Specialty Dog Training

Connie Monk
5 Star
A bit late in posting this review but we loved dealing with the folks at Specialty Dog Training. We had picked out a dog through their website that we wanted to take with us on trips in our RV. Not always being familiar with some of the places we were camping at, we wanted to make sure we had protection. My husband, a veteran, has disabilities and so we asked Graham to train the dog to help my husband. A few weeks later, he contacted us and stated that the dog we wanted would not be a good fit but he had several others that we could choose from. He gave us our pick but we told him that he was better educated on the dogs' temperaments and personalities so we asked him to pick the dog that would be able to provide the protection we were looking for and also be able to help my husband when he needed it. He called us a few weeks later and said that he found the right dog for us. We brought Remington home and had a minor incident a few months later but Graham and Remi's trainer, Garick, worked with us, did a reevaluation, helped reassure us that all was well, and made sure we were happy with our boy. It was refreshing to see Graham stand behind his organization/dogs and be so willing to make things right. We've had Remington for nearly 2 yrs now...he's a great dog, loves to work, takes good care of us, and he’s been great with our family (grown children and grandkids). He is the right balance of play and work. Graham did a marvelous job of selecting the perfect dog for our needs. Graham, Garick and the rest of the staff were extremely helpful and worked hard to make sure we got the right dog for our family and lifestyle. We would definitely recommend this organization to others. We can't thank them enough for everything they've done.
Wednesday 31st January 2024

Michael Irby
5 Star
I’ve been meaning to write this review for months, and this might be long, but I really need to give our trainer Doug a much deserved shout out. I decided to work with Shelby Semel Dog training after I got my 4 month old rescue puppy back in late March/early april. I originally did a one time consult with Doug and immediately bought a package. My pup Millie was having some behavior issues that needed to be rectified ASAP. He provided very effective solutions and was attentive to my concerns. He focused on things I wanted to focus on while still working on things that he saw were needed, things I never even thought about (which was super helpful!). He even met me in Central Park to work on distraction training, especially around squirrels. We made tremendous progress over the 10 weeks. Sadly after those sessions were complete, Millie and I set off on a two month road trip to relocate to west coast (otherwise I 100% would have gotten a second training package). During that road trip we hit several cities, numerous national parks, had a lot of new experiences/situations, and Millie saw a lot of new wild animals. During this time I realized how much Doug taught me about training Millie. I was able to use a lot of the tools/techniques he provided and because of that, we had a fantastic trip! Still to this day I will look back on some of his follow up emails to continue training properly. Even after the sessions stopped, Doug was there to answer questions and address any concerns. Hiring a trainer through Shelby Semel was the best dog dad decision I’ve made to this day. Doug’s services were worth every penny and really helped build a strong bond/trust between me and my new best friend. If I ever move back to NYC I’ll be reaching out to Doug!
Thursday 9th November 2023

Devin Cavagnaro
5 Star
I have a really challenging working dog with reactivity issues. Specialty dog training made sure that after he came home that I was confident and comfortable with Jaxx in public settings. We did lessons at public places with other dogs where I could learn to control and get comfortable with his reactivity. I appreciate their help in training a difficult dog.
Tuesday 23rd April 2024

dawn sumerford
5 Star
We decided on SDT after interviewing three other trainers/kennels and, are THRILLED with our results! We had specific items we needed help with: bikes/eBikes, motorcycles, office etiquette and cats. The hardest part was being away from our baby for six weeks and now that we have him home and he's a MUCH better behaved dog, we are MORE THAN HAPPY. Nicole Powell was our primary dog trainer. We hit it off with her right away and knew Gus would be in great hands with her. We were right. Nicole kept us informed of his training via videos and text updates which made us very happy. We appreciated her time and attention of the dog-to-owner transfer also. Thank you Nicole for making Gus a better dog. We are GRATEFUL for you!! The SPD staff were also communicative and positive and never made us feel like we were too much of an overprotective or worried parent. We like their promptness on communication as well. Gus now has minimal to zero reaction to bikes/eBikes, motorcycles and is less excited about our cats. We've only had him home three days so we are still apprehensive of Gus and the cats together BUT, the BIG difference is noticeable and they are getting closer and closer every day without altercations. We feel our decision to pick SDT was definitely the right one. They are professional dog trainers and took great care of our Gus. We highly recommend SDT!!!
Wednesday 31st May 2023

Daneal Damon
1 Star
Trust your gut! I’ve debated on writing this review for over a year now, and after much debate I decided I need others to know what a horrible training experience I had. I paid for the 3 week training program for my GS puppy to learn the basics and hopefully continue to work on skills for him to become my service dog. I was referred to this program from a friend my mother knew from her work, and after calling around, I decided to go with Graham and his facility. The biggest fear I had was that I’d leave Dublin and he’d become a scared puppy. My fear became reality. A few red flags that I should’ve paid attention to: I was denied access to physically look at the crate area where the dogs slept and after leaving Dublin there, where they spend the majority of their time, not actually training. The “home” like area to train house skills became unavailable during my puppy’s stay due to remodeling. This was not mentioned when I took the tour, and not until I picked Dublin up did I find out he was never trained in that situation. I was sent a text message in the end of the second week stating Dublin was going to the vet for bloodshot eyes perhaps due to allergies. I gave Stephen the trainer the benefit of the doubt and waited for the vet to share her findings. When she called me to describe her concerns, she said he was pulled around his neck so tightly that it gave him bloodshot eyes. So basically they choked him out because I presume he was not following directions- isn’t this what I was paying them to do?! Train him, not choke him until his blood vessels break in his eyes. The vet advised that he not use any type of collar for a week following the incident. I immediately sent a text to Graham the owner and had to wait until the following day for his response. He stated that Stephen was his head trainer, the most knowledgeable, and very passionate about dogs, he didn’t feel that the vet was accurate. Stephen stated he didn’t pulled him. I decided to believe both Graham and Stephen and continued with the week without collar training and only the use of a harness. Graham offered an additional week due to not being able to use a prong collar and saying basically no training went on during that week of healing the vet required. The day of pick up came and I literally felt like Dublin was sad, dirty, and untrained. Part of the drop off process is to create a list of ten skills you’d like your dog to know at pick up. It is stated that 5-7 is a more likely goal during the training. Dublin was barely able walk on a leash. That’s it. He stilled jumped, wouldn’t stay in place continuously, couldn’t jump in my car, jumped on the counters, mouthed, and was so anxious it was hard to see, as that was my fear. I asked Stephen, as I was leaving, if he could jump in my car. He said- he tried once, but didn’t get to it. Stephen proceeded to open my door and physically try to pull him into my 4Runner, until I told him to stop. He was literally showing me how he gave him bloodshot eyes the first time! Since this horrible experience, I’ve been trying to build trust again with Dublin, calm his anxiety, and train him to complete basic tasks. With that said, Dublin has picked up more with me training him at home after watching different YouTube videos, then he could ever learn at that facility. I refuse to go back for the 3 follow up training sessions offered in the contract due to the negative feeling both Dublin and I have with Stephen and the facility. Now, I’d like to say that the major reason I chose this place was due to the personal referral I received, and the fact that they run the Shelter to Soldier service dog training program for military vets. With this said, I’m sure they have more success with this training program due to the fact that the trainers choose the dogs with the type of personalities that are easily trainable. If your dog is a strong willed German Shepherd, I suggest you stay far, far away from this facility and it’s trainers.
Sunday 9th January 2022