Canine Behavioral Services Inc.

I was applying for a position at this company. I communicated via email (their preferred preference) on when my phone interview would occur. Come that time, I received no phone call. An hour later, I emailed them to inquire about my interview. A response was given within two hours saying that the owner had to unexpectedly bring one of their dogs to the vet. Completely understandable. What is unacceptable (to me) is that: 1. no notification was provided to me that my interview was cancelled 2. I had to reach out to them to get an answer 3. Although I stated I could not interview during the other times/dates that were initially offered, they still did not offer other times for me to reschedule. Personally, not a place I would be interested in working for nor would I do business with them.
1 9 years ago (12-04-2018)

We used this organization back in 2016. Brian did his part in training our dogs. I registered 2 of them. They are over all well mannered - thank God we could keep our family! The 3 star rating is more so associated with the ethical handling of this company. I remember the first day Brian brought home our dogs. They were a little over 1 years old. Brian threw their water bowl at their cage several times and petrified them. For goodness sake he petrified me. Til this day our dogs don't like loud sounds. But on the upside they were inside their kennel! Thank God Again. I had a contract with this organization that explicitly states the service agreement is between Canine Behavioral Services Inc. and Esther Habil. Sometime last week I wrote to schedule my last in home session. A year later I know! Their "client services" person responds stating they could not locate my account. Needless to say I was shocked. Spent a large sum of money for inpatient training. Apparently, my husband asked them to change the name of the account to him and they honored his request without a single notification to me. Husband or not husband the contract is between Canine Behavioral Services Inc. and Me. How come he had the authority to make such a big decision. Worst part of all I asked for a copy of my service agreement to indicate the true account holder and he refused to supply. Actually he stated his Accountant has the copy and he didn't want to spend the time or money to provide. This man actually said literally I was wasting his time! His worker said I'm over thinking things! I said to myself the employee is only as good as their boss expect nothing more. Also, in our communications Brian constantly mentions how "I didn't want my husband name on the account" THIS IS NOT ABOUT whether or not he is my husband. This is about the principles adopted by this company! He stated he called his lawyer. Well clearly Brian, he is not a contract lawyer. I would be happy to challenge you if you would like to waste more time and money. This man simply does not know when to stop and is unaccountable. In my experience beware of poor customer service standards and highly likely unethical behavior. 3 stars was nice.
3 9 years ago (09-05-2018)

I just got off the phone and am in tears with the way it was handled. I have a foster dog who is getting aggressive. She is part of a New York Rescue group - so getting treatment for her is a multi- step process. As it is quite costly, I cannot in good conscious ask the rescue to pay thousands of dollars based on info from a website. I wanted to share who the dog was and learn if Brian thought they could help. He told me point blank that he was "No interested in hearing about the dog". I explained that the people form the rescue would be calling him and the only way that it would fly was if he knew about the dog, so that they were confident that he could help them. He cut me off, yelling at me that he was not interested in "selling" anything. I asked him to not yell at me, and explained that I work with the foster coordinator, and the person calling was the finance person- so I was sorry that it was a bit complicated- but we are talking thousands of dollars. I also explained that I was desperate because I do care for this dog, and without intensive intervention, she was doomed. At that point he started yelling at me that he was not interested in helping us at all - and then he hung up the phone. It was AWFUL - this is not a person who cares about dogs or people. Shame on him for being so cold and callous.
1 11 years ago (20-04-2016)

Brian Manning, his staff, and his pack of dogs are some of the best in their industry. I highly recommend him to anyone who has questions about training their dogs and have a lot of confidence, and trust in him. Brian gets to know each dog and their owner as individuals and devises the best plan through behavior modification and human ‘training’ to help get you and your dog to the best state possible. I have a 13 pound terrier who has always been high energy and very independent. However, her excitement started to turn to anxiety, and when the stimuli were too high she began to displace her excitement (aggression) on something else through biting. Often times my other dog got the brunt of her bites but one time, my young nephew got her excited through no fault of his own and suffered a minor bite from her. Immediately I knew I had to do something to get my dog calmer and get help to make me a better dog owner. Knowing a little about dog training/behavior I knew I needed more than clicker training and food rewards. I found Canine Behavioral Services online, along with a couple other training facilities. After talking to Brian at CBS I knew that he was who my dog, and mostly myself, needed. A few days later I brought my dog to his facility for a 45 day in house rehab program under Brian’s leadership. Throughout my dog’s stay Brian kept me updated on all of her progress. He always responded to any emails/calls extremely fast and was always very honest. What he would say may not be what I wanted to hear, because it still hurts to know that the majority of the dog’s problems were a result of a lack of respect that I caused, but I could not change unless I heard the truth. Brian sent photos and used social media to keep myself and other owners in the loop about each dogs’ progress. It made my dog being away much easier because I could see that she was truly in the best hands possible. When Brian brought my dog home after her rehab she was a different dog. It was not that she knew how to sit and stay, her actual behavior was different. Granted she was still her adorable and goofy self, but she was visibly calmer, and in turn was happier. No dog wants to be anxious, like I don’t like feeling anxious. Brian helped my dog achieve a calmer state of mind, and showed me the importance of staying calm too. Brian gave me, my husband, and my parents the tools to keep the dog happier, and in a calm follower state of mind. He was patient, very knowledgeable, and again, honest. My dog has been home for almost two months and we are still a work in process. We still have bad walks and times when we both might lose our minds… but the good days definitely outweigh the bad. The difference now is my dog can get back down to a calm state whereas before her brain did not know how to achieve that and now I have the tools to get her back to that state. It’s a never ending process but is so worth it. Enlisting Brian and CBS to help you and your dog is an investment; time, money, and evaluating your emotions are all part of his training and rehab program. But, if done correctly, it will be the best investment you can make for you and your dog.
5 14 years ago (15-03-2013)

Brian Manning and his team at Canine Behavioral Services saved our dog’s life. Spencer, a five and a half year old boxer beagle rescue, had been living with us for over three years. About 99% of the time, he had the sweetest, loving nature. But the random 1% of the time was bad. He would randomly demonstrate aggressive behaviors over the past couple years. He and our other boxer beagle mix, Chuck, had gotten into fights, growing in both frequency and in severity in recent months. Spencer had bit both myself and my husband, again with growing severity. We did a lot of research, and we looked to our vet for support on relocation, but we continuously received the same response – euthanasia. We were heartbroken. We love Spencer so much, despite the pain we were experiencing, and we experienced so much doubt as we tried to find the shelter that was least likely to resort to euthanasia. Three difficult days later, we were waiting for a return call from a location that we believed we would surrender Spencer to the next morning. Instead, we got another call- a trainer who pointed us in a direction that led to Canine Behavioral Services. By the end of that day, we were in touch with Brian, who was more than willing to help us all out. After all, we knew that Spencer had behaviors that needed correcting, but we knew that, as his owners, we absolutely did as well. We brought Spencer to CBS in mid-July. At the start, the hope was to have him rehabilitated within seven weeks. However by week four, it was determined that he was not making progress that was anticipated. After meeting with a vet upon Brian’s recommendation, Spencer began to take an SSRI called Fluoxetine (Prozac). This was to help with his anxieties and fearful, unsure nature. His stay at CBS was extended an additional four weeks, giving Brian and his team the appropriate amount of time to rehabilitate Spencer as his medication kicked in. The entire time, Brian kept us informed about Spencer’s progress via email and regular Facebook updates. At the end of September, Brian brought Spencer home and worked with us for a few hours. Spencer was clearly a more relaxed, self-confident dog looking to us for leadership. Brian took the time to demonstrate how to communicate with Spencer, and how to understand what his body language communicates to us. It was clear that the biggest obstacle we needed to overcome was letting go of our own fear. The last incident was so frightening to us, but we had to let it go if we were to build mutual trust with Spencer. If we continued to attempt leadership while displaying anxiety, Spencer would regress and feed off of our anxieties… then what would the point of sending him to training have been? So we let it go. We have been working hard at being calm, confident leaders for Spencer. Brian returned for a follow-up visit three weeks after Spencer came home, and advised us to allow Spencer more time to socialize with Chuck, while continuing to build on our socialization with him at a slow but steadily increasing rate. Spencer has now been home for seven weeks, and has been flourishing in what has become a comfortable environment. Brian continues to be available to us for anything we need, and happily had both of our dogs stay at CBS for boarding purposes during a recent vacation. Knowing we can board Spencer at the facility that trained him and will continue to focus on his wellbeing brings us such peace of mind. We know that Spencer is not the typical social dog. He is not perfect, and may never be 100% balanced. But we know that as we continue, every single day, to use the practices and wisdom that Brian gave us, we are helping him to be a calm, well behaved dog with whom we are very comfortable living. Four months ago, we were on the brink of losing a dog we loved so dearly. Brian Manning saved our dog, and gave us a much brighter future! Thank you Canine Behavioral Services. -Eileen and Dino
5 11 years ago (21-11-2015)