Success Stories

Peter - Roma, Australian Shepherd

Elkhan has been an amazing dog trainer for my pup, Roma. His teaching made a huge difference for both of us—Roma now walks confidently with me all around Boston and in any dog park. Her aggressiveness is gone, and she no longer has any leash reactivity.

Elkhan is a patient, knowledgeable, and genuinely effective teacher. I’m extremely grateful for the progress we’ve made. If you’re looking for a trainer who truly understands both dogs and owners, Elkhan is the one!

We went to Halloween! She did great with other dogs during the whole event. This wouldn’t have been possible without the training.

South End Boston, MA

Hayley - Finley, Dachsund

When Finley and I first started working with Elkhan, Finley was extremely reactive toward other dogs. When I would walk him, the walks were extremely stressful, and I wasn’t sure if we’d ever be able to relax around other dogs again. The vet recommended that I even meet with a dog behavior specialist, who would cost $5,000 to put Finley on medication, like an SSRI. I knew there had to be a better way.

Everything changed over the course of 12 weeks while working with Elkhan. His approach was unlike anything I’d heard before, thoughtful, consistent, and grounded in a fundamental understanding of canine behavior. Every session built on the last, and the weekly consistency gave both of us the structure we needed. He didn’t just give me tips and tricks that were “quick fixes,” but strategies that actually worked and stuck.

Finley’s confidence has grown so much. He’s an entirely different dog now. He is calmer, more focused, and happier. I can’t recommend Elkhan enough to anyone struggling with reactivity or just looking to strengthen their relationship with their dog. His expertise and patience truly made all the difference.

South End Boston, MA

Kiki- Mochi, Doodle

Mochi is a really high energy dog. He used to get very excited whenever he saw other dogs. He wasn't aggressive at all, but he always wanted to run over and play with them. This caused a lot of headaches for us and other dog owners. Leash walking was a nightmare too, he was constantly pulling ahead and leading the way. Our daily walks were frustrating for both of us. I tried training some basic obedience myself, but it didn't really work. When he got excited, he wouldn't pay any attention to me at all. After getting help from Elkhan, we established a new marker word and started playing search games with him every day. This helped shift Mochi's focus and energy onto the game and onto me. Once we had a good foundation, we started incorporating obedience training, like practicing U-turns and stay. We added these games and training into our daily walks, and Mochi has gradually become much calmer and trusts me a lot more. Elkhan didn't just train Mochi; he also taught me how to be the reliable owner my dog needed. Thank you, Elkhan!

– North Shore, Boston, MA

Delilah - Cooper

We reached out to Makes Sense Dog Training because Cooper was reacting to dogs and also exploding at bikes and runners on the paths. Walks in Boston were stressful and we avoided busy areas because it felt unmanageable. After working with Elkhan, Cooper joined structured pack hikes and learned how to socialize safely around dogs, bikes and people. He now hikes off-leash with confidence, ignores bikes, and even helps other reactive dogs during training. We’re extremely happy with his progress.

– South End, Boston

Stacey - Holly, Pitbull

From the day of our consultation, I knew Elkin was the trainer that Holly was gonna respond to. He just read my dog like I did. He made perfect sense, lol (no pun intended) with everything he did with her. She was a tough case and I knew that going in. He was honest and upfront about what training would look like for her and what he would be able to provide for my dog. No promises of crazy "best buddy"dog friends. We were ok with that, as she is so highly reactive. By the end of our training sessions, we could walk in a 4ft wide walk path with other dogs walking by without her reacting and lunging or barking!!! I was amazed. So much so, that I was speechless. My dog has had training, for a whole year after we got her. She couldn't do any of what she's doing now. Our relationship with her is better and she is so much happier on her walks and just in general. This past week we even took her camping, which is something we just didn't do for fear of her attacking another dog or just being uncontrollably anxious. She was calm, happy and a pleasure to take with us. I highly recommend him for Reactive Dogs. This is your guy. .....🙏a Reactive pitbull MOM.😊

– Northshore, MA