Way of the Dog, Brian Lee’s Canine Counseling

Brian is by far the king of all kings when it comes to developing a positive relationship with your dog while teaching u how to become the leader of the pack. I found him years ago when a client of mine (who owned a doggie daycare) recommended him for my first dog, Kory. Kory and my relationship is top notch so when I got my second dog, Lenny (who was a bit of a psycho) I knew I needed to calm him again. He has helped with not only basic training but helped me calm Lenny at home and work. I would recommend Brian to anybody. He truelly is the best!!!

Come to Brian if you are ready for the truth about what you are clearly doing wrong. He is really a people trainer since most behaviors are a direct consequence of the owners behaviors. If you want someone to tell you to hug your dog into obedience then you should just accept your dogs behavior and live with it.
I’m a proactive dog owner and have always been on top of discipline, follow through, and socialization for my chow mix Mochi. Mochi was that gentle giant that my friends always called the most well behaved dog. Unfortunately it all went down the toilet after one bad dog park visit (he was attacked) that left him traumatized, angry, and fearful. Slowly he was barking, growling, and lunging at both people and dogs out of fear. Mochi’s behavior became worse and that’s when I realized by own knowledge about dog behavior was not enough and I sought out help. I searched ALL over Unilocal and the Internet before I decided to go with Brian and I’m so glad I did! Brian did not sugar coat or waste my time. He was straight to the point and brutally honest, exactly what I needed. Mochi is back to his gentle giant self and is even MORE well behaved than before! I can’t thank Brian enough!

I was a fool! I read fancy books, went to obedience/​training group classes, read online constantly, listened to everyone at the dog park and still NO improvement in my «friendly» 6 month old labrador. I kick myself for the time, frustration and money spent. We were the worst dog/​owner pair ever and we needed to go to couples counseling. Come to find out we did need help… and Brian Lee was our counselor! I heard about Way of the Dog from a woman sitting outside a coffee shop. I’m over an hour away from his base– so I wasn’t eager to drive the distance or spend any more money (that’s crazy talk), but I felt the buzz was there for a reason. I did some research, spoke with Brian on the phone and the rest is history! We saw a huge change, even in the first visit. My kids came to each appointment and his approach was easy and direct for them to grasp, a no BS approach for me and the quality of our relationship has completely turned around… JUST LIKE THAT! Thanks «B-​Dawg»!
Pro Tips:
1. Take notes– he provides a lot of valuable information.
2. Go to the puppy parties– tons of socialization w/​Brian hands on. PLUS there is a professional photographer (you can download the pictures off Facebook).
3. Go to your appt. prepared w/​questions/​concerns
4. He buys Girl Scout cookies! (Thanks Brian)

Brian has helped us trained us and our two dogs from puppies and we constantly get compliments on how well-​adjusted, behaved and integrated our dogs are! Recently we had a set back with our 3 year old anxious Weimaraner and Brian met with us and we developed a plan to get him back on track. After 6+ months of regressed behavior, he is well on his way to being back to a happy, well-​adjusted dog. Highly highly recommend him to anyone with a dog – worth every penny.

There are plenty of people and places that claim they can train your dog. The key is to find the one that works best with you and your personality. Because, to be honest, YOU are the one who is being trained. Brian Lee is the second trainer we tried. The first one just wasn’t the right fit, plus I refuse to play smooth jazz all the time to keep my dog calm.
Brian uses a very easy to learn, intuitive approach to living with an animal, meet its needs and it won’t drive you crazy trying to get its needs met.
Brian came to our rescue when our puppy was 4 months old. My wife and I hadn’t had pets since we were kids, and honestly our parents did most of the work then. Brian helped us understand the puppies point of view and how our actions directly affect his reactions.
Brian is not a sit, stay, roll over teacher. Anyone with a treat can teach your pet that. In my opinion he’s a behavior specialist who will help you and your dog create a lasting respectful bond.
We love our little «Dude» and he’s the puppy we always wanted, and a lot of that is because of Brian.

I took my German Shepherd to Brian after 12 months of using other trainers/​methods. I was terribly concerned because I was unable to walk her without her pulling/​ignoring me. My dog and I completed Brian’s program in approx 7 weeks. I did everything he told me to; stayed focused and goal oriented. The outcome is a loving, calmer dog who actually heels!
Things aren’t perfect, but we have gone from only being able to take a walk around the block to 24 miles a week. She has also gone from a dog aggressive dog to one who is tolerant of other dogs. I can take her everywhere now!
I am beyond grateful for Brian’s help/​instruction/​guidance. I got my life back; my dog’s horizons have expanded exponentially and I am looking forward to many wonderful adventures with her.
Thanks again, Brian!

5 stars

I used Brian Lee a few years ago for my adult male Pitbull Terrier. My dog was very protective of me and it had gotten to the point where I felt I couldn’t take him anywhere. I had debated training him for some time but was unsure if I wanted to «change his personality» as I thought I would be doing.
Eventually, I decided that if it would make my life a little easier, then why not.
Let me say that it was in no way easy, so if you are looking for someone to magically cure your dog and you do no work yourself– that is not realistic.
Brian showed me how to be a pack leader, and how to put my foot down and stop taking my dog’s BS. I had never realized how much I allowed him to walk all over me, and today I am definitely embarrassed of the owner I once was.
Being a veterinary nurse myself, I always have a pack leader mentality with my patients, and Brian showed me that it was no different with my own dog.
At first it was really difficult to stop allowing my dog on furniture, but now I appreciate the boundaries Brian had me implement in my home.
Today, my dog is a completely different dog. He no longer lunges and growls at people for coming into our personal space. He ignores people when they talk to me while we are walking. He walks by people as if they are not even there. He allows the staff at my work to work on him and he doesn’t even make a noise.
I have even been told multiple times that there is no way my dog is aggressive and I must be lying because he is such a good boy.
So glad to have my boy be an advocate for his amazing breed.
Thanks Brian for everything you did for Trouble and me, we appreciate being able to enjoy life without all the added stress!

Brian’s method is different from any other dog trainer I have had and it works!
He teaches you how dogs think and trains YOU how to work with them and achieve what you want. After 6 years of walking my two pit bulls the wrong way, with the wrong collar and wrong leash, I can now enjoy my walks with them. Brian taught me how to let my presence be known and how to greet other dogs on walks, how to socialize them more and let them feel secure with ME so that they do not feel like they have to defend me. There is no more tugging at the leash every time the dog pulls, that method is so tiring and old, his method teaches the dog with a quick change of directions or u turn, that there should be no more pulling and it works. Fence aggression was another issues with my pups and Brian helped me take charge of the situation by asserting myself whenever they were out of line. Sometimes it’s just a quick snap or stare or shhhh… if you put your time into applying Brian’s method, your dogs won’t fail.

Our Dogo Argentino just turned one year old. She has been the BEST dog and we credit a lot of that to the fact that we took Brian Lee”s puppy course (which is really about training the humans) and started her off right. Olive is incredibly polite, well-​socialized, confident and sweet. I think the most important things we learned from Brian were how to set her up for success, how to satisfy her doggie needs, and better understand dog psychology (looking at situations from the dog’s perspective). The result was a peaceful and happy household — even with a growing puppy (not to mention our toddler)! We can take Olive anywhere. She gets along with all dogs and people. She puts a smile on everyone’s face. We even call her the dog charmer because she can read other dogs so well that fearful or rougher dogs feel comfortable with her and will soften in her presence. We are so thankful to Brian for the great foundation!

Our rescue dog, Parker, had a rough start in life. He came to us with a lot of fear-​based anxiety. He had bit me twice and snapped at my husband, dad, sister and nephew. It was intolerable and we didn’t know what to do. We went through two trainers and wasted a lot of money before I finally found Brian.
Brian completely changed the dynamic of our relationship with Parker. We were amazed with how quickly we went from having a dog that we could not handle to a dog that we love to have around.
I honestly can not thank Brian enough, he has shown us the way of the dog and now we feel in control and at ease.

Brian Lee is the true Dog Whisperer. I was amazed by his ability to connect with my puppies the first time he came to the house, and they obeyed his every look and gesture instantly. It was incredible when a single snap of his fingers from the 3^rd floor got them to stop barking immediately in the back yard. What was more amazing is that he trained me to have the same authority!
He truly understands the way dogs think and what causes their actions, so he was able to teach me as the dog owner how to modify my behavior to get the desired result from my puppies. They are now 2.5 years old, and everything he taught me still works perfectly. They are happy, well-​adjusted, well-​behaved dogs… which makes me a happy and grateful dog owner!

Brian has been coming into my house for the past few months. I was very leery of spending money like this on a dog trainer. I was at my wits end and couldn’t imagine that he could make the kind of progress we needed to make. I wanted to quit and give the dog away.
I loved his demeanor with us.
«If you do everything I say, you will have a good dog by the end.»
I laughed… But he was right.
It must be the thousands of dogs he has helped. He’s saving dogs lives and restoring family dynamics.
I can’t stress enough how great he’s been for us. Worth every penny.

I wonder about a trainer who is not responsive to potential customers. I contacted this trainer three times. The final time was a message asking him to let me know when the best time to call would be. No response. I would not trust my puppy to someone who is far too busy to return my calls.

My husband and I purchased two cocker spaniel puppies and immediately we began to experience some frustration with one of them. He was ornery, full of himself, and not unwilling to use his bite to get his way. We went to the internet and read horror stories about canine rage syndrome and devil dogs. We found a dog trainer from some company who came to try and help us, but really, their whole message came from a can, from a planned script, and when our puppy didn’t exactly fit, well, the program didn’t work, and she disappeared.
From friends and other sources we found Brian Lee and the Way of the Dog. Brian is a Guru of animal behavior. Self-​trained and an outside of the box thinker, Brian cures the owners and not the pets. He finds the weaknesses in how you approach your pet and helps you understand how the dog sees you and interprets your actions. Brain helps you figure out ways to make your relationship with your dog work, not just for that day, but for years. He teaches you how to relate to the dog in dog language and with your message. It transformed our household and truly saved our dog’s life.
Brain is tough and direct and he pulls no punches. He knows what works, and he is consistent and steady. An hour in his yard with your dog is like watching hours of evolution. You leave feeling like you have a deeper understanding of your pet, and yourself. If you can bring yourself to trust Brian and his ways of the dog, you will never look back. He is an amazing resource, a true Guru, and a great friend.

We knew it was only a matter of time — our older dog was going to attack our puppy. The stress in the household was unbearable. So, my husband and I sought help and found Brian Lee. When I described the problem to him over the phone, he said he could help us. And he did! He showed us how to resolve the situation once and for all. And with that taken care of, he taught us how to raise a happy, well behaved dog. She is only 17 weeks old as I write this review, and she walks on a loose leash, sits when people approach and stays calm when people come to our door. I can’t thank Brian enough. I highly recommend his services to any dog owner.

Our 2 year old white Boxer, Daisy, had always been hyper, rambunctious and a «puller». But, she was beginning to show aggression towards other dogs. Typically this would occur during walks, while Daisy was on leash. As we would pass other dogs, Daisy would lunge and growl. We tried avoiding other dogs and bribing or distracting Daisy with treats. Ultimately, Daisy’s behavior began to surface while she was off leash at the dog park and beach.
We decided we needed professional help. We found Brian Lee on-​line and liked what we saw on his web site. During our first visit, Brian asked a few questions about Daisy and our other 2 dogs who had remained at home. He then observed our interactions with Daisy. And, within 5 minutes, he had our situation all figured out. Daisy owned us. As a result, she did whatever she wanted. After all, she didn’t respect us.
Ten minutes into our visit, Daisy was on leash and walking beside us without pulling. The reality was, changes in our behavior (advised by Brian), resulted in immediate changes in Daisy’s behavior. We used what we had learned after our first visit as soon as we got home. We saw immediate positive changes in Daisy as well as Sunny and Sandy. It was remarkable.
We just finished our fifth and final visit with Brian. The changes we have seen in Daisy, and our other dogs, are incredible. Daisy is a regular at doggie daycare and the dog beach. She is social and behaves appropriately around other dogs. Thanks to Brian, our dogs are well balanced, calm and obedient. Brian is a true professional who knows and understands dog behavior. We can’t praise him enough.

Yesterday was the last of my in-​home visits with Brian. I had a unique situation where my two small dogs were challenging a much larger dog belonging to a new housemate which resulted in creating some dangerous fights and costly vet bills. Specifically, my 20 pound dog provoked, and was then attacked by an 80 pound dog resulting in puncture wounds and a midnight trip to the veterinarian.
The problem was that I knew simply kicking the housemate out would not solve the underlying problems with my dogs. In addition I was having a number of disciplinary problems with my dogs and one of them would bolt any time she got the opportunity. This left me at the end of my rope so to speak and desperate for help before something tragic might take place.
Brian spent the majority of our sessions counseling me and helping me to better understand the root causes of the behaviors I was encountering, and teaching me how best to modify the behaviors through changing my own behaviors.
He was absolutely correct! I still have more work to do, and the behaviors don’t magically change without effort of the owner’s part, however I am absolutely dumbfounded at how simple it was to make major positive changes in a very short period of time.
Lastly, the most significant fear I had, which was my dog bolting and being hit by a car was put to the test on our last session, where my dog simply stood in the threshold of the door and looked to me for permission to go outside. I cannot express what a singularly overwhelming relief it was to experience.
In closing, in my opinion Brian Lee absolutely understands the way dogs think and act, and if you simply follow his suggestions, you will hopefully see the incredible results I have seen as well. I am looking forward to seeing the ultimate results with a bit more efforts on my part in the future. Thank you Brian!!!

If I could give Brian Lee 10 Stars, I would. Brian Lee is the man! My husband and I have a min pin with anxiety and fear-​based aggression problems. He would bark at people he decided he didn’t like, and it started to get to the point where he would try to run towards them instead of running away. He’s never bitten anyone, but we didn’t want to take any chances.
So, I called Brian and started his program, which is more about training owners to understand their dog’s needs than teaching a dog to do tricks. On our first appointment, our puppy was totally scared. He barked at Brian to no avail and didn’t want to come near him. At each session, Brian taught us how to fulfill our dog’s needs in order to help him to become more confident, happy, and grounded.
Literally within a week of working with Brian, we noticed a huge difference. By our last session, he was jumping on Brian’s lap and has become a much happier dog. He respects and trusts us more, and he has completely changed his attitude. We still have a lot of work to do, but we feel we are on the right path, and we couldn’t have done it without Brian. We are actually very sad that our sessions are over.
Brian is extremely knowledgeable, funny, and a pleasure to work with. I would recommend him without hesitation to anyone who has a dog with behavioral issues.
Brian, thank you so much for all of your help!!!

Our dog has always been very social and great with other dogs (off leash). However, get her on a leash and she would lurch out aggressively at other dogs passing by. Not only was this perplexing for such a well-​natured dog, but it was also embarrassing and anxiety-​inducing. After some puppy training 101 and some «advanced» positive reinforcement training that proved ineffective when we needed it most, we contacted Brian Lee.
From the moment we met Brian, we knew our issue would be resolved. He helped us take a big step back and first understand our dog’s needs, how she thinks and then helped us redefine our relationship with her. Today, she is far more obedient, respectful and grounded and calm than she’s ever been. She doesn’t lurch out at other dogs while on walks anymore. Our friends and family have taken notice to how much more secure she is. We are grateful for Brian’s help and would highly recommend him to anyone with a puppy or an adult dog that has a specific behavior challenge. Brian is a step-​up Trainer who is the one everyone calls when they’ve given up on their dog. Not a lot of those Trainers around! Thank you, Brian!

It’s been a year since the training. I had experienced traditional basic training before, and have since sought out additional opportunities with other people so I feel in a better position to reflect on Brian’s approach. I had one primary concern: My dog is a true runner. No leash and he bolts 90 mph. He’s not aggressive. He attends to most commands when he knows he’s in training. The message from Brian was build my relationship with my dog, thus he will respect me. True, however, I was unable to transfer that message into action. Petting Ben and giving him floor time wasn’t sufficient. Since then, I know relationship for Ben is about action. He has to work, he receives both food and verbal rewards, and he has to think. Simple things like trick training, agility runs, walking with varied commands along the way, became the concrete ways of building my relationship.
Perhaps I am not a fast learner. I learn from one, hearing. Two, having someone model and then watch me do the doing and then, three, provide corrective or confirming feedback. Repeat the cycle. That was the gap. Some people learn differently. Does Ben still run? Yes, but I am more equipped to not do things to make it worse.
To be fair, I was unable to articulate the gap to Brian during the training. Sometimes you don’t know what you don’t know and you can’t reflect on an experience until it’s over and/​or until you’ve experienced something else. I imagine I needed it all, reward based training, trick and agility training, and finally understanding ah, that’s what Brian means by building the relationship.