The Dog Institute of Williamsburg

I’m sure this is a fine place for doggy daycare but I’ve had a bad experience. I’ve paid and signed up for virtual puppy training sessions but Elizabeth was incredibly difficult to get in touch with, was late to every call we scheduled every single time. Initially when I didn’t hear back from them for a few days, I asked for a refund. Only then she reached out and did the first session. Then, nothing again. I must say I wish they hadn’t taken my payment so I didn’t have to go through this trouble. It’s okay not to take on clients if you don’t have the capacity to do so. Also, from the one single session I had, I thought that instructions weren’t crystal clear to me in a way that I couldn’t understand why I’m doing certain training with my puppy and there wasn’t much explanation other than we will tackle those later. I simply do not understand all the glowing reviews from my perspective.

This is long overdue and I felt it was important to share.  The best decision we made after rescuing our dog  Amber from Barc Shelter was to take her to the Williamsburg Dog Institute.  Elizabeth has made owning a dog so much more pleasurable.  First off the facility has a great atmosphere and looks like a nursery school for kids. Most importantly the techniques and lessons learned are invaluable. As much as you train your dog during these sessions Elizabeth is training you and her methods work almost immediately.  We did group sessions and it was impressive to see how she was able to keep each dog focused even with multiple puppies in the same room.  Try doing that on your own...  Now when I am comparing the control I have over my dog and her own self-discipline out in public it's extremely noticeable who invested in dog training and who did not.  If your dog isn't focused on you and is focused on every distraction possible on the streets it becomes a nuisance.  I highly recommend the Williamsburg Dog Institute for  getting educated on your dog's psychology, house and obedience training, as well as going above and beyond.  Elizabeth's techniques on getting your dog to do tricks is pretty cool.  Make the investment early in your dog and it will be paid back many times over. Thank you Elizabeth!!

We had such a good experience with Elizabeth and the whole crew at the Dog Institute. Our lessons started this spring as virtual lessons and by the end we were able to do some in-person training which was really helpful. Elizabeth was consistently flexible with our schedule and just generally great to work with. She gives you a great foundation of skills that you can incorporate into your own routine. It was great for our pup to get to go to a few drop-off sessions at the Institute to socialize with other dogs. Highly recommend!