About Pawstigious Pets

Pawstigious Pets works from Onderdonk Avenue in Ridgewood and states its approach in its own page title: positive dog training. The site's framing is that method matters more than obedience theater – "We focus on HOW your dog learns" – and the services are organized around that idea.

What you can book

Three things are published. Group classes have their primary focus on essential obedience, manners and proper socialization. In-home training is tailored to the dog and the family and delivered in the owner's own environment. Behavior modification is offered for reactive dogs, with the site stating explicitly that the solutions used are force-free. All breeds and all ages are welcome, from puppy to senior.

The Fit Dog Club

The third strand is unusual and worth knowing about if you live in Ridgewood or Glendale: a weekend Fit Dog Club that meets in the park for a 2.5-mile pack-style hike with dogs and their guardians. It is exercise and socialization rather than instruction, and it gives owners a low-pressure way to work a dog around other dogs outside a class.

Credentials

The About page lists them individually. The owner, Jen Wilkinson, states she is certified nationally by the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers and by the Victoria Stilwell Academy for positive dog training, is recognized by the American Kennel Club as both a trainer and an evaluator, holds American Red Cross pet safety, first aid and CPR certification, and holds a certificate in pet nutrition from Animal Behavior College. She writes that she has been training dogs and their owners for more than thirteen years.

Practicalities

Proof of vaccination is required for all training, as required by the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. Booking runs through the site's own scheduling page.