Testimonials
When working with animals, it’s important to make sure your people skills are up to par as well.
MS, VMD, DACVB
As a professional trainer and instructor since 1995, I’ve met many young or aspiring dog trainers. Most of them have some good skills, but are missing critical elements to make them truly successful. Marisa and Perry are the exceptions. They both have deep knowledge of dog behavior, excellent observational skills, and the training chops to quickly accomplish their goals. But what truly sets them apart is their ability to empathize and successfully interact with human clients, as well as their dogs. Patience while training dogs is important, but patience while training PEOPLE is essential, Perry and Marisa have an abundance of both. They are both capable of thinking outside the box and creating a training plan perfectly tailored to each client’s needs. I cannot recommend them highly enough!
Quick Silver Canine
Emma, Mike, Tommy and Molly Giardina
I frequently refer clients to Marisa for training and they always come back singing her praises.
Eric J. Matkowski, VMD
Associate Veterinarian
Indy Vet Care
indyvetcare.com
Perry DeWitt speaks “dog.” That is the only way I can make sense of the incredible gift that she has in interacting with animals. She approaches each dog with an open mind and truly seeks to understand who that individual is. Her holistic, compassionate approach results in positive outcomes for dogs and their families. In my clinical practice, I work with children, and adolescents using Animal Assisted Therapy. Perry has worked with both of my dogs in helping them become the best co-therapists they can be. She is an excellent problem solver and has helped me develop creative ways to assist my clients and canines in interacting together more effectively. Beyond any technical skill set (of which she has many) Perry has a natural gift and talent for understanding animals and helping other people understand them as well. You just can’t teach what she has.
Associate Professor, Department of Counseling and Behavioral Health, Thomas Jefferson University www.dognerd101.blogspot.com
I have two male dogs, pit mix and lab mix. They both were rescued from high kill shelters. They were fine for 4 months together and after that they got into a fight and I didn’t feel safe leaving them together anymore. Besides my pit had some issues when he was growling at people and other dogs and I needed to understand how to control him better.
It was not an option to re-home one of them so I decided to take training classes. I checked a lot of training websites and talked to several people who provide dog’s training and I was not satisfied with any of them. Finally I found out about Philly Dog Training. I took several private classes and I was extremely satisfied with them. First of all I’ve learned how to understand my dogs better. I’ve learned their “body language” and now I can tell if their play is safe or not and if it’s better to stop their game so it doesn’t turn into a fight. Second I’ve learned how to get my dog’s attention and re-direct them. I’ve learned some additional commands I needed for my dogs. The training sessions from Philly dog training are awesome! I liked a lot that they are customer-oriented and work on issues that are brought to their attention. I liked that I got an answer on every question I asked and I got recommendations how to handle certain issues. I was also happy to get good training instructions that definitely work with a little bit of time and effort.
Alexandra Vityazyeva
After much research and a couple of dead-ends, we reached out to Philly Dog Training for help with our 7-month-old Chessie, who had been exhibiting episodes of increasingly unpredictable and inappropriate mouthing. This was particularly concerning because we have a small child. We were matched with Brittney Paye, and couldn’t be more thankful for all of the time, patience, energy and kindness she has invested in our family.
Thanks to Brittney were able to connect with a great veterinary behaviorist who gave us some insight into how his early development and innate anxiety contributed to this behavior, get him on a medication that helped lower his anxiety and thus ability to retrain in a less anxious mode, and begin low-stakes frustration training that has made a real difference in his overall reactivity. In the end we had to accept that all progress aside, there was guarantee that this behavior would never be aimed at our daughter, and made the heartrending decision to re-home to an all-adult household. Brittney’s continued support even in this phase has helped us to approach this truly dreaded realization in as considered and compassionate a way as possible, continuing to train with him in a safe and productive way while evaluating potential new owners for our beloved boy.
Having had dogs all our lives, we considered ourselves veteran dog owners who could tackle anything. In the course of very few sessions, however, Brittney opened us up to a whole new world of insight into canine behavior, body language, and training methods. There is no doubt that we will reach out for her expertise again once we are ready to start thinking about bringing another dog into our home.
Thank you Brittney for everything.
B, F, E, & I (the Patzak Family)
I met Marisa while working at a veterinarian hospital where she was head of the daycare and training services. I immediately realized the amazing training ability and thorough knowledge of dog behavior she possesses. Marisa has continued to further her education by working with other trainers to research what she feels are the best training methods available. She is always challenging herself to reach new levels of training with her personal dogs. She loves what she does, and it shows in that after a day of training dogs for other people, she goes home and trains her own. Marisa is a remarkable young woman with admirable ability and unwavering commitment to her profession.
Merritt K. Kennedy
Owner/Trainer Carolina Canine Training
Perry has helped us a lot with our rescued Cattle Dog. She is very imaginative and innovative in her approach to training. Perry always has new ideas and she is completely dedicated to helping our dog succeed. Best of all, our dog is absolutely crazy about Perry!
Donna and Doug Cosgrove
Dog Training Services
- Private Lessions
- Behavior Modification
- All-Breed Training
- Positive, Force Free Training
- Reactive Dog Training
- Basic to Advance Obedience
- Basic Manners
- Off-Leash Training
- Puppy Training
- Socialization
- Housebreaking / Potty Training
- Chewing and Destructive Training
- Biting and Agression
- Anxieties, Fears and Phobias
- Understanding Canine Body Language
- Problem Solving
- ...and much more!