Instinct Dog Behavior & Training

We adopted our 3 year old rescue dog in April of 2014 from a high-​kill shelter in NYC. She had been described as easy-​going, dog-​friendly, and totally unproblematic. When we brought her home, it turned out that she pretty much would turn into a Tasmanian devil when she saw any other dogs within 40 feet on the street while on leash, pulled like a champion husky, did not know any commands, and had severe separation anxiety.
After about a month, we brought her to a 30 day board and train intensive with Brian and Sarah. Honestly, we DID expect a total transformation and elimination of all issues (aka «a miracle») and were hoping to take home a totally transformed dog — even though when you bring your dog in for training, Instinct is very clear that there won’t be a miracle over the board and train period. When we picked her up a month later, her leash walking was 100% improved, she understood basic commands, but when she saw another dog outside of the studio she still had a very strong reaction.
Our hearts sank, but Brian and Sarah reassured us that this was just the beginning of a longer journey and that we would get to the happy, well-​adjusted dog state with consistent work. They showed us exactly what to do on daily walks to work on remaining aggression issues and gave us tons of useful tips during the in-​home follow up visit. We also followed their recommendations for separation anxiety once we brought her home, and those plus the ongoing training let our dog know she could trust us and what the rules/​boundaries were.
And now, about 7 months after the initial training and lots and lots of steady, daily reinforcement, our pup readily socializes with other dogs on leash and off, can go to doggy day care, is attentive, and able to relax at home for a 4 – 5 hours by herself without any issues.
Brian and team laid a hugely important foundation through the intensive board and train and equipped us with expert advice to build on that base. As a responsible dog owner, it is then absolutely up to you to actually do the daily follow on work. There were setbacks and disappointments, and it is a gradual process, not a brain & personality transplant. But if you follow Instinct’s advice, you will see steady improvement and ultimately wind up with a healthy, trusting, and happy dog. The entire Instinct team truly loves what they do and it shows in so many ways.
We are looking forward to many fun-​filled years with our transformed dog!

Almost 5 years later!
My pup and I lacked some discipline and needed a refresher, plus some fear aggression issues had arisen. I knew exactly where to go. Brian and Sarah have expanded their operation and their knowledge base.
They are also lovely folks. Nothing but good things to say.

We adopted our mutt Vinny at a very rambunctious, uncontrollable year and a half old. He was absolutely unmanageable, and we needed help fast! So we put him in the board and train program. Vinny stayed with Sarah and we got to visit him, and had sessions to learn everything that Vinny knew. When he came home he was a different pup! That’s not to say there wasn’t lots of hard work with him after, and we are continuing his training even a year later, but Sarah helped us on a crucial step in his rehabilitation.

Extraordinary dog trainers and equally amazing people!
My gf and I came to Instinct because our 7 y/​o German Shepherd has issues with leash aggression on his walks. We were hesitant to spend the money on yet another trainer because we had already gone through 3 other dog training programs (expensive), countless training videos and even tried some of Cesar’s methods. Nothing worked. But the last straw came when he bit a stranger (unprovoked) during one of his «episodes» on a walk.
So we took the chance and enrolled our boy in the 3 week board & train, and have since done a few followup BAT sessions and also have been attending the alumni CGC classes in Central Park. The $ 150 consultation seemed a bit steep at first, but that has been more than repaid by the sheer dedication from the Instinct team and the free alumni classes that Sarah and Brian run several times a month. We have predominantly worked with Sarah, but have also had some time with Brian and Tiffany too. They are all extremely committed and it feels very much like they do this not for the money but because they have a genuine love of dogs and are extremely good at reading and training them. It’s been about 4 months since we started. Our dog is not yet 100% but he has made drastic improvements that we never would have thought possible. We now have the tools to help him work through his fears and we are seeing him make more and more good choices every day. We have no reason to believe that he won’t be completely better in a few months or less, and we can’t wait for that day!
If you are on the fence about going with Instinct, don’t be. They are worth every penny!!!

Brian, Sarah and Tiffany are all oficially miracle workers in my book.
My fiancée and I got a Boston Terrier puppy in the middle of the summer. Come to find out a week later, the little guy is deaf as a doorknob, DESPISED spending any time in his crate, would not want to walk on a leash and would teethe on any he could get his puppy mouth on. To compound all these problems, some of which are typical, was the fact that we both worked in Manhattan, Tashmoo is deaf and we couldn’t really dedicate the time we wanted in training our pup to be the amazing little dude he is now.
Enter miracle workers.
So as my fiancée is going over the boarding program and explains how they have experience dealing with deaf pups, I was skeptical at first — they’re in Harlem and want how much $$ for two weeks?! In the long run, it was worth the trips to Harlem and every dime we spent for it. Brian/​Sarah & Tiffany each spent a week with Tashmoo teaching him hand signals, getting the teething under control, socializing him with other dogs, getting him use to nights in a crate and getting use to walks on a leash.
Needless to say, we were amazed once Tashmoo was back at home for a few weeks — from the puppy that cried as soon as you put him in a crate, he can now do a solid 8 hours in there, hold his bladder and not make a peep. He went from the puppy that would constantly teethe on you every chance he got, to becoming a well behaved puppy who knew what to teethe on and when. From a puppy who wanted zero to do with a walk that required a leash to a puppy who know strolls down the block like he owned it. From a puppy that we couldn’t communicate with to a puppy who is now completely on our page and understands all our commands/​gestures. And he made all these strides, while still keeping his silly and energetic personality.
I could go on — but they really are miracle workers. Just before we dropped off Tashmoo, I had thoughts about him not being the right fit for us (especially after a rough episide with our last Boston) but after the folks at Instinct worked their magic — I’m the happiest ‘dad’; really proud of the progress my little guy made and continues to make and my fiancée and I wouldn’t know where we would be without him!

Sarah and Brian gets 5++++ stars that’s for sure. They have accomplished the impossible out of my dog Miley. Miley was not able to stand next to a dog without trying to bite them and I thought she would never get out of the habit of trying to chase other dogs. I contacted Instinct dog training and Sarah pretty much felt her the first day and knew what needs to be done with her. Now Miley wants to play with other dogs and learned to take guidance from me. When I say no she knows it’s a no. Thanks to Sarah and Brian I can enjoy taking walks without Miley chasing, barking and trying to bite other dogs. I would recommend them to anybody and if you listen to them your dog would improve with one class as I seen this change in Miley.
My dog was adopted from ACC on August of 2012. (wish I knew about them from the beginning)

I took my pup in for CGC testing (we trained elsewhere, they didn’t offer it). All seemed fine, at first.
They had no record of my appointment (scheduled and confirmed through email, so a quick email search solved that). That was ok… but the testing itself was a bit haphazard. Not horrible, but being a trainer myself, the woman who ran the test for us could have been much more clear. Probably a ¾ star rating.
What prompts the lower rating is a question I asked, about a collar I noticed there and asked a couple questions about. I’m looking for a good vibration-​only collar (for a deaf dog), and saw an electronic collar. When I asked if it was a vibe collar, I was told it was, but that it also had shock, which ‘was great’ for when ‘more than vibe was needed.’ I was completely turned off and will not be going back to Instinct. There are so many positive ways of countering bad behavior, a shock/​pain inducing method is entirely inappropriate, and I do not trust a training program that implements them. Its a high indicator of a lack of education, and reliance on quick fixes.

So I put off writing a review for this place since I wanted to wait and see how their work would turn out.
We adopted a dog a few months ago who constantly bounced off the walls and acted like a living vacuum cleaner. In addition, he could have probably made a career as a sled dog, since his constant pulling of his leash was enough to almost dislocate my wife’s shoulder. He loved to play-​nip (hard), and managed to latch onto my arm by hanging onto my large and fairly expensive watch the first day we had him. It seemed obvious to us as to why nobody adopted this dog, although his friendly demeanor and unusual appearance/​facial gestures captured our attention.
You’re probably sick of reading about people’s dogs, but it’s crazy to think about how much this place can change a dog within a month. We put him in the 21 day Board-​and-​Train program, and he came home a different dog. No pulling, way less vacuuming, and way less play-​nipping. Although he was the same energetic dog at heart, he decided to take out his energy in ways that didn’t require latching onto my arm/​watch.
We are very happy with the way and speed our dog changed here. He just recently passed his Canine Good Citizen test.
They do good work here.
Update 2÷16÷2014: Vinny is better than ever, thanks to a constant reinforcement of the techniques that were taught here. Still highly recommended.

Instinct Dog Behavior and Training lives up to the awesome reviews you see here (check out the filtered ones too). My 3-​year old German Shepherd was trained by Sarah. I adopted my dog less than 3 months prior to seeking Instinct’s help. My dog was fear aggressive to the point of intentionally walking her later at night and earlier in the morning to avoid confrontations with other dogs. The level of fear aggression was such that some dogs closer than 10 feet would set her off into serious barking and lunging, sometimes standing on her two hind legs trying to get to the other dog. I had some experience with rescue dogs and read a good deal of books with lots of success applying various techniques to a couple of foster dogs, and my newly adopted shepherd. When I felt that I had exhausted my experience and knowledge, I turned to Instinct. I set up a full evaluation, at which my dog behaved very well but both Sarah and Brian listened to me intently and understood «the kind of situation I was dealing with». We made a reservation for an in-​kennel training to begin 6 weeks later. Brian’s and Sarah’s interpretation of why my dog was reactive really helped me to effectively modify my work with her while we waited for her spot at the studio. They requested a priority list of the issues I was hoping to solve. Throughout the 3-​week process, these priorities were addressed, met, and exceeded.
During the times I visited for a lesson during the 3-​week training, I noticed my dog’s transformation progressing. Also, it was evident that my dog loved Sarah and the rest of the team, which makes an owner sigh in relief (it is hard to leave your pup at a new place). By the end the first week, my dog had some interactions with other dogs and by the end of the three weeks she could actually play (play!) with social dogs. Plus, I was empowered with pragmatics on how to manage introductions and playtime.
Now, my dog has improved to the point of going to Riverside Park during off-​leash hours early weekends and being able to walk calmly knowing that my dog has social skills and that I have the tools to manage introductions. Her group of doggie friends went from barely 2 to at least 5 within two weeks! This was one of my goals, to have the opportunity for my dog to be a dog and slowly introduce her to our community of dog lovers. Last but not least, she passed the Canine Good Citizen test this weekend – how awesome is that?! We can now move onto some sport and have tons of fun. On the street, people are impressed with her obedience level and we get compliments.
A few points on the facilities and staff: The studio is kept very clean and orderly. The kennel area is also clean and they aim to always keep it peaceful and quiet. Their helper dogs are true representatives of the trainers’ abilities and skill (and super cute too!). The staff were very open to various questions and concerns, and I never had a problem coordinating our visits or pickup/​drop off.

Two and a half years ago, I adopted a 4 month old mini-​poodle and brought him home to be a companion to my older corgi. From the day I brought him home he was just terrible. At first I thought it was him «being a puppy»…my corgi was pretty mischievous until she was two… but instead of getting better, he just got worse. I tried other training programs but I could not get him to behave. I was at the point of returning him to the shelter when I found Instinct.
Here’s a list of what my poodle would do:
Pee indoors, sometimes on rugs or furniture
Chew ANYTHING on the ground that wasn’t a toy
jump on guests
bark loudly for attention
whine for hours when gated
steal food
steal shoes/​clothing/​socks and destroy them
ignore all commands
growl and snap when disciplined, or when I tried to take something from him
run away from me when I needed him to come
pull books off of the lowest bookshelves and destroy them
As you can imagine, I had to watch him constantly and it wasn’t the kind of relationship I wanted to have with my dog. I felt like he owned ME.
Then I booked my poodle into the board and train program, and it was the best decision I’ve ever made. When I came in for the first week’s session, not only did my poodle follow commands, I could see him making GOOD decisions about his behavior. Like choosing not to jump up on me, even though he clearly wanted to. I was amazed. During the next two sessions I was increasingly impressed and when I brought him home, he was a completely different dog.
Now I have NONE of the problems I had before. He responds to 99% of commands and goes to the bathroom outdoors. He almost never displays any of the problem behaviors he had before. He only plays with his toys now… shoes, clothes, etc go untouched. He is much more gentle and loving and snuggly. I really couldn’t be happier. If you are having problems with your dog, I highly recommend Instinct Dog Behavior and Training. They are, in my opinion, worth every penny.

There are a lot of emotions wrapped up in owning a misbehaving dog. It’s so overwhelming– the effort that goes into managing the dog is exponential and exhausting. Of course you love your dog, but you might resent the time and stress of being around them. You may feel immensely guilty about having caused the problem yourself through your ignorance or negligence. You may not know what to do, where to start, you may indignantly believe you’ve already tried everything and nothing will work. And of course, it’s New York, so every other person has an opinion about how your dog should behave and what you’re doing wrong with it. By the time many people turn to a trainer, I think they can be desperate, stressed and pretty hopeless.
A lot of people on Unilocal have touched on Sarah and Brian’s incredible rapport with dogs. And that’s all completely merited. I cannot say enough good things about how they read dogs, teach them, and how happy I am personally with my dog’s transformation. But in this review, I wanted to also mention that they’re at least as good with people. Both in my one-​on-​one interactions with them and in observing their interactions with other dog owners in the group classes, I’ve been so impressed with how much goes into working with dog owners and how well they do it. There’s no judgment; no gasps when you make a mistake, no making you feel as though you are completely unprepared to handle a dog and «what business did you even have getting one anyway?» I’m guessing Brian and Sarah probably have to train people at least as much as they train the dogs… and I’m guessing it’s not the dogs that are the hardest. But they’re just incredibly good at it. The entire process is collaborative and empathetic. There’s a considerable amount of guidance, given in a very positive, calm way. No questions are stupid, nothing feels rushed, and as new problems come up, they’re right there with you to come up with new answers. And that’s just been invaluable to me.
And now onto the dog miracle-​working:
I recently adopted a second dog, a ten month old german shepherd puppy who was «too much» for her previous owner and had been given up. She was affectionate and I loved her immediately, but she had not been trained and had several burgeoning issues that I knew could become very serious, including ball aggression toward other dogs, food aggression towards people and destructiveness when outside of her crate. I had begun to work with her, but had made limited progress in obedience work and I worried I was making the aggression issues worse. I had one other dog and had trained him haphazardly on my own, but the new puppy’s aggression issues in particular made me worried I didn’t have the tools to handle things myself. Three weeks after adopting her, I found out I was going to have to go out of town on short notice for a few weeks. The pup couldn’t come, and I had no idea what to do. Her behavior was not reliable enough to leave her with friends, I wasn’t sure which boarding programs would be appropriate, I didn’t want to lose any training momentum and it was such short notice. It was the worst possible timing!
It was also the best thing that could have happened because I stumbled onto Instinct. Sarah was my puppy’s primary trainer for a three week board and train. At the end of the program, I was amazed at her progress. She followed commands so reliably, her ball aggression was completely resolved, and with a little work and additional help from Sarah in my lessons after, her food aggression also disappeared. Most strikingly, my puppy went from being timid and unsure of what was expected of her from me and from other dogs, into being incredibly confident and playful. Her tail wags more. She doesn’t cower between my legs when dogs approach her to play. She’s so happy to concentrate and work and learn new things, and I’m so excited to continue learning with her. People who knew her before have been just amazed at the change and have also signed their dogs up for Instinct.
Instinct’s board and train is the best money I’ve spent in a very, very long time. I’ve now signed up for a few lessons for my two year old lab mix. He’s pretty well-​behaved, but does have some issues with nervousness and separation anxiety. I didn’t really think there was anything I could do about them until I saw the progress in my puppy. But who wouldn’t want a completely confident, well-​adjusted dog, who’s comfortable in more situations? And I’m pretty sure that as long as treats are involved, he’s up for the Saturday alum classes too :)
Since this is a review, the one very, very minor negative I’ll mention is that Sarah and Brian haven’t always been the best about getting back to me very promptly. I do get the impression this is because they’re pretty swamped with work. And it’s a minor thing– it’s always easy to send a second email. But I’d hate for anyone to miss out working with them because of it– so do send that second email :)

Sarah and Brian are amazing. Our pit bull rescue (Rigby, adopted from Animal Care & Control in January 2011) had a terrible leash-​biting & tug-​of-​war habit, which made it nearly impossible to walk him. Sarah and Brian showed us some quick-​fix tricks, then their obedience program totally worked, and made walking Rigby much easier. I won’t claim that Rigby is now 100% obedient, but he is a million times better than when we first got him.
Also, Instinct’s Saturday morning group training sessions for «alumni» are a great benefit for past clients.

I don’t think I can put the level of satisfaction and thankfulness I have for Brian (and Sarah) into words but I will try my best. (Sorry for the long review)
A short back story– My wife and I adopted our 4 year old Chihuahua mix, Sergeant, when he was a puppy. Around age 1 he began demonstrating signs of aggression toward strangers and dogs he didn’t know (barking and lunging). We were able to tolerate this behavior and manage it to a small extent. But over the course of the last 3 years his behaviors became more severe (snapping and even biting).
We referred to two different «Fly by night» trainers that should not have been allowed to call themselves trainers. They were scared of Sergeant, they had no authority, implemented training interventions that, in some cases, caused our dog to become even more aggressive and did us no good. We were defeated.
After we had our baby in 2010 Sergeant got worse and became aggressive toward our daughter. We were at our end. We came to the point where we needed to either find a good trainer or give our little Sergeant up for adoption and re-​homing. So we decided to try training again as one last resort.
While searching for a trainer online I ran across Instinct Dog Training. I watched the demo video showing Brian and his work with his rehabilitated rat terrier, Sammy. While watching what Brian had accomplished with Sammy I began to cry. I asked myself «Could my Sergeant really be that good?» I needed to find out so we met with Brian for a consult and ended up booking him as our trainer that very day!
We determined that the 2 week intensive training program was going to work best for Sergeant. So Brian began working with him for a few hours every day (M-​F) for two weeks. Brian used this time to build a relationship with Sergeant and to train him in daily obedience (Proper sits, downs, stays, heals and more). Following the two weeks we had follow up sessions where Brian transferred the training commands to my wife and I.
It has been 17 weeks since we started work with Brian and Sergeant is a COMPLETELY DIFFERENT DOG!
Immediately following the two weeks with Brian, Sergeant was able to sit, lay down, heal and stay on command. All of these commands were taught with an implied stay, so he wouldn’t move until we released him. He was also significantly less reactive/​aggressive to other dogs and people. This foundation of obedience was the corner stone of training and everything else has followed it.
The most important things we wanted to address in Sergeant’s training was his fear, anxiety and aggression. He was miserable and overwhelmed by anxiety. We wanted little more than for him to be comfortable and confident. Brian was able to empower us and Sergeant to attain both of these things.
Brian (and Sarah) are competent, educated, confident, ethical and capable trainers. They understand what it takes to train your dog. That it’s not simply about commanding obedience, it’s about developing a relationship and line of communication with your dog.
Brian (and Sarah) provided us with the tools and maps to get to where we wanted to go with Sergeant and have supported us the entire way. But it has been up to us to utilize what they provided us with. We maintain his training DAILY on walks and also participate in weekly group training at the new Instinct Dog Training Studio.
One thing you need to consider before committing to training with Instinct: Don’t ask yourself how trainable your dog is, ask how willing YOU are to be empowered to train and to maintain training.
We love you Brian and Sarah, You have truly changed our lives.

I made an appointment with Sara scheduled for the day my family moved into NYC from NJ this past summer. It probably seems like the worst idea but I desperately needed to figure out how to get my dog-​aggressive pit mix able to walk around the city since in NJ she had a huge backyard to do her business in. Over the phone Sara seemed pleasant and even worked with me about the scheduling times, great, right?
Upon meeting it was a completely different vibe, she came across very standoffish. My dog became too scared to jump out of my parents’ vehicle, this being her first time in it, I was very flustered trying to figure out how to get her out-​not even a finger was lifted to help me. Sara asked me if my dog bit and I assured her no but still not even verbal advice was given, I understand her not helping because she’s not sure of my dog’s temperament but to not even say anything? I mean, she’s a dog trainer-​she has to have a tip, right? Nope, just blank staring.
All through the consultation she was brisk and pushed the Gentle Leader as a training tactic, even though I told her my dog liked to stop walking when on it. The one thing she was kind about was sending me a bill that I could pay through Paypal the following day, with no follow-​up email about my dog’s behavior. This was in July ’11 and I’ve never received a word. I’m not sure if she felt I couldn’t afford her services, which I can, or if my dog was a hopeless case (turns out she wasn’t) but it left me feeling very hopeless at the time. I scrambled that whole week to find a reputable trainer so I wouldn’t have to put my dog back in a shelter and I did, thankfully with Wag the Dog.

Before Sarah & Brian, our sheltie-​mix Molly was, by no exaggeration, a menace to our neighborhood. Every walk with her was a nightmare– she would pull us, lunge at birds & cars, and worst of all, lunge and bark aggressively at every dog we passed. On walks, dog owners would try to cross the street at the sight of her. Others noted they could recognize her barking from 10 stories up in their apartment! Beyond that, there were many situations that bordered on dangerous, and we feared that we or our puppy would end up hurt or worse. We had tried other training methods, but there are only so many treats you can pump into a 15 lb puppy! We decided it was time to get serious with the training or Molly would not be able to live in this city permanently.
Based on Unilocal reviews, we gave Sarah & Brian a call. We set up a consult meeting and met Sammy, a formerly aggressive dog, who is now one of their helper dogs. Sarah & Brian really didn’t need to say anything during our meeting, because watching Sammy’s behavior was all we needed to be convinced these were the trainers for us.
Sarah did an intensive 2 week in-​home training program with Molly. We then joined them in several lessons to learn all of the handling. The results have blown us away. Even more telling, people in our neighborhood who we have never formally met before now come up to us and comment on what an amazing transformation she’s had and how well behaved she is!
We now participate in their free Saturday morning classes and their advanced training classes, hoping that someday Molly will compete in some AKC rally competitions. We love our dog so much. But now we love walking her, challenging her with the advanced training and agility, and watching how proud she is of herself when she makes good decisions in tough city situations.

Instinct Training is fantastic! I have a puppy who is a sweet dog, but at 7 months she still had all of the super annoying puppy habits (biting, jumping, barking ALL the time) — and we really didn’t enjoy being around her, and were worried it was get worse if we didn’t stop it then. I worked with Sarah who is terrific, very professional and knowledgable — and Molly is a changed dog. She doesn’t bark at night anymore, actually listens when I say ‘no’, doesn’t pull on the leash, no jumping, biting, etc. I cannot wait to see her every day now and she also seems much happier and controlled now. Highly recommend.

My husband and I rescued a female pit named Maize since we had never had this type of dog and the whole stigma that goes along with them we looked into a training program We found Brian and Sara and attended their workshop (Ask Me About My Pitbull) which was very enlightening. We hired Brian who came to our home and helped us to learn how to make our Maize the best friend and companion that she could possibly be Their training is so wonderful and the dog just responds so well to it, we highly recomend them and we cannot speak any higher about their abilities. Thank you Brian… maize says HI

Sarah and Brian are — in the true sense of the word — lifesavers. They have been instrumental in giving my foster dog a chance to have a successful life, and have done more for him than possibly anyone ever has.
A no-​kill, municipal shelter that I volunteer with begged me to foster a Akita/​Poodle/​Chow Chow/​Pit who’d been there a year, because he was so full of barking, jumping, pulling adolescent energy that the staff and volunteers couldn’t handle him, the trainer couldn’t affect him, and potential adopters were turned off to him.
When I brought him home, he calmed down immensely and his true personality (clever, loves learning, silly, cuddly) and some behavioral challenges (leash pulling, prey drive w squirrels and small dogs, weary with strangers) surfaced.
I called just about every trainer in the city, and couldn’t find many who had proven experience with aggression and a holistic philosophy. When I spoke with Instinct, however, it was obvious we were on the same page and they had a higher level of inquisition that others.
After one lesson and some practice on my end, no more leash pulling, little dog lunging, or squirrel acrobatics. Within 5 weeks, Sarah & Brian helped my foster conquer obedience to the level of passing the AKC Good Citizen test!

I was at my wits end. My Golden Retriever, Cody was agressive to other dogs and I never knew which dog would trigger the attack. I was a wreck on our walks and could never take him off the leash. I called Brian and Sara, after trying all the «whispering» I could, failed. In one short walk, there was no more pulling and I never had to play the «dominant pack leader». I further had Brian and Sara teach Cody the basic good dog lessions and after the week, I had a great dog. He still has agression issues, but does not go out of his way to act on them. With the Sat. free classes in the park, Cody has actually passed the Canine Good Citizen test. I am so happy to have found them and I know Cody is as well.

Sarah and Brian are 100% terrific. They are true professionals in every sense. Our formerly anxious and uncontrollable pup is now happy and well-​behaved. We highly recommend their services