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March 2024 by Nathan Bousquet
TLDR: Dave is a very special person, period full stop. This is the best money you will ever spend on your dog.We are somewhat experienced dog owners who brought our English Lab puppy Pancake home in November of 2023 after losing our beloved 2 pitty mixes to cancer. We knew we wanted to take our training with our new puppy to a high level, and we were delighted to learn that an absolute legend (he will never admit this) lived and ran his business in our town. We got in touch with Sit Means Sit Massachusetts when Pancake was 3 months old to learn about their program. My conversation with Dave’s staff on this initial call was sign #1 that Dave was running a world class operation. Dave’s staff member spent 15-20 minutes learning about Pancake, our goals, and walking me through the process. She was also able to share her experience having her own dog trained by Dave and the success they had. She also let me know that Dave prefers to wait until dogs are 5-6 months old before introducing the e collar, however he would do puppy lessons before the dog reached that age. Within days, we signed up for both his training program as well as a puppy lesson. This was all done efficiently and professionally with the use of a system, calendar invites, and reminders when we approached each session. A few weeks later we took Pancake to Dave for our puppy lesson. Within 15 minutes he had taught us (most importantly) and Pancake how to behave around distractions, including his amazing dog Otter. When we returned home, we realized he had given us the keys to unlock a step change in our puppy’s behavior. We now understood how to teach him that he couldn’t put everything in the house in his mouth and that he needed to pay attention to us. This allowed us to teach him all of the basics over the next several weeks. This brings us to Dave’s unique formal training approach, which I believe is a game changer. Unlike traditional 2-4 week board and trains (we had done this 4 times with our prior dogs), Dave spends a full day with your dog at his facility and then spends time w you at the end of the day to teach you how to continue the training. Dave was extremely thorough teaching us how to use the collar to communicate w our dog as well as the why behind everything we were doing. We were given guidance for what to work on over the next week ahead of our next scheduled lesson w Dave. For our next lesson, Dave took Pancake and I to Lowe’s to show me how to handle him in a very stimulating public environment. Pancake did incredible heeling through distractions, placing and staying, and even heeling while I pushed a shopping cart around the store. Dave gave me all the tricks on how to anticipate the challenges, and how to handle them appropriately. A week later we met Dave for our third and final lesson at a popular park where there where many other folks walking their dogs. We immediately knocked down one challenge after another. Heeling past reacting dogs, placing on challenging objects, working through a little bit of Pancake’s fear of loud truck noises, and even going off leash around other people and dogs for half the session. It was amazing to watch a 5 1/2 month old dog display such incredible behavior. As someone who has done several board and trains, it is clear that Dave has cracked the code. Sure a trainer who spends 2-4 weeks with your dog can teach them great skills, but those skills quickly diminish when the dog is returned to the owner and the owner doesn’t have the knowledge to continue to train the dog. Dave’s program is intentionally designed to ensure that you the owner gain the skills they need to train their dog for life. While our formal lessons are now complete, Dave is only a phone call or text message away to answer any questions and continue to provide us guidance. I can vouch for the fact that he’s extremely responsive, and you can tell that he really cares. Which brings me to the most important point. Dave is an extremely talented dog trainer and an equally good person. 5 stars are not enough!
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March 2024 by Monique Godfrey
We have a one year old Rottweiler who did wonderful training with Dave, he is a joy to walk on leash after this training , he is much calmer and in-tuned to all commands and I’m looking forward to our outings now , as he is definitely dialed into to my commands . I Highly recommend Dave as a dog trainer !
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March 2024 by Michael Hanna
I usually don’t write reviews.I had my old English bulldog for four years and lately he has been a nightmare to deal with to the point he started growling at my kids any myself.I tried several ways to get rid of his bad habit, but I was not successful and sadly I was thinking of giving him for adoption before he attacks one of my family and while I was looking online, I came across sit means sit website.I called them and Lori she was very nice, and she did not rush me at all, she advised me to contact Dave which it was very nice to talk to him, he said he can help me to control his behavior and he explain in detail what he can do.I agreed and dropped the dog at his facility at 8:00 am Dave kept me updated during the day with pic and little chat here and there. At 5:30 PM same day Dave brought the same looking dog to my house but totally different behaviorsHere is the crazy part my dog was totally transformed to a different dog he listen and obey no more growling ,no more barking at us, no more chewing shoes and no more disturbing our dinner time with friend and family and the impressive part now he can walk next to me off l leash and I don’t have to be dragged or pulled, I think Dave planted a chip in m y dog’s brain :) Now I take my dog to the store, and he walks next to me off leash and don’t get distracted by people or animals.Dave is excellent dog trainer it worth the time to write a review. Now I understood what they meant by SIT MEANS SIT
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March 2024 by Arlene Sullivan
Our experience with Dave was amazing. The training was very effective and both we and our dog have benefited greatly. We brought Opie to Dave when he was 4 1/2 months. He is now 6 months and we can walk and take him out in public with no issues. Opie and we are so much happier. We wholeheartedly recommend Sit Means Sit.
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March 2024 by Abby Morss
Best service ever! We love Dave!
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March 2024 by Charles Diblasi
Sit means sit is AMAZING!After only a few weeks of training, our Bernadoodle is a totally different dog. She was so hard to walk, always pulling, sniffing everything she passed, and barking excessively at every dog she saw. Well, now we can’t be more estatic about how she behaves.We are no longer embarrassed to bring her places. Her trainer Dave ( the owner of Sit Means Sit) has been amazing with her and with us. He’s so respectful, knowledgeable, and patient. His facility is also clean and immaculate. We are so pleased and highly recommend Sit Means Sit to anyone who needs any kind of help with their dog.
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March 2024 by Brian Thibault
Dave is amazing and his staff are all excellent! It’s training that works!
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March 2024 by Mary Sennott
This was truly a game changer for me and my large shepherd. He and I can truly enjoy walking in the woods both on and off leash with confidence and he can have some freedom walking off leash. Dave is truly a great teacher to both myself and my dog. Highly recommend!!!
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March 2024 by Samantha F
Absolutely thrilled and over the moon with daves training. The results after the first session were mind blowing. It is like I have a different dog. It was a learning experience for me, but now I am confident I have the skills that are going to help my pup be the best she can be. I highly highly recommend this training program.
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March 2024 by Lucy Shawcross
Dave builds the solid foundation, you work together to put up the walls and then you take what you’ve learned to finish the roof. We had a great experience with Dave and our 1 year old lab Ozzy. Ozzy had some basic training but was starting to get the upper hand on us with some resource guarding and taking us for a walk. We had enjoyed off leash hikes with him but as Ozzy got older and bolder, he would take off after a scent and we’d be left yelling his name for 15 minutes. The day we came between him and some mouse poison he really wanted, and ended up with a showdown we knew we needed help. After one day with Dave, he had reestablished that we were the boss and that Oz was to do as we told him. We practiced on our own for a week and then met again with Dave to work through some issues and train together in a public setting. A week later we met again and had more great direction from Dave to tighten up our home training which had got a bit loose. We are now confidant that we can continue reinforcing all the good habits Dave taught on day 1. The initial results were impressive and now it’s up to us to keep getting better and reinforcing all we have been taught. We are extremely happy that we came to Sit means Sit and Dave’s fun personality and gentle but firm instruction was easy to understand and remember. We are new to this but also know that Dave will be there to support us should we need another refresher or encounter a unique situation. Just Do S(it). L&P
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January 2024 by David Sheedy
Sit Means Sit training and Dave are absolutely the best training a dog and their owner can get. We used Dave with our first dog years ago and were over the top impressed with the training. When we got Pitch we had no doubt that we would return to Sit means sit to help us to train him too. Dave has a great amount of knowledge to share with the dogs and their owners. He has a great ability to help you with the confidence to train your dog. Thank you so much Dave!!!!!
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January 2024 by Andrea Sheedy
I met Dave and Sit Means Sit about 12 years ago. He worked with my 4 year dog who would constantly get loose, pulled on his leash while walking and just overall did not listen to us. With Dave's guidance, we learned better control and overall obedience. We were able to start playing with him off leash without concern of him running off. Twelve years later, when our new dog needed training there was no question we would come back to Dave and Sit Means Sit. This dog had no impulse control. He would chase anything that blew by and I was afraid he would not listen to me to come back so we weren't able to play off leash. Again, Dave guided us through how to get him to listen and respect us. He was also very skittish but the training and better obedience helped him gain more confidence in unfamiliar surroundings. After just a few sessions, our dog now walks on a loose leash and we are able to drop the leash and have confidence that we still have his focus and control.
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January 2024 by Nick A
Highly recommended! Our labradoodle had reactivity issues when on the leash. Barking at people, kids, cars when we go on walks — it seemed to be getting worse. Dave at Sit Means Sit gave us the tools and information needed to correct our dog’s behavior. The results have been incredible so far. Our dog is becoming for confident and attentive as we continue the training. We take comfort in knowing Dave is just a phone call away if we have any questions or need additional lessons.
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January 2024 by winnie uniacke
They are the best!!! Turned my unhappy snarling dog into an incredible companion. Five stars is not enough!
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January 2024 by Addison Landry
Getting my dog trained by Dave at Sit Means Sit was the best decision ever! Immediately, I noticed changes for the better in my dogs in his leash walking as well his obedience. I also believe that it has created a better relationship with my dog and I as he looks at me for reassurance and checks back in with my while off leash. I am so glad I chose to go with Sit Means Sit and would recommend it to anyone struggling with their pup!
