Sit...stay...good Dawg! Training & Behavior

Cyndy has such a fun approach to dog training. She is extremely knowledgeable about how to work with dogs. She has a deep understanding and love for dogs and it is evident from day 1. I really enjoyed that she had an orientation as part of the first class to break down what we could expect during the series. She is very good at problem solving and helped me to figure out what things I could work on specifically for my dog. I would definitely recommend Cyndy to other people in this area!

I have a 10 month old puppy who I enrolled in Cyndy’s «Good Dawg School» (which is the «beginner» class). These classes are limited to a small group (usually on the order of 6 people I believe). The primary focus of this intro level class is to teach you as an owner how to teach your dog basic obedience and manners.
In general, Cyndy is very nice and has a reasonable working knowledge of dog behavior and operant conditioning (teaching a dog to respond to cues by rewarding desired behavior). I am by no means an expert on this (I’m sure she has more time in a class room and with dogs than me), but she often contradicts herself and goes against some of the key principles of operant training methodology. Here are some examples:
— One of the most basic ideas in dog training is that you don’t want to set your dog up for failure. So, when you begin training, you want to start with very few distractions so that you stand a better chance of keeping your dogs attention. Unfortunately, these classes are held in a park where a lot of people walk their dogs and people ride horses (among other things). For a mid level dog training class, I’m sure this is a great place to practice known behaviors, but not for this beginners class where we are trying to learn NEW behaviors. Some dogs that aren’t too excitable are fine (like most of the other dogs in my class), but not my 10 month old puppy; it was all just too much. We needed a more controlled environment to start off.
— On a similar note, when you are first training, you are discouraged to give you dog a cue you KNOW they won’t respond to. So, if your dog is out in the yard, you shouldn’t sit on the deck continually yelling «come» when you know your dog isn’t going to come. This just tells your dog that they don’t have to listen to you. However, on multiple occasions, Cyndy instructed me to give my dog cues I knew (and told her) he wasn’t going to follow. In one particular case, she told me to keep calling his name to get his attention, which I did, and by the end of class he completely stopped responding to me; it took me a whole week to get back to where I started before this class. When I go to a dog training class, I want my dog to come out better behaved than when I started.
— Cyndy will often tell you very specifically to never do something with your dog, but on a few occasions she completely contradicts this advice. The best example of this is dog walking. One of the principles of teaching loose leash walking is to lever let your dog drag you somewhere; when they are pulling, you don’t move. One day, I was running a little late to class and my dog was pulling like crazy out of excitement, so I attempted this methodology; however, Cyndy got fed up with me and told me to just let him pull so I could get to the class. Out in public, I understand when non dog people don’t understand; but at a dog class, I feel the instructor should be patient when you are trying to implement a technique they taught you.
— Cyndy tells many anecdotal stories about her two Dalmatians; unfortunately, these stories often give the impression that her dogs aren’t very well trained (they only listen to her when they want to). This didn’t bestow much confidence in me regarding her capabilities as a dog trainer.
— Probably my biggest criticism is Cyndy’s lack of feedback. When my dog was misbehaving during class, she would tell me to get him under control, but rarely give me constructive advise on how to do so.
With all of that said, I think Cyndy’s intro dog training class is fine for people with little to no knowledge or experience with dog training and for people with reasonably calm dogs. If you have a very high energy dog that is excitable, this class might not be for you.

Cyndy is one of the best in the area. We have a little Yorkie with super energy and focusing problems. Cyndy taught him wonderful manners and respect for my partner and myself. She is wonderful!

My 5-​month-​old pound puppy was as untrained as dogs get – and so was I! I think both of us were at wit’s end what to do with each other!
I’m so happy that I found Sit.stay.good Dawg! After 6 Saturday morning lessons in the park, my puppy now knows how to sit, stay, lie down, drop things on command, come when called, walk loose-​leash, and even a few simple tricks, And I learned how to better understand my dog and respond to her so as not to encourage bad behavior.
Cyndy is a terrific trainer who believes in praise training vs. punishment. She teaches us how to train our dogs, rather than just doing it for us, and she and her assistant Samantha take the time to personally assist everyone in the class. My puppy, Sadie, loved the class: To her, it was a solid hour of games, praise, attention and treats!
For everything that my dog and I learned, I feel that this 6-​week course is well worth the reasonable price that Cyndy charged. I would recommend the class to any dog owner – and I guess I am!

I was looking for a good obedience class so I tried the complimentary class at Karma Dog Training. Thank God I didn’t pay for such a waste of time! Then I tried Sit.Stay.Good Dawg! What a great class! Cyndy is not only a good trainer but her class was a small group of 5 and everyone got very personal attention. We spent lots of time doing instead of just standing around listening. All her methods worked while using a very positive approach. I’ll update this review at the end of the 6 weeks, but just 1 class in and I’m already very impressed.

My husband and I had a wonderful experience taking our little dog, Minnie, to Cyndy for obedience training. The class was small and we received a ton of attention. Our dog was a rescue and we really don’t know much about her history, but Cyndy gave us the tools to better understand our dog, and to get her to behave the way we want her to (Most of the time!). We learned sit, stand, stay, drop it, leave it, bring it, etc. Lay down was one command that our dog couldn’t grasp during the 5 weeks of classes (the first week is orientation), and Cyndy said sometimes smaller dogs have a harder time with it. But she gave us tips to keep trying it at home, and I am happy to report that 2 weeks post-​graduation Minnie will finally lay down (on a soft surface)! You really have to dedicate the time to training your dog with the techniques Cyndy gives you, but it really only takes a little bit each day. Our dog is by no means perfect, but she is much more predictable and easier to control on a walk with lots of distractions. Cyndy is very passionate about dog training and seems to attend a lot of conferences and classes in order to keep her skills sharp!

Cyndy’s methods are gentle and effective. She has worked with my dogs, and they really respond to her. Dogs are always communicating — not in English, but communicating nonetheless. I therefore, also recommend reading «On Talking Terms with Dogs: Calming Signals,» by Turid Rugaas, along with «The Other End of the Leash» by Patricia McConnell. Take an in-​person class with Cyndy and read these wonderful books: You’ll be happier with your Best Friend, and your Best Friend will be happier with you!

We have nothing but wonderful things to say about Cyndy! Before coming to her obedience class, we had a 2.5-year-old Chihuahua/​Corgi mix named Maisey who was a little bundle of joy and happiness that could not be tamed. She was always jumping and licking and constantly excited, which, while being adorable, made for a dog that was difficult to train because she just couldn’t contain herself! My husband and I had decided that we wanted Maisey to be a part of animal-​assisted therapy, which meant that we had to pass the daunting CGC test before she could do so, and while we tried to train her at home, nothing worked. We signed up for Cyndy’s group obedience class (the prerequisite to the CGC class she also teaches), and within a week, Maisey was already listening to our commands and doing exactly what we asked of her! Fast-​forward to a couple of months later, and she just passed her CGC test with flying colors! We really never could have done it without Cyndy.
Not only did Cyndy help us train our pup, but she also made a real connection with Maisey. She knows Maisey so well — she knows her personality, knows what will work for her and what won’t, and was able to give Maisey, my husband, and myself the personalized attention that we needed, even alongside other dogs in the class. Maisey seemed to genuinely enjoy going to class every Saturday!
All in all, we highly recommend Cyndy and her classes. Maisey is still a little bundle of joy, but now she’ll just do what we ask of her when we ask her to do it :)

Just completed a private training lesson for our new pup Tobey. Cyndy was very knowledgeable, friendly, patient and a wonderful teacher. By the end of the hour and a half session, we knew how to get Tobey’s attention, how to have him walk appropriately on a leash and even a couple of game to play with him to help him learn. Cyndy also does group training classes which we will definitely attend at the end of February.

Dogs need to be good citizens so that they will be welcomed members of the family. As a Pet First-​Aid Instructor, I also know that a well-​trained dog is more likely to stay out of dangerous situations. I have observed Cyndy Wood provide people with the necessary skills to train their dogs to be both safe and well-​behaved. She trains each dog and its parents in an upbeat and friendly fashion (dogs love her and it’s not just the treats), and she emphasizes positive methods that elicit positive results. Cyndy also has innovative ideas (including field trips for the canine students) that amplify learning while desensitizing dogs to distractions they will encounter in life. Anyone can get their dog to do what they want on their own turf, by Cyndy teaches you to make your dog «watch you» and listen no matter where he is. Her methods are taught with love and kindness, and I highly recommend Cyndy Wood and Sit… Stay…Good Dawg! to anyone wanting to keep their four-​legged friend safe while developing a closer bond.