Modern Dog Training RI LLC

I wish someone had written this review before I spent $225 on this class. This program was a complete waste of time and money. My husband and I took our 6 month puppy to the basic manners class, driving an hour in traffic for four weeks and each week became increasingly more frustrated by the lack of actual TRAINING happening in these classes. So much so that we almost stopped going after week 3 and actually didn't show up to the last week at all. This program is odd to say the least. I would say 75% of the class is spent with the instructor talking at you. Our instructor Lauren was fully reading off a script for most of the class. There are a few exercises mixed in but please know you are not actually using commands in the class. The foundation of this class is very different, they basically want you to to do exercises that apparently over time will become innate in the dog. Once that happens you can then introduce the command. That is just not what we were looking for at all and we didn't find it effective. At one point towards the end of the program I expressed some concerns about their techniques not being effective when our dog was zoned in on a unfavorable behavior (like digging up our yard) and could not be distracted or persuaded away by using their techniques. The response I got was "that would require a private lesson." Ultimately this class should be an online program. There is no reason to go in an hour a week to be talked at. Not to mention the stress of needing to sit there with your untrained dog who is excited and confused as to why we are sitting and being talked at in a room full of other dogs while they are being restricted by a leash. The worst part is they don't want you to command your dog in this setting either. Instead they want you to acknowledge what the dog might be thinking, use the training clicker, and treat the dog. The amount of treats my dog got during this hour session for not doing any actual commands is shocking. I actually met someone recently and started talking about this program and our experience and it turned out they had done private training classes at Modern Dog (which are $$$) with their puppy. They also found the methods odd and ineffective and ultimately ended up paying for a different training program after Modern Dog and had a lot more success there. Not sure who this program is a fit for but it certainly wasn't for us. I don't know how there aren't more reviews like this on here but hopefully this helps someone avoid making the same mistake we did. To the owners of modern dog, I recommend rethinking your curriculum with less talking and more doing.

Our dog Finley's aggression with grooming was what led us to Kristen at Modern Dog RI. He needs medication to be groomed but was still too difficult and the groomer was unable to finish. The Modern Dog facility is spacious and clean and also has rooms you can rent to practice your dog's training. At our initial meeting Kristen spent two hours with us observing Finley and asking us questions about his behaviors. After this meeting we received a thorough assessment and then started his private training. Kristen is very patient and extremely knowledgeable in dog behavior. We learned so much in our lessons and the training is just as much for the owners as the dog. She gave us the tools to get him used to being touched by others, especially around the face which was the biggest problem when being groomed. We continue to do what she worked with us on and he is a much better behaved dog since training with her. Each training lesson was followed up with detailed notes on that day's training, step by step instructions to follow up with at home and additional tips to help him improve. We also received recommendations on a variety of items to exercise his brain as well as different ways to feed him which assisted with any food aggression. He's only had one grooming appointment since our last session and thanks to Kristen's training along with treats he had a full body groom. She continues to be available even once training has ended with any questions or concerns about our dog. We highly recommend Kristen and Modern Dog Training!

My two year old Boxer and I signed up for private classes with Kelsey at Modern Dog to help with his aggression issues after a bite incident. All I can say is great things about this facility. What stuck out to me with Kelsey was not only the total confidence upon meeting my aggressive dog, but also the frequent mention of current studies in animal behavior, the well-organized lesson plans, easy communication, and training techniques targeting specific behavior modifications. If you're searching for the best possible training for your pet then I would suggest Modern Dog. I had gone through a trainer once before in Westerly that used aversive techniques and generally questioned positive-only training. Some of this trainer's methods even turned out to be counter-productive to helping his aggression. I find with many trainers in South County the older, "more experienced" ones can be stuck in their outdated methods. Modern Dog completely goes against that and has so far been really productive.