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August 2021 by Amrita Nadagouda
Dara is an amazing trainer. She helped us with our now one year old Lab- Spikey. It was a nightmare to take Spikey for a walk as he use to bark and lunge at people, bikes, birds rather everything. With Dara's training now we can take him to crowded places, restaurants , trails pretty much everywhere with him walking beside us :). Not only that spikey can now go out on loose long lease, listens when called. She also trained Spikey on other commands. The best thing about Dara is she is very patient and would listen to your problems before sharing her thoughts. I am very impressed with her professionalism. Her guidance has helped us in understanding and handling our beloved pup. I would definitely recommend her. Thank you Dara for all your help.
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June 2021 by Cali Buntin
Dara helped me leash train my mastiff puppy, Lennon; she also helped me teach her several commands. After Dara’s training, Lennon now gets complimented on how well behaved she is and how great she walks on the leash. I’m so grateful for Dara’s help! I’ll be reaching out as needed in the future. A++++
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June 2021 by Peter L
We take our pup Luna to daycare at Dogtopia Dulles and that was where we heard of The Enlightened Dog. We've gone to a few puppy social sessions with Dara hosted at Dogtopia and as the pups are playing, she gives insightful comments on what is considered normal and what to look out for. Luna is very rambunctious and excited towards other dogs so with Dara guiding us on how to manage her around those situations, we've been able to practice certain methods which has helped. We've also completed her 7 week Basic Manners Class. What I liked about it is that she taught us how to reinforce the goal(s) we had for each week and everyone gets involved. She has answered any and all questions we had regarding training methods and recommendations on equipment, etc. Luna definitely still has a long way to go but she's done very well so far compared to weeks ago.There are definitely a lot of resources online that you can refer to but training in person with Dara has been a great experience and reassured many aspects in raising our little one, especially as beginners. I would definitely recommend Dara and The Enlightened Dog for any training needs you have for your pup!
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June 2021 by Michelle Natalucci
For anyone on the fence about spending the money on training thinking they could do it on their own please read this review!I am no stranger to dog training and thought with my second rescue (who I adopted at 8 weeks old) I could manage on my own. My previous rescue was a shepherd pitbull mix who was a stray and “traveled with a pack of dogs in the District” and had developed ALOT of bad habits. Needless-to-say we went through quite a bit of training with her so I knew what to do and what not to do with my new rescue.Enter Dante, a pitbull hound mix, who was left on the side of road at a week old with parvovirus. By the time he was 4 months old, I was having to use oven mitts when he refused to get off the couch. He lost couch privileges but didn’t care. He defied us at every turn. He was a nightmare to walk. He got kicked out of doggy daycare. He jumped up on my daughter and hurt her while she was swinging on the swing set. We clearly needed help!After a few sessions with Dara I knew she was the real deal. The trainer we had before her for Dante’s “puppy head start” started out with “I have yet to meet a pitbull that isn’t reactive” making me feel like Dante was a lost cause. Dara strikes the right balance of being tough but loving. My dog clearly respects her but is not fearful and is very excited each time she comes for his session. The progress is incredible and speaks for itself! In addition to regular obedience training and learning his manners, Dara worked on every single “problem area” one at time...bikes, swings, trucks, other dogs, and the list goes on. We recently found the right collar for him and now we are at the point where he doesn’t even pull! Walks are no longer stressful and while his natural personality is definitely intense we now have to tools to manage it and life has gotten a lot more enjoyable (and safer for my kids!).
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June 2020 by Natalie Del Cid
We absolutely love Dara! She was incredibly helpful in training our beagle pup in learning commands and offered valuable insight on how to best socialize him with other dogs and our older dog. She alleviated the stress of being a first-time puppy mom and helped me understand that his behaviors are normal and would subside as he gets older. She answered all of our questions thoroughly and practiced each command with us until we were comfortable with them. I would recommend her to anyone who is looking for personalized training for any dog!
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June 2020 by Terese Colling
Dara is fantastic. She trained our Dog Harper two years ago and people comment she is the best trained dog they have ever met. She is a great communicator, smiles and laughs which is always nice, and is a true "dog whisperer" and professional in every sense of the word. Today she started training our rescue puppy age 3 1/2 months named Jade and in just one session we saw a difference but will definitely be signing up for a package. Dara has a rare gift-- gentle, kind, consistent. We couldn't be happier-- totally worth it! Call her!
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June 2020 by Katie Thompson
Dara is absolutely amazing! We attended her basic obedience class for our newly adopted greyhound, who had very little interaction with other dog breeds. Her class is a safe space for all dogs to learn and she provides a structured program that’s very easy to practice at home and to continue after completion. She made classes fun and truly follows a positive method of training your dog. Not only did we see great improvement in our dog, but it was fun to see the other dogs in the class progress as well. We are sad we can’t do the next level class with her due to moving out of area. You will not be disappointed by choosing Dara to work with you and your canine companion!
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June 2020 by Maria Biggers
We are very pleased and delighted to share our experience with Dara! She was so patient with our puppy! She is extremely knowledgeable, kind and a great listener, as the previous reviewer stated. We had four private lessons with her in our home, and highly recommend her! We are excited about the results of the training and looking forward to continuing our training with the lessons we have learned!
