We did a 6 week puppy 1 class with Nayiri. What a fabulous trainer. We had started with some classes at Petco, but with our pup’s biggest need being socialization, we decided to look for a training opportunity with other dogs.
Then we heard about Zen and decided to give it a try. The classes were excellent, as there were about 7 puppies in it, and since our dog’s biggest problem was a lack of socialization, it was great to watch her grow and get more comfortable in the group setting.
As for the trainer herself, Nayiri was wonderful — she sent out notes prior to class so you could prepare for what you would be going over that day. She gave each dog a fair dose of individual attention, and accommodated certain dogs’ personalities in the class to ensure that if they were too shy or wound up or tired, they could still learn a number of the tricks and tactics we were reviewing that day.
We also did an in-home session with her, and that, in many ways, was a life saver. Although it’s not cheap, it’s great to extend the lessons beyond the classroom to show what to do when your dog does X at home, or how to respond to behavior Y in the settings your dog is most familiar with. On top of that, just about every tip that Nayiri gave ended up with em nodding my head like “Wow, that makes a ton of sense.”
Overall, this was a great experience, and was genuinely a class I looked forward to every Wendesday for me and my puppy.
— Matt, Kate + Giada the Lagotto Romagnolo
