Train My Dogs

I cannot say enough positive things about Train My Dogs, but I’ll try to narrow it down!
My first experience with Train My Dogs was when I enrolled my 12 week old gold doodle in their «Puppy Smart Start» class. The trainer Robin (who sadly moved away from Austin) was FANTASTIC. First, I love that they use a rewards based training methodology. It made me comfortable right from the beginning. Secondly, Robin would spend as much time after class answering your questions as you needed and she always sent incredibly detailed follow-​up emails so we didn’t have to remember everything during class. The class size was also limited to only six puppies so we received lots of attention.
After the puppy class ended I started taking my dog to Train My Dogs for day camp. I work 5 days a week and often feel guilty leaving him during the day. I love that at Train My Dogs he spends minimal time in a crate and really gets a ton of exercise and socialization. In addition, they work with him on standard manners and also gets individualized time with a trainer.
My dog has been to plenty of other day camps in the area and I have to say Train My Dogs is the ONLY place he gets visibly excited to be dropped off at. Sometimes I wonder if he even wants to me to pick him up at the end of the day!
I would trust my dog anytime with Train My Dogs. They’re wonderful people and extremely knowledgeable.

I took my adorable little rescue, Bille here when she was 3−4months old for the puppy classes and also day boarding to help her socialize with dogs.
Prior to booking the classes everyone was really helpful with my questions and concerns. When we got to puppy class our trainer was Heather. Heather was lovely and really knowledgable. Bille adores her and would sprint from the car to the centre every time we had class, to say hello.
At the end of the classes I also booked Heather for a one-​to-​one leash training session, this was hugely helpful and would recommend it to everyone. Also, she has continued to care for Billie, inquiring about her on email and giving further advice for her development.
Train MY Dogs, especially Heather have given Bille a great start in life and a brilliant foundation for future learning.
Thanks!

This may be an odd review but hear me out: I took my 12 week old Rottie pup to the Mon night puppy class with my son. About halfway through the class my sons eyes started getting puffy. Then puffier… we left and went home.
I emailed and explained the situation, no less than 20 minutes later I had a refund email from PayPal, full refund for the entire course. The other reviews can tell you about the services provided, my review tells you about the integrity of the establishment! This is how business’ are supposed to behave, kudos to Train My Dog!

We are in the middle of a puppy training class here and I’m astonished of the progress that our little guy is making.
We took our other dog here last year and he did wonderful, but he was fairly well taken care of before we got him and learned fast.
Our new little guy was neglected and would just hide in the corners all day. He opened up as time went on but definitely wouldn’t sit, come, or follow any commands. After three sessions at TMD, he does it all! They are really knowledgeable and will make you and your pet’s life so much better! Highly recommended for dogs of all ages.

Our experience here was average. The trainer seemed super knowledgeable and was obviously great at reading dog behavior, and was very willing to give students individual attention as needed. So all that was nice. However, having taken several other types of group dog training classes with previous dogs we’ve owned over the years, the presentation of the information in this class was, comparatively, a little disorganized and was not as comprehensive as other obedience classes. The methods were not really explained in a step-​by-​step manner and the trainer hardly ever demonstrated how to do the lesson with an actual dog, so students were having to ask a lot of questions about HOW to actually do the verbal instructions given. This took up a lot of class time. I was hoping to learn some new techniques for teaching my dog (again because over the years we’ve done other types of training). But instead we were actually teaching our dog a lot more things outside of class (using the other equally gentle, positive reinforcement methods we learned from other trainers in the past) than what we learned inside the class. In a nutshell, the other training techniques we learned elsewhere are working better. For someone who is totally new to dog ownership and training, they might get more out of this class. Also, the space is a little small for group classes.

I could write all day about the ways the trainers at Train My Dogs have helped with our dog (s), but the only way you’ll really get it is by taking your dog there yourself. One of our dogs had a traumatic experience at another boarding facility in town, and developed some resource guarding due to that experience. The trainers at Train My Dogs (special shout out to Jeannette and Meggan) have helped us SO much with conditioning and desensitizing our reactive dog that we were able to adopt a second one! Both dogs love staying here, which is huge. They wiggle until the door opens and get inside as fast as they can. Then when we pick them up, they are wiped out from playing and learning all day. As a dog mom, what could be better?! Thanks, TMD!

The only reason why I wouldn’t give this a five star rating is because this fine establishment is a little pricer than other boarders. Other than the price, this is the best dog boarders Austin has to offer!
I recently rescued a silky terrier, who like most rescue dogs has a case of separation anxiety. He hates to be left in a kennel, as in he has escaped before from one. So when I was leaving town for the first time, I was very conscious and researched boarders to make sure I was leaving him with someone who I could trust to care for him the way I would.
They were fabulous, I recently left town for 8 days, which was the longest I was away from my dog since I’ve had him. I was updated almost daily with photos via Facebook and Instagram (which I am sure I like more than my pup)! My dog got to do some training, again– I am sure I liked this more than my pup! Since he is a puppy I really appreciated all the learning he got at his age.
I loved the fact that it was half inside which was really wonderful since it rained most of our vacation and I would have felt guilty leaving him at a place that was all outdoors.
They offer outings for the pups which my dog loved during his stay– swimming at red bud, outing to joes, auditorium shores.
Bottom of the line: a little pricier than other boarders, but I would recommend this place to anyone with a dog. Friendly staff that will take care of your dog so you can leave him knowing he’s well taken care of. The cherry on top of my experience is that now my dog is better behaved than before. I’ve already booked another stay for him.

I adore everyone at Train My Dogs. My «Austin brown dog» Jade started attending in December 2012 for boarding when I went home for the holiday’s. I was a little reluctant to leave her at first, being that my other doggie day care experiences had been unpleasant and my dog would come home nervous from every other daycare center we tried. After, December Jade started attending Day School on a weekly basis. She initially had some small issues and had some «stick guarding» behavior and would sometimes get snippy with other dogs at the center. However, the staff always addressed her behavior and we even took a little break from TMD during this time. I appreciated them letting me know how Jade was really doing, and even more addressing the underlying problem. Jade is a shy, insecure dog and can get defensive when she feels out of control. However, everyone there worked to get to know Jade and get her comfortable; we eventually changed her dayschool day (upon their suggestion) to another day during the week with dogs more suited to Jade’s personality. The staff is amazing here, they take a special interest in every dog and work to figure out what makes them most comfortable. Jeannette always says you want to set your dog up for success and they do this.
Since then Jade has come a long way. She no longer has problems with other dogs, and has really opened up in her personality. She trusts humans and other dogs more, and is more loving that when we first rescued her from APA. I’m told she does very well at dayschool these days, and especially loves hanging out with the puppies. I recommend this center to everyone I meet who has a dog. We’ve even taken a few of their classes and are currently enrolled in Treiball with Meggan (a huge hit). My favorite part of the week is dropping Jade off on Mon & Thursday, and seeing her get all wiggly and excited whenever Erin, Meggan, or Jeannette comes to the door. It makes me feel good to know my dog is happy and with people who care about her.

I spent a lot of time researching trainers before I happily found Train My Dogs. I wanted a trainer that made training fun for the dog and a trainer who did not simply want to over dominate the dog.
I have a very energetic, independent, and at times, hard headed Boxer puppy — Stella. Before beginning out training, we met with the trainer, Rex, at Train My Dogs to do an evaluation. From the moment I walked into TMD’s facility, I KNEW this was going to be our match. It honestly looks like a home, so it makes the dog and people comfortable. In the back they have the «Dog’s Room» where there’s kennel-​like areas, and a large indoor play area. Outback, they have fenced in play areas with little pools for the dogs. TMD always has someone onsite and we were shown the bedroom where that staff member stays.
Right from the start, Rex was great. He began «training» immediately by not showing Stella attention until she calmed down. He was also patient as we reviewed all our needs and what we wanted to get out of training and his training style.
Since we began out training, Rex has been so accommodating. Meeting with us when we need with location lessons that offer extra «distractions» for Stella. He’s even changed our training techniques along the way to fit Stella’s personality when traditional methods weren’t strict enough.
Before Rex, Stella wore an easy-​walk halter that did little to improve her walking behavior. We were at a point where we hated taking her out because she would constantly be at the end of the leash, choking herself to meet people and explore. Although we’re still in the beginning phase of training, we’ve seen great improvement in Stella’s behavior. We can actually walk her without being pulled down the path, on a NORMAL leash, she knows to sit when we stop, and is even on her way to learning «Place».
I can’t say enough great things about Rex. He listens to our problems with Stella and has even recommended alternative training methods. Originally, we were taking her to TMD’s Doggie Daycare and Rex recommended we STOP because it was re-​enforcing bad behavior as she has not yet learned how to behave around other dogs and although the facility does a wonderful job at giving 1 – 1 attention to dogs during daycare, Stella required ²⁴⁄₇ 1 – 1 attention to reinforce training. Instead, he recommended 1 – 1 outings where he’d take her out for an hour (grabbing her from out apt) and go on little training adventures.
I gush about TMD whenever a friend mentions doggie issue. I couldn’t be happier with Rex and the overall facility offerings. I highly recommend them!

My Doberman has been attending doggy daycare and obedience classes at TMD since he was only a few months old. He will be 2 years old in March ’13 and is one of the most well-​behaved, well-​trained dogs I have ever had. He is an inherently sweet dog but I attribute his stellar behavior, temperament and socialization skills to TMD, HANDS-​DOWN. Everywhere I go, he is praised for his behavior and I never take credit… I tell them it was the awesome place where he was trained and where he goes to daycare!!! Here is why I sought out doggy daycare and obedience in the first place to see if my review applies:
Prior to owning my Doberman, I didn’t realize the amount of socialization it takes to ensure a truly sociable «bomb proof» Doberman, or dog for that matter. When I decided on a Doberman, I consulted many sources that claimed it was imperative to well socialize him due to the breed’s intelligence, loyalty and instinct to protect. Puppies can get tweaked early which turns into aggression later in life. Socialization and proper play etiquette was vital to instill early. Considering I wanted my Dobie to go anywhere with me, to do anything and be able to be around anyone, I knew I had to seek out some help with training and socialization. I looked up places that were highly rated and nearby and I found TMD. The whole staff is amazing. They are attentive, friendly, responsive, understanding and resourceful. They were a lifesaver the first 4 –12 months of my dog’s life as I was finishing up school at UT. Doggy daycare + reinforcement of training + socialization during that time was crucial and I would not have been able to apply the time needed to start him off on the right track without TMD. I recommend them to every dog owner I meet!!! Other than working on behavior and training, here are some sweet and thoughtful perks of this awesome place:
— They will put you on an «on-​call» list if you can’t commit to a particular day of the week for daycare.
— They create goodie bags on holidays for you dog.
— They have fun socials once a month for you, your dog and other like-​minded crazy dog people
— They take videos, pictures and truly enjoy your dog like it’s their own.
— They teach fun tricks and keep your dog stimulated during the day (as well as make sure they have proper play etiquette with the other dogs, of course) My dog came home doing a «high-​five.»
— They subject dogs to all kinds of stimuli… Cats, kids, babies, traffic, you name it.
If you have a puppy or an old dog that needs training, socialization or if you just want to wear your dog out so you can relax in the evening after a long day of work (I am guilty of this!!!) contact them ASAP. I will be happy to share more with anyone that asks me and be proud to show off my big pup anytime as a testimonial!

We got our new puppy earlier this year, and though she was sweet and affectionate and we fell in love with her immediately, within two weeks we realized that we were ill prepared to properly handle our adorable yet rambunctious pet. We needed help, and fast. Enter Train My Dogs. Within one day, we saw noticeable improvements in our dog’s behavior. Over the past few months our girl has become an almost model household member. They haven’t just been training our dog, of course – they’ve been training us, too. The staff is kind and courteous and always willing to give us a short brush-​up tutorial when we pick our girl up so that we can reinforce what she has learned in class in between visits. We’ve had an excellent experience with Train My Dogs and look forward to working with them in the future.

I just returned from a week long vacation and had my 4 ½ month old lab spend the week at Train My Dogs. Wow! What a difference a week can make.
I was unsure of where to board him for the week, but I knew that this was a critical time in his learning process. On the recommendation of another trainer, I went and met with Nancy ahead of time to get an idea of the facilities and their training methods.
It is extremely clean, quiet, and calm. There are an abundance of trainers and staff on hand. I was comfortable knowing that my pup wouldn’t be left alone all day crying in a kennel. While it was really hard to be away for a week, I was comforted knowing that he was in good hands.
Before I left, I had taken him to obedience classes every week since he was 8 weeks old (puppy preschool and puppy obedience), so he had a little bit of understanding and training. However, since picking him up, the differences in his listening and reduction in unwanted behaviors is incredible.
He used to bark constantly when he wanted attention. I had tried several methods to reduce this, but he has now come back only barking if he really needs to go out and I haven’t heard him. He listens more, is calmer, and really seems to understand who the pack leader is now. He is still a puppy and has a long way to go, but I can’t begin to explain how much of a difference this past week made.
The trainers that worked with him were kind and understanding. They loved dogs and you could tell they really enjoyed him during the week. I am so thankful to have had him stay there and will continue to use Train My Dogs for brush ups and continued obedience training.
I one hundred percent recommend Train My Dogs for training, doggy day school, and boarding!

We used Train My Dogs for a basic obedience class when we first adopted our dog from a shelter a year ago. She was one year old and had apparently lived in someone’s yard for her entire life before being rescued by animal control, so needless to say she needed a lot of help with focus and understanding basic concepts such as «indoors» and «ceiling fans», much less «sit» and «leave it». From day one it was obvious that our dog was the most disruptive and out of control dog in the class. Rachel, the instructor at Train My Dogs (I have no idea who this Nancy person is…), was nice, but as the class progressed one thing became really obvious. The other dogs were all out-​progressing our dog despite our religious practice with her at home, which made us frustrated and feel like ineffective doggie parents. Then I found out that all of the other dogs in the class were ALSO enrolled in Train My Dog’s day school, so they were receiving more than twice as much training on a weekly basis than our dog was. After paying $ 200 for the obedience class, we felt like the class and our «homework» should be enough to get our dog on the right track, but as the other dogs started to make real progress our dog was floundering. Rachel knew the other dogs by name and had a better understanding of their strengths and weaknesses than she did our dog. At times it felt like she was treating the other dogs in class preferentially and avoided interacting with us. Rachel was also a bit of a flake, having to reschedule classes several times, often at the last minute.
By the end of the class our dog had made some progress but was still the least-​well-​behaved dog in the group and struggling with several of the concepts we had been taught. After the class was over I thought it would be beneficial to enroll our dog in day school at Train My Dogs to continue her education and get more lengthy training sessions. I set up our required evaluation appointment a week in advance, but when I showed up to Train My Dogs’ facility, Rachel’s assistant was there looking after the dogs in day school but Rachel was nowhere to be seen. I brought my dog there on my lunch break since there are only certain days that evaluations can occur, and after waiting for forty minutes and having her assistant call her cell phone multiple times I had to leave to take my dog home and get back to work. Rachel did not attempt to call me once during this time. She called my phone several hours later to let me know she had been stuck in traffic on her way back from a private lesson and asked when we could reschedule. Sorry, lady. I was evaluating you just as much as you were (supposed to be) evaluating my dog, and in my experience people who no-​call, no-​show are fired every single time.

Train My Dogs has been one of the best decisions my girlfriend and I have made in the training of our nine-​month-​old puppy, Washington. When we first adopted him, he was shy, skittish, and lacking self-​confidence. When we saw the Train My Dogs offered Doggy Day School, we thought we would give it a go to help him gain more confidence and to build his self-​esteem and we couldn’t have made a better decision. Washington has grown into a well-​behaved, fun-​loving pup and I know that we have his weekly Train My Dogs visit to thank. But things don’t just stop there — whenever I drop him off, the trainers always ask if there is any particular problem he’s having that they can help address, and when I drop him off, I always get a rundown of the days activities and a few new tips to help Washington continue to grow. We couldn’t be happier with the job Train My Dogs has done with Washington!

I *heart* Nancy and Train My Dogs. Doll and I did the beginning puppy class and we learned lots of usual info: everything from basic obedience to more advance tricks. Nancy is such a sweet gal with such an enthusiasm that you can’t NOT love her. Sound training techniques and a fun class. Love Yappy Hour, too!

I took Nancy’s tricks class and it was fun and informative. Her enthusiasm is contagious and she understands how to communicate with your dog. She’s a great trainer for people (and dogs too!).

Yikes! Just got a new puppy 6 weeks ago. And I work full time – what to do. Then I remembered what a great time I had in doggie school with Nancy Cusick several years ago. Even luckier she was just opening a doggie day care. My new pup is so lucky to spend two days a week in Nancy’s new facility; getting training sessions, going on outings to several different puppy friendly places, swimming in the greenbelt. She is already very well mannered little girl. We’re taking puppy classes too! Oh, yeah did I mention she sponsors Yappy Hour at the Irie Bean coffee shop once a month… Nancy definitely deserves 5 stars!

Nancy is amazing! She has been working with my Labradoodle puppy for a couple of weeks. One of my main goals was to have my dog be able to play off leash in a park. Nancy got her to that in a very short time. Nancy is easy to work with. She is gentle with the pets she is teaching. I highly recommend her for both group and private lessons!

Nancy is great with our Trixie! We have a pit mix that was a little aggressive as a pup and we took her to Train My Dog’s Puppy class where she learned some manners. Trixie is looking forward to more training with Nancy.

We had so much fun with Nancy! I have a lab with lots of energy and some «dominant» (not aggressive but annoying to other dogs.) tendencies and going to this class really improved his behavior and my expectations of him. We attended both the Basic Training for Adolescents and Tricks class (SOOOO much fun). We have a much better relationship and I know how to provide mental exercises. I also love how the class is held around town to train them to work under distraction as well.
Nancy is so fun, knowlegable and really gets to know each dog personally and tailor the class to meet their needs. I highly recommend her and we can’t wait to do another class in the future.