Dog Training

“I met Gabriel Riesco while I was walking my lab, Luca, up to the park.  Luca has had problems with golden retrievers and in general, furry shaggy dogs.  Gabriel was walking such a dog and Luca was growling and in general, a little crazy. Gabriel stopped and asked if I wanted to try and meet the dog he was walking.  I was hesitant but in about two minutes, Gabriel had the two of the dogs walking side by side as peacefully as can be.  He never yanked on the leash or yelled.  After that, I asked for his card.

About a month later, I had surgery so I used Gabriel to walk Luca.  I was able to leave my key for him so he could come and go without me being home. He integrates good behavior into his walks, and Luca was noticeably improved even after a week. 

If you are looking for a trainer or a dog walker, I whole heartedly recommend Gabriel.  I have used about seven trainers who have not made much of a difference in helping Luca overcome his problems.  I have bought expensive e-collars and used prong collars.  Gabriel is gentle and self-assured and brings out the best in every dog he meets.  Truly a dog whisperer!“

Danielle

Brooklyn NYC

“Gabriel did an amazing job in just a few sessions. He connected with Duke right away, figured out his motivators and needs. More than that, he taught me how to train and work with my own dog. It’s been great! Thank you Pawmos!“

Father Sam Kachuba

Fairfield, CT

“WOW. A colleague recommended Gabriel for new puppy training/education. I thought she was being emphatic as part of her personality, but after our session I can say that every bit of excitement was warranted. Calm, friendly and infinitely knowledgable, I feel like we talked as much about dog (and human!) psychology as we did the practical issues me and my new pup were facing. Background: she’s a 7-month old tripod rescue who is/was VERY afraid of cars but otherwise quite well behaved. No major issues but I feel like he set me on a path that I can build on. I’m feeling so much more confident, and she appears to be too — even after just one day. I know I sound like an informercial actor but I mean it these folks are the best!“

Kathy B.

“Gabriel’s training style is nothing like I’ve ever seen before, and it is amazing. Learning to have a connection with your dog, rather than just teaching it tricks is so important. His style helps you understand your dog and get it into a calm state of mind to help you achieve whatever it is that you need to. Since getting Gabriel’s help with my dog Zoey, she has become a much better walker, she stopped barking when she’s not supposed to and she is an all round happy dog. I would recommend Gabriel to anyone. He has always been extremely responsive, professional and reliable and I have never had a bad experience.“

Kim

Brooklyn NYC

“Gabe (Pawmos Pet Care Training) is a miracle worker! He came over several times to help train our energetic puppy, Jax. Gabe is extremely knowledgeable, and helped us understand how to regulate Jax’s behavior, how to develop signals that Jax can appropriately respond to, among other training techniques. Gabe has a unique talent with dogs that I’ve truly never witnessed before. He has a calm, warm demeanor with animals and owners, alike. Highly recommend!“  

Lauren C

Fairfield, CT

“My husband and I contacted Gabe after running into a neighbor who spoke very highly of him (she could tell we needed help) – and after working with him we could not agree more! Our dog is a 3 year old rescue with fairly extreme anxiety. He is afraid of pretty much everything, including my husband. When Gabe first came over we were desperate and couldn’t even get him off the couch to go outside – we had been carrying him out, which was starting to take a toll on us all. Within one session Gabe had him walking in and out like a pro, and we haven’t had a problem with that since!

Gabe is incredibly special because he really does seem to communicate with dogs in a way that most people can’t. It’s just an energy he has, and I wouldn’t have believed it myself until I saw it. Our dog just trusted him immediately (which is especially crazy since he is usually wary of men). Like many other of the commenters have said, the big thing about Gabe is the way he tells you what you could be doing differently to help your dog (and never with any kind of judgement.) I can tell how much he genuinely loves dogs and people and wants our situation to be better. Dealing with a dog as fearful as ours can be incredibly tough and discouraging, and we come away from every session with Gabe with renewed hope. He is so positive and encouraging, and we are so thankful for his guidance. We are continuing to work with him and watching our guy improve and we really just can’t thank him, or recommend him highly enough. And can assure you that if we lived in his dog-walking neighborhoods we would absolutely be using that service as well!“

Allyson D

Brooklyn NYC

“I worked with Gabriel of City Dog Strut to help me with my nervous/scared dog, Dodger (and by scared I really mean scared…of everything – his shadow, parked and moving cars, crunchy leaves, wind, crunchy leaves being blown by the wind, every man including my husband etc. among a million other things). We adopted him in early November and his fears kept getting worse and worse, it was a bad situation. His walks involved lots of fearful shaking, an army crawl to his favorite pee spot and then a frantic and fearful race back to the house where he would only want to sit in his crate all day long. After the holidays I knew we had to do something, so I called Gabriel.

To say I’m impressed is an understatement. We really thought Dodger would be doomed to live a life of fear. My husband and I felt really hopeless. If you have a dog that has behavioral issues or extreme fears I’m sure you know the feeling I’m talking about. However, Gabriel gave us the confidence to believe that we could help Dodger overcome his fears and anxiety and actually be the happy, playful and goofy dog that he is and should be, something we hadn’t seen in him before.  It was such a relief. Just watching Gabriel interact with Dodger for a mere 10 minutes was amazing – he clearly knows what he’s doing. He really helped us to know how to handle Dodger’s fears and we have seen a big change in him. We have a ways to go, and we definitely slip up here and there but Gabriel has encouraged us to contact him with any questions at all. I even ran into him recently while I was walking Dodger and he politely and helpfully corrected something he noticed that I was doing incorrectly, which was really helpful for me.

Gabriel’s approach to behavioral training works. As an added bonus, he’s also just a really nice guy and a pleasure to work with. He’s super approachable and explains things to you in ways you can understand, and the ‘whys’ behind certain techniques which helps everything make a ton of sense.

Clearly I can’t say enough good things about his services so just call and see for yourself! You won’t regret it!“

Jaime L

Fairfield, CT

“Arya, my bull terrier, is a bit of a racist.  Perhaps racist isnt the right term, but certain breeds of dogs she wants to kill and eat for breakfast (Sorry french bulldogs, pugs, puggles,  boston terriers, etc) 

Literally after less than 15 minutes, Gabriel had Arya’s leash in one hand a French Bulldog’s leash in the other, and both were walking calmly without a care in the world.  The first few minutes were a little scary as my dog repeatedly lunged, but Gabriel had the situation under control… and minutes later the they were walking as if nothing was ever wrong… AMAZING

Have you watched Dog Whisperer?  Well Gabriel is that good.  He understands dogs, but more importantly in the short session I had with him, I learned what I needed to look for and how to properly correct my dogs behavior.

I would give 6 stars if I could“

Ian G.

Brooklyn NYC

“I love working with Gabriel. Before I met him, I tried everything that I “knew” to try to reduce my 7-year-old dog’s anxiety. From leash aggression to manic energy, neither my dog nor I had a peaceful, relaxed existence. Luckily, a coworker recommended Pawmos!

Gabriel showed me a new way to build trust with my dog. His approach was patient, informed, and instructional. He demonstrated techniques that had me communicating with my dog in a completely different way — yielding a completely different (i.e. healthy) result.

I can’t begin to explain the change I’ve seen on my dog (and more importantly in myself). I knew we were on a new path when a fellow dog owner said, “Yeah, he really has a lot of anxiety, but this dog is so mellow that he’s being really good.” The *mellow* dog to which he referred was mine.

If you are looking to address behavioral issues with your dog, I highly recommend Gabriel. Meeting him seriously changed my life.“

Holly M.

Brooklyn NYC

“I have a German Shepard who is clearly the worst dog I have ever had. He doesn’t listen. He barks his head off when anyone walks by the house. He is completely defiant. The girl at the vet saw how horrible he is and told me I should send him to the rescue. He’s a beautiful dog so he would be snapped up quick, but he is such a bad dog, he would be returned and most likely destroyed. He’s my boy. I couldn’t do that. Our old dog trainer actually said he could no longer help us. He was such a bad dog he gave up on him.

OMG! After 5 minutes with Gabriel, Ellwood was behaving and listening to Gabriel. He taught me what to do to help my dog. Ellwood has not barked at a dog since Gabriel left. And he is a happier dog too!!!!

Gabriel is truly a God send for Ellwood and my family. I no longer just write Ellwood off as the worst dog ever. He is the best dog ever! Thank you Gabriel! For everything. Ellwood, the girls and my husband thank you too. We have a quiet house with no more barking and shouting.“

Rochelle C.

L.A.

“When we first adopted Lenny, he wasn’t very well socialized with other dogs and prone to leash aggression. Gabriel came to us highly recommended and we have been totally astounded at this help.  He taught Lenny how not to pull on the leash and has introduced him to a great pack. His socialization skills have greatly improved and Lenny even helps out with new shy dogs! I can’t thank Gabriel enough.Rochelle C.“

Liz L. Lovero

Park Slope, Brooklyn NYC

“Gabriel is an amazingly talented trainer – a real pleasure to work with. We recently rescued a wonderful 2-year-old with a few issues, particularly food aggression, and Gabriel was able to fix that problem in one session. He is incredibly talented and has a very calm presence. His insight has been extremely valuable and for our new dog, the positive impact was immediate.“

Evan B.

Brooklyn NYC

“I first met Gabriel  when observing him training in Prospect Park and was so impressed at how he has an amazing bond with animals. He speaks their language and they  are calmed instantly when meeting him. Gabriel has helped me train my two dogs Bernie and Gracie , both rescued from NC and TX. They arrived with a multitude of behavior issues, fear and aggression. From the moment Gabriel arrived at our home within minutes both dogs trusted and listened and responded to his body language. He didn’t even need to speak to them!

We have had training on leash walking, off leash and manners and I now so proud and enjoy my walks with my best buddies. My young dogs require long walks both off and on leash. Felipe walks them each afternoon and he too had  such a instant bond with Bernie and Gracie. He is reliable, trustworthy  and so important really cares for them. Felipe scans his phone to give me accurate arrival and drop off times which is  so reassuring a great addition to the city dog strut service. Highly recommended.

Please don’t review this business if you received a freebie for writing this review, or if you’re connected in any way to the owner or employees.“

Joanne B

North Carolina

“Gabriel is an incredible and knowledgeable trainer! He flew to the west coast (LA) to work with dogs and their families. I was beyond impressed. He is warm and nonjudgemental. He becomes part of the family, gently shifting problem behaviors in the dog and owner. Truly a gift! I would recommend him to anyone.“

Megan B.

L.A.

“I got the chance to work with Gabriel when he was flown out to Los Angeles by some people who heard that he could work magic with their dogs…and magic he does work! I had been looking for a Cesar Milan to help us with one of our dogs who has a lot of anxious behavior — and I can’t imagine the actual Cesar doing any better. Not only is Gabe one of the nicest guys you’ll ever meet, he is seriously a miracle worker when it comes to helping a dog owner (me) work with difficult dog behavior. Key point: he teaches *you*, not your dog, which is invaluable in that you need less sessions, and learn about yourself and your dog in the process and can implement that which you learn.  In just a couple hours, we solved a handful of issues I was having with my dogs.

They’re now great on the leash (used to be pullers), I know how to work with several of my dogs’ anxious behaviors (licking, whining, ball obsession, overexcitement, and separation anxiety), and I got all kinds of other great tips for them (i.e. greeting other dogs, entering/exiting doorways, how to hold the lead, training techniques, etc). It has made my experience with my dogs so much easier-going and relaxed. Great for both me and the dogs! Nothing short of miracle work. Take advantage of working with Gabriel while he still has the space in his schedule for you bc I assure you he’s going to be in high demand!  Now to get him back to LA.“

J.S.

L.A.

“Gabriel and Pawmos! are amazing! He has changed our lives! My dog had very bad leash aggression and would go into fits when a dog came close to him. On the very first day, Gabriel had my dog happily walking with other dogs! Since then, we have had a few individual training sessions and I am a changed dog owner and my dog is a happy, social dog!

Yesterday, we went to a dog run with Gabriel for the first time, and I witnessed my dog happily playing with a dozen other dogs with no problem at all! I can’t believe we have lived without Gabriel’s help for the two years I had my dog. Gabriel, is amazing with dogs, realistic in training (no weird habits or clicking i have to adapt into walks), consistent, reliable and extremely professional. I can’t thank Gabriel enough times for improving my dog’s quality of life 1000 times over!“

Cathy C.

L.A.

“I am a first time dog owner and really didn’t have a clue. My husband had more experience but we agreed we needed intervention.   A friend recommended Gabriel and we have gone from puppy insanity to relative calm in a week because he showed us how we were doing it all wrong and how to fix it, in the best possible way.  We did three sessions this week and will absolutely have him come back for more once we reach the next phase with our pup.  Gabriel is Brooklyn’s “animal whisperer” whose approach is intuitive. It takes practice but I feel 1000% less stressed this week.  It is amazing to watch Gabriel interact with our dog.  I feel capital hashtag blessed to have found him.“

Finola K.

Brooklyn NYC

“Gabe is seriously Brooklyn’s dog whisperer, and I tell all my friends that.  After having a bad phone conversation with another highly rated dog trainer, I was feeling pretty down because I thought my dog was a lost cause.  Gambit is a rescue dog that my husband and I adopted over 2.5 years ago.  He has several behavioral problems, including leash aggression, dominance issues and can be territorial.  He growled at us frequently and had bitten us on several occasions.  While he had shown improvement over the years, he still had issues that needed to be addressed. 

After he nipped his dogsitter, we decided we needed professional intervention.  After talking to another trainer, I didn’t think there was going to be much hope for Gambit, but then I found Gabe.  Gabe was very patient with me over the phone.  He asked a lot of questions about Gambit.  I told him about several issues, such as he gets very aggressive when walking outside, lunging, barking and snapping at bikers, big dogs, joggers, skateboarders, you name it.  Gabe told me that Gambit had leash aggression.  I didn’t even know that that was a thing.  I felt hopeful after talking to Gabe and scheduled a training session with him.  When I asked him if I should get his three training session package, he said to just wait to see how the first session went and then we would reevaluate to see if additional sessions were necessary.   

Upon meeting Gambit, Gabe was able to immediately gain Gambit’s respect and let Gambit know that he didn’t need to be the dominant one.  He told us that Gambit growled and acted neurotic because he was under a lot of stress because he thought he had to be the pack leader.  Neither my husband and I were showing him that he didn’t need to be the pack leader and he could just just relax.  The best part of Gabe was that he didn’t need to train Gambit, but rather he trained us how to respect Gambit and now to get him to respect us.   He taught us to stop Gambit from barking nonstop when the doorbell rang and how to stay calm around Gambit, so he didn’t sense our nervous energy and become stressed.  He also taught us how to walk Gambit, so he didn’t have leash aggression.  He went on a 30 minute walk with us and gave us numerous tips on how to handle Gambit.  I swear, Gambit was a changed dog during that walk.  He calmly walked by all his triggers, i.e., bikers, skateboarders, big dogs, and joggers without blinking an eye.  He didn’t yank at his leash or lunge.  He just calmly walked by our side.  I was so shocked. 

Gabe told us that he thought one session was enough and didn’t think we needed more.  In fact, he said that Gambit was an easy case and a very good dog.  He was just highly stressed by the environment that we created, because we were always so nervous that Gambit might start acting aggressively.   Gambit was just reacting to our nervous energy.  Gabe spent 2.5 hours with us, making sure he had address all the issues we had and patiently answered all the questions we had.   

We have recommended Gabe to several of our friends.  One had him help him with his puppy.  He was just as happy as we were with Gabe.  He also said Gabe was the Brooklyn Cesar Milan.  Gabe is such a friendly guy, who makes you feel so much at ease.  He really cares about dogs and really want to help people have a happy and healthy relationship with their dogs.  I cannot recommend Gabe more.“

Rachel W.

Brooklyn NYC

“Gabriel met with us before we brought our puppy home and has been an invaluable guide as a trainer and a great dog walker for the 16 months that we have had our dog.  would not want to do it without him.“

Nick M.

NYC

 “Gabriel worked with us and our Staffordshire Terrier Mix, Lola when she was about 3 1/2 months old and again, recently, at almost 7 months. It was amazing how she immediately responded to him! Lola us a very bright and active puppy who has had issues with noises, leash walking, jumping on people, crating and interrupting our meals. Gabriel has taught us techniques and been very supportive. I feel more confident in myself and in Lola’s potential. I appreciate that Gabriel has emailed summaries of our lessons and been available for questions. My daughter and her puppy have also worked with him with great results.  I would definitely recommend him if you and your dog need to work on any small or large problems.“

Jane Lemizco

Brooklyn NYC

“Gabriel is clearly a pro. I truly appreciate his approach to adjusting behavior over simply teaching commands. 

After going over all of our concerns we were very pleased and we felt prepared to continue our dog’s training. 

He even gave a detailed review of the session via email after. Super helpful! 

I highly recommend the dog training with Gabriel.“

Zach D.

NYC

“I’m so impressed with Gabriel and Pawmos Pet Care (formerly City Dog Strut) that I’m actually creating this account specifically to say so.

We first used Pawmos Pet Care for dog-walking, and would recommend them 100% based on that alone.  Every walker has been consistently kind, responsible, and attentive — so much so that we now use Pawmos Pet Care for dog-sitting as well, trusting their walkers to stay in our apartment while when we travel.  The true miracle, however, was Gabriel’s training session.  He is remarkably attuned, both to dogs and to the human relationships and interactions that impact them, and his compassionate, warm manner is both accessible and hugely effective. In one lesson, he reduced our dog’s barking by probably 70%.  Really.  And my husband’s relationship with our dog has changed just as dramatically.  I can’t recommend Pawmos Pet Care more highly.

I really can’t say enough, you are in The Best Hands. If you need help with anything with your dog, other than just walking, doing a session with him is invaluable. Most people, I don’t think, truly understand dogs the way he does. I literally give his number out to people I see on the street struggling with their dogs.“

M K M

Connecticut

“We also had Gabriel do some training sessions, and I couldn’t recommend him enough. I was at my wits end with what to do with one of our rescues who barks at people, dogs, loud trucks, etc, and Gabriel gave us the tools and confidence to work on these things. He understands dogs more than anyone I know, but also really understands people and the impact their dogs have on their lives. He has made the adoption process manageable for us, and I couldn’t recommend him more!“

Pennia Kreiger

NYC

“We can’t say enough good things about working with Gabriel. Seriously!! We brought home our dog Bea Arthur on a total whim (Always a good idea!) and he was a life saver. We had a 14 year old cat in the house at the time and he helped us figure out strategies to return calmness and sanity to our household. More recently, we asked Gabriel to come help us deal with Bea’s new found naughty “on leash” behavior. Within one session, she was walking like a new dog! We’d highly recommend him!!“

Kelly Moffat

Brooklyn NYC

Vamos amigos! Pawmos es el mejor. Gabriel is one of these rare people you find who seems to have deep wisdom, a sense of calm and ease, compassion and insight. Combine that with the fountain of knowledge he has about dogs and WOW! THE BEST DOG WALKER / DOG BEHAVIORIST AROUND. He has worked wonders for our family with our new puppy; helping with toilet training, walking training and travel training. We love Gabriel and wholeheartedly recommend him and his entire crew. OUR DOG LOVES PAWMOS!

Cherie Aaarts

NYC

We could not have been happier with the calm training and expert advice from Gabe. He was kind , patient , dependable and always informative. The leash training sessions were especially helpful. I would recommend him to all dog owners . He’s the real deal.

Kim Porio

Westport, CT

“Gabriel and his crew are total lifesavers! I can’t explain how much they’ve helped us and how above and beyond they went to help us with our pup.

Our adopted terrier mix Louie had developed some behavioral issues, and was constantly lunging and barking at any and all dogs on the street. His problems were getting worse and worse and after he refused to even let a dog walker into the apartment without lunging and barking, we were beginning to lose hope that things would ever improve…. until we met Gabriel!

Due to a scheduling issue on our end, I ended up having to reschedule our initial training appointment for the following weekend via email. Gabriel called me back within minutes, assured me that it was no problem, immediatley drove across Brooklyn in the pouring rain to meet us, and greeted us with a smile on his face!

After only a few minutes with Gabriel and his dog, our pups attitude had totally changed for the better, no barking, no lunging, just a calm and happy dog. It was a miracle!

Gabriel is such a great communicator, both with Louie and us as his owners. He explained clearly, and simply, what we were doing that was causing our pup to become anxious and after demonstrating for a few blocks, Louie’s leash walking was 99% better! Back at our apartment, Gabriel took the time to make sure that we fully understood everything he had showed us.

The techniques and tips that Gabriel has showed us, both with how to walk our dog correctly, and how to make him feel more comfy and less anxious in our home, has changed our pups (and our) lives. I never knew how much of our pups anxiety was coming from me! Once I changed some of my own bad habits and behavior, Louie became a much happier dog and, in turn, reduced my own stress that was causing his anxiety!

When we told Gabriel about our pups history of difficulty with dog walkers, Gabriel couldn’t have been more helpful and hands-on as well. He personally came back to our apartment to introduce and get Louie comfortable with his dog walker Nick (now our pups best friend!) and spent a long time making sure they were a perfect fit. Nick knew exactly how to work with our pup and is a total professional, we couldn’t be happier with him and know that our special little guy is in good hands. Now Louie looks forward to his daily walks with his new furry friends!“

Alex Renie

NYC