About Shelby Semel Dog Training

Shelby Semel Dog Training is listed on First Avenue on the Upper East Side and describes itself as a New York City canine behavior expert and trainer working with a team rather than alone.

Classes and private work

Group training classes run for puppies and dogs of all ages, aimed at manners, confidence and lifelong skills. Private training is booked separately, and there is an on-call service and a fast-track option. The weekly Puppy and Adolescent Play and Q&A is the most specific thing the site publishes: $25 for 45 minutes, with a package of four earning a fifth free, held every Monday on the Upper East Side at a partner daycare and alternating weekly between the puppy group (8 to 18 weeks, for pups not attending daycare or the dog park) and the adolescent group (16 weeks to 10 months and under 45 pounds).

What happens in the puppy class

The session is trainer-led play broken up by training breaks and questions. The stated curriculum is socialization to the things city puppies find frightening — skateboards, crutches, street noise — plus social skills learned from the other puppies and foundation obedience cues.

House rules and approach

Proof of a negative fecal sample from the owner's own veterinarian is required before a first class. The training philosophy is stated as positive reinforcement, with the emphasis on teaching owners to communicate with their dogs rather than on the dog alone.