Narnia Pet Behavior & Training

If you're looking for general or beginner dog training/help, or looking for more structure in your training sessions this seems like a great place to go! The staff member we worked with seemed fairly knowledgable in dog training and techniques for helping our reactive dog. However... Unfortunately I would caution paying for a "behavior consult" as the staff member we were scheduled with informed us she is not actually a certified dog behaviorist. She was incredibly sweet and nice, and was able to recommend new commands to try, but in all i felt unsatisfied with the lack of knowledge about some of my behavior questions, and wish I would have saved my money for an actual behaviorist as I feel 100% confident in teaching my dog new commands. Also feels pretty misleading by the company itself to charge for a "behavior consult" this way without a certified behaviorist. Additionally, while I am sure that the staff member we worked with is a great trainer (and she worked well with our dog), its pretty disheartening/concerning to hear her tell us directly that her dog isn't well-trained (by her choice) and that she sometimes indulges her dog in unwanted behaviors (which of course, we all do sometimes, but not something you want to hear from a trainer you're paying.)

When we rescued our dog a year ago, he was a mess to say the least behaviorally. The rescue we got him from suggested Narnia so we went for it. We did a private to assess him and the trainer was very kind and had some ideas to keep him active. However, she seemed to not be able to control his barking or jumping and attention seeking behaviors when we were there. Obviously I was not looking for perfection on the first go and knew it would take time. Using their techniques - being all food based and luring wasn’t a good approach for him with behavioral needs. We went a second time hoping we could do a group class and they suggested another private due to his leash reactivity and excitable nature. Again, the same situation where the trainer didn’t seem to give solid advice for leash reactivity and behavioral modification. I don’t think telling your clients to practice avoidance and walk the other way is a positive approach - you’re not teaching the dog anything nor are you learning anything either. Their techniques are more for “fun activities” to do with your dog, not real sound behavior training. If you need a real dog trainer in the aurora area, call suburban k9 no gimmicks, no treats, and your dog WILL have a difference in behavior. Don’t waste your money or time at Narnia!