Welcome to
Instinct Animal Training & Behavior!
You're in the right place if you're looking to build a relationship with your pet based on respect, understanding, and trust.
Solving Behavior Problems by Looking at The Whole Animal.
At Instinct Animal Training and Behavior, training comes after understanding. Before I introduce any technique, I take the time to identify what your animal actually needs — physically, emotionally, and behaviorally — and start by meeting those needs. From there, I build a plan that gets you real results while strengthening the bond you already share.
My Story
I've always loved animals of every kind. When the opportunity came, I began volunteering with The Creature Conservancy in Saline, Michigan — and eventually left my teaching job to work there full-time. It was a dream: learning about captive wildlife and figuring out how to make their lives better, from enriching their environments to training that eased the stress of life in captivity. I was amazed by what even the most challenging animals — some genuinely dangerous — were willing to do once their needs came first and they were treated with respect and positive reinforcement. No corrections, no punishment, just trust. That's when I knew: helping captive animals live fuller lives was my calling. When I eventually left the Conservancy, I knew animals would stay part of my work — and that's what led me to dogs.
Meet Your Trainer: Abby!
My Philosophy
I've been training professionally for over 10 years, and the path here has taken plenty of turns. I've learned from incredible mentors, worked with a leading training company, and studied a range of methodologies along the way. Eventually, I founded Instinct Animal Training and Behavior so I could follow my own philosophy: my job is to help you understand your pet's needs, find real ways to meet them, and then bring in training that builds a collaborative, sustainable relationship between you and your animal.
Fearful, Reactive, and Aggression Cases
I Specialize in Fearful, Reactive, and Aggression Cases. It's a passion that started with my own dog — a fearful, anxious cattle dog who taught me firsthand what's possible when you meet an animal with patience instead of pressure. Watching what positive reinforcement and a welfare-focused approach could do for her made me a believer, and I've been sharing that with other owners ever since.
What Our Clients are Saying!
Life-changing experience — Abby is truly exceptional
I cannot recommend Abby strongly enough. She didn’t just help our dog — she changed our dog and our family’s lives.
We are experienced dog owners, but we found ourselves completely overwhelmed when it became clear that our (soon-to-be) 120 lb dog had major fear issues and was becoming increasingly reactive. We loved him so much but had no idea how to help him become happy and safe in a way that effective and compassionate.
From the very beginning, Abby brought an incredible combination of knowledge, skill, and genuine care. She truly understands fearful and reactive dogs at a deep level helping us learn to understand him and build his confidence without pushing him past his limits.
With Abby’s help, our dog transformed into a happy, confident, and secure companion. The progress we saw was beyond what we thought was possible.
Abby is not only an outstanding trainer and behaviorist, she is a rare person who cares so deeply about every dog and every family she works with. If you’re struggling with fear, reactivity, or anxiety in your dog, do not hesitate. Working with Abby was one of the best decisions we ever made.
--Cyndi U
Training with Abby is like taking a deep, calming breath! Abby's steady, soothing manner is a balm to be around, not just for our dogs, but for us too. We found her through our very fear-aggressive dog, George Cooper, and returned to work with her years later when we got our new puppy, Douglas, a Spinone Italiano. We have received tremendous value out of our one-on-one sessions with Abby. Her science-based methods are effective and her background in behavior is a great source of comfort. We know Douglas is in the best hands! --Lisa P
When my husband first met our pup Wolfie as a foster with Abby, Wolfie had multiple returns to shelters, extreme reactivity and resource guarding some of the worst cases he had seen but Wolfie warmed to my husband and allowed for interaction. With Abby's guidance and patient training through positive reinforcement, starting as a foster at her home and continuing after adoption, years later I am happy to say he is the happiest pup. Constantly making friends at the park, enjoying long walks through NYC and all the attention he gets on the subway riding around in his backpack. You would never guess from where he started seeing him now.
--Nina B
Our Services!
1 hr 30 min
150 US dollars
Classes following the behavior modification plan created after the initial consult.
1 hr
65 US dollars
1 hr
Word Around The Kennels!
Coming soon this Fall 2026
Group classes
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Reactivity
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Perfect Puppy