Starr Dog Behavior

My elderly parents bought a new puppy from what we think was a puppy mill. She was super skittish and a barker, no manners, etc. We all agreed she needed training. A friend recommended Joseph and Starr Dog Behavior. Joseph has done an incredible job with their dog. She has all of the confidence in the world and loves to go to her place. I cannot recommend Star Dog Behavior enough. His method is quite amazing.

I brought my dog , Juice to Joseph today after he became increasingly more reactive on his leash and around other dogs. The techniques Joseph taught me after an evaluation I will begin implementing immediately. Joseph seems very knowledgeable about what my dog needs, and what I need to do as an owner. After one session with Joseph I feel hopeful that he can fix both mine and Juice’s habits and make life significantly easier and more fulfilling for my dog. I plan to updated this post with progress as we begin seeing Joseph weekly for training.

My husband and I are in our 70’s and have had dogs together for over 50 years. We love them and the daily activities and enrichment they bring to our lives. After losing a precious Australian labradoodle a year ago, we decided it was time to get a new Australian labradoodle puppy. All dogs, especially puppies, bring challenges. Our cute boy Jaxon is no exception. While we progressed quickly with our basic knowledge and experience in dog training, we are both at a phase in our lives that has us at home much more often than we were with our previous dogs. The constant contact created new issues for us with Jaxon. We both decided that outside expertise from a qualified trainer would enhance our control over his behavior, thereby making life easier for him and for us. We contacted Joseph Starr after researching many Dallas area trainers. After the first in-home training visit, we were very impressed by Joseph’s gentle but firm command of Jaxon. We have homed in on a couple of key concepts we had not known to do during our many decades of having dogs. The first involves protecting our personal space from the dog and training him to realize he can enter that space only upon invitation. This helps with many issues we were having, such as jumping up on us and other people and being demanding of attention when we were busy and couldn’t or didn’t want to provide it. The second key concept focuses on how to help Jaxon control his arousal level, so he is calm when in the house and we are not in deliberate play mode with him. Guided by Joseph, our work with Jaxon started paying off immediately. He is just shy of eight months old, so some days are better than others. And, we of course realize that to make this work, we need to be always communicating with him in a clear and consistent manner. It has been extremely helpful to have Joseph come to our home at spaced out intervals so we can practice in between, and Joseph can then fine tune the things we are attempting to do. Joseph has a dog-whisperer level of command with Jaxon, but he is also very kind and loving with him. He communicates clearly and consistently with us, and in doing so he is helping us communicate clearly and consistently with Jaxon. His advice has produced visible results at each meeting, and our work in carrying that forward has made our Jaxon a true joy for us and our friends. This will be an ongoing process, for sure, but it is very capably guided in Joseph’s hands.

We feel fortunate to have found Joseph—our trusted trainer and our dog Charlie’s favorite place to board. Joseph’s thoughtful, intelligent approach has not only helped train our 2.5-year-old pup, but has taught us how to be better dog parents. When we travel, it’s comforting to know that Charlie is in expert hands and playing with other trained dogs. Joseph is an excellent communicator and keeps us updated when Charlie is with him. Highest marks for Starr Dog Training.