Dogboy

Robert is an incredible dog trainer. I've used him with both of my dogs and every tip he's given me has been helpful. He comes in, teaches you ways to address the dog's behavior, teaches you how to practice them, and solves the problem he came to address in one session. Robert really understands how dogs work and also how to teach humans how to communicate with them.

He's also very kind and patient and pleasant to work with as a human. I couldn't recommend Robert more highly - I recommend him to all of my friends who have issues with their dogs' behavior!

Rob exhibits a kindness and professionalism only rivaled by his humor and way with dogs. Rob started helping us train our 2.5 year old dog, and we could immediately see a difference. The training started the first second that Rob walked into the door by addressing behaviors in the home immediately. His consistency and knowledge of motivations for dogs helps address the root cause of training.

Even more so, Rob is very compassionate towards comfort levels with owners and trainings. We had previously lost our dog in an accident, and he is very mindful of keeping our comfort a top priority during training. We cannot recommend DogBoy NYC highly enough!

Robert is awesome and his methods are highly effective. He helped us prepare our puppy for life with a newborn baby and improved her overall manners and behavior. We highly recommend working with Robert.

We cannot recommend Robert of DogBoyNYC highly enough! Robert brings knowledge, humor, and kindness to his training sessions and communicates training strategies in understandable and manageable ways. He takes the time to explain why he's recommending particular strategies, so you can understand not only what works, but why it works. He helped us with two difficult behavioral challenges (leash aggression and isolation anxiety) as well as training the basics (leave it, place, etc.) and was always clear with his instructions, honest in his assessment, and never judgmental. A training session with Robert is like talking to a good friend who just happens to have a deep knowledge of dog psychology.

Robert helped us train Benji, our senior rescue who suffered abuse and neglect in his past. We struggled for over a year to clothe, bathe and groom Benji without him reacting aggressively. We had tried other trainers, but Benji was still scared. With Robert's patience and direction, we were able to help Benji feel safe and modify his behavior in a way that worked for him.

The difference is incredible. It's been only 2 months and we're able to dress Benji in winter jackets and brush him on a daily basis! Robert truly understands animals and is an incredible, kind, and patient teacher. Thank you Robert for everything!

Dogboy has been incredibly helpful in training my exceptionally sweet, smart and stubborn(!) pup. We came to Rob when my pup was 1.5 yrs old, with basic training already under our belt, but needed help with obedience consistency and newly-developed separation anxiety. Not only was Rob able to offer concrete skills, but also insights re: training theory, age-appropriate expectations, and relational bonding.

He took time to talk through and understand the idiosyncrasies of my pup's behavior in context, making interventions that much more effective. As a company, Dogboy works hard to accommodate scheduling needs as best as possible. Though at times there can be a lengthy wait to schedule training sessions, it's well worth it!

I've had the best experience with Dogboy NYC! Everyone I've worked with, from Robert as a trainer to Kim with scheduling, has been so attentive, responsive and personable. When I adopted my dog, she was extremely anxious, timid and had certain "aggressive" tendencies when agitated. She would shake anytime she was outside and did not like anyone except for me. Robert was an EXPERT of assessing the situation and arming me with the information and tools I needed for her success.

A few months later and she is a different dog! She loves people, gets SO excited when Robert comes over and is so playful and sweet with anyone new. He not only trained my pup, but trained me as well. I really feel as though The Dogboy Team personalized training based on my dog's needs and my needs - it is not one size fit all as you see with many trainers. Dogboy NYC should absolutely be at the top of your list when considering training for your pup!

We took Robert's Basic Obedience class via Wag Club and I could not be any more satisfied with the amount of skill I have gained teaching my pup Keith. Robert definitely has a way with dogs and humans alike! Effortlessly integrates human and dog behaviors. He is a fantastic trainer- patient, kind and knowledgeable. His expertise clearly shows the moment your dog interacts with him. I have found any way I can to recommend Dogboy NYC- such a fantastic investment. Thank you a million times over!

Me and my puppy Fuji enjoyed learning there. Robert was such a great! He asked us each dog about how they are doing and then gave us advices. Each dog is different behaviors so it's great! Also the class was only three puppies. So we had a great experience! Now I do training Fuji at home. It helps a lots. I highly recommend.

I recently had 2 sessions (3 to come) with Robert for my two pups, and I am so pleased! From the get go a thorough history and questions about behavior concerns was taken, and upon meeting it was very clear that all of that information was well reviewed prior to meeting my dogs. Robert is very personable and never made me feel like I had messed up my dog's training (or lack thereof) previously, or that I was a bad owner for that (like some trainers can).

He immediately began working with them and me, thoroughly explaining the why behind everything we did/will do to address their behavior concerns. I really enjoy that his approach is based in ABA and operant/classical conditioning instead of dominance/alpha methods. After just two session, we have had our first real loose leash walks, the barking at the doorbell has decreased and we have a plan in place to continue to eliminate it that is progressing well so far!

And one of my dogs has finally learned "stay" for the first time. Our first session, there was a cancellation due to a snowstorm, and they were very communicative and had my session rescheduled within the next 2 days! I'm really looking forward to continuing to work with Robert and DogBoy NYC!

We absolutely loved working with Jacklyn and would highly recommend her and DogBoy training. Our 5/6 year old rescue dog Ramona had a lot of anxiety on the streets, some unexplained aggression towards children and no real understanding of any basic commands. We were worried it would be harder to teach an older dog who already had a whole unknown history behind her, however Ramona took very quickly to her wonderfully fun, energetic and positive trainer Jacklyn and was grasping basic commands of sit, come, leave it and drop it within just one lesson. Jacklyn not only worked to teach Ramona, but myself and husband as well.

The changes we learned to make in our behavior and approach to Ramona's anxieties in the streets and children have helped Ramona move with much more ease and confidence. With the lessons behind us, as all three of us continue to practice what we learned, Ramona improves every day! We are so thrilled to have found DogBoy (which I found doing my own online research.)

Robert was great. He pinpointed a lot of issues we knew we were dealing with and gave us practical strategies to help our puppy be her best behaved and most confident self. He is knowledgeable, kind and reassuring. I highly recommend him!

We were recommended to Robert for our troubled rescue dog, who struggles with aggression. I can't emphasize enough how monumental the change in our pup has been since starting to work with Robert. He takes the time to really explain his assessment of what is happening with his problem behaviors, the rationale for trying certain methods, coaches us through it in real time, and gives clear homework and suggestions between training sessions. I wish we could have hired him earlier, but so glad we finally did! Very highly recommend!

We have been working with Jacklyn to train our puppy and it has been great! She has been so helpful and makes things as easy as possible for us. We have learned a lot from her and so has our puppy Lola! Highly recommend.

We can't say enough about our experience with Robert. We have a now 1.5 year old Golden Retriever who was going through a "teenage" phase - having issues pulling outside and resource guarding indoors. After a couple of sessions, he was a changed dog. He really catered the program to our needs specifically. We can't thank him enough!

Robert is an amazing trainer, and so easy to work with. Our dog, Nora, was rescued in Iran and brought to the US for medical care after someone sawed half her leg off (!). Understandably, she had major anxiety issues and one of the last hurdles we had to get her over was accepting visitors in our house. Robert was part of a team of trainers and veterinarians we worked with to help Nora. His experience and ability to connect with Nora was invaluable in her journey to finally start to see visitors as something pleasant. We cannot thank you enough.

Rob just left my apartment minutes ago. The experience was the best I've ever had with a dog trainer. I have a 5 1/2 year old rescue coonhound, Buckley. I'd been having trouble with him getting anxious or worked up when people come over, howling, humping, and even peeing on the wall. Rob got started immediately, evaluating Buckley in seconds.

No small talk - he really gave me the time for my money. We went over several techniques, including very creative ideas for my smart, neurotic hunting dog - scent games, etc. He gave me techniques to stop him barking, to calm him down when he heard the buzzer, and games to play to exercise Buckley's mind and wear him out. I could not be more pleased right now, and can't wait to practice these techniques and work with Rob again. He really knows his stuff, tailoring his approach to my particular dog, and is likable and easy to be around, too.

I contacted Dogboy (aka Rob) a few weeks after my 1.5 year old rescue dog (lab/whippet), Zoe, wiggled out of her collar and got hit by a car. In the weeks and months following the accident Zoe was petrified to go outside which was directly at odds with our attempts to house train her. She couldn't handle the traffic noises and would freeze and shake.

We were ready to lose our minds (I can't emphasize enough how stressed and overwhelmed we were). At our first session Rob helped us devise a very brilliant and creative plan to slowly get her to go outside. Within a week or two we saw a huge difference. I remember how thrilled I was when she was willing to finally walk up and down our block. After a month or two of Zoe being willing to tolerate being outside on our block and me being perfectly content with this vast improvement. the best advice Rob ever gave me was to not rest on my laurels and to continue to use the training theories and plans to train her out of her fears and get her to be willing to go anywhere with us.

She is now completely comfortable walking anywhere with us (even into Dumbo past the rumbling Manhattan bridge subway) without panicking. Rob was also extremely helpful in managing Zoe's separation anxiety. While she used to bark and whine when we left and sometimes even pee or poop in the house we can now leave her, without any worry that she will be in distress, destructive or cause distress to our neighbors, for 8 hours. Rob is the only reason that any of my training efforts were successful as he helped break down the process into the smallest of steps, was available as a resource when I wanted to check-in and make sure what I was doing made sense, and helped me understand the "why" behind the "how". Rob is extremely knowledgable and patient.

At times I felt like Rob was less of a "dog trainer" and more of a "pet-owner trainer" as he helped me build the confidence and knowledge I needed to train and take care of my dog effectively. To anyone who is dealing with a challenging dog issue-- especially fearfulness and anxiety-- I highly recommend contacting Dogboy and looking at it as an investment in your dogs wellbeing and your own peace of mind.

My girlfriend and I have attended Dogboy (aka Rob's) Wine N Puppies group class/playgroup at Wag Club and have also started doing private training session with him for our puppy Lola. We could not be happier with his professionalism and skills. Raising/training a puppy can be quite stressful at times, but Rob brings a calm and relaxed temperment that works great with dogs and humans alike.

He is excellent at helping humans learn when playing dogs are just being healthy dogs and when they need a break or timeout. That may seem like a basic enough skill, but for a group of a bunch of new puppy owners/parents that goes a long way. After a private session, I was impressed with how much he tought Lola, but I was far more impressed with how much he taught us and empowered us to be able to help our puppy learn.

Even the most frequent visits by a professional trainer would only amount to a fraction of the time we spend with our pup, so it might be best to think of Rob as an excellent HUMAN trainer first of all.

Rob has been a great resource and trainer for our new rescue pup, Griff (15 mo old). His knowledge and sensitivity put us all at ease. He gave specific and sensitive techniques to help us with the basics: leash control, coming when called off leash, and with separation anxiety. Our dog's sense of confidence (and ours) increased with Rob's able instruction. It is reassuring to know he can be an ongoing resource. We recommend Rob enthusiastically.

Seems like dog training is one part teach your dog, ten parts teach yourself. Like everybody else, I have a really special dog and I just didn't know how to act to bring out the best in him. He was getting overexcited in the dog park and would sometimes nip me and other owners. Everybody said, "Cesar is the way, " and that definitely got me on the track to setting boundaries, but Robert came in and showed me that getting your dog to listen and respond to you is not about submission and fear; it's about motivation and developing trust. Robert first helped me read my dog's behavior a little better and then made suggestions for equipment and keeping him stimulated.

Then we worked on focus and how to train him out of a few unruly impulses. He also gave me a reality check about what my dog might and might not be capable of -- just like people, I guess doggies have their limitations, too. Of course I still think my dog's practically perfect. A few more sessions with Robert and he'll be a prince.

We have a rescue dog, Jolie, with serious anxiety, fear, and trust issues, which made it very difficult to walk her on leash. Jolie established a small comfort zone around our apartment, and refused to walk any further from home. Within an hour, Robert devised a strategy to help Jolie overcome her fears, and we were walking all over the neighborhood with little resistance from Jolie!

It was such a relief, we are so happy to have found Robert! Robert also provided us valuable guidance around other training issues, and we look forward to continuing to work with him.