy training and play
My puppy loves his classes and so do I
Great classes and the right attitude to support making you a better dog owner.
Non profit with highly trained teachers. Ive benefited from every class and workshop Ive attended. Highly recommend.
This is a great organization for all types of dog training.
We take our dog here for training. Staff are knowledgeable and we have learned how to more effectively communicate with our dog.
Love Your digs friend, bernntaking our St. Bernard puppy, the training has really helped. The trainers really care and know what they are doing.
Have not had one yet, but have been told good things. Jean Fabish
All positive and very effective dog training.
Great seminars. Ok classes.
Amazing! Strongly recommend.
Great place for safe puppy play!
New. Well designed
Best dog training in the area.
Instructors are great!
Nice place to be!
Took my dog to training classes.
Best trainers!
Very competent.
Loving people
I am working with accounts
Love it!!
Zaza