About us
Our mission at Zoomies & Co is simple: happy, well-behaved dogs and confident, informed owners. We use positive, practical training and enrichment that fits your life.
We serve the Philadelphia area: Philly, suburbs, South Jersey, and Northern Delaware. We come to you so your dog can learn new skills in a familiar, low-stress environment, and so you get support right where real life with your dog actually happens.
Our philosophy
What we believe
Personality & progress over perfection
We love weirdos! We are here to celebrate the quirkiness, silliness, and eccentricities that you and your dog bring to the table, not to train it out of you.
Well-mannered doesn’t mean boring; exuberant doesn’t mean bad.
We train for real life, not obedience competitions. That means good enough is good enough — we’re not aiming for perfect.
Evidence-based training
We use modern, science-informed methods and keep up with current research and best practices.
We don’t:
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Use dominance theory
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Use intimidation, pain, or fear to change behavior
We do:
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Use clickers to mark desired behavior
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Identify stress signals and thresholds
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Use positive reinforcement & desensitization to expand windows of tolerance
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Help decode dog communication & body language
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Demonstrate tools & techniques for safer dog handling
Trainers & experts we like:
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Alexandra Horowitz (dog cognition)
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Turid Rugaas (calming signals)
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Victoria Stilwell (R+ coaching)
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Karen Pryor
Understanding your dog's world
Your dog experiences the world differently than you do. We believe understanding your dog’s “umwelt” is critical to successful training and communication.
We’ll help you understand your dog’s natural behaviors and needs, including:
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The mental and physical stimulation they need to maintain a baseline of good mental health, and creative ways you can meet those needs
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How to redirect unwanted behaviors like chewing or barking, rather than suppressing or punishing them
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What your dog is already communicating to you and others and how you can respond
How we work
Positive reinforcement
Training should be fun and rewarding for both you and your dog!
You'll learn how to reward your dog for desired behaviors by using what they value: treats, toys, attention, and more.
We'll also work together to highlight your progress and provide little treats for you along the way.
Training the relationship
Your dog is only one piece of the training puzzle. That’s why we come to your home and work with both of you, plus any other key human or canine household members.
Your skills, buy-in, and practicing are even more important than your dog’s.
We’ll teach you timing, rewards, body language, leash handling, and how to make good calls in real time so that you can build a stronger relationship instead of getting stuck in a power struggle.
Safety & well-being first
Training shouldn’t scare your dog, and it shouldn’t scare you. We prioritize humane, low-risk methods, set you up to prevent bad situations, and emphasize planning and practice.
We’ll always tell you when something is outside the scope of our training and you might need another expert, whether it’s a vet check, behavior specialist, or __.
Emphasis on agency
You’re in charge here, both in terms of your relationship with your dog and your relationship with us.
Your dog also has a say! We’ll teach you to identify and negotiate your dog’s boundaries and gain their buy-in rather than forcing handling.
You can’t control everything, but there’s a lot you can control: your environment, your routines, your tools and gear, your mindset. We’ll help you use all the levers at your disposal to make life work better for you and your pup.
We'll work on both proactive preparation and responding with good judgment in the moment, whether that means taking opportunities to work on new skills or making a quick exit.
Meet the Team
