Hi, I’m Nick.
Who am I?
I’m a professional dog trainer, and Walden Dog Training is my newest venture! Thank you so much for visiting. With a career spanning over 15 years, I am thrilled to bring my knowledge and services to Concord, MA and the surrounding areas. Early in my career, I was fortunate to have unprecedented access to The Dog Whisperer, Cesar Milan, at his original Dog Psychology Center in Los Angeles. I carry those early lessons and the philosophy that Cesar shared with me to this day, putting an emphasis on mindful, calm and structured pack leadership with the dogs I work with and the human clients I coach.
Starting out.
While in Los Angeles I started pack-walking dogs, with a focus on working with dogs that had aggression issues, for the purpose of helping to rehabilitate them through proper pack structure and exercise.
I later moved from Los Angeles and studied at the world renowned National K-9 School for Dog Trainers, before accepting a position at The Olde Towne School for Dogs in Alexandria, VA. At the School for Dogs I was fortunate to apprentice and work under Carlos and Sandy Mejias, who in turn had studied under Captain Haggerty, an iconic pioneer in 20th Century dog training.
Growing it.
I consider it an honor to be standing on the shoulders of all of my mentors, those I’ve known and those I’ve inherited knowledge from through others. in 2010, alongside owner and friend, Rebecca Willson, I opened the Urban Hound University, the training department of The Urban Hound in Boston’s South End. I’ve had the honor of training thousands of dogs there over the past decade, working with amazing clients and mentoring the other trainers that have been a part of our team. I love meeting new people and their dogs, and I truly look forward to helping you in any way I can.
“Structure for your dog is not an end in and of itself. Structure is the compass you give your dog so that they can safely explore and experience all the world has to offer them.”
What Clients Have to Say
“Little dogs always pack a bigger punch. That is certainly true for our little Luna. A westie with a territorial and noisy side, one that I was told would never be let off leash. Thanks to Nick, Luna now spends 95% of her time off leash, in a respectful manner. And for those moments that her territorial side comes out, Nick has given us the right communication tools she understands.”
“My first rescue was reactive. He looked like kujo on a leash. My second dog was an anxious diva. She was terrified to walk on metal or by large objects. We struggled for so long, and I was so nervous changing from purely positive to balanced training. But after our first session with Nick, we never looked back. He gives you a clear understanding of the purpose of the tools, the goals of communication, and helped us provide the structure our dogs needed. I am happy to say our reactive dog is no longer reactive, and can walk calmly by anything with four legs. Our nervous pup has built so much confidence and strength. It was hard work, but every second was worth it and we could not have done it without Nick.”
“Nick is a perfect combination of compassionate and positive, as well as disciplined and structured. Nick has taught us that the more rules a dog starts with, the more freedom they earn. We send many of our adult dogs who could use a structure and training before being adopted. In a perfect world, every single puppy and dog in our rescue would train with Nick, and they would be better for it.”