The Dog Institute of Williamsburg

"Elizabeth and her team have been truly incredible for our family. We first found out about the dog institute through a chance encounter meeting dachshunds at an event. We had recently said goodbye to our 16 year old dachshund a few months prior. While saying hello to a young dachshund puppy, who was in classes at TDI, we found out they were fostering a 10 week old long haired dachshund puppy! Pretty soon Athena, now Hazel, was ours and we were enrolled in puppy classes. We had our previous dog Wolfgang from age 8-16 so there wasn't much in the way of training, and Hazel had so much energy which was something we weren't used to. Classes and day training with TDI not only gave Hazel a place to have fun and have daily structure, but the classes also helped us become better, more responsible, dog owners. And that became doubly clear when we got a second dachshund, June a year later and restarted the puppy phase all over. We recommend The Dog Institute and they will forever be a second home in our hearts, maybe a first home for Hazel who gets so excited whenever we go anywhere near there."

"The Dog Institute has been taking care of our pup for 9 years! He loves staying and training with them, and doesn’t suffer from separation anxiety whenever we are away for extended periods. Elizabeth and her team are awesome, reliable and genuinely care about the well-being of our little guy! We highly recommend their services."

"We love the Dog Institute! From the very beginning, we wished our eight-week-old puppy came with a user's manual; virtual training sessions with Elizabeth turned out to be even better than that, starting with the absolute basics and progressing through more advanced skills. Our puppy also loved Play and Train sessions during the week, so much so that she starts jumping for joy anytime we get within a block. We've also left our dog overnight (and longer) at the Dog Institute, and there's no one we'd trust more. They truly care about all of the dogs they look after, and it shows."

"The Dog Institute of Williamsburg was a game changer for my puppy, Ford! I was nervous about how impactful virtual dog training would be, but it's been great. Elizabeth is super knowledgable and patient, and because her sessions are 1:1 you have the opportunity to focus on specific behaviors depending on your pup's needs! The homework she provides is also really clear and easy to follow. My sessions with Elizabeth were a really great foundation to building a relationship with my puppy! I also cannot say enough good things about the play & train sessions. The space is super clean, there aren't too many dogs, and the staff is incredible! It's been a great way to socialize Ford, practice being apart from each other, and reinforce behaviors we are learning at home. It is Ford's favorite place!"

"All the stars! My bf and I adopted a cattle dog puppy named Lucy in July 2017. We have been training at the Dog Institute with Elizabeth and her staff ever since. We are big fans and you can usually find us at adult dog clicker class on Sundays. Elizabeth is a really knowledgeable and talented dog trainer. I was looking for a place that did positive training only. We first attended baby puppy playgroups and baby puppy classes. In each class we learned foundation skills that we still use today (think potty training, chewing, impulse control). There was always time for individual attention and questions. And then the TEENS happened. The teen months are harder than the baby puppy months IMHO. During Lucy's teen months we discovered a few things about her: she is deaf and reactive. Our teenage months were crazy so we went to as many teen puppy classes as we could. That's when we started working with other Dog Institute staff like Nicole and Deidre - who are amazing. We continue to go to class regularly because it's fun - and because we still have a lot to learn. If you have a puppy I would also recommend the Dog Institute's day training program."