Barb Levenson Dog Training Centers

Save your money and time and do not register for her "classes". I was remiss in not checking her reviews before I wasted my money. Barb has no instructional or organizational skills, she lacks the ability to build community among her students, and she fails to inform and empower those who have paid for a service she is unable to fulfill. After I committed to her class, I had many former (and brief) students tell me how inappropriate and offensive her technique's were. My sister and I left the orientation early, and she was so offended, that she punished us verbally in the next class. We did not return. She is unkind and unskilled. Find someone else.

I had the very unpleasant experience of dealing with Barb. I urge anyone who is considering using her to read all reviews. I had a private session with her and it was one hour of complete negativity. She didn't have one positive thing to say. In the group lesson I left after 30 minutes. She accused me of being rude to her assistant. Any disagreement with anything she says is not tolerated. She lacks humility and humor and certainly would never apologize for anything. I contacted her to get a refund and she said she would not give it to me unless I signed a release saying I would not post on the internet and if I violated that she would use my credit card and recharge me. I would not sign the release as I feel people should know what they are getting into. My husband ,who is a lawyer, contacted her and lo and behold am now supposedly getting a refund. Do to give up on getting a refund if it is owed to you, but better yet don't get into the situation.

Barb and her staff are amazing. The classes are great and you learn a ton, but having Barb as a Q&A expert for all the little things that pop up with a dog as they grow is invaluable. We went through a basic class with our 8-year-old Cairn Terrier and are currently in puppy class with our Bernese Mountain Dog. We were skeptical that taking an 8-year-old dog to a basic obedience class. We were unsure if you can “teach an old dog new tricks.” Well…you can. Not only is our dog better behaved but we were able to train her (through positive reinforcement and no corrections) to not be aggressive and snap/bite when taking something of value from her mouth. Barb and her staff are also excellent with our puppy. They are all experienced dog trainers and genuinely care about making your dog the best it can be. We constantly receive comments about how well behaved our 4 month old Berner is. It did not come easy but through hard work and the skills that we learned from Barb. Can Barb be hard on your for not doing your homework? Yes Is Barb opinionated about her method of training? Yes To me – none of this matters…. what matters most is the dog you get when you graduate from her classes…. if you follow her methods and put in the work – it is all worth it in the end. Nothing in life comes easy, and working with a puppy can be very overwhelming but if you stick with it, you will be one happy dog owner for the long haul. Thank you Barb!

Please think twice before going to Barb for dog training. She goes beyond an acceptable level of "tough" and is flat out rude, arrogant and condescending. She does have a well established knowledge base of training theory and mechanics, just be aware she is going to spend the majority of your instructional time making sure you are aware of that fact and everything you know is wrong. Rarely does a positive word come out of her mouth. My girlfriend and I enrolled our Bernese Mountain Dog puppy in her puppy kindergarten and basic I obedience class. At the completion of basic I, he failed the final exam (other schools we contacted were astounded that there was a test to pass basic I). Barb suggested we repeat the class. We acknowledge that our dog is in need of more training, however Barb's environment was not in his best interest. At this point I was willing to accept that Barb was a decent trainer but her methods we not a fit for us. I am completely taken aback by what happened next. My girlfriend replied to Barb and politely told her we were going to seek training elsewhere and thanked Barb for her time and effort up to this point. Barb then proceeded to mock us and our dog on her Facebook page. I have never witnessed such unprofessional behavior in my entire life. It would be one thing if this was her purely personal page but she additionally uses it in conjunction with her school. Once again, I cannot believe the total lack of professionalism.