About Paw Pals Dog Training New York

Paw Pals Dog Training works from 2201 5th Avenue in Ronkonkoma under the tagline 'Good Manners Make A Difference'. The owner and head trainer is Cindy McKinney, whose biography on the site traces the interest back to childhood – long walks around her neighborhood and jumps built out of whatever was to hand.

Puppy programs

The puppy pages are the most developed part of the site and the analogy is deliberately homely: 'You want to think about puppy training like kindergarten for children. You need to teach your pup their ABC's, 123's, sharing and potty training.' These programs are for pups from eight weeks to five or six months, and cover 'what all the basic commands mean, proper socialization, housebreaking and relationship building'. The argument for starting early is the usual one but well put – 'it's very important that you lay the proper foundation of training when your dog is still very young, which will make it much easier to formally train your pup once they get older'.

Adolescent and adult work

The site is realistic about what happens next: 'Sometimes, even with all the proper training as a puppy, once a dog turns about 5-6 months old they start to mature and might start testing their owners.' The adult programs cover 'all your basic commands as well as house manners, off leash control and many behavioral issues such as human and/or dog aggression, territorial aggression, and possession aggression' – naming three distinct kinds of aggression rather than lumping them together, which tells you this is a real part of the caseload. There is also a refresher option for owners whose dog's training 'has gotten a little loose'.

Format

Two delivery routes are published: 'We offer private lessons at your home or a board and train program in the trainer's home followed up by private lessons.' The residential option being in a trainer's home rather than a kennel is worth noting for owners of dogs that do not settle in a boarding environment, and the follow-up lessons matter – a board and train that ends when the dog comes home usually does not hold. Contact is on 516-362-0364 or by email.