Amanda’s teaching style is excellent. She was organized, specific, explained the “why” once we got the action going which I always need to hear, too. I understood why she explained the low-height of the agility apparatus for puppies, and it only reminded me how everyone’s expectations are different. For me, I was just curious and knew nothing about Agility except seeing it on TV, but it made sense to me to try it as a learning tool for a young pup. How to stimulate a dog mentally, ESPECIALLY living in small spaces in NYC, is important to keep everyone happy. The apparatus in class is impressive, but Amanda always explained how it helped the dog develop, and gave some cool home applications, too, using everyday objects.

I also appreciated how Amanda was tuned in to my dog’s particular issues and personality, taking them positively and giving me advice when I asked for it on resources around the community for socializing more. She made me feel like I had a wonderful doggo (new rescue) which made me feel happy!

I was so thrilled to see how my dog learned quickly in this class. When Amanda commented how fast she learned and built confidence, it built MY confidence, too. I had a hunch as she was starting to learn commands at home quickly, but to hear it from a professional meant a lot to me. This one class just added a lot to my joy, adopting this pup.

As a new rescue waiting to become fully “street legal” there aren’t really a lot of classes to attend, so it really gave me a lot of cheer to come out (with my adult daughter) in the first two weeks after bringing Lyla home. Thank you so much for a positive introduction to Doggie Academy, a happy and productive one-time class. I’ll do the home suggestions, too.