Dognify

Jessica Minarovic

12 Dec 2025

Jonathan is a truly talented and dedicated dog trainer/boarder. I use him for boarding and my somewhat anxious dog now loves going to Jonathan's. He provides attentive care as if your pet was his own. My dog also goes on pack runs with Jonathan and it has markedly improved his confidence when we walk solo! Jonathan is a gift to the Philly dog community.

Elizabeth Nguye

13 Dec 2025

Rescuing a dog has its rewards, and it also comes with its challenges. Jonathan’s methodology, approach, and invaluable insight immediately put us at ease. Our Meatball’s behavioral challenges were put to the test by Jonathan and his pack, and it was absolutely incredible how, in just two visits, they were able to uncover and have a glimpse of who Meatball truly is—and why we love him so much. The reassurance and confirmation from the pack that he is “OK,” passing with flying colors, now has us looking forward to the road ahead and what’s to come. It’s all onwards and upwards from here! Disclaimer: Will do anything for treats!

Mariane B.

13 Dec 2025

We’ve been working with Jonathan at Dognify for the past four months to help our dog Baylor, who struggles with generalized anxiety, fearfulness, and separation anxiety. The progress we’ve seen has been truly encouraging. Jonathan is incredibly patient, not only with Baylor but also with us, guiding us through the training process with clear and supportive advice. While Baylor’s journey takes time, we can see him improving day by day thanks to Jonathan’s expertise and dedication. We’re very happy with the training process and grateful for the care and professionalism Jonathan brings to Baylor’s education.

Hasitha Kakileti

11 Dec 2025

Jonathan at Dognify has been such a gift for me and my rescue dog, Pepper. I first reached out for help with her leash reactivity and basic skills, and the progress since then has completely changed our day-to-day. Our walks are calmer, easier, and genuinely enjoyable, and the training has strengthened our bond in ways I didn’t expect. Pepper literally bounces around when we practice things we’ve learned with him. I really appreciate how adaptable and thoughtful Jonathan is. Whenever Pepper's needs have shifted, he adjusts our training without hesitation and always finds ways to keep her engaged and confident. He's met my many many many questions as a first time dog owner with so much patience, knowledge, and kindness. He’s also helped me understand more about Pepper, like what kinds of activities she actually enjoys, what motivates her, and how to work with her personality specifically. Working with him has given me confidence, given Pepper structure she genuinely loves, and made our life together so much easier and happier. I’m truly grateful for everything he’s done for us.

Laraine Mocenigo

11 Dec 2025

Meet Cashew, the 10th Doberman I’ve had in my life. The breed is challenging due to their intelligence and need for mental and physical exercise. I purchased Cashew (the nut) when he was 14 months old from a highly reputable breeder, who should be commended for the quality of her dogs and their amazing temperament. Cashew (aka Cash) was born in February 2020, and turns out he is a true covid puppy. He spent his formative years sprinting in and out of a doggie door in a fenced-in yard, with little socialization and rarely on a leash. For rational reasons, his first owner returned him when he was 14 months old, and I jumped at a chance to have a dog from this breeder, not really thinking about the huge change in lifestyle it would be for him to move to Center City Philly and have to be on a leash. We needed to work through many issues with Cashew: walking on a leash, housebreaking because he never had a schedule, reactivity and EXTREME excitement upon seeing other dogs, cats, and squirrels. Everyone in the neighborhood knew him because of his dramatic screaming, sounds of which I'd never heard before. I’ve trained all my Dobermans before him, but Cashew’s anxiety only exacerbated my own whenever I had to open the front door to all the things that triggered him outside. I felt unqualified to take on his needs, but would never give him up as he became mama’s boy. Then one day I saw Jonathan standing on the corner near my house with a pack of 5 large dogs and learned he was an urban dog trainer. Wow, this is just what we needed. And I was even more thrilled to learn that he uses positive reinforcement and works on behavior and not just obedience and didn't expect me to continue to try to train him considering my anxiety. Jonathan is extremely knowledgeable about dog behavior and body language and brings the patience and calmness needed to the end of the leash. We can now walk Cashew on a loose leash. He doesn’t scream when he sees other dogs (although his noisy reputation may always stick with neighbors), and I no longer have to fear he will drag me down the street when he sees a squirrel. This was accomplished through obedience training, and with mostly understanding a dog’s needs and working on calming his behavior. Jonathan has filled a need that we could not, due to our age and lifestyle. We now have Cashew in a Dognify program where he gets picked up several days a week for morning jogs, pack walks through the city, and/or socializing at the dog park. Jonathan knows Cashew’s personality and behaviors and is fulfilling his needs in a way we could not do ourselves. Would I recommend Dognify? Absolutely!

Hillary Wiesel

22 Dec 2025

We are so grateful that we hired Jonathan to train our energetic cockapoo puppy. Jonathan is incredibly knowledgeable about all things dog-related. After just a 30-minute evaluation, it felt as though he had known Stella for months. He quickly understood her personality and our specific pain points, which truly impressed us. We were blown away by how thoughtfully he approached her training and by the comprehensive plan he created. Jonathan helped us improve Stella’s recall and better structure her daily schedule so she could channel her boundless energy in more productive ways. As a result, we not only live more harmoniously with her, but we also understand her much better. Jonathan was also very flexible with our schedules, which we greatly appreciated. We are thankful for all of his guidance and support and would highly recommend him to anyone looking for a knowledgeable and thoughtful dog trainer.