Abu the Australian Shepherd was a “rescue” dog and needed help in all sorts of ways. His impish disobedience was not only annoying, but put him at risk. His persistent wariness towards all men, including my husband, was disappointing. Kyle has helped shape Abu into a sweet, respectful creature, one who is now completely obedient and more relaxed and friendly to everyone. I think Kyle is the best. We are very grateful for his help.
—Lorna Massie, Accord, N.Y
When my sons were born, our dogs were older, mellow and used to the house rules. When we decided to get a Great Dane puppy, I quickly realized I needed to do formal training. Bringing in a young frisky dog into a household with kids (who weren't old or mellow) was a new twist! Luckily a friend was training her puppy with Kyle's help and soon he had an opening to train us! Our puppy Zenzi is the best trained dog I've ever owned. None of my dogs ever did sit/stay and few of them heeled well. When your dog is well over 100 lbs., good manners are a must! Zenzi's obedience makes her such a pleasure to live with and gives her many more liberties. When taking this year's Christmas photo, Zenzi was the best behaved! Now we just need Kyle to expand the Warren Method to include kids!
the Krause family: Karl, Lisa, Ian & Finn, Saugerties, NY
Koda Bear came into our lives as a 6 week old puppy, full of spirit and a heart as big as all outdoors. When he became a big dog I noticed that people approached him with trepidation. I assured people he was friendly and safe, but because of preconceived notions about shepherds I think people were naturally cautious. And Koda and I engaged in a tug-of-war while he was on his leash: because of his natural enthusiasm, he would not sit and stay quietly if people approached him.
Enter Kyle Warren. We had an initial interview (I thought I was interviewing Kyle but in retrospect, he was interviewing me). We began our remarkable work together. During our first session Kyle was patient, concise, clear in his expectations, confident, and loving. Koda returned the feelings and the remarkable relationship between Kyle, Koda, and myself began. As the weeks continued, Kyle "taught" my Koda to heel, sit, stay, come, and become aware of our expectations for him. In an incredibly short period of time, my dog became a model of civility. I could walk him through town and he would sit (at my command) and stay while other dogs approached him, or children came to pet him. He would heel so beautifully that a perfect stranger asked me if he was being trained to be a seeing-eye dog! All of this without bribes, treats, or harsh treatment. Kyle's patience was remarkable and commendable. He continually assured me that Koda would just do what I asked if I was clear in my expectations ( a life lesson if there ever was one!) Overall, it was a beautiful experience.
Now Koda's training runs deep, and he responds immediately when I ask him to heel, sit, or stay when people approach him—even in my house, when things get busy with company.
—Chris Dean-Lipson, Woodstock, NY
We have two German Shepherds. The older female was frequently attacking the young male, causing injuries that necessitated repeated veterinary visits and even surgery. We knew we would have to give up one of the dogs. But Kyle taught them to coexist peacefully, using his highly reliable love, trust and respect approach. He is truly a gifted trainer!
—Orin Rossett, Woodstock, N.Y.
Kyle Warren is an energetic force with a great sense of humor and style. His knowledge of how dogs "tick" is remarkable and is made clear in the process of training.
Kyle has made a huge difference in the relationship with my dog. The emphasis in training of gaining respect from my dog is actually changing my way of thinking and moving from passive non-focused interaction on my part to an assertive, loving partner in training, making it possible for my dog and me to have a healthier, more balanced coexistence. Kyle truly is a Zen master!
—Elise Beecher, Boiceville, N.Y.
Kyle has been working with my 9 month old Golden Retriever, Rosie, since she was about 12 weeks old. From the very first training session I saw immediate results! Because of Kyle, Rosie has gone from a hyperactive pain in-the-paw to a well-behaved, loving pup. Kyle's effective techniques and assistance guide you through a process that creates a relationship of love, trust and respect between you and your dog—which is exactly his goal. Without a doubt, Kyle is simply the best dog trainer around!
—Maureen Luchejko, Woodstock, NY
Kyle Warren is a true gem. When he exited the car, it was amazing to watch the careful poise and astute postition he took with our dog Rhett. It was only seconds, and Rhett, our 1 year old Bernese Mountain Dog, sat and stood as Kyle used his magic with the amazing word...SIT.
Our dog is a large beautiful puppy with a lot of excitement and love. The problem was, Rhett believes he is still a puppy and had no idea of his size, tail flapping, or his hyper jump to any adult that would arrive. He needed to be noticed and it was starting to make our family nervous that he would knock one down one day or be too difficult to hold back when needed.
That is when I searched around and heard about Kyle. I started my sessions with determination and intent that this was going to create a well mannered dog with good poise and disposition. Kyle arrived once a week, on time, and began our sessions with the "sit - stay" command. We worked on this over and over, but it is the owner's responsibility to follow the commands once Kyle leaves. It is amazing to see how Rhett reacted when Kyle arrived and how he managed to be "perfectly" well-behaved in an instant. Kyle reassured me that Rhett would eventually get there with me, however, as the owner, you need to be consistent and confident.
So for several months, we worked on different techniques and managed to turn my hyperactive dog into a pretty docile dog who listened to his owner for the most part.
I would like to personally thank Kyle for his time and energy. He is amazing!!
Chrsytal Delisio, Woodstock, NY
Fidela, a Czechoslovakian, fully trained police dog, pure bred, black German Shepard, came into my life when she was 4 years old. I was her fifth owner. I took her in to help me get over the recent death of my 21 year old cat, Emmet. In other words, I was a "cat person". When Fidela first arrived, I assumed she was a turn-key dog. Professionally trained to within an inch of her life, I figured all I needed was to learn a few basic Czech commands, and we would live happily ever after. That theory worked for about 3 months, until she realized that I was no alpha, and so began her descent into increasingly wild and uncontrollable behavior. Where in the beginning I was able to walk her in the woods off-leash with her staying near, and coming when called, eventually it got to the point where I could only walk her on-leash else she would just run off and not return to me until she felt like it, which sometimes took a very long time. It was beginning to feel like it was just a stress-inducing burden, having her in my life. When she nearly dragged me over the edge of a cliff during a walk, I determined to enlist the aid of a professional trainer to help turn around this rapidly and steadily deteriorating situation. Enter Kyle Warren. It took a little research to find a trainer who I believed would be capable of transforming a militarily-trained dog into a manageable, all-around family pet. When I happened upon an interview with Kyle in the Kingston Daily Freeman, I knew immediately that he was the trainer we were looking for. Here was a man who worked with search and rescue dogs, and had extensive experience with German Shepherds! Little did I know just how amazing he would turn out to be...
On our first session, Kyle instantly had Fidela responding to his commands like a precision instrument - a dog-robot! It became immediately apparent to me that the problem was not with Fidela - clearly she was trained, understood, and was willing to obey commands...The problem was my inability to establish, and maintain, alpha status in our little pack of two. But I did not want to have a relationship with her that was based on fear and punishment. Kyle understood this implicitly. So began our journey of learning to communicate human to dog in an effective and mutually enjoyable way. What started as training oriented toward getting her to sit, stay, come and not run off into the woods like a wild animal, became even more critical when Fidela developed a dog aggression that grew increasingly more vicious with every single dog encounter, an apparent result of never having been properly socialized. But Kyle patiently and persistently led me through the process of convincing Fidela (and me) that I was the alpha, and that her "drives" were second to my directives. And we both worked her through learning that her strong instinct to control and attack other dogs was totally unacceptable, and in fact, playing nicely with others was a much better way to go.
A year ago, walking in the woods with Fidela meant she was on leash, and muzzled. Today, it's a whole different story. Our daily walks in the woods require no leash, and no muzzle. Her "best friend" is an 18 week old dachshund whose entire body is smaller than Fidela's head, and with whom she plays happily and gently. When we encounter other dogs along the way, I no longer dread her reaction. She comes when I call. Heels magnificently. Sits and stays as directed. She is playful and happy. We are comfortable, and enjoy each other immensely. It seems like several times a week people stop us on our walks and tell me they can't believe that she's the same dog! She is no longer the terror of the dog walking community, and I am often complimented on her impeccable training. I can hardly believe it myself sometimes, but I really love having her in my life and by my side. It would appear that in spite of myself, and most definitely with the guidance of Kyle Warren, I have become a "dog person" after all!
One last thing- About Kyle Warren: I had the opportunity some years ago to watch Micheal Jordan play basketball - up close. It was like poetry in motion. It was like seeing someone who was doing exactly what he was born to do. That's what seeing Kyle in action is like. He really has an undeniable gift - for understanding and communicating with canines of all kinds; for training them; and for understanding, communicating with, and training us humans, as well. Working with Kyle, I consider a privilege, and I count the time spent together among the most challenging, rewarding - and also fun - hours of my life so far. So, Thank You, Kyle!
Elena Spiotta, Woodstock, NY
Last week marked a turning point in the training of my dog Nat. I hope my story helps someone out there who has large, fast dog who loves to run.
When my husband and I met the panel van in a PetSmart parking lot early one morning last year, we didn't know quite what to expect. We were taking delivery of a rescued "Lab mix" puppy, sight unseen, from a Georgia shelter. We eventually concluded that Nat was a Lab-Greyhound mix -- long skinny legs and tail, narrow snout, yellow Lab coloring, friendly disposition. What I knew for sure even then is that this puppy needed to be trained. Our elderly Lab Maggie is perfectly behaved but we adopted her as an already trained adult. We didn't know the first thing about training a puppy. I surfed the net and found Kyle Warren. I liked his credentials and philosophy and signed up. The puppy training went very well with Kyle teaching us the basics of sit, stay, come, and respecting boundaries. Kyle is one of those rare people who has an inborn understanding of both the canine and human psyche. Nat responded quickly to his guidance, but training me took a little longer. I still had problems with him bolting and frequently refusing to come when called. Nat is fun loving and affectionate but head-strong in his own way. After a winter hiatus, training resumed with a much larger and faster "Nat the Brat." Frankly, I was getting discouraged that I would ever get the responsiveness from him that Kyle was able to get.
Then one day it happened. Nat slithered out of his collar, bolted across our busy road, and led me on a merry chase through several backyards. By the time I cornered him in a neighbor's fenced yard, I was really angry and scared for his safety. As you can well imagine with those long legs, he runs like the wind. There is no hope of catching him by outrunning him. As I towed him home, I made him heel closely and did some sit and recall training with no tolerance for errors. He responded perfectly 100% of the time! I realized that in that moment, I had abandoned my usual low-key, informal, soft spoken manner in favor of an absolutely determined, zero tolerance approach given that my dog could have gotten killed. Nat detected this immediately. At our next training session, Kyle became my drama coach, honing my emotional performance to make it more precise to achieve that in the moment responsiveness. I actually practiced giving commands to Kyle "with feeling" before trying them on Nat. The more intentional and calculated emotion in my voice projection seemed to help although it did not come naturally to me. In fact, I found it exhausting. The other change I needed to make was to give Nat only as much freedom as he earned by being responsive to me. No more unstructured off-leash walks in the woods until he was consistently responding. With renewed optimism, I committed myself to getting out at least 2 or 3 times a day to practice my new acting skills on Nat. As Kyle suggested, "Fake it 'til you make it." Despite this horribly rainy summer and the other demands of my life, I kept up the training frequency, even if the sessions were only 10-15 minutes long, even if it was raining, even if I felt weary. I now ask Nat if he wants to go for a "work" rather than a "walk." He is always eager.
The new regimen worked! In the space of a week, Nat went from being a dog that frequently ignored my commands or complied halfheartedly, to a dog that nearly always responds even in a moderately distracting environment. We still have a long way to go, but I am now confident we will get there. And I am getting used the role of drama queen or as Kyle says, an emotional switchboard operator to be more precise. I will have a fun and pleasant canine companion who is not putting himself in danger or driving us crazy. Thank you, Kyle, for not letting me give up on myself. It really is true that the owner needs to be trained as much or more so than the canine.
Gail Whistance, Rosendale, NY
We loved that Kyle always had time for our questions and concerns during that 12-week program. He has a special ability to work with dogs, predicting what their needs, and the family's needs are! Kyle was also great with our children, being very patient and kind with them. We highly recommend his program!
—The Leiry family, Lake Katrine, N.Y.
When I rescued my black Lab, Jett, she had all the charm of a junkyard dog. She had flunked out of Obedience School, and I was ready to give up when I found Kyle. Jett started behaving on the very first session. But the real magic happened after Kyle left. She continued to behave for me. That’s because Kyle spends as much time training the handlers as he does with the dogs. Today everyone tells me they’ve never seen a sweeter dog, and I of course, take all the credit. A good dog trainer knows how to communicate with dogs. A great dog trainer also knows how to communicate with people. And that is what sets Kyle apart from the rest of the pack.
—Marshall Karp, Woodstock, N.Y.
Tank, my Cane Corso, grew into 145 pounds of muscle and he outweighs me. I realized that being pulled through mud, snow, and dirt—sometimes face down—was not going to work for us. I could hardly take him on walks. My sister was afraid to visit with her children simply because he would play too hard and knock the kids down.
Thankfully we found Kyle. Tank now sits, stays, heels and my family loves to visit me and my well behaved dog.
Thanks Kyle, you're the man...
—Merle Borenstein, Olivebridge, N.Y.
Through our work with Kyle and his training methods, Moses, my 1 year old Pitbull, has gone from a out of control overpowering puppy to a fun and friendly companion. I love that Kyle trains my dog with discipline but leaves his beautiful, fun filled spirit intact. Kyle has also trained me to not let Moses "flip me the paw".
—Ellie Schadt, Accord, N.Y.
Opie, my Chococlate Lab, is my third dog, but was my first puppy. I read a ton of books and started Opie in puppy classes after 9 weeks, but found myself overwhelmed. A colleague recommended Kyle and I quickly contacted him. The results were immediate and I’m not sure I would have survived puppyhood without his help. Thanks to Kyle, Opie is a well-behaved, self-controlled wonderful dog and the companion I have always dreamed of.
—Coach John D. Crews, Kingston, N.Y.
Kyle, thank you so much for all your insight and help in training Koho. If it were not for your training techniques Koho would be living with another family. She is a fun loving, stubborn girl who has learned to respect our relationship due to our work together. Your firm, but gentle training established well-needed boundaries in her life. We still use all of the techniques to this day and I tell everyone I know who is getting a puppy to call you!!! Thanks again for everything,
—Sheri, Brian and Koho Kotsol, Saugerties, NY
If we hadn't found Kyle, our Pitbull (Moishka) probably would have been "put down." We were afraid of her, and she was only four months old!! Things went from bad to worse when l tried to discipline her and she aggressively tried to bite me. Kyle's foolproof techniques of discipline, consistency and respect tempered with affection turned our "little monster" into a loving and welcome member of our family.
Kyle is a master at training all of the members of the "pack" (human and dog) to behave correctly with one another. We are so glad and thankful we found him! We adore our Moishka now—she's a constant source of love, entertainment and joy to our family and friends—a lot of hard work, but, all in all, definitely worth it.
—The Blakley Family, High Falls, NY
Sandra’s Story:
Flora, my chocolate Lab, has been working with Kyle since she was four months old. She was an active, energetic puppy, and Kyle’s firm, consistent approach and immediate warm connection to her—and to all dogs—won her over from the start. When we started working together, Flora had acquired some undesirable habits. Jumping up and tearing clothes was only one of many. Kyle showed us both that clear and simple commands practiced and repeated worked best: “Flora, come!” was more effective than “Come to Mama! Come on, hurry up, that’s a good girl!” Flora has become a wonderful dog and loving companion, and we both owe it to Kyle.
Flora’s Story:
My Mom means well, but she doesn’t always understand. It’s kind of a dog thing. Kyle speaks Dog, so I always know what he wants. I know when I need to do it now, and he knows when it’s time for me to Take a Break. Mom is getting better—maybe one day she’ll learn to speak Dog too.
Sandra Scheuer, West Shokan, NY
From the first day that Kyle came to my home to train Penney, my one year old golden retriever, I knew he was someone special. From day one, Penney and Kyle had a mystical connection ---- as if they knew each other in another life. Kyle spoke, Penney listened and instinctively obeyed him. I was thrilled until I realized that Penney would stubbornly not listen to me, only to Kyle. But then, Kyle proceeded to teach me about Penny and, surprisingly, about myself and how my thoughts and behavior impacted my relationship with my dog. Today, Penney responds to me as if she and I are the ones with “an-other worldly connection.” Kyle, true to his word, helped me create a relationship with my dog, based on love, trust and respect ---- and all without treats, which adds a special sweetness. Kyle was not only incredibly great at helping me create the relationship I have always wanted with my dogs, he is a great light in our lives.
Shelley Moroff, Woodstock, NY
