About Casper’s Capers

Casper's Capers describes itself as in-person dog training in Central Brooklyn, run from 670 Lafayette Ave in Bed-Stuy by certified dog trainer Shaunacy Ferro. The site's own page title reads 'Expert Dog Training in Bed-Stuy'.

What it takes on

Five strands are published. Puppy training is written for the specific problem of raising a puppy in a Brooklyn apartment – the site talks about helping owners set their lives and apartments up so they can actually enjoy the puppy stage, covering crate training, biting and potty training. Reactivity and leash issues are described exactly as they present on a Brooklyn sidewalk: a dog barking and lunging at every dog or person it passes, with one-to-one coaching aimed at taking city walks from chaotic to confident; there is a free reactivity guide to download. Separation anxiety work is offered for isolation distress. Behavior modification covers excessive barking, digging and other habits.

Two less common offerings

Happy Handling is cooperative care training – teaching a dog not just to tolerate nail trims, paw wipes and being harnessed but to participate willingly, which is the kind of thing that decides whether a dog can be groomed or examined at all. And dog-cat consulting addresses households where the two species are fighting, a genuinely rare service in a directory of dog trainers. There are also 'hands off' training packages where the trainer does the bulk of the work.

What it costs

The entry point is a $225 initial appointment – a 90-minute Zoom to discuss the dog's specific challenges and build the training plan. Multi-session packages of five or seven sessions run $1,013 to $1,418 with a 10% saving, and a la carte sessions are $225 an hour.