About What the Ruff! Dog Training, LLC

What the Ruff! Dog Training is run by Nicki Messano out of Yorktown Heights. She describes herself as an experienced Certified Professional Dog Trainer – Knowledge Assessed and a Fear Free Certified Professional, and she came to training through work at a dog daycare, the Bronx Zoo and a wildlife ranch in South Africa.

Three ways to work together

Private training sessions run an hour and are mobile – the published line is 'I come to you' – and they are built around teaching the owner, with homework between sessions. Walk and Train sessions are 45 minutes and are for practicing the same skills while the owner is out of the house. Group classes are offered for the same reason a training hall is useful: nothing is more distracting to a dog than other dogs.

What gets worked on

The named list is loose-leash walking, leash reactivity, polite greetings, leash manners and basic to advanced obedience, with behavioral modification alongside. The framing throughout is communication – building the signal between owner and dog rather than drilling the dog alone.

Method

Positive reinforcement and problem solving, with the stated goal of setting dogs up to succeed. Pricing and packages are quoted by phone or email.