Barb Levenson Dog Training Centers 367 Plum Street, Oakmont, PA 15139

"Before scheduling behavioral training for my Cavalier King Charles Spaniel I did some research online. I looked at several private training classes as well as other well known trainers in the Pittsburgh area. In my research I knew that I wanted to check out Barb Levenson because I had heard her name for several years and knew she had a lot of experience. I must say that I was surprised when I saw negative reviews online about her classes. I chose to ignore the comments and proceed with calling Barb, and I am so glad I did! Immediately Barb was prepared to take on my misbehaved pup. In fact, she agreed to see me that same day because I explained that I was taking my dog on vacation in under two weeks and I was worried that she may ruin my trip. At the very first lesson Barb asked how badly I wanted to change my dog’s behavior. At that point I was at my wit’s end because my dog was growling at people at my business, barking at children, and had severe separation anxiety. I was worried she was becoming aggressive. I expressed that changing the behavior was crucial; not something I’d LIKE to happen, but something that HAD to happen. Barb then explained that in order to change the dog’s behavior, I needed to agree to changing MY behavior. That’s when I realized why she had some negative reviews… people expect to hire a trainer and that the dog will magically improve. What they fail to understand is that it takes effort and willingness to admit that your own methods are not working. I was open to listening to her direction and within two lessons I was seeing a different dog. Instead of screaming at the dog to do things, she began doing them even without a command. My dog used to sit and bark at my feet for attention, and now when I sit down, she comes and lays at my feet. I don’t even have to tell her to do it!!! I work with my dog twice a day every day to enforce the direction that Barb has given me. It takes work, but it is also a lot of fun watching the dog transform. The training isn’t just up to Barb, it’s up to me. If I choose to attend the classes and then not work with my dog on what we learned, it’s my fault if the training doesn’t work, not Barb’s. If you are looking for a professional, talented trainer, and you are genuinely ready to change your own ways of training your dog, call Barb. However, if you aren’t willing to make a change, and you think you can do it by following only SOME of the rules, Barb isn’t for you. She is a caring and dedicated trainer that has been willing to answer my questions no matter when I need her. She will challenge you as well as your dog. She expects that you will put in the work, and doesn’t pull any punches when talking about her methods. Obviously, if you need a trainer, you must be like me…someone that doesn’t know the right way to train a dog. Even though I feel that I know my own dog, Barb knows how to get my dog to work for me rather than the other way around. All I ever did was work for my dog…. constantly correcting her, needing to watch every move she made in case she might growl or bite, being bullied by her constant attention seeking. This training with Barb Levenson is changing all of these behaviours and giving me the dog I always wanted. I am grateful that I found Barb, and now I will be hiring her again to help me transform my pup into a therapy dog."

"Barb is the worst trainer I have ever worked with. I went to her facility because previously I had gone there and worked with a teacher who was fantastic. That lady no longer worked there when I got my next dog and I took Barb's class. This class produced fear-aggression in my dog because of how inappropriate the environment and training are. Let me count the ways. 1. The environment is loud and dogs are barking everywhere. That's a lot for a dog. 2. Dogs are NOT allowed to socialize EVER. So when your dog is scared in this environment, they are going to generalize it. In my case, my dog had already been attacked by another dog before we came to class, so this just escalated her fear response to everything. 3. Barb will not ever work with your dog directly. If it's not working, she blames it on you not working hard or long enough with your dog. On the other hand, the trainer I went to after her took my dog and had her sitting quietly while other dogs walked around her. A good trainer can control any dog. Barb is just not a good trainer. 4. "Puppy management" is AWFUL. My dog could lay down quietly and wait there before we started classes. But make me stand on her leash near her collar to make her do it? Suddenly my dog refused (wouldn't you if someone was choking you?) and just stood there choking herself while the other dogs whined and made the environment scarier. I was not allowed to bypass this exercise and use the "down" command my dog responded to. If you want to say down and THEN step on the leash to keep them there, fine. But doing it this way is just terrible. All the working breed dogs (I have a rott but there were also boxers, dobies, and pits in my class) struggled with this environment and one poor guy who had adopted a beautiful rose-colored pitbull ended up relinquishing her because Barb's methods could not help him get control of his energetic girl. It's so sad that Barb was the problem, not the dog. DO NOT GO HERE. If your dog develops fear aggression like mine did (and I was surprised to hear 2 of my colleagues at work had the SAME experience!!), there is only so much you can do to remediate. My dog retained her fear for the rest of her life."

"Barb is amazing! I am so happy to have found her over 4 years ago when I rescued my puppy. I picked up my now 4 year old girl on a Saturday, and was in class that Thursday. Barb has helped her (and me) through a very difficult fear period. This dog, with Barb’s guidance, now has 3 AKC Trick Titles and is going to be competing in Agility trials in the Fall! I couldn’t ask for a better dog, or teacher! Barb is always available if you have questions or need help. A few months ago I rescued another puppy and immediately brought him to Barb. He is excelling under her tutelage. Her methods work!!! You do have to do the “homework” and practice to be successful, as in anything in life. There is a saying written on the whiteboard in class, “Every handler gets the dog they train”. It couldn’t be more true. I was recommended by a friend to go to Barb Levenson Dog Training Center, and now I recommend my friends to her!"

"I have trained 5 German Shepherd dogs with Barb over a period of 25 years. My most recent puppy has struggled with dog sensitivity. Barb has spent so much time coming up with a specialized training program that has yielded great results. We just had a great class... I had a happy, bright-eyed, working pup... something we could not achieve before. I am so thrilled! It was lots of work but well worth it. One of the things I’ve learned over the years with Barb, is how to read the signals my dog is giving me, and how to try and come up with positive solutions."

"I only give Barb one star, because that’s the minimum required to write a review. Barb has no manners. I felt verbally attacked during a private lesson with her and left in tears. When I emailed her to tell her that her class wasn’t a good fit for me and my pup, she followed up with more than one aggressive email telling me that I don’t care about my dog. Since then, our dog had been doing awesome with a sweet trainer who works one on one with us and has all the patience in the world! You can find a better trainer out there. If you’re reading this, pleeeeease don’t give this woman your business. I can nearly guarantee that you will regret it like we did."