Excelsior Dog Training

We only have good things to say about Excelsior Dog Training. When we first reached out to Coral our 10 month old collie mix rescue dog was very skittish towards people and would nip strangers. Whenever guests would come into our apartment our puppy would bark and growl nonstop. With Gertie’s fear aggression towards strangers no dog walker wanted to work with us.
So we signed up for the full training session with Coral. From day one Coral was confident that with time we could solve Gertie’s problems. She gave us thorough instructions on how to behave around Gertie in order to change her behavior. The initial program was broken out in 4 sessions that could be scheduled within a couple of weeks or month depending on the dog’s progress. Coral was always flexible to schedule our sessions and available in between sessions to answer questions.
By mid-​training Gertie was doing noticeably better. We can have guests in the house and Gertie doesn’t bark. She will not interact yet, but she is not openly disruptive.
By the end of the training Coral volunteered to walk Gertie until we found someone who could walk her full time. Once we found a dog walker Coral also made sure to be present for the introduction and walked with Gertie and the walkers for the first few times to make sure everything went ok.
We are extremely pleased with Coral’s commitment. She really wanted to see Gertie succeed and for that we highly recommend her and are extremely grateful to her.

I don’t often write reviews, but I definitley had to this time. Coral is AMAZING. My dog is a completely different dog. I would have never thought he could make such a drastic change.
I have a 2yr old male husky. Before Coral, he was hyperactive, always jumping, barking, nipping. He destroyed my basement, pulled me on walks, loved to chase other animals. It got to the point where my girlfriend couldn’t be around him. He would constantly push her down. One time he bolted out the door straight into traffic dragging my girlfriend behind him. I was ready to give him up.
We met Coral and she changed our lives. He’s now a calm and relaxed dog. I’d never thought he could be so well behaved. Both my girlfriend and I can walk him without him pulling. We can hang out at home without him going being a nuisance and going crazy for our attention.
We struggled during the beginning of training. My girlfriend was scared to handle him and I got frustrated often. Coral was there to encourage us and keep us on track. Coral’s patience and calmness definitely rubbed off on all of us. I highly recommend Coral and Excelsior Dog Training.

Training dogs can surely be complicated and one needs a lot of patience. We were not prepared to deal with either and and who knew you can teach an old dog new tricks. Well we are so glad to have found Excelsior Dog Training. Thank you Coral!
I have to admit I was a bit skeptical about dog whisperers (aka training) but you really have to give it a try. We have our dog Ruby for many years and although she’s great, she gets very anxious around people and constantly barks. It’s gotten worse in the last year and now she gets very attached so whenever people come /​go or walk by, she jumps, barks non stop, and sometimes gets aggressive. We have a hard time calming her down and have to resort to removing her from the room.
I tried the anti-​bark collars, taking her out for walks, day care, and training (from a local pet store) and none of it worked. Frustrated and about to give up. Then I came across Excelsior Dog Training and thought maybe. It wasn’t until our consultation that I was willing to give Coral a shot. Before we met in person, she asked us a lot of detailed questions so that she can assess our situation and come up with a game plan. I liked her thoroughness and honesty about the entire process. She did warn us that it will take some time as well as commitment on our part. However, she was very flexible and came up with a plan to fast track Ruby’s training. This was a great compromise for me since I don’t have a lot of time to spend in class.
When Ruby met Coral for the first time we knew right away that she had a gift with dogs. Normally Ruby will go wild and bark at you incessantly. Visitors often are scared and don’t like to stay because they feel the dog is going crazy. None of that happened. Ruby was well behaved and immediately took to Corals instructions (sit… stay… lay down…). I was blown away. Obviously this did not last because after our consultation was over, Ruby went back to her old habits. Note, we did not begin training yet as this was just Corals first visit.
Fast forward a couple of months since we started training with Coral, we have noticed a remarkable improvement in Ruby’s behavior. Coral did an amazing job training Ruby and us. Keep in mind, dogs know and react to how owners are feeling. So a lot of the training was for us to better manage Ruby and set clear boundaries. Sometimes she worked with Ruby alone and other times we participated. I think her ability to customize a plan to fit our schedule and specific needs is what sets her apart from the typical dog training places. We liked the flexibility of onsite visits as well as meeting us in public places to further progress Ruby’s behavior outside the house. Ruby is now generally well behaved, does not go crazy with visitors, and only barks when there is something urgent that we need to be aware of (i.e. stranger knocking on the door). We can now relax peacefully and know that if she’s barking then she really needs us to pay attention to something.
However the training is not over as we need to keep up the routines and practice with Ruby. But we are confident that we can apply the lessons Coral taught us. She made everything easy to understand and remember. And best part is she’s always reachable if we are struggling. There’s no bureaucracy in dealing with a school or store’s policies. Excelsior is Coral’s business and she stands by her brand. She won’t let you be dissatisfied and your pet will certainly be happy being trained (I’ve seen other dog trainers where the dogs look scared).
Now when I said you can teach an old dog new tricks, I certainly meant it. Both Ruby and us have learned a lot through this process. For anyone struggling to tame your pet, you really should give this a try. There’s nothing to lose. Have the consultation meeting with Coral and see for yourself.

I was lucky to have a workshop with Coral (and some other trainers through Canine Trade Group) one weekend about a week ago, and it already has made such a difference! Coral was our main trainer.
We adopted an 8 – 10 month old german shepherd mix (formerly a stray), who is very strong willed and mouthy. Our biggest issue was walking him on the leash. We tried various positive reinforcement methods such as leading with treats or squeaky toys, «look at me/​watch me», but he wanted nothing but to sniff the ground during the whole walk and try to eat anything he found. He willful and full of energy all the time, no matter how long we walked him or how often we went to the dog park – sometimes twice a day for 1hr+ each time!
We worked with Coral for about 1 – 2 hours, she was very patient and gave clear explanations– training me and my boyfriend how to handle the leash properly. A training collar was recommended, and though we were hesitant about using one– we really think it has been a great tool. We also got a handbook full of great advice on how to implement a routine at home. He now walks quite well the majority of the time, and rarely pulls. He seems to enjoy his walks with his tail wagging– attentive to us as well as his environment, thus requiring few corrections. He also hasn’t had any accidents in the house since, as we’ve put him on a very regular walk schedule, and is much calmer at home as well!
Coral has also been very responsive via email, and is very approachable. We are so happy we had the chance to work with her!