Please think twice before going to Barb for dog training. She goes beyond "tough" and is flat out rude, arrogant and condescending. She does have an extensive knowledge base, just be aware she is going to spend most of your instructional time making sure you are aware of that and everything you know is wrong. Rarely does a positive word come out of her mouth.



We enrolled our Bernese Mountain Dog puppy in her kindergarten & basic I obedience class. At the end of basic, he failed the final exam. Barb suggested we repeat the class. We acknowledge that our dog is in need of more training, however Barb's environment was not in his best interest. We politely replied we were going to seek training elsewhere and thanked Barb for her time and effort up to this point. Barb then proceeded to mock us and our dog on her Facebook page. It would be one thing if this was her purely personal page but she uses for her school as well. I cannot believe the total lack of professionalism.

This woman takes your money and then abuses you so horribly that you can not complete any training. I was successful in suing her for my $375 + costs after she told me not to come back after just 2 (so called) lessons. She refuses to pay me. I have a court order for her to pay me $675.50, the amount it has cost me. She THINKS that she can pay me $5 per month and get away with it. With her nasty disposition she will not be alive in the 11 years it would take her to pay what she owes me at $5 per month. he is without a doubt the most miserable person that I have ever met in my life. Very sad. I pray for her.

Barb is VERY opinionated and has tunnel vision. My puppy does not food driven and Barb's philosophy is so when my dog didn't respond to treats she began ignoring me. When I ask what I should do, Barb in embarrased me in front of the class and said I didn't do the homework, which I did extensively. I explained he does not respond strongly to food but she would have none of it. GO SOMEWHERE ELSE.

Barb Levenson is a very nasty, condescending and mean lady! I have trained numerous dogs in different categories over the years and have never felt so belittled in my life. She looks at anyone needing help in class with complete disdain and disgust, and does not offer solutions to problems, only evil looks and high pressure sales. She will shame and intimidate you in front of the whole class, tell you your healthy dog is overweight and that you are a lazy owner. If a dog/owner does not get something right first time she will point you out in front of everyone and make you feel a complete idiot with no praises when you get something right. If you already have some handling skills you will not be allowed to use them and will need to start from scratch with her commands/signals which confuses a dog more. Dogs are not allowed to socialize, greet or even look at each other, if they do she says they are ready to attack, just because her dog got into a big fight recently and are both mean. She does not acknowledge the breed of some dogs, even with proof of a DNA report, and insists on the dog being trained as a completely different breed. There was absolutely nothing positive about the training, she didn’t learn the names of the people or the dogs or find out what owners hoped to achieve, or introduce herself to the dogs to put them at ease, even at the meet and greet. Her own dogs follow her continuously as they are always kept hungry and will do anything for food. Telling owners to put their dog in ‘puppy management’ by pulling its head to the ground and standing on the leash does not teach anything but fear in your pup. Everything was very disorganized with the homework emails arriving the evening before the class so too late to teach, and previously booked classes postponed last minute around her own schedule. The building is very hot in the summer months with loud fans drowning out instructions and freezing cold in the winter. The agility equipment is always left out so you have to find room amongst it, and the floor is covered in dog hair and moldy old treats. Avoid the garbage can outside, I have seen maggots round it as it is rarely cleaned. By the end of the course there were only a couple of people still attending, obviously the majority could not handle her rude comments and mean attitude. One man walked after a heated discussion with her in class in which she was unprofessional and critical both to his face and behind his back when she should have been helping him. She does not give receipts for anything sold so does not pay taxes on these very over-priced items (nightmare if you run out of treats in class). With a completely discourteous and unprofessional manner I would recommend that the public and all dogs stay well away from her – there are literally hundreds of bad reviews online which I wish I’d seen before I signed up. At her age and lack of mobility she should consider retiring and making the dog training world a happier place for people and pups – it’s supposed to be fun to spend time with your fur babies, not something you absolutely dread every week and makes your poor doggy a nervous wreck!

We had a dog that did not want to do anything with us. Barb helped us turn it all around. She gave us great advise and lots of support. Now that formerly disconnected dog is a great companion and Agility partner. With Barb's continued coaching we've won several Agility Titles.

GREAT DOG TRAINING!

I am a repeat client of Barb's with my 3rd dog, a young puppy. Already in the short time I have had the puppy, I'm seeing great progress thanks to Barb's advice and training. As I get better at following and implementing her teaching, my dog's have gotten better. I anticipate that this puppy will be just amazing! She does a thorough job of coaching, giving feedback both good and bad. I learn through my mistakes as well as my successes. I want a dog that is a joy to live with in my family, as well as a dog that I can take places: happy, social, and obedient. She helps me get the dog that I truly want. What else could I ask for?

Nastiest lady ever. All she does is belittle everyone and will make you feel like you are 5 yrs old. She seems to forget that WE are the ones paying HER! She also tells you to go against veterinarians advice, last time I checked she doesnt have her degree in veterinary medicine. Plus she put a citronella collar on a dog, and it was spraying in the poor animals face for the entire class. How is that a good trainer? My dog and myself were traumatized by her. AND she doesn't offer refunds! It doesn't even appear she likes dogs, I don't know why she is in this business.

Horrible! Seeing a few good reviews all within a short span of times makes me wonder who she is paying to say good things! I've never paid so much to be so belittled. Puppy Kindergarten should not be traumatizing! The facility is as cold as the owner. NEVER would I recommend this place! Barb is NASTY. She talks a lot about positive reinforcement -- while she yells at the owners. At one point, she put us all in a corner and told us "that's where people with dogs who got hit by trucks go"... WHAT?!