City Dog Training, LLC

Contact Marjie Alonso at 617 501-8383, via
Or via this contact form:

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City Dog Training, LLC is a community dog training and education facility welcoming neighborhood dogs and their humans to classes, seminars, play groups and behavior consultations.

Located in the basement of the Anthony’s building at 156 Highland Ave, Somerville (enter from rear parking lot, off Central Street), City Dog Training offers specialized floor matting for safe jumping and running, a members-only retail area for treats and training needs, and a separate behavior consultation office for dogs and owners in need of extra help.

City Dog Training offers many classes throughout the year, from Manners to Agility, Frisbee to Freestyle, Rally, Stays & Recalls and any other specialized classes the community would like.

In addition to classes, City Dog Training offers indoor limited-admission play groups year-round for heated or air-conditioned play regardless of the weather!

City Dog Training is delighted to welcome BARK, Boston Agility Racing K-9s, Boston’s only in-town agility club, to the space. Bark will be hosting some agility demo days and lessons at City Dog throughout the winter, and a “come and try agility” afternoon at Nunziato Field in the spring. BARK will hold weekly club training on Sunday nights. See http://www.bostonagility.com for more information about the club.

City Dog Training is also honored to have as resident visiting trainers:

Donna Culbert of Donna’s Do Right Dogs, head Puppy-K instructor for the New England Dog Training Club, www.nedtc.org. Donna will be holding puppy and manners classes throughout the year.

Vera Wilkinson, CDBC, CPDT, of The Cooperative Dog, http://www.cooperativedog.com, who gives Saturday morning agility classes.

Liz Shaw of Magical Mutt of http://www.magicalmutt.com, who hosts manners classes on Tuesday evenings.

Marjie and Vera will be teaching a Rowdy Rover reactive dog class on Saturday afternoons, starting in November.

In addition to all this, City Dog Training will be hosting seminars in Canine Body Language, Dogs & Storks for parents and babies, herbal remedies and education, and classes in clicker tricks, Rally O, stays and recalls and loose leash walking. Individual private ring rental is also available.

We are delighted to be a part of the dog community, and look forward to meeting you all!

Member:

• In-Home Lessons
• Time Crunch Training ®
• Phone Consultations
• Rescue Dog Re-Entry ®
• He Used To Be So Perfect! Adolescent Dogs
• New Puppy
• Manners
• Loose Leash Walking and Greetings
• Kids and Dogs
• My Dog Scares Me

In-Home Lessons*

Private, in-home lessons are available to you for basic obedience or behavioral training. In-Home lessons include ->

Time Crunch Training ®

Personal training for your dog. We’ll come to your house and train your dog while you’re at work or, if you’re able to be there, while you watch and participate. We’ll work on basic manners and or specific behavioral issues for a 2-week or 4-week session, 3 to 5 times a week, depending upon the program chosen and your dog’s specific needs. Time Crunch Training is suitable for ->

Phone Consultations

Phone consults can be very helpful in addressing behavioral concerns, forming training and behavior modification plans, talking through housebreaking or manners issues and discovering patterns that may be interfering with training. Phone consultations are given in 1/2 hour increments and exceed no more than 1 1/2 hours at a time. Subjects via phone consult can include –>

New Puppy

Raising a puppy is one of the most joyful, challenging, frustrating and exciting aspects of dog ownership. From crate training to housebreaking, manners and walking on leash to medical issues, teething and growth stages, there is much to learn (and to be learned) when dealing with a new puppy. In addition to  enrolling in a good puppy kindergarten (I can steer you towards good ones in your particular area), private lessons can be a great way to get the support and sanity check many new puppy parents need.

He Used To Be So Perfect!” - Dealing with Adolescent Dogs.

There is an inevitable point in time when your perfect puppy turns into a perfect maniac, and it’s called adolescence. Dealing with an adolescent dogs requires the same patience, skills and tactics as dealing with adolescent humans - but without language. What could go wrong? I’ll help you set up new or improved strategies, rules and limits as well as play and fun-time exercises to get you through this part of dog parenting. Relax! It’ll all be over by the time your dog’s 3 or 4…

Rescue Dog Reentry Training ® - Teach your rescue or shelter dog how to behave in his new home

Rescue and shelter dogs need some special considerations to help them learn how to behave, relax and adjust to their new surroundings. I’ll help you and your new dog learn to understand each other, help set up a training and management plan geared for success and positive results, and help you avoid many of the pitfalls that new dog owners frequently face. Available to rescues, shelters and new adopters of rescue and shelter dogs, this as-needed service provides new placement structure for dogs and their humans. From basic skills to default calming behaviors and new, better manners, these 1 hour private sessions cover whatever the dog and handler need to aid in more successful placement of the dog.

Please call about our Rescue Dog discount

Kids & Dogs

Managing and incorporating kids and dogs can be complicated for even the most experienced dog owners (and parents)! I can help you on an individual basis with issues such as a suddenly boisterous toddler chasing an aging dog, rowdy play that’s headed for trouble, coping skills for the family and the dog, new dog coming into a home with kids, and new baby coming into a home with dogs. 

I’m also a Dogs & Storks presenter, a nationally acclaimed program geared toward the successful integration of dogs and kids. The Dogs & Storks presentation is available to individuals or couples, groups of friends or schools and OB/GYN and midwife practices. 

If you’re bringing a new baby into a home with a dog, or a new dog into a home with kids, this program is designed to key you in to dogs’ social and behavioral cues and how kids (and parents) can learn to read them. Babies, toddlers and school aged kids are all addressed in this presentation.
Dogs & Storks programs help families prepare for life with kids and dogs. Setting reasonable expectations, finding doable, practical solutions to concerns, and setting your dog and kids up for success are the keys to a happy, life-long bond between the family dog and humans. Planning and thinking ahead helps everyone feel comfortable as the family grows, and stops bad habits from ever being formed. If tensions are already growing, this program will help better understand what might be going wrong and how to fix it.

My Dog Scares Me

Aggression is a serious issue, and one that needs to be addressed carefully and with particular skill. If your dog makes you uncomfortable when he’s with you, around other people, other dogs, when he’s eating or has a bone, or in various surroundings, I can help you asses the situation. Should you then choose to proceed with training and behavior modification, I’ll either work with you or steer you towards other professionals who will be the most appropriate and effective for your particular situation.

Marjie Alonso, CDBC, CPDT, is a professional dog trainer and behavior consultant living in Somerville, MA., with her two dogs, two sons and very understanding mate.

Marjie has been training dogs full time for the past 7 years, and first started her dog training career and internships in the late 1970s in New York City. Marjie trained dogs part time for the next 22 years, eventually starting her own full time training and behavior consulting business, City Dog Training, LLC.

In addition to her work at City Dog Training, Marjie is currently the Vice President and Training Director of the New England Dog Training Club, where she develops curriculum for puppy, beginner and special classes as well as oversight and training of the staff of 6 trainers. She has also developed the trainer intern program for NEDTC, and is a mentor trainer for Animal Behavior College.

Marjie serves as a behavioral trainer for various dog rescue groups, including Baypath Humane Society and Great Dog Rescue New England, providing temperament testing and evaluations, rescue dog acclimation programs, one-on-one training sessions, behavior modification programs, phone and e-mail consults to fosters and adopters. She also writes training and behavior information sheets, providing them to veterinary offices and dog rescues and shelters as handouts for clients and adopters. Marjie is a contributing expert trainer for Dogtime.com.

Marjie takes her continuing education quite seriously, and attends many seminars and workshops each year in the field of dog behavior, behavior modification techniques, training and temperament evaluation and assessment. Recent seminars include those by Sue Sternberg, Suzanne Clothier, Patricia McConnell, John Rogerson, Clicker Expo, Kathy Sdao, Pia Silvani, Jean Donaldson and many more, including several advanced internships with both Sue Sternberg and Suzanne Clothier.

Marjie is a Certified Dog Behavior Consultant (CDBC), a Certified Pet Dog Trainer (CPDT), an AKC Canine Good Citizen evaluator, a Professional Member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers (APDT) and is a Certified Member of the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants (IAABC).

The foundation of Marjie’s training and behavior work is practical, thoughtful, relationship-based communication between dog and human. She uses balanced, positive methods, clear limits and consistency through communication, awareness of body language and social signals, and an understanding of both her human and canine clients. Marjie’s goal, always, is to engender understanding and cooperation between dog and handler, and to do so with humor, patience and a sense of each individual’s needs and best path to success.

Marjie’s recent Continuing Education seminars attended