"When I adopted Maggie in 2019, it was immediately clear that she had a lot of stressors and anxieties. After coming out of quarantine and moving back to the city, Maggie's anxiety peaked to an all time high. My veterinarian suggested behavioral training along with the proper medication. We started working with Rikke in September 2021 and I was amazed at how the smallest changes in our routine quickly began to help with Maggie's quality of life. Rikke helped me set expectations- Maggie came to me as a nervous pup. No amount of training can change her personality, and that is okay! We worked slowly, first in my apartment doing nose games, patterned games, etc. Rikke also recommended we incorporate other helpful tools- the Happy Hoodie and the Thunder Shirt. We built up Maggie's confidence with time so when we finally did venture outside, it was an extremely productive and a positive experience for all of us! With any questions I had about what was the "right" answer for Maggie, Rikke was a wealth of knowledge in her experience and advice. I felt so encouraged and reassured after each session, and they drastically improved Maggie's general happiness. I am very grateful for this experience!"

- Darcey

We first started working with Behavior Vets of NYC when my 5 1/2 month old Golden Doodle started showing signs of Separation Anxiety in March 2022. Our behaviorist was Lauren Novack and shortly into our first meeting I knew we were in good hands. She has a passion for what she does and always goes that extra step. She is knowledgeable, down to earth, caring, empathetic, and extremely supportive. When we meet virtually and she interacts with Shelton he immediately takes to her and she speaks his language. The wealth of knowledge she has given me on dog behavior, body language, patience, consistency and repetition to help Shelton become a happy and well adjusted dog is limitless. She has a heart of gold, cheers you on and gives you the tools to better empower yourself to help your dog overcome his fears.

We were referred to Dr. Emily Franquin since Shelton, after making great strides with his SA had a setback with the behavioral training and was exhibiting other signs of anxiety. We met with Dr. Franquin mid June 2022 in her Brewster office. After our first meeting Shelton sat on her lap on the floor while she was reviewing with me his history, listened and answered my endless questions and concerns, empathized with what was I was going through, eased my anxieties, educated me on how meds can help him make better progress, the different classes of meds that are used  and potential side effects. She's extremely knowledgeable, conscientious, empathetic, and personable and has this warm demeanor.

Shortly after seeing Dr. Franquin, Shelton injured his hind leg that needed rest or else his injury could possibly become chronic. No playgroup, jumping, running, or playing with other dogs until he was fully healed. Dr. Franquin helped me find the right meds to help with the pain and to keep him calm. I do not know what I would have done without her. She was always an email away when I had a question or concern. There were frequent check-ins on what I was giving and how he was doing so that she could further recommend the next step. I always felt that she really cared about both our welfare. Lauren also has been a tremendous help during this stressful time helping me with anything and everything. She spent an hour with me going over walking, feeding, mental games, gates to keep him from jumping, and tethers. After our meeting she sent an email with links that go directly to each website for easy ordering. This was so helpful!

The one silver lining to Shelton's SA is that I had two wonderful professionals supporting me with the behavioral aspects and the right medication to keep him calm and pain free. Any doggie parent caring for an inured or post-op dog should consider Behavior Vets of NYC to guide them through the recovery period. I will be forever grateful to Dr. Franquin and Lauren!

Working with you was life-changing and I will be forever grateful. From the first moment of our initial consultation, I knew that you were the one for us because I finally found a trainer who was realistic with a dry wit, spunk, and personality. I knew we would work well together after you made some snarky jokes and told me that all the women in your family were capricorns. I met you when I was burnt out, having taken a month or two off from any training or even attempting to walk Chicken outside, you told me that was okay and then you revived me. You were the first person to really see and honor and affirm all the work that I had put into Chicken so far and that was so important to me and showed me that I could trust you (see above re: capricorn). You were like a mom, a cheerleader, a best friend, a mentor, a therapist, a well of generosity, and most importantly a dog behavior expert all rolled into one. You worked tirelessly and flexibly, showing up every week for months with bells on and pockets full of cheese. Your after-session emails positively reinforced me, inspiring me to keep going. You entertained all my questions and thoughts, even about things that had nothing to do directly with Chicken's fearfulness, but helped me to refine and define my thoughts and philosophy not only about Chicken but also about behavior modification in general. You were Chicken's greatest reinforcement, she loved you and always ran out the front door like a bat out of hell when I told her you were on the other side- of course the only time she would run out the front door with enthusiasm. Maeve is a working dog among working dogs, calmly and devotedly body-blocking Chicken from motorcycles on the street, putting up with her shenanigans, and always keeping a watchful eye out. I will really miss her. Over the weeks, because of you, we saw Chicken grow more and more comfortable, resilient, and able to bounce back until she was able to calmly observe a ten minute procession of obscenely loud dirt bikes and ATVs (!). Deciding to leave NYC despite all of our progress is not a defeat but instead a positive example of all you taught me, empowering me to do the best for our blonde girl. My only regret is that we didn't start working together a year earlier. We couldn't have gotten through these past five months (and the rest of her life!) without you. Looking forward to doing some virtual sessions together in the future, but I will miss you. Chicken is doing really well settling in. She has been eating marrow bones on the porch in the sun, happily trotting around outside and swimming in the river, and, as you predicted over and over again, her harness sensitivity has basically disappeared overnight.

- Megan & Chicken

Our now 4 year old American Staffordshire terrier,  Greta, has had issues with fear and impulse control since she was only several weeks old.  As a puppy Greta started training with Bobbie and made huge strides with her issues.  When we moved and could no longer continue training with Bobbie we tried to maintain Greta's behavior modification with other trainers with little success.  More recently, we have reconnected with Bobbie to work on some of Greta's persistent and new issues, including barking and tolerating cutting of her nails.  I was hesitant to work with a trainer virtually but we have seen a real response from Greta and find that the virtual sessions work great!  I would recommend virtual training to anyone with a new puppy or dog or anyone who thinks they cannot make changes positive changes with a dog that is set in their ways!

- Rebecca & Greta

Lauren is incredible! She came to help teach us to train our first puppy, Tess, and we could not have found a better trainer. She is knowledgable and so passionate about the dogs—you can tell she genuinely cares about building a meaningful relationship with the parents and pup. Right off the bat we knew we made the right decision to have her train us and our puppy. I don't know what we would have done without her! If you are looking for a trainer, look no further than Lauren's Leash!

It is my pleasure to tell you that Frankie and I have been working with Mike Rose since May 2021.  Frankie is my dachshund who I adopted in October 2020.  He was approximately 5 years old when I adopted him and he is now the love of my life.  But, he did come with some issues such as separation anxiety and noise sensitivity.  That is where Mike stepped in as Frankie's behavior trainer.  I can only tell you great things about Mike.  He is, above all else, endlessly knowledgeable.  He can easily and professionally answer all of my questions - the smart questions as well as the dumb ones!  Mike is generous with his time, he is kind, he is sympathetic, and he is good humored.  And, most importantly, it is so easy to see that Mike truly loves dogs and loves helping them overcome their issues.  I know that Frankie is in good hands and that Mike truly cares about Frankie's well being.  Frankie and I are so lucky to be working with Mike!

- Isobel Dizengoff and Frankie

Our general practitioner recommended our dog, Miso, see a vet behaviorist due to his general anxiety and, in particular, his fear of the vet. Miso would often get quite worked up and aggressive when he encountered situations that were not to his liking. Though we figured out some ways to manage him, it was clear that to improve his (and our) quality of life, we would need help.

We emailed Behavior Vets of NYC and were soon scheduled for our first appointment with Dr. Tu. From the very first meeting, it was clear that the entire team (vets, consultants, trainers, technicians, and support staff) was invested in Miso's journey! Every decision made was mindful of not only Miso, but also our family.

Since working with Behavior Vets, Miso has improved greatly. We quickly found medications that help manage his anxiety (but do not take away from his most loveable qualities). We also put in place a plan on how to approach difficult and scary scenarios. Bobbie, one of the consultants, was incredibly instrumental in assisting us in training Miso so that his behavior could adjust in the long-term. Since working with Bobbie, Miso has gained more confidence and feels comfortable alerting us of situations that may cause distress. By combining the medication with the training, we have been able to address the root of Miso's anxiety and give him the skills to ensure future success.

Overall, I would recommend Behavior Vets of NYC to any pet owner who is struggling to manage or wishes to improve their dogs behavior! We could not have asked for a better veterinary behavior team! Even Miso would agree—despite his fear of the vet, Miso always entered the clinic with a wagging tail!

In my time working with my wonderful but fear aggressive puppy, I’ve learned that there is no one way to work through these types of behavioral problems. Everyone has an opinion and it can make a stressful situation even more overwhelming. But we were set up for success because we had access to Behavior Vets and their multifaceted team of experts from different backgrounds who came together and developed a program unique to our situation. When my puppy first started showing signs of behavioral problems I was distraught and felt like I was in over my head, but the comprehensive plan that Behavior Vets put together gave me the confidence and knowledge I needed to work with her on getting better.

Lauren has been a life saver. She has been working with our dog, Lucy, for the last two months and we have not only seen tremendous results but our confidence as first time dog owners has increased. She goes above and beyond, spending extra time with us when necessary and always follows up with a thorough email recapping what we did in our lesson and what to do at home. She’s very passionate about her profession and it is such a pleasure to work with her. I think we get just as excited about training as Lucy does.

Thanks to Bobbie Wirkmaa and Dr. Tu, Zuri’s doing amazing in Columbus. It’s not easy to just uproot your life after living somewhere for 10+ years, but I’m happy to report that all of Zuri’s urban anxiety is gone and the skills I learned with Bobbie on managing my little canine athlete can now finally be implemented without managing both the environmental management and reactivity management. While she won’t ever be a perfectly calm dog who won’t voice her feelings, she is learning she can coexist in a world that’s very new and be relaxed and happy without the need of a muzzle for extra measure to keep people and dogs away! We kicked things off recently with group dog classes and she had her first trial last weekend with zero reactivity around reactive dogs… she even slept in her crate which never happened before at a trial! While we’re sad that we’re not in NYC anymore to keep seeing Bobbie and Dr. Tu in person, we have them to thank for setting us up on a path to true success in rehabbing my formerly super fear reactive dog!

Dr. Tu and team are amazing. We came to her after suspecting our puppy was suffering from anxiety and restlessness, and they were extremely thorough in their examination of him. They took their time asking and answering questions, and really helped us understand what was going on with our dog and how we could help modify his behavior. Slowly but surely, we are starting to see improvement! They are also extremely efficient when it comes to answering our questions via email, which makes us feel confident in his treatment plan! We highly recommend Behavior Vets if you have any suspicions about your pet!

Lauren is working with our French Bulldog puppy. We saw a difference fast and people all over the neighborhood stopped to tell us how wonderful Lauren was with our Willie! The puppy program is perfect for your puppy before he or she has had all of the needed shots. Lauren treated our dog as if he was her own.

I started taking my Boston Terrier to Behavior Vets in September and had a consult with Dr. Spano. She spent two hours with me listening and learning about him. We set him up on a treatment plan which included training (behavior modification) and medication. He had a lot of fear of loud noises, strangers, and anxiety. After working with our trainer, Bobbie, since September and with his medication he is truly a new dog. His fear of loud noises has almost disappeared, he walks calmly on his leash and pays attention to me and not things happening around him. I can't say enough great things about Behavior Vets, they have truly changed my dog's life (and mine!).

It is an honor to be a client of Dr. Christensen's. She is incredibly intelligent, and is compassionate and down-to-earth enough to allow clients to share their emotional fears and potential roadblocks posed both by the client and the animal. She truly cares about educating the entire world about positive reinforcement and force-free training, in evidence by her commitment to training veterinary behavior residents and offering free public webinars through VetVine.

Dr. Christensen is very collaborative, which means she is a great team leader for each behavior case; key for educating generalist veterinarians and other specialists, including animal trainers and all family members / caregivers interacting with patient(s) to advocate for them. I have yet to meet any professional who is not thrilled to work with her and hear her point of view.

As a guardian and caregiver, I wanted to learn the technology and find the professionals who would teach me how to build a better relationship with my learner and that was never an issue for Dr. Christensen. For this, I am forever grateful and encouraged to want to learn more.

Thank you Dr. Christensen, for all that you do!

Let me start out by saying Lauren is the BEST trainer you could get in NYC. First off she treats your pup as if it were her own. Secondly, she does everything she can to take care of YOU. She trained me as well as the pup and helped to educate, provide resources and helped with any of my needs. Her energy is positive, kind and loving. It's amazing what she was able to do in training. Having a puppy is not easy, but Lauren made it so much easier! She was there whenever I needed her and she sent me detailed notes via email after every training, along with pictures and videos. In panicked moments she replied quickly by text. Thank you, Lauren!

I could gush for hours about Lauren! We have two lab mixes, about 2 and 4.5 years old. Our youngest dog started showing signs of aggression towards younger dogs. She spent lots of time answering our questions. When we took the dogs out on a walk with her, she was immediately able to pinpoint things we had never noticed. After our session, we received an amazingly detailed overview, complete with step-by-step instructions for training/homework for us to do with our dogs, videos that break down dog behavior, and recommendations for treats/food/etc. We’ve seen an incredible improvement—I’m now able to take both of my dogs and my 1.5 year old son to the vet, and the waiting room is a breeze when I use Lauren’s training tactics. I previously just sat and held on to the leashes for dear life. I should mention that during my time looking for a trainer, she also had some of the most competitive pricing, and I have to say she’s absolutely worth it! Thank you!

I rescued my Brittany Spaniel named Remi 2 years ago. Remi is 5 years old. His previous owner, a 19-year-old girl, left him on a 9X9 porch for the first 3 years of his life and didn’t clean up his feces at all. When Remi was rescued, he was up to his ankles in feces and had a developed a form of Merca (flesh-eating bacteria) all over his belly and had no hair on his belly and was in very poor shape. When I got him, Remi would not lay down at all and was not able to sleep. He had night terrors and kept me up all night long every night with him whining and crying. It was brutal. He would not lay down during the day or at night until complete exhaustion. Because he stood so much, Remi’s back legs were atrophied and he was crazy in the brain, to say the least. Remi was severely abused and had major issues. It took Britanny rescue 6 months to get his infection under control. The rescue did not know the extent of his issues, and I found them out when I adopted him, I found out the hard way that Remi had severe issues and I went to 7 other vets and spent well over $5000-$7000 last summer on numerous vet visits and tests to try to get him fixed. None of these vets helped me and all charged me huge amounts of $$ to do the same redundant tests that didn’t get to the cause of his issues. Several times I was gonna give up and have him put down. I decided to give him one last chance and take him to Behavior Vets to see Dr. Spano. Well, it was a miracle. First off, Dr. Spano realized right away that there was no point in doing more tests and used all the info I had. She realized that Remi’s issues were in his head. She helped me get Remi turned around with a medication protocol that changed his nad my life. I can’t tell you the gratitude I have for Dr. Spano and her team. They were compassionate and very sincere in helping me get Remi fixed, and inexpensive as well! I have to say that Remi is now a normal dog and is my life. I STRONGLY recommend Dr. Spano to anyone out there that has a dog with major trauma issues or a problem that normal vets can’t figure out. Thank you Dr. Spano.

I have been extremely pleased with my experiences with Behavior Vets. I would recommend them to anyone wanting the best for their animal (not only dogs!)  There are a few steps to go  - but everything is important.  First, there is a comprehensive questionnaire about the client to be.  Then there is a vet visit, we saw Dr. Spano in NY.  The doctors who work with Behavior Vets have received additional certification regarding psychological issues and they are experienced in diagnosing psychological problems and finding the correct medication or medications in the proper dosages.  For example, my dog was diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder and put on Reconcile (Prozac for Canines) and Clonidine (short acting anti-anxiety medication).

In addition, we have been lucky to work with Bobbie Bhambree, the head trainer.  She is very knowledgeable  about animal behavior and has tremendous experience as well as a natural calm personality. Bobbie is always communicating with Dr. Spano about my dogs progress.  They are both very accessible and answer emails or phone calls promptly.  Sometimes we discuss medication or my dogs behavior or I send over a video or photo of some new, desirable behavior. The sessions have an order and organization and I am always given the tools to do everything myself and the rationale behind all the training games and exercises.  I have had other positive training experiences before, but this is the most empowering and enjoyable. It is very reassuring to know that my dogs psychological issues are being handled by experts who understand him. In his case, he presented with guarding behaviors. It's a joy to see him less anxious and enjoying his life more. In fact, I have another dog who is also going to start the process.  She panics about food and I have learned to adjust to her but I would rather work with Behavior Vets to help her in a more comprehensive way.  In addition, they work with dogs that do not present with psychological issues.  The training is all positive and I think it would be a great start for any puppy or young animal.

I rescued my pup from a shelter. He exhibited difficulties on the leash and socializing with other dogs. We have been working with Lauren’s Leash for the past 4 months for training and walking. My dog Tyson is showing incredible progress. Lauren’s method is to give the dog confidence in themselves in order to conquer their fears and anxieties. Having been around dogs my whole life I can confidently say that this method is much better for long term results than punishment driven training. She has been extremely good about communicating and being patient with my dog as well as equipping me with the tools to be the best parent I can be. Most importantly she is truly driven by seeing a dog’s progress and excited about the work she does. I researched and interviewed many trainer/walkers, and I am so thankful and happy that I chose Lauren.