Gordon is great. I could stop there, but I won’t.
We first heard about ZDT from a neighbor who suggested we look them up. Our Dog walkers were familiar with Gordon’s name and knew someone who had used him in the past who had positive results. I then took to yelp, and found many positive reviews and I was excited!
We have done both an in-home session as well as are in the midst of puppy kindergarten taught at Durty Harrys in Charlestown.
First, our one-on-one session with Gordon: Gordon was great, he arrived and immediately greeted us, as well as our pup June (who was more than willing to provide puppy attention to anyone willing to play with her). It was a great two hour visit. We went over our homework, and did some in-home training, as well as went on a walk to do some leash training. We even walked down Broadway for a bit to see how she would handle loud noises— Gordon spent *more* than the promised 2 hours with us. He really is committed to his clients, and to his dogs.
Gordon left us with good homework and “games” to play with June that would help her training. More importantly we understood WHY and HOW certain training techniques worked (or didnt!). The first visit is really about US learning how to deal with her, not the other way around…. so do not expect 2 hours of non-stop training your dog. Its just as much about you as it is your dog.
Also, Gordon gave us log-in access to his online database of videos (hours and hours!), training tips, guides he’s written, and other tidbits on his website.
We have also started a class at Durty Harrys in Charlestown with another Zen employee, Nayiri. Nayiri clearly has the same mentality as Gordon– so much of it is positive reinforcement. Durty Harrys was easy to get to and find (despite is rather unassuming sign outside). Nayiri took the time to understand how all of us learn and communicate with our dog… also she welcomed us to arrive early before class to have puppy socialization opportunities. (which, as we all know, is critical in a dog’s development!)
To anyone considering taking a class or a one-on-one session… do it. The earlier in the dog’s life the better. Especially puppies!
Zen, Gordon and his team are great, and I already would highly recommend it to anyone!
