Lesson Offerings

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• Puppy Obedience, Manners

• Effective Puppy Socialization​ Alternatives

• Welcome Home Puppy Set-Up

• Adult Dog Obedience and Manners

• Transition Help for Rescue Dogs

• Adult Dogs and Puppies Problem Solving 

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Private lessons customized to your individual training needs

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Schedule at your convenience Weekdays and Weekends

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Locations: Outdoors Park, In-Home, Remote Zoom 

Serving Manhattan Upper West Side, Upper East Side & Midtown

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Combo Location Lessons are Encouraged. Ask us why! 

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Social Distancing Guidelines Strictly Followed.

Humans must wear a mask for the duration of the lesson.

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Mary Paranicas BA, CCDT, CPDT-KA

Founder & Owner

Positive Reinforcement  is the most effective and bond building training method available. When using positive reinforcement to train your dog the behaviors you want are rewarded and behaviors you don't want are ignored.

Mary is a professional dog trainer with certification from CATCH Canine Trainers Academy (CCDT) and from Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers (CPDT-KA). She is a member of The Association of Professional Dog Trainers, certified in pet first aid by the American Red Cross, an American Kennel Club (AKC) Evaluator and a supporting member of IAABC. Mary avidly pursues continuing education by attending conferences and staying current on dog training literature. She has also volunteered at a number of dog rescue organizations and been a therapy team with her dog, Tara at New York Therapy Animals.

You’ll find that Mary is committed to positive reinforcement dog training and providing the most effective training methods to meet her clients’ dog training needs. She will help you build a lifetime bond with your dog through informative and fun classes. Teaching children, ages 7 to 12, is a specialty class Mary offers as an after school activity. Don’t be surprised if you find yourself and your dog laughing and smiling in class as you learn together!

Retiring from a professional ballet career and after a 25 year career as a clinical research specialist at Weill Cornell Medical College, Mary has become a professional dog trainer. She brings with her a sophisticated understanding of scientific principles and a true love of of people and dogs. She is life-long resident of Manhattan and lives with her human and animal family that includes a Sphynx cat, a Chinese Crested dog and a 19-year-old turtle.

Tara's School for Dogs is named after Mary's Chinese Crested named Tara. She's an expert on dogs!

Group Class

Only by Request Limited 3 Participants

During the pandemic we are doing group lessons when a group of 2 or 3 people ask for a lesson together. This is what we are offering during the pandemic in an effort to curb the spread of Covid-19. Our Group lessons offer individualized attention and the benefit of watching others as they learn. This is very helpful in learning how to do the training exercises and avoiding common mistakes.

Socialization is an important for all dog, especially puppies. Group classes are a great way for puppies to socialize however, during the pandemic it's important to remember it's only one way and there are many others. We go over this extensively with all our puppy owners.

Group Family class will offer the opportunity to work as a team in training your dog. Not only will you  enhance the human - animal bond between your family and your dog, it will give you a happier, well behaved dog that you can do more with. All household members impact the dogs behavior, make that a positive experience by training the family dog as a team. Please note that currently group classes are only offered outdoors or on Zoom.

After School Class

Suspended Until Further Notice

Open to grade school children 7 years and older. This program takes place in your home, with your child and  the family dog (child caregiver must be at home). It's fun and educational. Children will learn about the science behind positive reinforcement dog training. Children will have an opportunity to practice both as a student themselves and as a teacher for the dog. Training classes help build confidence and leadership skills in children. 

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Puppy Foundations 1

• Socialization *

• AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy

• Handling & Manners

• House Training

• Sit, Down, Stand

• Targeting

• ​And more

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Just like a human infant your puppy's brain and body are in an accelerated period of growth during this early stage of their life. Training at this time will set them up to be amazing adult dogs. At around 5 to 16 weeks of age, puppies are primed for bonding to animals and individuals, for learning that objects, people, and environments are safe and for learning what the body cues and signals of others mean. Besides socialization your puppy is mature enough to begin basic training. This not only teaches them basic obedience and manners but also how to learn. Introducing Positive Reinforcement Teaching Methods to your puppy will help them have learning in this paradigm become second nature. 

Puppy Foundations 2

• Leash Walking

• Stay Advanced

• Advanced Manners

• Leave It & Release 

• Tricks​

• AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy

• AKC Canine Good Citizen

• And more

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This important second level of your puppy's training includes continued improvements on all the Level 1 behaviors. Let's face it, your puppy is still young and goofy. It's important to continue working on the Level 1 behaviors or they will fade away due to the natural process of behavioral extinction. After your first class of Level 2 you and your puppy will be eligible to take AKC's S.T.A.R. Puppy Test. Your puppy will also learn lots of new behaviors in Level 2 along including some Tricks. At Tara's School for Dogs tricks are an important part of training because the dog gets lots of treats and smiles!

Adult Dogs

• AKC Canine Good Citizen

• Adult Rescue Dog

• Transition to New Home

• Sit, Down, Come, Stay

• Leash Walking​

• Behavior Problems

• And more

If you adopted an adult dog or just want to train your adult dog you have come to the right place. At Tara's School for Dogs we are firm believers in old dogs learning new tricks! Your dog can learn obedience and manners or address problem behaviors. Lessons are individualized so you'll focus only on the things you want to learn. We do specialize in working with blind dogs. Have a look at the videos for more information. If you are continuing with your puppy's education onto adult levels and want to take the AKC Canine Good Citizenship test this Adult Level offers all that you need to qualify and take the test.

Puppy & Adult

Problem Solving and Behavior Modification

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Problems in puppies and adults can come up in response to changes in the environment, daily routines or physical illness. It may be important to first rule out any underlying medical issues with a visit to the veterinarian.

Common problems include: Barking, Separation Anxiety, Chewing, Leash Pulling, Nipping, Resource Guarding, Jumping, House Accidents,etc. First we'll determine the underlying causes of your puppy or dog's issues and then decide on the best management and training methods to address them.

* Puppy Socialization in a Pandemic

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Socialization especially during the Covid-19 Pandemic requires some creativity. It's important that socialization occurs during this critical period of development which ends between 13 to 16 weeks of age. There is no substitution for intensive and ongoing socialization for your puppy during the critical socialization period. Puppy socialization can be fun and easy even during the pandemic. It's not just about meeting other dogs and people. Think about puppy socialization as a process of experiencing new things and enjoying enrichment activities. At Tara's School for dogs we help make puppy socialization easy, fun and effective.  Puppy Stages of Development on AKC website

Private Classes

In-Home   Outdoors   Training Facility

Cancellations 3 hours in advance free

Absent without cancellation forfeit lesson

Group Classes (6 Week Series) 

Indoors Suspended

Location 84th and York Avenue

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Dogs must be vaccinated according to their age and have documentation from a veterinarian. Titers are acceptable proof of immunity, rabies as per New York State Law.  Please see resources and Protect the Pets for more information about vaccines and immunity.