Good To The Bone

Last week, we completed Puppy Kindergarten with Wendy. The class was great, and it provided us with great tools to continue working with our puppy, especially «chill out». As soon as our puppy turns 6 months old, we will be back at the Jumping Bulldog attending Wendy’s Basic Obedience class.

We just completed surviving puppyhood with our little Frenchie, Queso, and it was truly a great experience. Wendy seriously has a gift with dogs of all types, even the notoriously stubborn Frenchies. She was a great teacher and a resource, always took the time to write detailed responses when we needed advice. Would love to take classes with her again. Thank you Wendy!

I don’t want to give Wendy a bad review. .she is sweet and I’m sure her technique works… my 2 ½ yr old is very fear aggressive towards dogs on walks… I wish she would have brought a dog with her to the initial consultation to see my dog in her reactive state… but to the 2 following sessions we either walked around looking for dogs… or brought a fake plush dog to show me how to apply her technique. we did set up a session for her to actually bring a dog… but by then I was already frustrated and canceled… have found another trainer who has come with his own dog… it helps to have that as someone is also teaching you to help your dog

Wendy was a fantastic trainer and an even better resource. My pup and I completed the «surviving puppyhood» class for 6 weeks and it has (in my opinion) greatly accelerated the growing process! This was my first dog so I initially struggling as I’ve come to realize most do with adapting to the responsibilities and new found need for non verbal communication. The class was extremely helpful in gauging the demeanor of my puppy as well as learning his needs and wants and ridiculous habits that were adorable yet detrimental to his growth.
All in all — I would definitely recommend Wendy as a trainer and especially her classes!

It was our first time to explore options for dog training and we were very glad that Unilocal helped and did not fail us with the good reviews of Good to the Bone and of its wonderful owner and excellent dog trainer, Wendy deSarno. When she spoke to me over the phone and found out that our Shih-​tzu, Bourbie (short for Bourbon) is already seven (7) months and is already housebroken, she recommended the six (6) week Basic Obedience Class. Although we were initially hesitant as the classes were pre-​paid and we didn’t know what we were getting into, we are happy to say that after six (6) weeksi, Wendy and Good to the Bone are «as good as it gets».
The classes were held at the Jumping Bulldog on Tuesday evenings, with four (4) dogs and their respective owners. We were asked to use a non-​retractable leash and to bring a favorite toy and dog treats. Wendy’s energy and engaging style of communicating kept the attention of both humans and canine. :) Each week, she would demonstrate with one dog how to motivate the dog to follow a certain command, then how to mark it and eventually reinforce the same. She also encouraged us to ask questions, even to email her. Although at times the venue felt a bit tight for some lessons, everyone just made adjustments due to space limitations. During class, Wendy gave out «bones» made of paper which we returned to her at the completion of the six (6) week period to trade for doggie toys.
On account of the skills we have learned in class, we have reinforced a down stay on Bourbie, a vital skill as we plan to sit outdoors with him and it is foundational in teaching him other options than barking when the doorbell rings etc. Indeed, Wendy’s guidance was indispensable in making sure that we have the skills and the confidence in keeping our dog, happy, healthy and well-​mannered. If you’re looking for an excellent dog-​trainer, Wendy, the wonderful will do wonders for your dog. :)

My puppy Franklin and I, just finished our Surviving Puppyhood classes with Wendy, and it was no doubt worth it. We took the once a week classes at the Jumping Bulldog in Astoria. For first time dog owners, like myself, I felt the class was useful for the confidence alone and for Franklin my puppy, it was a great hour of socialization and introducing behavior skills. She would open up each class with questions that we would have, and with all puppy owners, we had many. Wendy was professional and friendly in helping the humans and the dogs feel comfortable and it showed she had a true sense of dog behavior. I always watched as she demonstrated one of the daily skills we were working on, in amazement, as she made it look so easy working with all the puppies. There was a great balance between answering questions, practicing skills and some puppy playtime.
By the end of the six weeks, my confidence and handling skills were much better and my dog Franklin was naturally responding to his name, more at ease in his crate, walking better on leash, sitting, lying down, restraining himself when given food, and going to «his spot,» to relax or rest on command, which were all things that he was not doing prior to the six week class. This class was not about «tricks,» but helping dog owners learn to introduce and teach their dogs the basic obedience and socialization skills for a lifetime of good behavior. Wendy truly helped us through this process!
This class is highly recommended and I will also be taking the next level class in the future. I know she does private classes, working on individualized skills or issues an owner is having, which I’m sure would be really useful. As a tip if you take one of her classes, answer lots of questions and do your homework over the week, cause the humans get rewarded with paper bones each class that can later be traded for dog toys and other prizes!

Wendy has been an incredible help with our 4-​month old cockapoo. She gave us great instructions for house training, even before she met with us in person.
When she came by our pup’s home she had great treats and toys, and gave us crystal clear instruction on how to train Luna to do basic things, like responding to her name, sitting, and responding well to collar grabs. All the steps also came written down in handouts we refer to frequently.
Throughout she has been incredible accessible via email to give spot-​on advice.
And note, she gives private training all over the city!

Wendy is a great trainer. I first contacted her when I have Tofu after two weeks and he needed help crate triaining, and getting adjusted to his new home. I read a lot on forums and you tube, except all the dogs in the videos are already trained! Nothing I tried work. When Wendy came in for one hour, it’s like magic! She showed me how, and what I have been doing wrong. And she was very good at replying my calls and emails when I have other problems with Tofu.
I then signed up for her puppy class. Tofu and I Iearned so much from the class. The techniques she taught apply to a lot of different situations. While a six weeks class will not transform my Tofu into a super dog that cleans my apartment, but he certainly become a much better puppy. Even though we just finished the class, I feel like I can keep working with Tofu, apply all the techniques we learned, and transform tofu into the best canine citizen there is.
Thank you Wendy!

We used Wendy for private lessons with our rescued staff mix. He had some fear based aggression issues, but we’ve seen huge results immediately after just a few lessons, and we’re looking forward to continuing the training. Wendy kept the entire session very positive, we left with specific tasks to work on, and we’ve changed a lot of his behavior for the better. We are so happy with the results and we recommend her to anyone we can!

Wendy is an awesome dog trainer that really cares for your dogs and give you great tips on POSITIVE reinforcement training. She always has awesome fun games to teach your dogs to do what you want them to do but without forcing them. Getting your dogs to think and interact with you is the best thing possible!
I took my 9 week old Mini Aussie here and he loved the classes. At first he was very timid of the other puppies but sooner than later, he started approaching the dogs confidently and LOVES to play with them!
I learned so much on how to train my puppy and those training tips will be something I’ll be doing daily with Mozart. Not to mention, Wendy is always there for you and answers any questions you may have about your puppy via email or during class. So appreciative of her and definitely worth every penny.

Wendy is a talented trainer, who obviously loves her work, and loves dogs. Her training methods encourage dogs to be happy by making the right choices, as opposed to bullying dogs through dominance (like the jerk on TV). Wendy trained our two dogs simultaneously during in-​home visits. It’s obviously more difficult to train two dogs at once, since you can’t demand 100% of your attention to one of the dogs. But it was not a problem for Wendy. She taught us to get both dogs to run and sit on a pillow whenever they heard the doorbell. And that «go to your room» command can now be used in other situations — whenever they bark, or hear noises outside. She got them both to walk near us while off leash. She showed us how to make Louie stop pulling on the leash. Our girl dog, Raye was such a nervous mess while on walks, we decided to take her to the group training classes, in-​store. And Wendy helped turn our nervous little girl Raye into a confident walker on the streets of Astoria. Raye couldn’t wait to get to the store on the class nights. Highly professional. Highly recommended. Thank you, Wendy!

Wendy is an amazing dog trainer. Her method is fantastic, she is very patient, and understands how dogs think. But she’s not only a dog person, but a people person too. She’s Astoria’s «Dog Whisperer».
My husband and I took our first yorkie to her obedience training class and within 7 classes, our dog learned so much and became more confident. However, we really saw how amazing Wendy is when we got our second yorkie and our first one started attacking her viciously. We didn’t know what to do. Everything we tried didn’t work. We had to keep them separate at all times. So we called Wendy and tried her month-​long program that involved her coming to our place 4/​week, 3 of which she trained them by herself while we were at work and 1 of which she went through everything with us. In 4 weeks she not only taught our pups various commands, she taught us how to continue the training afterwards. She provided us with knowledge and tools to solve the situation. We’re still working on it as it’s not so easy to change behavioral issues, but we’re on the right path. We highly recommend Good to the Bone.