At Attention Dog Training — Local services in Upper Merion Township

I honestly cannot say enough amazing things about At Attention Dog Training. We have a 90 lb female Doberman, Rosie, who is fearful of strangers (people-especially males and dogs). Walking her or taking her anywhere was a nightmare and I was always so anxious. She would bark, lunge, her hair would go up and it was scary! I knew we needed help since she is such a big and strong dog, I worried I wouldn’t be able to hold her when I walked her. I honestly thought that she would just be a dog who can’t be around other people or be in different environments. Beside from her being fearful, she is very obedient and loyal. We have worked with A LOT of dog trainers and she was in training since she was a puppy. Unfortunately, she had some traumatic experiences (being attacked by off leash dogs) which added to her fearfulness, but none of the previous dog trainers had ever mentioned her red flag behaviors and how we might want to look into a private dog trainer- until we met Dave.

I contacted a lot of different dog trainers who specialized in reactive dog training. Dog trainers with PhD’s and numerous certifications- I called and spoke to everyone and asked them my list of questions. Dave was so patient on the phone and I just felt at ease with him. It was clear that he knew what he was doing and he spoke to me for almost an hour answering all my questions and concerns. He was confident in his ability and his training methods and it just felt right.

From the start, At Attention Dog Training was such a please to work with. Erika, who schedules appointments and responds to emails, was always SO pleasant and responded quickly. She really is the main point of contact and made such a difference when contacting the company- always kind, patient and understanding.

Dave was our trainer and he was the one who trained us in his reactive dog training method. Dave is so knowledgeable and always explained everything so that you can understand it and apply it. He also takes notes for you during your session so that at the end, you can just take a picture of the white board- which I thought was so helpful because it can be overwhelming with all the information you are trying to process while working with your dog (especially with the reactive dog training program because it is intense).

I used to dread taking Rosie to training classes but I (and Rosie) were always excited to see Dave. He made the environment so pleasant and always knew what I was thinking or anxious about. He was able to help us apply every technique we learned in class immediately so that we could go home and do the same. He talked us through everything and I have learned the most about our dog and training her from Dave.

Rosie ended her private session with Dave in May and she is doing SO well, I couldn't be happier!! Since we stopped training, she has met 4 new people (3 males and 1 female) with NO problems- it blew me away. At Attention Dog Training has actually changed our life and our dog’s life because we are no longer always anxious with Rosie. We know what to do and how to do it because of Dave. Training a dog never ends and we still have things to work on, but now we have the right tools and confidence to do so. Dave also reached out to us a couple months after training to check in on Rosie!! This just proves how much they truly care about their clients and the dogs they train! Whenever someone asks me about a dog trainer, I always recommend At Attention Dog Training out of all of the trainers we have worked with. They are truly the best.

The only thing I wish I could change, was working with Dave sooner! We will absolutely be going to Dave and his trainers for all of our future dogs! Thank you At Attention Dog Training and Dave for being so wonderful to us...

my mini callie and I were assigned to work with Vania for five sessions. During the initial meeting we discuss what mattered the most and what I wished to achieve. I mentioned that it was really important for me to bond better with callie and also develop a stronger leash training and recall for safety reasons.

Prior to working with Vania, I did some training with callie on my own using resources from YouTube, my local PetSmart, and hired a local nonprofessional trainer from a friend of a friend. I did have some success with certain areas but the recall and leash training were something I greatly struggled with and saw little improvements. My callie is such an opportunist that in a given moment she could run free and possibly get hit by a car. Also, with her pulling, I was always worried that if the streets were icy, I could get injured.

After much research, I came to the decision to work with At Attention since I loved how they valued not using any force or harmful methods to discourage training or hurt any dogs. Callie absolutely LOVED working with Vania and that made me super thrilled.

Vania was extremely patient to work with such an uncoordinated person like myself and provided insight that were both simple and easy to follow. For example, when we did the place or touch command, Vania had to remind me multiple times to keep the treats out of sight so I know callie would do the commands without treats. Vania also emphasized the importance of the treat hierarchy and how when in training I should use the rule of keeping treats to at 50%. I realized that I didn’t always know when to mark to reward callie correctly and Vania never had any issues explaining when to mark the reward correctly.

After working with Vania, I feel more confident that callie will be safe. I kept my expectations realistic, meaning after five weeks I knew callie wasn’t going to come out perfect. However, she isn’t pulling me like a rag doll and she has been checking in on me during our walks. I saw so much improvements with just five courses and cannot be any more pleased with our results.

It was such a pleasure to work with Vania. I really enjoyed speaking to someone that has so much passion with her work. Whenever I had a hard time picking up on the training, Vania was quick on her feet to re-strategize and make different suggestions that worked better for me.

She also shared some great tips that I never would have known, like signing up for CRP / first aid at the Metropolitan Veterinary Associates or I was allowed to shop at Crate and Barrell with callie. I am so grateful for the tools and resources Vania provided to us and we will continue to work on our training. Thank you so much...

Vania from At Attention Dog Training is the most wonderful teacher for both our beagle puppy Jesse and I. We got Jesse as a 11-week-old puppy, and this was my first dog that I've ever had in my life. I was incredibly overwhelmed by all the information out there on the best way to train your dog and what's best for you and your puppy. I didn't know what was the best way to train Jesse, and wanted some guidance through this really challenging time of raising a young puppy. At Attention Dog Training's team was exactly the group of experts that really taught me the best way to communicate with Jesse, built trust, and grow together. The minute I reached out, they were responsive and I was able to set up training sessions that worked with my schedule (there are options such as being a part of their award-winning puppy bootcamp class, or signing up for private lessons where a trainer will come to your home). As soon as I met Vania, I fell in love with how knowledgeable, patient, and kind she was with both Jesse and me. Vania taught us the value of modern dog training that is based on positive reinforcement (R+) that didn't use any punishment methods. She was incredibly patient with my anxiety on wanting to do things right, and knew exactly how to read Jesse and what would work best for each command and situation. I bombed her with so many questions, and Vania was more than happy to answer each and every one of them with the utmost care and thoughtfulness. And more importantly, Vania helped me understand Jesse better and how to communicate with her, and that in itself is invaluable. I am SO thankful that I had Vania guide me through Jesse's first puppy training sessions, and I'm looking forward to continuing Jesse's learning journey as she grows into a VERY good girl.

Vania is not only a professional modern dog trainer, she is an incredible teacher that taught me the BEST way to interact with my dog and grow a lifelong bond that will last a lifetime. I'm thankful that I was able to learn from her everyday. If you are looking for someone to teach you how to train your dog, how to raise a puppy, work through issues that your dog is facing, or just learn how to be the best owner for your dog, I highly recommend At Attention...