Taras School for Dogs

Located in New York, New York

Address: Serving Manhattan Locations, New York, NY 10028, United States

Phone: +1 646-408-5322

Rating: 4.8

Services

Identifies as women-owned
Gender-neutral toilets
LGBTQ+ friendly
Transgender safe space

Photos

Latest Pet Care Services New York

Comments

Review 1 (2024-05-02 - Rating: 5)
We love Mary! I reached out to Mary after I relocated to the city and my 4-year-old lab was having a hard time adjusting--she was already very excitable and the constant stimulation of NYC was proving to be a lot more than I could handle. Thanks to Mary, while were still working on some skills, the improvement in everything from leash walking to responding to apartment building noises (after only 3 lessons!) has been DRASTIC. Most importantly, spending quality time training my pup has made us closer than ever. Mary is a wonderful, kind person who not only truly understands dogs but also people...so she breaks down our homework in a way that is manageable (and rewarding, ha) for me, too! Weve loved working with Mary so far and I cannot recommend her highly enough to anyone looking for a professional, top-quality dog trainer in the area. Thank you Mary and see you soon!

Review 2 (2023-02-15 - Rating: 5)
I highly recommend Taras School for Dogs. Mary is clearly knowledgeable, patient, flexible, friendly and has a ton of experience. Our Bruce immediately recognized her as his teacher and was excited to see her week after week. She does a particularly excellent job in teaching humans how to teach commands using a step-by-step method that is highly effective. Bruce has graduated from the AKC S.T.A.R. puppy program and cannot wait for Puppy Foundations II. My eldest daughter cannot wait for her chance to take more family classes. Our Bruce is still a rambunctious puppy during playtime, but has calmed down tremendously and follows commands. Training with Mary is worth the investment!

Review 3 (2024-06-16 - Rating: 5)
My experience with Mary was truly incredible. I just adopted an 8 month old beagle mix, who had no training or any knowledge of leash walking/ potty training. He was also very nippy and jumpy with people and smaller dogs (I was mostly worried about these issues). This also was my first time looking for a professional dog trainer, so I turned to Google and found Marys website. I inquired within, and received a response back within the same day. We spoke on the phone for about 30 minutes, as she asked me detailed questions regarding my dogs behavior, and suggested a 3 lesson plan for him.Within a couple of days, we had the first lesson, and WOW, she fully opened my eyes to how amazing training your dog is. She had him sit and stand within the first day, following some other commands she taught us. And not that she needed to, but she stayed with me for an extra 20 minutes after EVERY lesson, going over the commands and what to look for and do. This to me really proved how much she cares about dogs and peoples time.Everything shes taught me, Ive been teaching back to myself and my dog. All the issues I had with him are all mostly resolved (especially the nipping and jumping, hes basically stopped doing that). The only thing left is continuing to work on his leash walking where he walks at my pace, but as advised, this is going to be something I have to work on with him every day, which excites me so much, because I see the progress he makes when we work together.Mary has taught me how valuable it is to form a bond with your dog, and how essential that is to the training. I feel so much closer to him now than ever before, and I feel that growing by the day. I cannot recommend Mary enough.

Review 4 (2024-08-29 - Rating: 5)
My reason for hiring Mary is that my dog barks incessantly when a new person comes to apartment.The first dog trainer I tried was from a highly rated facility in Manhattan. When the trainer met with my dog she was unable to stop the barking and in fact escalated it.Mary is magical.She immediately connected to Thor and there was no barking.She figured out the root of the problem and strategies for keeping him under threshold when people come to the apartment.

Review 5 (2023-07-14 - Rating: 5)
Mary is fantastic. From day one she connected with us and our puppy and designed lesson plans that fit our puppy’s capabilities. Mary was very responsive to our questions and we appreciated her follow up emails and lesson plans. Highly recommend!

Review 6 (2021-05-24 - Rating: 5)
Mary has been great with our 7 months old grumpy puppy. She is a very helpful and positive person. Her feedback and advice have been very useful. Although we have had a few lessons yet, our puppy has made great progress.I would definitely recommend Taras School for Dogs!

Review 7 (2023-06-06 - Rating: 5)
Mary is a great trainer. She is professional, knowledgeable, and very patient. She is also fun to work with. Our Cavapoo, Fritz, trained with Mary to become a therapy dog. Fritz loved to train with Mary. Fritz passed his test with flying colors! Thank you, Mary!

Review 8 (2022-06-11 - Rating: 5)
Mary was a great trainer! She was patient with my energetic puppy and helped me learn as a first time puppy owner. She even left us with tricks and videos to continue to learn past our lessons. Thanks!

Review 9 (2023-12-15 - Rating: 5)
I highly recommend Mary at Taras School for Dogs to train your puppy/dog! Mary was a pleasure to work with and was happy to answer all our new puppy parent questions. Our puppy loved Mary and enjoyed the training sessions. My boyfriend and I learned SO much and started to see an improvement with our pup after the first session. We loved that the training sessions were tailored to our specific dogs needs/issues and that she comes to your home for private lessons. After each session, Mary provides a recap of the lesson with specific instructions to reinforce the training. This was so helpful and something we will always have to look back at if we forget anything. We cannot recommend Taras School for Dogs enough, thank you Mary!!

Review 10 (2023-12-17 - Rating: 5)
Exceptional Dog Training Experience at Taras School for Dogs.My husband and I had the pleasure of enrolling our spirited puppy, Stevie, in the puppy level one class at Taras School for Dogs on the Upper East Side. Our experience with Mary was nothing short of exceptional.From the moment we met Mary, it was evident that her knowledge and passion for canine training were unparalleled. What sets Mary apart is her innate ability to connect with dogs on a profound level. Under Marys guidance, Stevie (our Antigua Island rescue dog), not only embraced the training sessions but also began to thrive in them.Marys approach to training is both effective and enjoyable. She combines her expertise with a genuine love for animals, creating a positive and nurturing environment for both dogs and their owners. The success weve experienced in training Stevie has been truly remarkable. At just eight months old, she is often praised for her calm demeanor and well-mannered behavior. Its heartwarming to see our rescue pup transformed into a well-behaved and confident companion.We wholeheartedly recommend Taras School for Dogs to anyone seeking positive results in dog training; you’ll witness firsthand the incredible transformation your dog can undergo. Of course, the key is putting in the effort and commitment, but with Marys guidance, the journey is rewarding and enjoyable.

Review 11 (2021-06-16 - Rating: 5)
Henry (6 month old Lhasa Apso) and I had the best experience with Taras School for Dogs. Mary practices individualized training that really hones in on your dogs specific needs. She helped with leash walking, separation training and other commands such as leave it and drop it. Highly recommend Taras School for Dogs!

Review 12 (2021-03-18 - Rating: 5)
Sadie started training as a very shy and fearful dog. Working with Mary, she helped Sadie overcome her fears and receive her canine good citizenship. Mary taught me as well, how to work with Sadie to reinforce what she learned in class. I highly recommend Mary and Tara School for Dogs.

Review 13 (2021-09-12 - Rating: 5)
I’m so happy we found Tara’s School for Dogs and Mary! She helped us learn how to train our puppy Ozzie and he’s on his way to being the best boy! Mary gave us great advice specific to our needs and helped us understand our rescue pup better! Highly recommend her services!

Review 14 (2024-04-05 - Rating: 5)
Mary is incredibly patient, knowledgeable and always willing to help. Our pup has improved so much over the course of the training with Mary and we are excited to continue! We highly recommend working with Mary!

Review 15 (2020-07-14 - Rating: 5)
Mary took my 7 year old son and I under her wing to introduce our new puppy Scout to training. When we first met Mary our puppy Scout didn’t even know to respond to her own name! Over several sessions Scout became trained to respond to her name, to come when called, to do fun tricks, and to even to sit in a designated place when told. Mary is super nice and great with kids - in addition to being great with animals! We hope to work with Mary more to fine tune Scouts behavior. Her lessons were great and I highly recommend her.

Review 16 (2023-09-04 - Rating: 5)
We had a great experience working with Mary. She tailored the lessons to our needs as first-time dog owners with an adult rescue, and changed it up on the fly as he learned different skills at different speeds. Plus, catered to a few specific fun requests! Would recommend to anyone looking for one-on-one training.

Review 17 (2022-05-27 - Rating: 5)
Mary is a gifted dog trainer and a pleasure to work with - she quickly and easily got to the root of our objectives for our puppy and accomplished all of them in only a handful of sessions. She was flexible with scheduling and always punctual, and our puppy loved working with her as much as we did. At the end of our package, she gave us fun, easy-to-follow exercises to continue practicing with our puppy (as well as other resources), and she’s always available for follow up questions and/or targeted sessions with the dog. Highly recommend!

Review 18 (2023-08-01 - Rating: 5)
Getting a dog trainer was truly the best decision I made when adopting my dog, Midnight! I had never had a dog in the city, and my building has a lot of elderly and kids, and I really wanted to make sure he was well-behaved. I found Mary online - and she really really saved me. Ive had dogs all my life, but never a dog so intelligent and hyper!In order for the training to work though, you have to be committed to training your dog. Mary gave really easy instruction, with detailed follow up emails full of session notes, and I worked really hard between sessions to make sure we were getting it. Mary will tell you what to do, she studies your dogs behavior, and comes up with innovative ways for every dog to grasp the commands. But, she does not live with us, so we have to do it ourselves! Dog training will only work if the owner is truly excited and committed to learning, too.We learned a LOT of things, and had weekly sessions, and Midnight was able to pass his CGC exam! Originally, he was all over the place on our walks, jumped all over me while I worked from home, couldnt figure out how to chill out... and now he is sleeping under my desk, and an angel outside on walks.I cannot recommend Mary enough! She really loves dogs and there is a true science to training that I didnt understand until watching her. Thank you so much, Mary! See you around the neighborhood :)

Review 19 (2023-04-10 - Rating: 5)
Mary was wonderful with our one year old, high energy bernedoodle. He looked forward to lessons each week and she was extremely patient with Teddy, who takes a bit to settle down when new people enter our home. She trained us on ways to keep working with him now that our lessons are over. She sent us recaps of each lesson to use in the future and If you put in the effort while consistently repeat her methods with your dog, you will see results.

Review 20 (2023-04-25 - Rating: 5)
Ive been working with Mary at Taras School for Dogs for about a year now, and the results have been nothing short of phenomenal.My dog Wiggles has come leaps and bounds, specifically with walking on a leash and not jumping up at people. Mary had my dog responding to the basic commands (like sit, stay, etc. ) within a couple of lessons.Marys knowledge is unbelievable. She has had a solution for every concern I have raised. I went through three other dog trainers before finding Taras School for Dogs, none of them were anywhere close. I highly recommend Taras School for Dogs. Marys expertise is unparalleled.

Review 21 (2022-08-29 - Rating: 5)
Couldnt recommend Taras School for Dogs more. I wanted to find training for my new puppy from someone who could tailor it to my dog specfically. Mary is super knowledgable about training and really takes the time to get to know your dog to tailor each weeks session accordingly. Mary is a super nice person who really cares about the dogs and making sure they are set up for success. Thanks again!

Review 22 (2022-03-02 - Rating: 5)
Mary is a great puppy trainer. She helped us navigate the basic training skills for our mini poodle, Winnie. She has also been responsive to my questions via email and provides really helpful tips and videos. We come back to Mary when we need some tune-up sessions as well.

Review 23 (2021-02-18 - Rating: 5)
Mary is an amazing trainer. She’s super knowledgeable, professional, and easy to work with. She’s helping my puppy with basic as well as more advanced training, and I’ve already seen such an incredible improvement in my puppy’s behavior, impulse control and separation anxiety. She’s always giving me tips and ideas that I can practice at home. I would highly recommend Mary!

Review 24 (2023-01-06 - Rating: 5)
My husband and I loved working with Mary to help train our new puppy. She holds a wealth of knowledge and we love her positive-training approach. Our pup is thriving!

Review 25 (2022-07-11 - Rating: 5)
Mary was very understanding of all of my concerns raising a 4 month old Havanese puppy. The sessions for her Puppy Foundations one were super useful for a first time dog owner such as myself get him on the right track. She is very knowledgeable and willing to answer any additional questions I had over email. Highly recommend

Review 26 (2020-07-08 - Rating: 5)
Mary is such a professional and has been amazing with our new puppy. She is so gentle, kind, and thorough and she has made so much progress with our puppy in just a few lessons! We are so thankful that we found her and Taras School for Dogs because she is transforming our terrier puppy Rosie from being what we thought was a little menace to being a loving and attentive puppy. Thank you Mary for all of your training advice and knowledge!!

Review 27 (2022-03-01 - Rating: 5)
We brought in Mary to help us with our new senior rescue dog who is partially blind. Mary provided us with valuable exercises to reduce our new dogs minor behavioral issues and some strategies for basic commands. She also helped us with our other dogs behavioral issues with leash aggression, giving us some tips to better deal with this problem. Mary also worked with us on more advanced commands for our other dog, which he absolutely loved! It was really reassuring to have Mary help us during this transition with adding our new dog to the family, and we feel much better equipped to deal with some of our new dogs existing issues while enriching our time with her. Thank you!

Review 28 (2022-05-11 - Rating: 5)
We love working with Mary! She runs her sessions with kindness and patience and it makes all the difference. Our puppy, Phoebe, started working with Mary a few months ago and gets very excited every time we run into her in the neighborhood. We cannot wait for our next session!

Review 29 (2021-12-09 - Rating: 5)
I highly recommend Taras School for Dogs. When I contacted Mary, I was literally in tears because I was so frustrated training my puppy. Since the first lesson I noticed a difference in my little Londons bad behaviors. Mary also helped me understand why teaching my dogs certain commands and actions are important for a dog. London just passed her Canine Good Citizen exam and I couldnt be any prouder or happier with my little pup or the training we both received!

Review 30 (2020-08-23 - Rating: 5)
Mary has helped me and my family with our new puppy and I cant say enough wonderful things about her teaching. Mary has handled everything from teaching our pup tricks to teaching him to stay on command to stopping him from jumping (especially on my 4 year olds!) and everything in between. She developed a quick rapport with my dog and my children and has been able to help us all in dealing with a very energetic puppy!Mary has also been sensitive and mindful of Covid - she insists on everyone wearing masks and makes sure to keep her hands clean, especially after giving my pup a treat!If you need a dog whisperer, I highly suggest you reach out to Mary!

Review 31 (2020-12-30 - Rating: 5)
We had a wonderful experience working with Mary and Taras School for Dogs. Our 6 month old Welsh Terrier is a handful given her independent and stubborn nature however, Mary was able to get her to focus and learn during each session. We were very pleased with the progress she made week over week.

Review 32 (2023-04-25 - Rating: 5)
Great experience, great prices. You will be shocked at how much better behaved your dog is after just a few lessons. I recommend getting the package deal, I cant remember the specifics but you get a discount on a bunch of lessons. Cant go wrong, literally I sent my Dad here, my ex, anyone who has a dog I recommend. Even if your dog doesnt have behavioral problems, you should still consider dog schooling because its amazing how much better your life is, and your pups life, after some lessons. You get an understanding, and so does your dog. Everything becomes smoother and easier than it was.

Review 33 (2020-11-30 - Rating: 5)
We really enjoyed our 1x1 sessions with Mary (and our mini goldendoodle pup, Wally, did too)! She was extremely attentive, professional and reliable - offering up valuable insight and feedback each session. We also appreciate the precautions she took during COVID to ensure both her and our safety. Definitely recommend Mary for training, especially if you live on the UES!

Review 34 (2022-04-16 - Rating: 5)
Mary was amazing when she helped us train Chewbacca! She assisted us initially when he was having trouble being alone and getting acclimated to his crate. Afterwards, she assisted in teaching him all of the basic commands and how to continue to reinforce his good behavior. Chewbacca is now the smartest and most well behaved dog in the family. I would highly recommend her to anyone looking to improve their dogs behavior.

Review 35 (2022-11-10 - Rating: 5)
It has been a pleasure to work with Mary for the last few months. She is thorough, knowledgeable and has a lot of patience. She is very responsive and understanding. Our pup, Mo loves training sessions with Mary!

Review 36 (2023-09-15 - Rating: 5)
I have only wonderful words to say about the time that Mary spent with both Linus, my little red toy poodle, and myself. She is friendly and so very knowledgeable. We both benefited so very much from her wise words. I thank her so very much.

Review 37 (2021-07-08 - Rating: 5)
Mary was exceptional with our puppy Peanut. With Marys coaching Peanut picked up commands and tricks quickly. Mary also made the process and experience fun and enjoyable. Highly recommend her!

Review 38 (2020-12-22 - Rating: 5)
Mary truly is a dog whisperer and is helping us get adjusted to our new pup! We especially appreciate how responsive and reliable she has been since the start.

Review 39 (2023-04-25 - Rating: 5)
I came here bc of my nephew. After my seeing how much his dog changed I was seriously impressed. His dog was psycho unmanageable when I dog sat. Then we didnt see each other for about a month, 40ish days or so until I saw my nephew and his dog again. Holy s**t it was like a completely different dog! So well behaved. Same things happened with my dog. She wasnt a difficult dog to begin with but the level of understanding and obedience is insane.

Review 40 (2023-04-30 - Rating: 5)
After going through several dog trainers, I settled on Taras School for Dogs. Without a doubt the best training, at the best price. You wont find better on the UES or maybe even the whole city.

Review 41 (2020-10-23 - Rating: 5)
Cant recommend enough. Insightful training tips that I would have completely missed. Really drove home that dog training is almost more human training. My sanity and my Samoyed puppy thank her!

Review 42 (2023-04-25 - Rating: 5)
All these other 5 star reviews pretty much cover it. This is the BEST dog training program in the city, no doubt. I dont usually bother reviewing places, but I felt like I had to - its that good.

Review 43 (2024-06-22 - Rating: 5)
Working with Mary was an incredible experience! She helped our four month old English bulldog become an AKC STAR puppy in six weeks. Not only that, she also went above and beyond to ensure that Matilda was engaged annd appropriately paced, often going beyond the foundations one segment of her program. It was an absolute pleasure to work with her, and I highly recommend her if you were looking looking for foundational training for your puppy!

Review 44 (2022-01-14 - Rating: 5)
Mary was awesome with TINO! It was amazing to see how effective communication can make a difference in his behavior, looking forward to seeing how he does in the next session

Review 45 (2021-06-01 - Rating: 5)
I hired Mary from Taras School for Dogs to do private lessons for my (at the time) 5 month old Boston Terrier puppy, Charlie. Mary was firm but gentle with Charlie, prompt, and cheerful, even under less than ideal circumstances with the pandemic. Before doing training, Charlie knew basically no commands and wouldnt listen when called; after training, Charlie is much better behaved and performs many commands. Most importantly, Mary trained *me* how to train Charlie: how to use my voice and my body to get Charlie to do what I wanted him to do, which means that I can continue to train him even after my time with Mary is finished. All in all, I highly recommend Mary.

Review 46 (2020-12-27 - Rating: 5)
We are very happy with the quality of training we received at Taras School for Dogs! Mary gave our puppy (Ruthie) individual attention and set her on the right path. She was able to adapt and try different techniques to help Ruthie thrive.

Review 47 (2023-12-26 - Rating: 5)
Mary is a terrific teacher/trainer. She taught us both. Her evaluations are so helpful and she is generous with all information available. She is calm and welcoming and my puppy took to her immediately.Many thanks for her incredible expertise.

Review 48 (2021-07-06 - Rating: 5)
Mary was amazing with my puppy-very calm, firm-gave me the confidence I needed!Thank you !!!

Review 49 (2024-02-08 - Rating: 5)
Mary was wonderful, informative, and very helpful with our dog and nanny!

Review 50 (2023-08-14 - Rating: 5)
Mary is very informative, warm, and gentle! She is also quick and easy to communicate with.

Review 51 (2024-02-26 - Rating: 5)
Professional, experienced and efficient! Mary does a great job!!!

Review 52 (2022-12-03 - Rating: 5)
We worked with Mary for our golden retriever puppy. She was great helping us with foundational skills and introductory commands. It was a great way to start training and set our pup up for success!

Review 53 (2022-12-15 - Rating: 5)
Cant say enough great stuff about Taras School for Dogs. We weighed our options with PetCo or group training and are so glad we went with Mary. Mary has a great grasp and wealth of knowledge for dog training and immediately picked up on what our new rescue needed. Seymour now has his basics down and has worked through some early behavioral pieces. She has her go-tos, but is flexible and customized her approach with what she noticed our dog needing he was a nipper/jumper--she took care of that quickly!). Mary also ensures that we can continue to practice what she has taught and fully understand what were doing--were so glad we worked with her so we can continue to work with our pup his whole life. Thank you Taras School for Dogs!!

Review 54 (2020-03-15 - Rating: 5)
Our dog is a mini Australian Shepherd names Ollie. We have been working with Mary for several weeks now, and we’ve found her to be diligent and patient and great with our Ollie. We are confident that we will reach our goals for him with Mary’s assistance (working on barking at door, agility training, leash reactivity). We highly recommend Mary to anyone looking to train their dog or just make their dog happier!

Review 55 (2021-01-18 - Rating: 5)
Mary is amazing! She helped us so much with getting the basics of training down for our new puppy and set us all up for success. Thank you Mary!