Empire of the Dog

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cfitzpatrick

Joined 2 years ago

Denise saved Mookie's life!. My Mookie was a big bad Brooklyn street dog when he adopted me. (Literally, he just wouldn't leave.) A couple days after I took him in, he started showing signs of aggression that scared me--and I don't scare easily! I was seriously considering having to euthenize him when...somehow...I found Denise. (I don't remember how anymore!)

Her science-based approach to training combined with a playful sense of humor makes her a one-of-a-kind trainer. The first thing she did was give me hope! I loved that dog and wanted to see him thrive. Eventually he did, and it was only under the care of Denise's expertise and creativity.

As a biologist who specializes in animal behavior, I have heaps of respect for the fact that Denise's approach to training is informed by what science has to tell us about how dog's learn and about why dog's behave the way they do. No mumbo-jumbo, no projection of our own emotions onto the animals, no BS, no punishments. Under her care, you will develop a course of training that is specifically designed for YOUR situation and it will be FUN!

Mookie went on to live a long and healthy life until he finally got cancer in 2005. At that point, i'd had him for 7 wonderful years. He made my life better and it's only because of Empire of the Dog. Now, over ten years since I worked with Denise, I've still never encountered a trainer whose intuition, skill, and expertise I would trust more. And use what she taught me about dog training with every other dog I interact with. (I'm taking care of a dog now with whom I always use Denise's "hydraulic butt" technique!)

I could go on and on. Point is, Denise is the best. I'll be forever in her debt!

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corgir

Joined 2 years ago

Thank you Denise for all your help!!!!. My sweet 5 year old pembroke welsh corgi Oliver and I have taken many classes with Denise beginning with puppy kindergarden then obedience and Tricks classes and even a frisbee class. Thanks to Denise my little Ollie gives a great high five and does a quick roll over when I point my finger and say bang bang!

More recently I lost my older 14 year old pembroke welsh corgi named Boo Boo. I have been worried about Ollie becoming depressed as he loved Boo and they were a pack.

Denise has communicated with me over email giving me many helpful suggestions to keep his spirits up during this difficult time. She reminded that he needs more mentally stimulating food delivery toys for times when he is alone at home such as The Tricky Treat Ball that I purchased when I took him to puppy class. And that toy took away his glum expression and turned it into a happy smile as he pushed the toy around and attempted to shake the treats out!!

Thank you Denise for all your concern and caring as well as your great suggestions!!

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Drinkwine

Joined 2 years ago

Superb Urban Puppy K. Denise's Puppy K is a fantastic program for all puppy owners. We had so much success with our first puppy that we enrolled for our second pup 18 months later. She is extremely effective in giving you the proper tools to raise a confident dog, one who will be a well-behaved companion, well-adjusted to urban life and our hectic lifestyles.

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carolb00

Joined 4 years ago

Very good trainer- responsive, caring, and helpful ;). We hired Denise to come for a private session to help us with our 3 year old rescue pit mix. She arrived on time and ready to get right to work! First we addressed his separation anxiety issues and worked with kong toys to try and keep him occupied. She gave us helpful tips on how to slowly get him used to keeping busy, so he wouldn't freak out when he left. We then worked on "the walk"! After only a few minutes of training, we had our dog following our lead as opposed to the other way around! The day after the session we noticed some slight improvements in our walk, however we knew his behavioral changes would not happen overnight. We definitely had to keep working with him for a long time.

Denise was amazing at responding to each and every question in my emails following our session and responded almost immediately! It was great that she took such care and time to make sure we were on track after our session was over and she was already paid.

I would definitely recommend Denise if you are in need of help. She will guide you, but remember, after all- it is up to you to do all the hard work!

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beckyandpepper

Joined 3 years ago

Empire of the Dog. I have a new puppy that was giving me some "normal & expected" challenges. I saw a trainer at her puppy play group sessions. However I felt that each dog has there own set of unique circumstances and challenges due to there home environment that that session trainer did not understand.

This is what brought me to Empire of the Dog.

Denise came to my house and watched my puppy in her unique environment and created a program for us to follow. I found this extremely help full because she developed a personalized training schedule that fit my needs and the needs of my puppy.

We went over all the basics, testing and trying them out. In the end, she wrote up a comprehensible hour by hour training itinerary that I have been following every day with prodigious results.

I only have lovely things to say about my experience of working with Denise, and I intend to work with her in the future on developing my dogs agility skills.

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mars77

Joined 6 years ago

FANTASTIC...we can't thank Denise enough!. I cannot thank you enough for your help/advice. We have followed your separation anxiety diagnostic for the past week religiously. Your advice was comforting and pragmatic. I guess ‘training the dog’ really starts with ‘training the master.’ We needed a plan and you gave us one. It turns that while Mars does seem to have ‘separation anxiety’ since he doesn’t really eat when we are not home, he does NOT bark when are not home...and we know this now because of your suggestion to record him during the day. Now we can completely discredit our nasty neighbor who has filed complaints against us AND Mars thanks you for the Kong idea...he loves them! You single-handedly solved our problem without having to step foot in our house. Your quick response time and advice was not only comforting at a time when we were very stressed and upset, you approached our situation with the soul of someone who wants to help and is not out solely for personal gain. If we ever have any issues with Mars in the future...we will definitely come straight to you. We will also recommend your services to our friends and family in need of some dog/master-training assistance. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

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11211chick

Joined 5 years ago

Wonderful, Understanding Dog Trainer. Denise is a great dog trainer. I volunteer as a foster parent for a rescue group and fancy myself somewhat dog-savvy, however I could not help my little Chihuahua girl get over her terrbile fear/aggression towards other dogs while out walking her. In a non-judgemental, effective and clear way, Denise helped me to understand my dog's reactions and worked out a training plan that I could follow to help my dog be less fearful of other dogs. The training is 100% positive, no negative or "corrective" manouvers, and I an already see my dog is improving.

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h396

Joined 4 years ago

Fantastic Trainer. I posted an initial review of Denise's training skills in February (see "We now have the best puppy ever") but wanted to add a review about a second training session we recently had. Our puppy has grown up nicely - but had developed some new behaviors that we needed help getting under control. So we brought Denise back for a tune up session.

As with the last time, she had one of our major problems (this time it was barking at people who come into the apartment) under control within minutes of her arrival. Not only that, but when she walked in, she instantly recognized the barking as "social barking" as opposed to an aggressive behavior and addressed the problem appropriately. She spent time talking with us and addressing all of our concerns, left us with written instructions and lists of ideas, and has provided meaningful support after the session. When we couldn't get one of her ideas to work she suggested (by email and phone) alternative solutions to the problem that ultimately helped our dog learn exactly what we were hoping for.

These two sessions (about 8 months apart) have made such a difference in our lives. If we need any more help down the line I would not hesitate to call her back again - as her services have been truly invaluable.

(oops - it seems my 10/26/09 review replaced my 2/9/09 review - just know that both reviews were excellent)

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anon5555

Joined 11 years ago

Fantastic results for my jumpy dog!. When I got my dog, Mocha, from a local shelter, he had separation anxiety and was generally nervous and jumpy. It was a real concern because he's also very strong. After a few sessions with Denise, he is the most mellow and calm dog. He still gets excited, but we can calm him down in seconds by following the tips she taught us. It's like night and day. And we know he's fine now when we leave him alone that he won't tear anything up or chew on his paw like he did when we first got him. He's a big love hound that we can have around children now.

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minnieP

Joined 5 years ago

Super Star Trainer. Puppy K with Empire of the Dog was the best use of time and money (and not that much $!) .Denise thoroughly knows the hurdles and challenges of owning a dog in a city. She gave us smart, clear solutions to our own set of problems so that out of a class of 5 it felt very personal and one on one. I would urge any first time dog owner to seek out Denise, you will gain a wealth of knowledge in very little time. This class was as good for me as it was my naughty puppy, thanks Denise!