"Best Friend" Companion Dog Training

We’ve worked with Silvia twice now, for 2 dogs with different behavior issues, a few years apart. Both times we did the private training sessions to get one on one instruction time with her. Silvia is always quick to respond to inquiries, and scheduling with her was a breeze. It was important to me to have a trainer that focuses on positive reinforcement, and I greatly appreciate that this is the method Silvia uses. I also appreciate her directness- she does not waste time and is very clear with explaining why she’s showing you certain techniques. Both of our dogs had fun in the training sessions, and my husband and I both felt that our concerns about their behaviors were heard/validated and handled professionally by Silvia. We feel confident that we’re on the right path for our pups with the tools we’ve been given.

Silvia came to our home to help us with, Athena, our Border Collie/German Shepherd's anxiety and discomfort with my husband. She provided straight forward advice and strategies to utilize to help Athena become more comfortable. Athena has made progress and so have we! I really appreciate that Silvia came to our home to work with us and Athena. Additionally, I appreciate that although our in-home sessions have concluded, we can still reach out to her for advice should we get stuck or if something comes up that we aren't sure how to handle. I highly recommend Silivia and Best Friend Companion Dog Training!

We did 3 sessions with Silvia for our high anxiety and reactive dog. We finished our last session today and it has been a night and day difference!! Learning tools for training not only for our dog but ourselves as well. HIGHLY recommend her if you have a nervous puppy like ours. She is so patient and non judgmental. We will definitely be back for any training we need in the future. Thank you!!

Silvia is absolutely incredible!! She helped us work with our very anxious and scared dog to build trust and learn lots of new skills. Her techniques are effective and our dog responded so well to them. From the very first interactions with Silvia she was prompt and professional. It's clear she cares deeply about her work and wants to see us succeed. I highly recommend Silvia!!

I have completed two sessions with Silvia (12 total classes), with her puppy class and the next level, Beyond the Basics. We were also lucky enough to have Silvia do a home visit to combat some resource guarding. She is so incredibly knowledgeable and makes the effort to get to know every single dog. She is patient and loving. I had adopted a rescue tripod in October pretty impulsively and was struggling with my decision, and she was able to get me into the next session of puppy class, no issues. My dog absolutely loves her, and attending her classes has been a great bonding experience for us. He is still a rambunctious little guy (only 1.5), but his skill foundation is much stronger and these classes have shown me how smart he is. I look forward to continue to reinforce what we have learned. I recommend Silvia to everyone who has a dog, regardless if it's a puppy or not. The classes are pretty small (the one I just finished was only 6 dogs total, and the puppy class was 6-8). I think prices are slightly higher than the Winnegamie Dog Club, which was initially recommended to me, but I would choose Silvia and Best Friend Dog Training time and time again.