Dog Behaviorist

Our shepherd mix, Dulcie, was aggressive [aka reactive] on leash and with visiting dogs. Dominik helped her feel safer and helped us communicate clearly and correct when necessary. She's now a pleasure to walk and is vastly improved when dogs visit. We used the six-session package which gave us time to watch him model handling and then be coached ourselves. Dominik knows canine behavior, is low-key, humane, and firm.

First and foremost, look no further. I contacted approximately 6 people and immediately knew I wanted Dominick to work with my adorable, dramatic, 3 year old Shiba Inu, Todd. Book your appointments early! He books up quick (he's that great). He is also very personale which is a huge plus.

During our consultation he immediately told me that three sessions would be the best package based off of the information I told him. I appreciated his honesty and he the fact he did not try to upsell me. During the first 10/15 minutes of meeting our pup, he provided his diagnosis. Not only that, he taught us something that corrected one of his behaviors before the end of the session. His first session was December 2020.

We followed the instructions from the first session until his second session in February 2021. At first the appointments being spread out concerned us but, as soon as he came over, it was seamless and we picked up where we left off. He taught us more techniques and made it clear he was available for any questions until the next session. He implemented effective changes that were easy to teach and transferrable in addressing different behaviors.

Todd completed his final session this month and the overall differences are notable. He addressed hand shyness, when company comes over, leash and collar changes, better obedience (shibas are stubborn), walking techniques, reactions/reinforcements, as well as better play techniques.

I have already recommended him to a friend. Book him, you won't regret it!

We just wrapped up a 6-session package for our 2-year-old German Shepherd/Beagle mix Bernie, and it was worth every penny. With Dominik, we wanted to fine tune and improve upon Bernie's leash manners, separation anxiety, overexcitement/jumping on people, and recall, as well as address his fear/prey drive of skateboards.

Dominik was straightforward, communicative and knowledgeable. He quickly identified key issues and walked us through everything from corrections to using proper equipment, but always explained everything in a way that was easy to understand. After every single session, we noticed a major improvement in Bernie's behavior because Dominik provided us the tools to properly and effectively communicate with Bernie. Dominik taught us to reward Bernie's calm behavior, and to also give Bernie a structured day where he is constantly told what to do because with his combination of breeds, Bernie needs to have a "job" to do the majority of the day. Understanding this was a game-changer for us because now Bernie is calmer and knows how to self-soothe in high-energy situations.

If you are thinking about working with Dominik, DO IT! You won't regret it.

Our dog, Ruth, went from being scared, lunging and growling at other dogs to actively wanting to socialize with them thanks to Dominik's training.

We booked Dominik for 3 sessions and added on a 4th. Our main focus was to improve Ruth's ability to walk on leash. After just the 1st session, I nearly cried when I walked her. She stayed by my side and didn't even look at other dogs - even the little one that jumped in her face. It was an incredible feeling knowing our dog trusted us and felt confident in her walking. Since she took to training so well, we got to the point of walking her off leash!! Before meeting Dominik that seemed like the impossible.

On a personal level, Dom is great! He's super warm, safe to work with during COVID and patiently listened to all of our concerns. We also had lots of laughs during our training sessions.

Thank you Dominik!!! We'll always be so thankful to you and how you've changed ours and Ruth's life for the best

Dominik is truly one of a kind. I searched and read reviews for a ton of dog trainers before deciding on him to help us with our dog Bella. I was worried that we waited too long because in the past, I made the false assumption that Bella would "outgrow" her behavioral issues but that only made them worse. She was getting more reactive on a leash, pulled me everywhere, refused to walk down blocks that were out of her typical walking routine, and more. It was extremely stressful and I was desperate for help. I knew that waiting even longer before finding the right trainer would make matters worse for Bella.

After just ONE session with Dominik, Bella was a whole different dog. He taught us so much about communication and using the right tools (combined with quality training). I will admit, I was nervous about using things like prong collars and e-collars, but now I know they're life-changing tools for dogs, when used with proper guidance and education. Bella is so much more confident now when she goes outside and actually looks to me to know what to do and where to go. I feel much more relaxed knowing that she won't drag me down the block. Training your dog is always a work in progress but I'm way more equipped with the right tools and techniques to help her (and myself).

Dominik is very responsive and always makes himself available, even outside of each training session. I definitely recommend him to anyone who wants to work on better communication with their dog, because that's really what it's all about. Trust his expertise! Bella is so glad we did.

Dominik was wonderful to work with. We did 6 sessions to help with our rescue puppy's separation anxiety and reactivity and I can truly say it's made our lives better. Before, we couldn't leave our dog for more than 1 minute without barking uncontrollably, now we can leave him for hours at a time and we know that he feels safe and as comfortable as he can be. My only regret is not doing this sooner. Our puppy also LOVED Dominik, every time he came over our pup felt so comfortable and excited to work with him which made us feel even better. We also feel way more confident walking him around other dogs whereas before he was very reactive. The 1:1 training is worth every penny and I highly recommend him!!

I cannot say enough positive words about Dominik and the impact he has had on my 8 month old puppy, in addition to making me feel more confident and comfortable as a dog owner! My dog had severe separation anxiety - in 3 sessions, Dominik was able to teach her how to maintain a calm presence and self-soothe. I am now able to leave my puppy home alone and my life is truly better as a result. Additionally, Dominik taught my dog how to walk properly on a leash (no pulling, no stopping unless I allow her to, etc.) as well as key lessons such as recall, "out", "leave it", "sit", "stay".

While I'm thrilled that we've had so much success in such a short period of time, I'm legitimately going to miss working with Dominik! He is truly the best - look no further for an amazing trainer.

Long time yelp review reader, first time writer: this is a long post, but keep reading if you're on the fence about investing in your dog's training!

Dominik is the second trainer we've worked with although the issues we focused on with both trainers were different. While his rates are significantly lower than the first trainer, the success/attention/ease of understanding/support we got from him vs the first trainer was much more effective for us.

Working with Dominik is 1,000% worth it. Think about your dog's best interest rather than your wallet -- they didn't sign up to live in NYC, the land of continuous canine triggers, but you did so give them the tools they need to succeed by calling Dominik and doing the work. He's the best behavioralist in NYC without the extra high price tag. The ROI is not monetary, it's the solidification/strengthening of your relationship with your pup, the most rewarding and invaluable experience.

Our 1 year old rescue chihuahua/american bully/dog salad, Ruthie Bernice, leaned into her fearful and stubborn genetic predisposition, during her teenage phase. She wouldn't leave our apartment building, wouldn't go for walks, was traumatically terrified of skateboards and strangers, and was shaking constantly when she wasn't home. Here's where it gets good!!! It only took 2 sessions to get Ruthie walking again. She now walks casually at my side, looks to me to lead her to make the right decisions, and now I know how to handle it if she goes into fear mode so we can continue onward. We can now walk all the way to the park again with ease -- something we haven't done since January. She is pretty chill, doesn't pick up street snacks anymore and walks with a loose leash from start to finish.

During the first walk to the park (after our 2nd session), Ruthie looked up at me with full eye contact, tongue entirely out and the biggest smile -- I almost cried, honestly it looked like she was thanking me because she was so happy to be out walking! My dog is back and better than ever!! All of our neighbors and friends have commented on the change in Ruthie's outdoor disposition and it makes my heart so full with pride from the vast transformation she's made in such a short time.

Dominik makes dog training/psychology approachable without instilling fear of messing up or shame in the humans, while also being forthcoming about potential risks in your behavior as the leader. THIS is his best quality as a behavioralist, in my opinion. He uses analogies that are relatable to explain the concept of what he's teaching you; it's very helpful in understanding why your dog does what they do. The person in the human/dog relationship is the one responsible for continuing the work Dominik starts, if you're not willing to make changes in yourself, you'll never be able to make changes in your dog's behavior.

He was respectful when came to our apartment for the first session (and obviously each subsequent session as well lol) // he offered to take his shoes off, asked about our personal mask protocol and listened intently to our non-professional-dog-psychologist speculations on Ruthie's behavior without judgement. It was great having him come to us so that he could evaluate Ruthie's state of mind and behaviors in her own home and neighborhood.

Over the course of the three weeks working with Dominik, he prompted a shift in my thinking about Ruthie's behavioral issues from focusing on the problem itself to focusing on the suggested training tasks which in turn corrected the problem behaviors. Instead of lamenting the things we can't do with her, Ruthie and I now work together to practice her training tools + it totally works. This mindset alteration has been the key in bringing out Ruthie's confidence, happiness and solidifying our bond even further. I'm extra motivated to continue working with Ruthie to lock in the necessary boundaries and rules she needs to live a rad citypup lifestyle :) Thanks, Dominik!

Before working with Dominik, I was feeling helpless and doubtful that I could create a good life for my 1.5 y/o pit mix in the city. Her play was becoming dominant at the dog park and I didn't know how to train her recall considering she also has a very high prey drive. After working with Dominik for 2 months, I couldn't be happier with the results. My dog is walking calmly on her leash, comes whenever I call her and is able to walk by squirrels without risk of pulling my arm out of the socket. I get lots of compliments about how well-trained my dog is now. I've learned so much and Dominik clearly cares so much about the dogs he works with. Thank you so much!!

Sorry this is long but I don't usually leave reviews and I just have to talk about our amazing experience with Dominik. My partner and I adopted Dusty--a very traumatized, 4 year old cattle dog with a limp--this summer, and it was clear early on that we needed a professional to help him. Dusty definitely had a ROUGH start, with a spinal injury and serious reactivity around cars or even the expectation of the sound of cars (not ideal for a Brooklyn boy!) He would be TERRIFIED on walks, didn't seem to know any obedience, and possibly even lacked basic socialization. So we didn't exactly have high sky-high hopes for the kind of dog he could become: If we could get Dusty to tell us when he had to go outside and maybe hang out with us in the living room instead of hiding in his crate, that would have been fine! Low bar.

Enter: Dominik. From early on, we knew that he had the kind of expertise that could really tackle our dog's particular problems (and there were...many problems). He really broke down the barriers we'd faced to training Dusty by pinpointing where certain issues were stemming from to get to the underlying cause of them, and then teaching him the skills that would stick. He also taught us how to redirect Dusty's fear so that he could trust us enough to ignore his own fear triggers. Crucially, Dominik made my partner and I feel less hopeless and more confident when it came to training our dog. We purchased a pack of three sessions, and after every single hour spent with Dominik, we'd say to each other, "Wow, really did not realize Dusty could do that!"

Now, Dusty is SO different from the version of himself we first adopted. He is doing better and better on walks every week, he has a big repertoire of tricks, he's happy and excited to go new places. His reactivity is so minimal now--something I just never thought would happen. Dominik helped Dusty (and his owners!) gain a much better quality of life. If you have a dog who needs a good foundation for training, or who has reactivity issues that you just do not know how to deal with, I recommend Dominik so highly.