Instinct Dog Training

Instinct San Diego is brought to you by the founder and team members of Synergy Dog Training; our team, comprised of certified trainers and behavior consultants, has spent the past decade+ helping thousands of San Diego-area dogs and owners navigate through behavior issues big and small.

Our certified trainers and behavior consultants use our Nature-Driven Nurture™ framework to help humans and dogs navigate behavior issues large and small, via Private Coaching, Home School + Coaching, and Puppy Raising Camps.

Services

• Behavior Consulting
• Private Coaching
• Home School programs
• Alumni-only Group Classes

We include lifetime free alumni support & community with all training programs.

Private Coaching
Individually tailored, one-on-one coaching sessions with our certified trainers and behavior consultants. Available in your home or virtually.

Home School + Coaching
(Day Training)
Fast, fun and effective! We work with your dog multiple times per week, then provide collaborative coaching sessions to bring you up to speed.

Puppy Camp + Coaching
*Temporarily Unavailable*
We use a powerful combination of positive reinforcement puppy camp and collaborative coaching sessions to help your puppy grow into a confident, resilient family member.

Puppy Pre-K Classes
When: Saturdays at 9am
Where: Multiple Locations
We know how important early socialization and training is for puppies. In an effort to help more San Diego puppies and their owners, our Puppy Pre-K Classes are set up to help your puppy practice life skills at their individual skill level and practice constructive socializing skills with other puppies and humans around a variety of new experiences.

Alumni Classes for Adolescent & Adult Dogs
Open ONLY to our Alumni family (clients who have completed a series of 3 lessons, home school, or puppy camp program), our alumni classes are designed to give you fun, engaging ways to continue your education together while supporting your dog’s behavioral health needs.

Certifications

Our certified trainers and behavior consultants work together to deliver kind, practical solutions for dogs of all breeds, ages, and behavior issues.

Specializations

• Behavior Therapy for Fear, Anxiety & Aggression
• Life Skills + Manners
• Puppy Development
• Adolescent Dog Behavior Support
• Senior Dog Behavior Support
• Service Dog Training

Training Methods

We are deeply committed to ours clients’ long-term success. That’s why all training programs include access to lifetime free and low-cost alumni classes, bi-weekly Nature-Driven Nurture Q&A’S, and an alumni-only Facebook group.

Customer Reviews

“We had an incredible experience with Instinct. From the clear communication and measured approach with our dog, we were provided with calculated, methodical steps the entire way to get from point A to point B, and ultimately to where we are now, thriving.”
Claire W.

“By far, the best and most knowledgeable trainers we’ve worked with.”
J. Van Anden

“Brandi trained my young French Bulldog, Violet, over 12 weeks, first for the good citizen test and then for some tasks related to her becoming a trained service dog. Violet and I both love her. Her teaching methodology made Violet very comfortable and eager to learn. Brandi is always very positive. I recommend her to everyone. Brandi is now training my daughters dog.”
Violet & Family

“Jessica W. is awesome! She has helped our family tremendously with our dogs and given us the confidence to handle them in any situation. Both of our dogs have learned proper leash walking, recall skills, as well as “settle” down on the mat. She also helped us to implement fun games and activities which keep them happy and engaged. Our larger dog, Goose, is very high energy! He struggled with overexcitement and anxiety in the home and in new environments, which led to excessive barking, pulling on the leash and other difficult behaviors. Jessica’s training has taught us the techniques to manage his behavior and create an environment for learning and fun, wherever we go!”
Goose & Family

“Jess Stone was absolutely fantastic with Glitchie (g), my little rescue. G was a pandemic puppy and while incredibly playful, was very nervous about encountering people and dogs in our housing area, which manifested as aggression. Jess by was great; I watched G pick up life-skills to help her diffuse her energy and anxieties in amazing ways. She was patient, kind, but also vigilant while I got used to the steep learning curve of dealing with a very energetic and leash aggressive dog. It’s been over 5 months since we did training, and g has retained all the life-skills Jess taught her. I look forward to booking follow-ups in the future. I can’t recommend Jess highly enough!”
Glitchie & Family

“Instinct completely changed my relationship with my dog (for the better). The stress I experienced before during walks and when meeting new people is gone, and I can spend more time now enjoying my time with Benny. I would recommend Instinct to anyone seeking positive reinforcement training for their dog.”
Andrew H.

“I have a Rottweiler pup that was not very well socialized when she came to us at 10 weeks of age. She came from a rural setting into an environment with zero grass, lots of loud noise (freeway, planes, trains, and motorcycles) and exponentially more people. Jessica W. patiently answered all of my questions, and, through weeks of training, my hyper-vigilant pup has grown into a pretty confident dog who can finally relax enough to have fun! Jessica is kind, non-judgmental, professional and courteous. It is readily apparent that she is passionate about pups. Thank you, Jessica, for giving Nola the push that she needed to relax and enjoy life. We really appreciate it and you!”
Nola & Family