Shelby Semel Dog Training

Shelby has gone out of her way to help us with our new puppy. My puppy is blind and deaf so it was really important we made sure he got the care he needed and Shelby did all the research necessary and was always down to text for all our needs which was extremely helpful! I highly recommend Shelby and her team they’re so professional and knowledgeable!

We’ve had a really tremendous experience. From the day we reached out, Warren has been knowledgeable, caring, and attentive to help us get our city scared puppy into a happier and healthier position. He’s been incredibly responsive and his passion for helping both owners and pets is clear. We’ve got a long road ahead of us with our furry pal, but very glad to have Warren on our team!

We have been working for the past several months with Genevieve from Shelby Semel Dog Training. Our chi mix is highly anxious and reactive and tends to snap at strangers. Genevieve is extremely skilled and professional and has been able to inform and guide us using a step by step approach that stays below our dogs trigger points. She is always prompt and courteous and has given us lots of extra time through emails, texts and sharing of videos. Our dog is making steady progress and simply would not be without Genevieves guidance. Highly recommend!!

Our family has had an amazing experience with Shelby Semel Dog Training. We have taken group classes as well as private training with our trainer Victoria. Our goldendoodle Percy is quite the personality, and absolutely loves Victoria! We have used several board and train opportunities with Victoria and its honestly been the best money weve ever spent. Percy is always excited to go off to camp with Victoria! Shelby is very responsive to questions and providing recommendations that suit your dogs current training ability for optimal progress. Victoria is incredibly communicative and has been so helpful getting us through Percys first year in our home! (She started working with him at 10 weeks!) Thanks so much!

I first began working with Genevieve from Shelby when my Boston Terrier suddenly decided he didn’t want to wear a harness anymore or be picked up and handled. Gen was very good at assessing the situation and decerning what might be causing his anxiety with those things. She devised a plan that was all about positive reinforcement, desensitization, and going slowly at my dog’s pace. She is very patient, kind and she really cares about her clients. She is also very knowledgeable in canine behaviors and the possible root causes for those behaviors. Long story short, we have gotten my dog back in a harness and he is now much more tolerant of being handled! And on top of all that work, my Boston just LOVES her! He goes crazy when he sees her! I would recommend (and have recommended) Genevieve to anyone who needs some help with their canine!

My dog and I have taken 3 group classes with Shelby Semel (Accelerated Basic Obedience, Loose Leash Walking, and Impulse Control) and theyve all been nothing short of amazing. Weve had trainer Frankie for all of our classes and shes great at personalizing each class and answering all my questions, even over email. My dog, Oliver, is obsessed with Frankie and I love that the classes are held in public places (the distractions help Oliver learn in all environments and they help me learn how to redirect him). Training with Shelby Semel has been fun, easy, and incredibly affordable. When I adopted Oliver he was scared and now 10 months later he is well behaved and well adjusted. We look forward to going to more training classes!

Shelby and her team are amazing! She’s not a “scripted” trainer like many others. Shelby will come up with a training plan specifically for that dog and it’s needs. I love that they understand not every dog learns the same way and they will come up with a training plan that works best for each dog. From basic training to behavioral issues, they are THE best! Great trainers that are in it for the dogs and dog parents best interest! They are truly working from the heart and the results are proof of that!

We have done puppy socialization, private training, Basic Obedience class, and Mind your Manners class with Shelby Semel and they have all been fantastic. My dog, Archie, and I love every trainer. We continue to go to different classes not because Archie needs training, but because the environment is great for him and he continues to learn new tricks. The group classes are also super helpful for me as an owner to help me learn what I could be practicing with him. I highly recommend Shelby Semel if you need training for your puppy/dog, if you are looking for dog socialization, or if you think you/your dog could benefit from new tricks!

We are so grateful Shelby matched my new puppy with Doug for fast track training. It went so well we are in the middle of a 10 pack, and Roo is really putting things together at another level. Doug doesnt just train Roo, but me too! He is reliable, responsive, thorough, and we are so grateful he is flexible with our training needs. Most importantly, Roo loves and trusts Doug (so do I)! We recently attended a puppy play class with Shelby who finally got to meet Roo. She thought Roo was adorable (of course), and so well adjusted. She asked how Roo was doing outside etc and remarked how she didnt seem anxious. I said she loves outside. I dont know what you are talking about shes fearless and fun! I mustve looked at her as if she had two heads, and then I remembered my initial outreach to Shelby for immediate help. Bottom line, we have done so much amazing work with Doug that I totally forgot the reason we signed up with Doug for fast track. Shelby and Doug understood the urgency Iin training her during her imprint period to set her up for success. I am blessed for Shelby training my last dog, Scout (Rip) as a puppy (and me as a first time owner). Scout had a great life with her training foundation, and this time around is even better. Not only is Doug an amazing trainer, he has become like family.. I cannot wait to train with him for Good Citizen, and for Roo to become a therapy dog. Based on the work we do together, I know down the road she is the perfect recipe for a therapy dog, lifting patients moods in a hospital setting.Amy L

Laura and Leslie have transformed my pup and I couldnt speak more highly of the classes and private training sessions. Starting with Laura - we started virtual training after I had Brodie for a few months and had no idea what I was doing! As a first time dog owner, I was skeptical of virtual training but it was amazing! It was particularly helpful for all of the basic commands, and some tricks - along with follow-up sessions for random things that come up! Laura is so patient and creative with techniques specific to your pup and will always find a solution to anything! She is so much fun to work with and super responsive all the time. If you are questioning virtual training -- I really recommend giving it a try. Turning to Leslie - we signed up for the Canine Good Citizen prep & test class and after the first class I was sure Brodie would fail but wed make the best of it anyway. As the class went on, after a lot of personal attention (for all pups in the class!) Brodie has passed the practice test! Leslie also has so much patience and passion for her job - we had so much fun learning that we signed up for another class with her! Leslie really gets to know each pups needs and personalizes the class to set everyone up for success in different ways. Before I started training with SSDT I viewed training as a burden that I wanted to get through quickly. Now I look forward to seeing Laura and Leslie and learning more with Brodie. Theres always more to learn and improve and I look forward to working with them for a long time to come, both virtually and in person! Thank you so so so much!!!!

We have been working with Jenna for almost two months for leash reactivity and general manners with our 1.5 year old pup, Roo. Jenna is AMAZING at what she does - she has helped us better understand Roo, how she may be feeling / what she may be thinking and that in turn has (1) strengthened the way we communicate with Roo and (2) made us more confident as dog owners. Roo also LOVES her! Highly recommend Jenna and Shelby Semel training!

Shelby and her team are not only incredible dog trainers (not just by my standards, but my dogs, which is way more important), but theyre also communicative, kind, and super accommodating! All of their policies are clearly identified up front, no room for confusion - yes they are pricier than some but you get what you pay for - QUALITY training! Also follow them on IG for tons of free tips/tricks/info on free classes in NYC!!! Shelby and her team are the greatest.

Frankie is the best trainer Ive ever had! Shes incredible and our dog Oliver loves her. Ive seen her with other dogs too, and its the same with them. Shes knowledgeable, confident, and just knows how to work with pups (and people). Prices for Shelby Semel are fair for the city too, so not overpaying like some other Training schools Ive seen!

We enrolled our newly adopted dog in an outdoor basic obedience class in Central Park and it was great. The trainer Jenna did a great job teaching us how to teach our dogs. We especially liked how our whole family could attend the classes at no additional cost. Jenna also made sure that the class was fun and safe - especially during this pandemic. Thank you to Jenna and the whole Shelby Semel team for creatively offering these great classes in safe outdoor environments.

I got my puppy Mabel in February and have been working with Shelby since March - shes amazing! Shelby and Mabel have a very special bond - sometimes I even get jealous, haha.Mabel is my first dog and I had worked with another trainer before finding Shelby. I had no idea what I was missing in that trainer until I met Shelby. Shelby sets the bar HIGH and I think youd be hard-pressed to find someone more knowledgeable on dog training or someone who cares more about your dog and trying to make them as happy (and obedient) as possible!We started by going to her puppy socialization classes and they totally changed my dog! She is so social now (with both dogs and people) that my quick walk around the block takes quite a while because she wants to say hi to everyone but still listens to me when we have to keep going (thank you appropriate on-leash greetings class:-) )!We also did some one-on-one training with Shelby at home and then took Shelbys Basic Obedience Class and are currently in Intermediate Obedience. Both classes have been extremely helpful and informative. I am training Mabel to be a Therapy Dog and Shelby and her team have gone above and beyond in class to help me with those skills needed for Mabel to be successful!I have recommended Shelby to many friends that are new dog owners and they have all been thrilled with her and continue to work with her. I highly recommend Shelby and her team! You wont be disappointed :-)

Shelby was great with my puppy - super knowledgeable and got my puppy trained quickly! We did puppy socialization classes on the UES with her as well which was great and my dog is super friendly and loves other dogs and kids which I think Is because of her training. She’s also easy to ask friends or family to babysit because she’s super easy and well behaved!! When my niece mentioned she was getting a puppy I knew I had To get her training with them so I reached out and they had great customer service and worked with me to get a great gift of puppy training and my niece is very happy with the results!!

Laura Folsom at Shelby Semel Dog training has made all the difference in helping us raise our new puppy. We are first-time puppy parents and Laura has trained as much as she has helped us train our puppy! With her help we’ve navigated potty-training, socializing a very nervous puppy, basic commands, and leash-training. I highly recommend Shelby Semel Dog training and Laura, specifically!

Shelby Semel Training has been so wonderful for our dog. We have a rescue pup who has become leash aggressive. Corinne (one of the senior trainers) has helped our dog so much. She is so patient and is constantly answering my many questions. She has acted as support system and we cant thank her enough. She is truly a wonderful trainer whose work has helped our dog improve so much! Thank you, Shelby Semel Training!

Shelby Rocks!!! When I was looking for a dog trainer I called several different people. No one took the time to talk to me and answer my million questions like Shelby did. She was amazing. She was sooooo patient and helpful. She told me exactly what I needed for when I brought my pup home. Our first training session was amazing. She helped me set up my apartment for the pup and went over everything i needed to know at my pace. I didnt feel rushed or overwhelmed at all. I did 5 training sessions with Shelby. She taught my dog all the basics like stay, sit, touch, down etc. She also taught my dog some great tricks!! I did her socialization classes as well at Running Paws which was great for my pup b/c she isnt the most social. Shelby also set up some play dates for my dog in my area and now my pup has a best friend that she plays with every week. My pup recently turned 1 and I had what I like to call a Tune Up session with Shelby. It was great. ShelbyI HIGHLY recommend Shelby to train your dog!!! It is b/c of her my pup is so well behaved.

Im in the middle of a Basic Obedience class and a private training session with Jenna. I highly recommend both!The private training session was incredibly helpful. My puppy had a resource guarding problem. Jenna really understood the problem, and gave many iterative solutions to work on it, adjusting her suggestions based on how my puppy responded to various exercises. Ive worked with a few trainers besides Jenna and the class, and of all of them Jenna educated me the most about dog training and my puppys body language. With some trainers I worked with, I didnt really feel like I learned anything beyond material I could find online via Youtube videos and books, but that was not the case here.Since Ive done multiple private lessons, Ive gotten a little less out of the group classes, but I generally really enjoy them, and my puppy gets good practice in a slightly more distracting environment, and I like that he is able to interact with other dogs, and being able to understand a bit more about how he interacts with other dogs.

I cant say enough about Shelby and her wonderful company. She has been the best human to ever happen to my dog Tucker. She trained him as a puppy and he is the dog he is today because of her patience and oversight. He was attacked and seriously injured by a dog and needed to recover not only physically but emtionally. He became afraid of just about anything andhis fearfulness was heartbreaking to witness. Worse, the same dog tried to hurt him a few weeks ago, taking him in her mouth and shaking him. Shelby was there to guide Tucker back to his true self both times and she remains in his life today, always there to answer questions or concerns. She is truly Tuckers guardian angel! Beyond that, his connection to her is amazing. She gave him a toy when he was a puppy and it is stillhis most coveted belonging.I think that says it all!

I worked with Laura to help with my dogs separation anxiety and she has changed both of our lives! I didnt realize just how stressed we both were, and now I feel able to leave her alone knowing that she will be calm. The virtual aspect allowed me to do sessions from anywhere, and it really gave Laura a realistic perspective of how my dog would reacts in her environment when I leave, which you wouldnt get if this happened in-person at a facility. Laura was also very responsive to all my questions both during sessions and over email. Cant recommend Laura and this company enough!

We took our dog to Bae Tails in hopes as first-time dog owners to better understand how to train them. John was really supportive along the way. We left with a lot of lessons and new ideas; our dog also started following commands, and overall we were very happy with how things turned out. Would highly recommend.

I highly recommend Shelby Semel Dog Training! I have been working with Laura from Shelby Semel since February when we brought home our (then) 3.5 month Cavalier King Charles Spaniel puppy. Laura is amazing — within the first session alone, we had made significant progress on crate training and our pup had learned basic commands such as “touch” and “sit”. Over subsequent sessions we were able to tackle housebreaking, leash training, and tons of fun/useful tricks that I can confidently say I would not have been able to master on my own. Laura is super responsive and also provides handy follow-up notes and guides so that we can continue to practice on our own in between sessions.Additionally, mid-way through our training we switched from in-person lessons to virtual lessons due to covid-19. I was a bit skeptical that we would be able to make the same progress via virtual lessons but the transition has been seamless and we have been able to accomplish just as much as we had been through our in-person training sessions. I really can’t recommend Shelby Semel Dog Training, and Laura in particular, highly enough!

Shelbys team is so positive, responsive and willing to provide virtual training sessions at times that work really well for my schedule. The training is fun, caring, and really puppy-centered. Most of all - it works and makes training a pleasure. Love to be able to work with Shelby and her trainer Laura, and I am so so glad I found them.

Would definitely recommend Shelby as she explains in detail certain dog behaviors and how to handle them. Her methods truly work! Within a few minutes, my dog was able to do commands such as: sit, stay, leave it, etc! She also leads a weekly puppy socialization group class on Mondays, which are super helpful to get your puppy accustomed to new sounds, people, surroundings, etc. Ive recommended over 3 friends to use Shelby and theyve all loved her as well!

Respectable, patient, dog-loving trainers. Couldnt be any happier with Shelby and her trainers, who truly give all the love and attention to your puppy it deserves. The space is very big, plenty of treats and opportunities for your pup to learn new tricks and run around with some new friends. Dont wait for too, just go straight to Shelby, she changed my puppys behavior from the 2nd class. We will be sorry you didnt come to her earlier.

Got a puppy, a rescue from Kentucky. Never had a puppy before and boy was she a handful. Hired Daniel from Shelby for private training and he was awesome. Really knows his stuff and after a few sessions, Darla (the dog) is really behaving and listening to me and I feel so much safer taking her to the park. Daniel made it so easy. He answered every question and concern and followed up with notes and instructions. Its funny, when you get a new dog, everyone gives you advice. Dont listen to them! Listen to Daniel!! Hes got a license and everything. Wish I could give more stars.

Super service! Shelby trained my Frenchie 7 years ago. He still knows all of his ques. Now we have a Frenchie puppy as well and Shelby’s staff had 2 great sessions with him. Prompt, professional service and great people on her team. Prices are fair and even a little more reasonable than some of the competition. Booking appts are easy too and the staff follow up but never pressured us into more sessions that maybe we didn’t need. 🐶

Thank you so much to our trainer Laura for our virtual training session! Our new puppy Pickles had a great time and we learned a whole lot about how to support her as she grows. Laura is so thorough and helpful with all sorts of tips and tricks! Highly recommend!!!

Just overall a great experience. They put on puppy socialization classes and offer private in home lessons. Their whole methodology is great, and they are always willing to help. My puppy has learned a lot from their advice and theyve made life a lot easier!

Shelby is an amazing trainer. I cant say enough about how much we have learned from her. She listened to all of our concerns and gave us great strategies that had an immediate impact. Worth every penny!

Weve been working with Emily and she is amazing!! Super knowledgeable and patient, a pleasure to work with and gets results, what more could you ask for? Our very nervous aussie puppy warmed up to her right away, and thats saying a lot ;)

Terrible customer experience and was offered no refund for not being able to attend.I paid $375 for a puppy kindergarten, but my puppy ended up not being able to make it because he was sick and didnt get clearance needed from the vet.I was told I could not get a refund because they couldnt fill my spot, AND that I couldnt use it towards a future credit/class, even though I shared the vets note with the trainer ....Really surprising for how much the course was, to not be able to redeem it within under 6 months.

Shelby has been great and beyond helpful for me and my dog! The customer service is superb as she goes above and beyond! Truly lucky to have a dog trainer like this in the city.

Outstanding virtual meeting during which I learned more about puppy behavior and dogs than in multiple sessions with other trainers. Great, positive rewards focused insights and very professional and personable! Highly recommend.

I know it sounds dramatic to say this, but Shelby changed my entire dang life with her amazing training. My dog pulled on his leash so much that it was dangerous and a few virtual sessions on Zoom with Shelby solved the problem almost completely after I followed her advice and training method that she taught me. Walks are now a pleasant experience whereas before they were usually unpleasant! Truly magical change. Shelby knows her stuff and, more importantly, is fun to work with! She totally gets the reality of having a pet in 2024 and knows how to work within your specific limitations to help you best help your dog. Cant recommend her enough!

Best Dog Trainer in NYC. No doubt about it. Shelby Semel Dog Training is the finest puppy training provider in the entire city.

So happy to leave this review. Gen walked in our lives after me and my fiancée brought home a reactive Australian Shepard mini. We have made a ton of progress with positive reinforcement, calming behavior, and Gen’s constant teaching and willingness to respond to all my texts and worries when things were overwhelming. Would recommend her to anyone from bringing home a puppy to behavior modification.

I started working with Corinne after my 3-year-old dog lost a lot of his polite behaviors from puppy training. He was reactive around other dogs in the neighborhood, and would pull me so hard on walks it was painful (saying a lot given hes only 20 pounds). Corinne spent every training session triaging his more urgent habits and gave me homework each time to improve for our next session. I never felt rushed in any of the sessions—it was obvious that Corinne really cared about our progress and would check in via email between sessions with advice and tips. Ive never done individual training before, and although I was skeptical about the price point when starting, the difference it made was so, so worth it. Our relationship on walks has totally improved and most importantly the sessions really helped with his anxiety—he is gradually becoming more relaxed and less nervous while outside which I think is improving his quality of life. Definitely would recommend this team to any struggling dog owner!

She definitely has passion for what she does and it shows. Ive already seen immense improvement only after a few sessions. Highly recommended!!

Can’t say enough good things about the Shelby Training Crew! I signed up for One on One training lessons for my new Frenchie, Beverly. From minute One Shelby was beyond helpful answering all my questions and concerns. Bev and I were teamed up with trainer Leslie R- she is the BEST! Every session is fun and interesting- we learn so much but it never feels like “work.” Little Beverly is doing so well with her commands- and Leslie feels like part of the family! We are customers for life- my dog is happy, healthy, stimulated and truly WELL BEHAVED- all thanks to Leslie, Shelby and crew! 5 Stars & 5 Woofs!