Golden Retriever Training in Pittsburgh, PA

Vince from Pittsburgh Elite Dog Training is an amazing dog trainer. He is so patient, kind and knowledgeable of dog behaviors. Our journey of owning a service dog started a little over 2 years ago when a doctor suggested to my daughter that a service dog might be very helpful to her. She decided she wanted a Doberman Pincher. We never owned this breed and definitely needed help. Vince spent a long time explaining the process of obedience training and service dog training. Vince came to our house weekly and spent time with our dog and my daughter training not only the dog but my daughter to be a handler. After weeks of home training they were ready to introduce distractions and group training. Our experience with Vince will forever hold a special place in my heart. His training enabled my daughter to have her service dog and life a full life. Rowe went to College with Keria full time at 1year old, she is fully off leash and made a trip to Disney with us. Rowe and my daughter now work a full time job and they are both happy and thriving. Thankyou Vince, we could not have done it with out you.

We have had a really good experience with Vince! Our puppy was a little shy at first and it took her a few days to get used to the e-collar. Vince was very patient and went slow with her and worked with me to be consistent with her. We are hoping to train her as a service dog and she has made so much progress!

We needed a service dog and fast. Finding a dog was easy, finding someone to provide service training was a challenge. I called Tonya at DTE-Tampa as my last chance to find someone who could help. Her first words “don’t worry, I can definitely help”. We now have a dog that helps support my husband through his challenges and is certified to be with him at all times. Tonya was patient and helped us through the process. If you need a trained or certified dog, I highly recommend you contact them.

We cannot thank Vince at Dog Training Elite Pittsburgh enough for the work he’s done with our American Bully, Rooney. When we reached out, we were desperate for answers. Rooney had become very anxious and reactive after we had kids, and we weren’t sure how to help her. Vince came in with so much expertise and a deep understanding of dog behavior. He walked us through every step of the training process and gave us the tools to help Rooney manage her anxiety. His approach not only helped Rooney become more confident and calm, but also empowered us as owners. Thanks to Vince, Rooney has made amazing progress. She listens to us more each day and handles her usual high-stress situations so much better than before. Most importantly, we now understand why she reacts the way she does, and that knowledge has made the biggest difference. We highly recommend Vince to anyone struggling with their dog’s behavior.

Vince is a kind, patient, and phenomenal trainer. He has certified two service dogs for me, and without his expertise, I could not have had such well trained dogs.

Vince did an excellent job training Marley. My dog is much improved reacting to strangers and other dogs. He now know heel, leave-it, place, down, sit, and off. My neighbors have even commented how Marley has improved with his behavior.

Vince is a great trainer. Prior to Vince, my husband and I could not take our dogs for a walk. Now, our dogs are well-behaved and walks are enjoyable. Our dogs are learning better behavior around other dogs. In the process, my husband and I learned how to be better dog owners, too. :-)

We had a great experience with Vince! Oakley responded very well to the techniques and I was impressed by how quickly she picked up on the training. We will continue to use the lessons that we learned from Vince, and are excited to join the group classes.

Our 8-month-old Golden retriever, Henry, was energetically pulling us by the leash and reacting to every person, dog, and squirrel in view. We are not inexperienced - he is our 6th dog over the past 38 years, but we could not get his attention to slow him down! He was so excited to see our grandkids that we were afraid that he would knock them down. Vince showed us how to use an "e-collar" and worked with Henry and with us for 6 private lessons. What a difference! Henry now walks by my side and no longer jumps up on people. We have now attended two of the 12 group sessions with other dogs Vince trains, and Henry is SO much easier to control, even while walking past other dogs and all the distractions in a public park. Vince is kind, patient, and obviously loves dogs. We are so glad that we found him! AND - I have held the e-collar while the transmitter button is pushed, and I could barely feel it. It is more like a tapping - not a shock.

Vince has been fantastic in training our dog. Before Vince, our dog was a well-meaning but poorly behaved 100ib doberman that pulled on leashes and jumped on passing dogs and people constantly. Since training with Vince, he has had a total transformation into a well-behaved, gentle, and thoroughly enjoyable hound. Vince's in-house sessions were thoughtful and highly effective, and his weekly group classes are enjoyable. It has been a real pleasure to watch my dog transform before my very eyes!

Dog Training Elite was an excellent support and choice for my dog. As a first-time dog owner, Vince made training goals for our dog clear, practicable, and achievable. Our dog is a rescue, and came into our home with jumping, leash-pulling, and inattentive behavior/a hard time responding to commands. With Vince, we have eliminated leash-pulling, had significant progress with heeling, threshold training, and jumping. Our dog loved Vince, we have utilized his group training sessions and plan on training our dog for service with Dog Training Elite

Working with Vince was invaluable. It not only taught my new puppy the building blocks for a great start at a good skill set to improve upon and a solid foundation to continue the next phase of group sessions and then onto specialized training. The in-home sessions were invaluable and very convenient. Learning and training in our own environment was great. I considered other options and tried dropping him off but was unable to leave him due to his initial separation anxiety. In home training was solved that. I start the group sessions next and will follow this up with another narrative on those and the continued specialized training. I would recommend Vince and Dog Training Elite Pittsburgh.

I highly recommend Vince Conrad as he is top notch, knowledgeable dog trainer. “Wits end” describes me prior to hiring Vince to train my out-of-control Bichon Frise puppy, Dixie. She had very few listening skills and thought she was running our household. Now, thanks to Vince’s patience and expertise and our six in-home training sessions, Dixie is obedient and listens to me! We are looking forward to our outdoor training sessions! Thank you Vince!

Vince came out for an introductory visit to meet with us and our dog, Gabriel, and to walk through the training expectations based upon Gabriel’s behavior. Over the course of six weeks, Vince worked one-on-one with our dog and with us to make sure we were doing the proper work with Gabriel. We are exceptionally impressed by Vince’s technique and the positive affect it has had on Gabriel. More importantly, my family now has the tools to continue this training Thanks Vince!

I have had nothing but good experiences with Dog Training Elite. Vince was SO helpful and supportive even before we began working together. He gave me great insight and knowledge as I navigated the process of picking out a puppy to be a therapy dog. We spoke quite a few times before he even met with us. With my busy schedule, traveling to training appointments could have been a major hinderance - Vince came to us! My puppy felt comfortable in her home environment as she learned new skills. At no point did Vince ever make me feel bad or embarrassed about our learning process. He was nothing but supportive every step of the way! His recommendation for training 15-20min/day was very reasonable and I felt like something we could manage. We came a long way and we continued to benefit from the group trainings after we finished the one-on-ones at home. Vince was available via email and phone all throughout the process and has made it worth every single penny. If you are on the fence, you will not regret working with DTE!

I stopped Vince in South Park’s parking lot after he had just finished a training program out there and asked him a question about an issue I’m having with my new dog. He was so kind, helpful and informative. He gave me multiple suggestions on how to address the issue. He knew a lot specifics about my breed of dog and dog behavior in general. If you are looking for a good, honest person to help you with training your dog Vince is your guy!

My wife and I now have our fifth German Shepherd. The first three lived between 10 and 14 years. Number four died unexpectedly at seven. That was 19 months ago. We've had our Long Hair German Shepherd, Teddy, for 18 months now. At four months Teddy completed her basic puppy training. Shortly after that we began looking for a seasoned, mature professional trainer. We found what we were looking for when Vince Conrad of Dog Training Elite came to our house to see if we were all a good fit for each other. We started our six in home training and finished up with Teddy making great progress! Both Teddy and I feel like we both had the best training! I like to think of the in home training as the class room work. We have now completed six of the 12 group training sessions with six more to come. I call the group sessions the "field work". Each session builds off the previous session. Vince is so skilled and patient. He is always firm, with a calming demeanor. When Teddy was about nine months old it was nearly impossible to take her for a walk. At 73 I need a dog that will walk with me without pulling me down the road. Last week we were out for a walk when we came to our neighbors house. They were out at the curb waiting to see Teddy. As we got to the couple I told Teddy to sit, and she did. They spent a bit of time to pet her and to make a fuss. I then told her down to which she got all the way down and stayed there calmly until I commanded her to "come". This couple are trained Greyhound rescue "parents", their son is a professional dog trainer and their daughter is a Vet. Their final comment to me carries a lot of weight. They said that Teddy's progress is remarkable. I hope my experience with Vince helps you make a decision about finding the right trainer. I can't thank Vince enough. Don Creasy Pittsburgh

Wish I could give 10 stars. They are so awesome and amazing at what they do! Tonya was incredible and got me and my dog to exactly where we wanted with the training! Best in the area!

I only have good comments about my experience so far with Dog Training Elite. Not only with the knowledge and experience of Vince, but also his patience and generosity. He was able to assess and understand my dog very well and adapted the training according to her needs and behaviors. He was there when I was discouraged and ready to give up, I can’t be more grateful.

My dog Sage and I worked with Vince from Dog Training Elite Pgh and we couldn't be happier. Vince was very knowledgeable and patient providing clear guidance to me how to best help Sage learn new skills. I was amazed at how quickly Sage picked up sitting at the front door when people arrive (instead of jumping on them) and going to her place and staying for relatively long periods of time (20-30 min). I highly recommend Vince!