Andrea Arden Dog Training

Andrea Arden and her team of dog trainers are knowledgeable, capable and great to work with. As a first time puppy owner in the City, I have worked with Katrina, Mike, Casandra and Andrea for everything from in-​home private lessons, to puppy class, to adult classes.
My dog and I are HUGE fans of in-​board training (with Katrina). The team tailors specific training exercises to my dog’s specific needs and gives us both «homework» so that I can reinforce his great behavior at home. We have also seen great improvement with his leash skills (not to be ignored!) through training walks with Casandra. Not just an average dog walk, AA will send someone to your home to train your pup on a walk while you aren’t home to make sure he or she is behaving.
I can’t praise Andrea Arden enough for helping me raise my dog into a little gentleman!

I’m a new dog owner and my pup and I attended our first play group this weekend. I cannot say enough good things about the experience. The group leader welcomed us (my pup especially!) gave us advice on how to help introduce the pups so that they interacted nicely and safely. We spent about 45 minutes there and my dog was so tired that after our short walk home she slept on the couch the rest of the day — perfect! We will definitely be going back.

This review is for the dog trainer Mike Lustig and for the Andrea Arden Dog Training Program. We have been in NYC for over 2 years now, and our puppy went to the puppy class taught by Mike, did at least 8 private lessons with Mike, and has boarded (with training) with Mike Lustig at least 3 times while we vacationed, with a stay of about 5 nights each visit. This place gives you the value for what you pay, and while I hear people say to me that the overnight boarding with a certified trainer is expensive, it is a Godsend and a wonderful luxury (necessity?) for your pooch. We have a sweet dog, made into a close to perfect canine citizen because of this training program. The puppy kindergarten (I called it kindergarten but don’t recall what they call it!) looks like the Colosseum at first, but if you can tough it out for a class or two (yes, I am a helicopter pet parent), you quickly see the valuable way that dogs learn to socialize, become less shy, (or less assertive) and find balance within the groups. Our dog transferred his skills learned in class to having discernment when he is off-​leash with all sizes and ages of dogs in the park! Mike was quick to point out to us about the way puppies play and the importance of it, and he also instructed us as to what we want to watch out for (if a puppy pins another puppy and growls.) We learned sit, down (dog lies down) «here» where the dog runs to you and touches your open palm (receiving treat reinforcement always at first, then intermittently.) btw, The «here» command is essential when you have your dog off-​leash in dog parks or Central Park (which has off-​leash hours in designated areas before 9AM and after 9PM.) The open palm «here» command works to have your dog come running to you!!! Anyway, lots more questions are answered, from housebreaking, crates, etc. whenever we worked one on one with Mike. Yes, he trains YOU to train your dog, and this is so cool because the dog learns to respond to you, not just the very experienced trainer!
We get waaaay to many compliments for our dog’s behavior, but it was Mike’s training, as well as Andrea Arden’s program that should get the credit! Private lessons were a delight because Mike answered every question I could think of, and taught Sparky to walk without pulling, etc. He also taught him some fancy tricks :) I am writing this now because Mike watched Spark last week, adding training in impulse control since our dog is over 2 now, and while charming in most circumstances, is very protective of our front door when the maintenance man comes (when he acts not so charming!) Sparky’s adult behavior had him pushing new boundaries everywhere, but Mike’s new work last week (while we vacationed!) reinforced wonderful stuff that is simply a gift to our household and to our family! btw, Our dog still doesn’t like the maintenance man to come in the apartment, but at least Spark can walk right past him in the lobby and ignore him! That’s huge progress and even the engineer commented on it with surprise! And Mike also gave us tips how to successfully have the two of them together in the apartment (hint! It involves highly desired treats at first!;)
Yes puppy class looks crazy, but again, it is so valuable for your dog’s social needs! You are really just seeing how litter mates play with each other! And if you prefer solo attention, with or without the economically priced kindergarten, the lessons are WORTH IT! The bulk of what we needed was accomplished in the first 3 private lessons, but Sparky was so stimulated and we were so wowed by what he learned, that we indulged ourselves with some extra ones!
Mike tells me all the trainers are good there, and he strikes me as a trustworthy guy, so I believe him. Andrea picked a gem in him, so I trust her hiring acumen.
After meeting our pooch, so many people have asked me if I am the one who trained my dog! The answer is yes! But I have to add… Andrea Arden’s program showed me how ;)

I recently rescued a puppy that was a very confused stray prior to adoption. He needed some direction… Katrina at Andrea Arden was literally a Godsend. She helped SOOOO much to potty train our new addition. With her help, we got our dog going to the bathroom outside in no time at all. Her advice, knowledge, and patience is so wonderful. Our new addition is so proud of himself too! Happy owners, happy puppy, happy life! Thank you so much to the amazing staff at Andrea Arden, and to Katrina.
I will be recommending your services to everyone I know who needs help with their pups.
thank you again!

I took my puppy to one of the play groups and it was like going to a dog park, which I wanted to avoid. My puppy got stepped on by a huge dog and the trainer moderating did absolutely nothing. My puppy has been to other playgroups before and he did wonderful but was cowering under my chair when I took him to Andrea Arden. I won’t be taking him here anymore.

I heard about Andrea Arden Dog training through a recommendation. Her team is very responsive, quick, and easy to schedule. Once you take a class with any of her trainers you’re a customer for life and they genuinely seem interested in your dog rather than the money, which in it if itself is reasonable. So if you have a question months later they will still answer.
I took a puppy class that Andrea taught and a Level 2 class with Mike from her team. Both were great and my dog enjoyed them. Andrea is very planned as compared to a more laid back style Mike employed.
I strongly recommend considering Andrea Arden Dog Training.

We’re so happy with the results we’ve gotten with Andrea Arden Dog Training. We’ve been working with her and her wonderful trainers since our shih tzu puppy, Potato McTater, was about 11 weeks old. Being first time puppy parents, we were scared and paranoid that Potato would end up being king of our house and eventually the world. He’s so cute, he could manipulate anything out of anyone! Andrea Arden and her team of trainers has helped us maintain control of our household while we continue to enjoy his puppyhood.
It’s been worth the cab ride every week to and from puppy class and play group. We’re so glad we went with Andrea Arden Dog Training for the quality versus going with a different school because of proximity. Kristi who taught the 5 week puppy course and moderates puppy play group has been wonderful to work with. She’s provided so much insight and many helpful tips during our time with her. Jo Anne has helped us improve our home life with our private sessions. It has really made a difference for us as a family. We recently added walk and train sessions four days a week and it has given the little guy a nice outlet during the day.
We’re excited to keep him there as a student and will definitely continue to bring him to puppy play groups. His socialization and happiness is a priority for us and we can’t be happier with the results we’ve seen after working with Andrea Arden Dog Training. Andrea and her team has helped us look at things from different perspectives and it’s just funny how the smallest little change can be so impactful. They’ve all helped us learn along with Potato and we can’t be more grateful!

I had a terrible experience. Don’t let her near your pet… if you love your pet, that is.

My puppy and I attended two puppy socialization classes with Andrea and her team and I think we would have gone to more if it weren’t for the long cab ride to/​from and then me being quite frankly wiped out after the puppy play sessions.
We had gone in between her second and third set of vaccinations to be on the safe side. The play session we attended held by Andrea was really exceptional. You can tell she lives and breaths dogs and is a true expert in the field (I think she actually hosted a pet show too). She commands the room and she took professional pics of the dogs and gave us a lot of tips. I’ve read reviews that say she talks fast, but she doesn’t. No more than say any other New Yorker. The play session with one of her staff was just okay, which is understandable, but was a bit of a let down after the standard set by Andrea herself.
Even though my puppy only attended two play sessions here she started off as being the puppy scared hiding under chairs and not coming out to playing in that incompetent way puppies do by the end of her second session. Since then we have gone to a play session at one other place and now that she has had all three sets of vaccinations, we have been frequenting the local dog park and she is becoming the feisty one there thinking she is much bigger than she actually is in real life.
But I would highly recommend the puppy socialization classes to puppy owners who still want to get their puppies socialized during the critical socialization period but also don’t want to expose their puppies too much before they have received all their vaccinations. Also, these puppy socialization classes are almost a necessary step for the puppy to gain enough confidence to then comfortably move on to doggie parks, whether small or big.
For the owners, there is the added benefit of being able to see all different breeds of cute and adorable puppies in these classes and to mingle and meet with the other puppy owners.

We adopted our pup from Animal Haven and got the $ 100 discount fee from the $ 370~ original cost of the 6 week puppy classes. My husband and I were a bit resistant initially (since, ya’know watching Cesar on TV makes us pros ;)), especially since we were both experienced (as in owned previously, but never formally trained) dog owners.
The space is small — our dog is half Cane Corso and German Shepard, his pupmates were all the size of his thighs — so it makes for an awkward setting. It’s inside a pet store/​grooming spot, so you can get whatever you need before or during class. The people that attend are of the area, more or less. In general, everyone was nice. It’s a completely different set of people from hood which we liked, being that we want our dog to be socialized with all kinds of people and locations.
We had Katrina Krings as our instructor who is AMAZING. She listened to us and offered suggestions and was very thorough whenever any of us asked questions, but more importantly she was extra supportive when we came to her about a negative experience (big dog prejudice) and medical woes (to pre-​adolescent neutering). She is also in charge of puppy play and adolescent classes. I highly recommend puppy play (its $ 10 for an hour — I am guessing rent for the space), even though the area is small for 10 –15 people hovering over their dogs everyone is friendly and offers the opportunity for your puppy to socialize with other dogs and people (this is important people!). Katrina keeps a watchful eye over aggression, shyness, and pee/​poops.
The philosophy is positive reinforcement — and being as stubborn or more than your dog. Katrina e-​mailed us homework, in-​class assignments and 6-​week expectations for graduation. The class content is no different than you would expect elsewhere: puppy push ups, sit, stand, down, touch, stay, leave, etc.
I took one star off because the location is small for big puppies, but it is perfect for small to medium sized pups. Also the price is a bit steep, thanks Animal Haven for the discount!

I had my puppy in their training program and the experience was okay. The space is a bit strange because you can hear everything going on outside the class, which is distracting, but there is a store inside where you can purchase food, treats, and clothes which is great. For the price we paid I was expecting Andrea to lead our class. We had a different trainer who was fine. It seems like there is a set curriculum that they follow. My main complaint is that some puppies were a bit more advanced but she still made them do the same basic exercises like grabbing a collar or staring at a treat. My puppy was not receptive to certain exercises and she didn’t really have any suggestions for an alternative action on my part that could elicit the command. I strongly recommend their play groups if you don’t mind the small space. I actually learned more in there, perhaps because Andrea was leading it. I was taught how to read my dog’s body language and distinguish between play and aggression. Andrea will also answer your questions and give very good suggestions.

Had a great time at the six weeks of puppy classes. Kimberly was attentive and helpful. She valued our pets and found it important to give us feedback and advice on how to train our puppies.

We took our Havanese puppy to training classes when she was about 5 months old. We wanted to start training her before she got into any bad habits. The trainers were nice and extremely helpful. We were having several issues with our dog that weren’t covered in class, but they took the time to talk us through. It was also great to have her socialize with other dogs her size and age in a supervised and safe setting. Not to mention that she loved the stimulation. Classes are expensive but we felt it was worth it.

Andrea Arden was invaluable in teaching us how to manage our new relationship with Mack our Boston Terrier, a bit of a stubborn dog. :)
People tend to over think and overstress on how to establish control, but the trainer helped us use everyday tasks and exercises to get a sense on how to relate to our new dog. 6 lessons at $ 350 is reasonable in my mind for walking you through how to EFFECTIVELY build that relationship. Again, treating problems early (like house training) and understanding how to deal with the unknowns was well worth it for us since having our dog is a 10 – 15 year affair (if not hopefully longer). Anyway, professional help at a professional price is how we see it having gone through it.

3.5 stars.
I signed up my puppies for their 6-​week puppy class. We had Katrina as our trainer. She was very friendly and seemed down-​to-​earth. No complaints on the trainer. But I had high expectations of their classes because: 1. the owner Andrea Arden had received some press on her way of dog training. 2. it was very expensive. ($ 375 per dog)
The class content was okay. Katrina explains it well, and I learned few pointers on how to train my puppies. But it didn’t seem any different from what Petco or Petsmart would offer in their training classes at ¼ the price. I would know because few friends had enrolled their dogs in them. They gave us a «free» dog trainer guide by Andrea Arden book and it looked like something I could have gotten off the internet. Very thin and not really «secret» information unique to Andrea Arden.
The space is tiny. It is not seperated by a solid wall so you hear everything that is going on outside the class. It seems bizarre that they don’t have their own space for their classes with the price they charge. Or are able to rent out a better one. Overall, disappointed but would not «not recommend.» It’s an okay class if you can afford it. Really though, Andrea Arden trainig was nothing special. Trying out a different obedience class now so will update when our class is finished!

Andrea Arden — terrible service, bad attitude and insensitive to new dog owners! BEWARE!!!
I called to ask for a refund after our first private lesson $ 400 for a 3-​pack. Andrea Arden accused me of being unethical for requesting a refund and unfair to business owners b/​c I had already paid and her site states no refunds «in red» — which I didn’t see…
My family recently got a wonderful poodle bichon puppy from an incredible breeder in Iowa (Rolling Meadows) whose owner was friendly, helpful and understanding that we are total rookies with pets.
Andrea Arden was totally the opposite experience.
We had an Arden trainer come to our apartment 2 weeks ago as soon as the dog came home and purchased a 3-​pack private lesson for $ 400.
During the first «lesson», there was zero dog «training» at all. The trainer held the dog for 1 hour on her lap and discussed using a crate and feeding the dog INSIDE the crate (which was the opposite of what the vet said we should do). I called Andrea Arden the next day to cancel the remaining 2 sessions as I didn’t feel it was a fit for our family needs. Andrea called me today (2 weeks later) and called me unethical and hung up the phone on me. She was so rude and insensitive. I was shocked and dismayed that she refused to refund the remaining 2 lessons which haven’t been used and told me «this conversation isn’t going anywhere and you can use the lessons within 6 months or NOT — I don’t care!»
This was a very negative experience. There must be other dog training facilities that don’t act like thugs with clients who change their mind. Best Friends is one I heard great things about.
Bye-​bye to my $ 400 — I’ll never recommend Andrea Arden and wouldn’t expect professional service if I did choose to use the 2 since she was so mean to me on the phone.

I took a puppy class at the location & it helped tremendously!!!
The trainer was Katrina, who was more than willing to answer any silly little question that i had (and anyone else in the class — believe me there were a lot!) She emailed us tasks & additional info too. I saved the email & still refer back to these sometimes… Katrina was more than willing address any problems I was having with my pooch. I have a brussels griffon, when i was expressed the difficulties i was having with walking her on leash — she looked at my harness suggested a different one & I have never had a problem since!
The techiquies that we were taught I still use. Recently I travelled up state where i had my dog off leash (which freaked me completely out) then i just used some simple targeting tasks (and some yummy bacon as a reward) we were taught in class. After a day i was completely calm with her off leash & every time I call her she comes running! This is something i dont think i would have been able to achieve on my own.
Taking the class was definetly the best thing I could have done for my puppy!