A trainer shakes paws with a German Shepherd on the great lawn of The Maddie Ranch.

Northern New Jersey · An Hour From New York City

Life-changing results
begin with
Dog Psychology.

Relationship-based training for puppies and dogs on an eight-acre estate in Northern New Jersey, built on our unique approach: dog psychology before dog training.

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4.9 · 106 Google reviews

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Pack Leader Dogs

Every dog. Every need. One approach.

A first puppy or a last resort, a city apartment or a Bergen County backyard: families come to us with every kind of dog and every kind of need, and the answer begins in the same place. We work on the state of mind beneath the behavior, and we train the human as well as the dog, because the relationship is where results live. It is why our families stay for life.

A dog who's struggling.

Pulling on the leash. Lunging at dogs or strangers. Jumping on guests, ignoring you outdoors, no off switch, anxiety the moment you leave. You may have tried trainers, even veterinary behaviorists, and experienced little to no results. Your dog isn't broken, and it isn't your fault: most training works on obedience, while the behavior lives in the mind underneath. You've found the last stop on the training journey. Many families begin with a single session at the ranch; others choose the Residency, the most complete program we offer.

Private Sessions The Pack Leader Residency

The right start, and care for life.

Prevention now beats intervention later, which is why The Puppy Residency is the most valuable program we offer: two to four weeks at the lodge between twelve and twenty weeks old, while a puppy's mind is wide open, with you training alongside. One-on-one sessions at the ranch for puppies and dogs. Weekdays at The Canine Social Club, door to door. And a team that will know your dog for years.

The Puppy Residency Explore the Programs

Why This Works

“It’s not just the dog. It’s also the human behind the dog and the relationship between.”

Steve Del Savio, Founder

Obedience training teaches a dog what to do with their body. It rarely asks why the dog was pulling, lunging or barking in the first place. The answer lives in the state of mind: a dog who is anxious, overexcited or unsure will not be able to achieve new manners, much like a panicked person can’t follow instructions. So we start where the behavior starts. We return the mind to balance first, calmness before commands, and then the manners come quickly and results hold.

And because dogs learn by association, we train the human as well as the dog. You learn to read energy, to lead calmly, and exactly what to do to keep the balance at home. That is why our results last: the dog changes, and so does the relationship.

Read the Method

From the Owners

In their own words.

Brooke, Brian and their baby daughter at their front door, Emmitt the wheaten terrier happy in Brian's arms.

“We were literally days away from re-homing Emmitt when we decided to try one last approach. After meeting with countless trainers with no results… We spoke with Steve and decided to send Emmitt to him for 3 weeks. The great thing about his program is that you are incorporated into the training so your dog associates you with the new rules and boundaries being put into place.”

“The change in our dog has been the most incredible thing to witness. Steve didn't just teach Emmitt, he taught me and Brian how to be dog owners… We are stopped on the street all of the time by people commenting on his amazing behavior, our vet didn't believe it was the same dog.”

“We are so incredibly happy to have been able to keep our family together… If you are reading this and have a troubled dog, I beg you don't give up on them.”

Brooke & BrianEmmitt, wheaten terrier

“We’ve gone through 6 trainers over the years and Steve was going to be our last resort… Within 5 mins of our first meeting, Steve was able to assess Odin and us as owners, and gave us clear and direct feedback… He made the biggest difference, and was the best investment we made in ourselves for Odin. Steve is like a dog psychologist, behavior expert, life coach, and therapist for humans all in one… and he’s funny too!”

Mami WakimotoOdin

★★★★★Google review

“If you witnessed how it was previously, this is the closest thing to a miracle I’ve ever experienced… For this reason, I have not and will not train my dogs anywhere else… I am eternally grateful to The Pack. Next puppy we get, our first stop will be Pack Leader Dogs!”

Ronni Weiner

★★★★★Google review

“I hired him to help out with my Cavalier’s separation anxiety, within 20 minutes (no joke) he had already fixed the problem! I already notice a dramatic difference in my dog’s demeanor and confidence just from one session.”

SaraRuxin, Cavalier

Begin an Application

Tell us about your dog. You will hear from us within one business day.

Programs

Ways to begin.

Steve Del Savio gives a quiet hand signal to a bulldog during a training session.

Board & train residency

The Pack Leader Residency

Your dog returns balanced, and you are part of the process. The most complete program we offer.

4–8 weeksAt the lodge

Steve Del Savio crouched in the grass, nuzzling a young cavapoo standing into his arms.

Prevention, not intervention

The Puppy Residency

Two to four weeks in puppyhood, learning beside balanced adult dogs.

2–4 weeksIn puppyhood

Steve Del Savio taking the offered paw of a seated German Shepherd on the lawn, the lodge behind them.

One on one

Private Sessions

Ninety minutes to start, then hour-long follow-ups, all at the ranch and built around your dog.

90 minutesAt the ranch

Steve Del Savio speaking to a laptop at a desk in the lodge loft, microphone in front of him.

Anywhere in the world

Virtual Sessions

An hour, one on one. The method travels, because the method is for you.

60 minutesAnywhere

A smiling Pack Leader Dogs team member crouched on the turf yard with a bernedoodle, a cavapoo and a goldendoodle gathered around him.

Members only, by application

The Canine Social Club

Weekdays among balanced dogs at the ranch, with door-to-door pickup from Ridgewood.

WeekdaysRidgewood pickup

Begin an Application

We match the program to your dog. Tell us where you would like to begin.

Steve Del Savio walking a shepherd, a cavapoo and a bulldog off leash along a wooded trail at The Maddie Ranch.

The Estate

Eight acres, kept for the pack.

The Maddie Ranch is a lodge of more than 5,000 square feet on eight private acres of Northern New Jersey countryside. Guests live inside the lodge, in the same space where Steve lives, and sleep in private quarters with a team of dog professionals on site day and night. Nature does half the work out here: room to run, a pack to belong to, and the quiet of the countryside. Thirty minutes from Ridgewood, about an hour from Manhattan.

Owners call it a resort. We call it home.

Explore the Ranch

Steve Del Savio introduces The Maddie Ranch.

The Founder

The real thing.

Steve Del Savio has spent over fifteen years of hands-on work helping thousands of dogs and owners around the world find balance. He was selected to teach alongside Cesar Millan and is the longest-serving trainer on his team. The approach he teaches today is his own, built on the foundation of Dog Psychology, where he focuses on helping the owner understand their individual dog, their relationship, and exactly what to do to achieve lasting results. Nearly two million people follow his work across Instagram, Facebook and TikTok. Owners say the same thing in their reviews: his unique ability to connect with the dog, and with them as owners.

Meet Steve

Clientele

A pack you may recognize.

We are honored to have worked with so many remarkable dogs, and their owners too. Discretion comes first here; these are a few names shared with their blessing.

Real Housewives of NY

Bethenny Frankel

Real Housewives of NJ

Dina Manzo

MTV's Jersey Shore

Vinny Guadagnino

Watch the film

Actress, Will & Grace

Debra Messing

Watch the film

New Jersey Devils

Kyle Palmieri

Influencer

Mariale

Actress

Minka Kelly

Professional Gamer

Ninja

NY Giants

Julian Love

Hot 97 NY

DJ Camilo

Performing Artist

Camila Cabello

NY Giants

Dexter Lawrence

Meet the Clientele

Bethenny Frankel, in a black hat, with Biggy and Smallz on her lap, seated between Steve Del Savio and a Pack Leader Dogs trainer.

“Do not hesitate to reach out if you need help with your dogs… I seriously don’t know what I would’ve done without Steve’s intervention. I highly recommend Pack Leader services because this team is truly excellent.”

Bethenny Frankel, Biggy & SmallzReal Housewives of NY

Watch Their Stories

15+

Years of practice

Acres of countryside

24/7

Team on site

For life

Support after every residency

Questions

Before you apply.

Which program is right for us?

It depends on the dog and on how much of the work you want in your own hands. The Residency changes habits at the ranch over four to eight weeks. Private Sessions change your handling, and you do the rest at home. The Puppy Residency sets foundations at twelve to twenty weeks. We match the program to your dog: an assessment before quoting a Residency, a first-call quote and first-session meeting for Private Sessions.

Read the full answer

Where will our dog stay?

In private quarters inside the lodge, the home where Steve lives, with a team on site day and night. Temperature controlled, filtered air and water, calming frequencies, and the rhythm of a household: thresholds to wait at, calm greetings, quiet hours to rest.

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How will the training stick once our dog is home?

Because you train with your dog every week of the stay, then at the go-home session, then at a follow-up two weeks later. The rules come from your hands, so they come home with you.

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Is there a guarantee?

The Pack Leader Residency and The Puppy Residency include support for the life of your dog. We would be wary of anyone who guarantees results. Training is teamwork between a dog and their family, and half of that team is you.

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What does a program cost?

We publish one figure: the $295 assessment, credited toward any program you book within 30 days. Residencies are quoted after the assessment, because the work depends on the dog and the family. Private Sessions are quoted on the first call, before booking; we meet your dog at the first session.

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How do we begin?

A five-minute application, answered within one business day. The first conversation is with our admissions team. For Residencies, Dave leads the $295 Assessment, with Steve covering if Dave is unavailable. Quote and booking follow acceptance; a fifteen-minute welcome call with Steve follows booking and precedes arrival. Private Sessions are quoted on the first call before booking, with no separate assessment. For virtual, choose a time on Steve's calendar.

Read the full answer

Who will be joining us?

Whichever program you have in mind, it begins the same way. The application takes five minutes, it is read personally by Steve Del Savio, and you will hear from us within one business day. Residencies are limited each season.

1. Apply.
Five minutes. Tell us about your dog and what you want to change.
2. Talk.
A conversation within one business day, so we understand your dog's world before anything is recommended.
3. Meet.
Whichever program fits, the next step is meeting your dog: at the ranch for the Residencies and Private Sessions, on camera for virtual.
For the Residencies, that meeting is the $295 Assessment, credited toward any program you book within 30 days. Dave leads it, with Steve as backup; quote and booking follow acceptance. Once booked, a fifteen-minute welcome call with Steve precedes arrival.
Private Sessions are quoted on the first call before booking. We meet your dog at the first session, without a separate assessment.

Begin an Application

“I sincerely wish that I found Steve way sooner than when I did.”
Ollie QueenGoogle review

An application opens a conversation. Nothing is booked until we have spoken.

Prefer to talk first? 201 528 3647. Whoever answers will know the ranch, the programs and the calendar.

Life-changing results
begin with
Dog Psychology.