Jenina is absolutely amazing. We have 3 huskies in our family and we would have been lost without…read moreher training us as much as she trained our pups. We have probably recommended her to 10 other friends/coworkers who hired her, and each of them have probably recommended Jenina to like 5 people who hired her as well. Her prices are great, her ability to train dogs with any type of issue (reactive, leash pullers, anxious, etc.) is top notch, and you can tell she really cares about each dog she trains. After our neighbors hired her on our recommendation she wanted to stop by and see our dog, even though it had probably been 2-3 years since she trained her. Mika says "awooooo" Jenina, and thanks you for all your training.

My girlfriend and I have been working with Jenina at Smart Paws for a month based on a glowing…read morerecommendation from our neighbor who worked with her. Jenina is outstanding. She is a detailed, positive dog trainer, who is also great at training us, on how to properly walk our dog Charlie. He had issues barking at other dogs and thanks to her he is becoming more calm and we have learned how to work with him to curb his behavior. It has come to our attention that there is another dog trainer in the area who got a similar company name to Jenina and he is awful. Some of the criticism of him has been accidently hurtled at Jenina. This is truly unfortunate for her and I hope the facts come to light!

We truly cannot say enough amazing things about Kelli! Our Australian Shepherd, Briggs, has been…read moretraining with her for the past month, spending five days a week with her and coming home to us on the weekends, and the difference we've seen in him has been incredible. His behavior, manners, and overall demeanor at home have improved so much, and we feel like we have learned a ton along the way too. Beyond being an amazing trainer, what has meant the most to us is how much Kelli genuinely cares about Briggs. She treats him like he's her own, and any time he has had even the smallest health issue, she is always the first to check in, follow up, and make sure he's doing okay. It gives us so much peace of mind knowing he is with someone we completely trust and who truly loves and cares for him. Kelli has been so lovely to work with, and we feel incredibly lucky to have found her. We would recommend her to anyone looking for someone who is not only an incredible dog trainer, but someone who genuinely cares about the dogs she works with. It also helps that Briggs absolutely loves her!

I went back and forth on posting this since it happened a couple years ago, but figured it's still…read moreworth putting out there for anyone looking into Karma Dog Training. We enrolled Poppy, our 4 month old puppy at the time, in their 10-day reverse board-and-train program. I wasn't expecting her to come out perfectly trained in 10 days, but I did expect the level of intensive training they advertised on their site. The trainer we got was sweet and had a calm energy, which I liked since Poppy was skittish around new people. But the actual training didn't come close to matching what was promised. We have security cameras at home, so I could see exactly what was happening while we were gone. Most days were only 5-10 minutes of actual training. The rest of the time the trainer was watching TV or on her phone. If we'd wanted someone to watch TV with our puppy, we could've asked a neighbor for free. By the end of it, Poppy knew "sit" and "down" and not much else. The separation anxiety and potty training work we'd specifically talked about before signing up hadn't really progressed. I want to be clear, my problem wasn't that she wasn't fully trained in 10 days. It's that we paid for a specific service and didn't get it. I emailed the owner, Jeff, sent him the video clips, and asked for a partial refund. He wouldn't address any of it directly, just offered services that were already included in our package and turned down the refund. Then he was rude to my husband on the phone, which threw me because my husband is about as easygoing as they come and almost never gets worked up over anything. I also found it concerning that the exit document I was given included a clause saying clients agreed not to post negative reviews. I never signed it, but seeing that made me question how much honest customer feedback actually makes it online. Super shady. We ended up going with a different trainer afterward, and Poppy turned out exactly how we'd expected her to after actual, consistent training. Maybe we just got unlucky with the trainer. I can only go off our own experience, but between the training we actually received and how they handled it afterward, I wouldn't recommend them.

Working with K9 Logic was a fantastic experience. We enrolled our 6 year old dog in their 8 week…read moredrop off program to help correct some behavioral issues, namely guarding and poor recall. The intake process was very easy and the staff was receptive to what we wanted to get out of the process. Our dog, being a chihuahua mix, could be very nervous around new people, but Sasha and the rest of the crew quickly won her over. I really appreciated the amount of care with which they treated every dog. The rate of progress was almost unbelievable. By the third session we saw a noticeable improvement in her problem behaviors at home. By the time we finished, we were able to intentionally introduce triggers into her training and saw her maintain control. I'm writing this about 6 weeks after completing the program and have continued to see improvement in her ability to respond to commands as a result of continuing the trainings at home. As first time dog owners, we thought we blew our chance at properly training her when she was younger, but K9 Logic proved that 100% wrong. I really cannot recommend them enough.

Dobermans are very single-person, family-oriented dogs, and Roma in particular is always wary of…read morestrangers. It took her 6 months to be okay with my sister-in-law So when I say she grew to love our trainer Sasha, that means something. We say Sasha's name and Roma looks around for her! When we started, Roma was very anxious and nervous, with few ways of calming down in chaotic or packed areas. She was also a picky eater and had some reactivity. Sasha worked with us for 3 months and taught us so much. She guided us through each scenario, showed us we should have more confidence in Roma, and set us up with a system of tools, exercises, and mindset to empower her. Roma was nervous with the team at first, but by the 3rd month she fully trusted them. Now Roma is learning to stay in place and ignore people and dogs, and she's more confident in crowded areas. She's no longer picky with food either. We learned it's okay for her to skip a meal instead of bribing her with cheese. It's not the end of the world! If you have an anxious dog, take the leap. Ask a bunch of questions, come in with an open mind, and put in the work on the exercises and homework. We couldn't have done it ourselves with our busy schedule.

I genuinely can't recommend Brad highly enough. By the time…read moreI reached out, I had already spent months trying to fix Sunny's leash pulling and reactivity. I'd worked with two trainers, including a 3 week board-and-train program ($5,000 investment), followed every instruction, and practiced daily, yet I didn't see changes. I was managing the behavior without ever understanding what was causing it. That changed within the first two hours with Brad. He didn't start with commands or tools. Instead, he focused on the psychology behind Sunny's reactions: what was driving them, what was reinforcing them, and what I was unknowingly communicating. No one had ever explained it that clearly. That was the turning point. For the first time, I wasn't guessing or correcting blindly. I could see what Sunny was experiencing in real time and understand how my timing, energy, and responses were shaping his behavior. That clarity changed everything. Walks feel completely different now. Sunny is no longer pulls since my training with Brad, the reactive outbursts are gone, and the experience itself is calm. I'm no longer bracing for problems because I know how to prevent them. I am SO appreciative!

Great experience! We have an 8-year-old rescue Golden…read moreRetriever who developed some habits we wanted to correct and weren't able to do on our own with traditional training. A couple of these weren't terribly serious, but we felt we weren't "in charge" anymore, that our dog wasn't getting the message from whatever we were doing, and that if we didn't do something different, it could really get out of control. Brad really helped us with this, where traditional "training" wasn't working. We have two or three things we're working on with our girl, but here is the most dramatic change we had with one issue. She is very food motivated, and would beg from us at the table whenever we sat down to eat, and would be underfoot in the kitchen during prep. She got overly excited and would not settle and lie down. Brad explained we weren't communicating well with her on a dog level, so to get that communication kicked in to gear, he actually started our session not with this problem, but with making sure she would not dash out the front door when it was opened. This was to establish that we were in charge and what was expected of her. What he showed us how to do worked like you wouldn't believe. It was like a light bulb went off for our girl. What we did affected everything after that. It wasn't about dashing out the door, it wasn't about begging for food, it was about knowing what was acceptable in our pack and to look to us for direction. That night, at dinner, she went to her "spot" with a simple direction and was relaxed during our entire meal. She can now be directed to her spot and will stay quietly any time we need her to. Best of all, she seems truly relieved that she doesn't have to be in charge and that WE are. She is much more relaxed around so many other things. It gave us so much more confidence! I didn't think that what Brad taught us would work. It's quite counterintuitive. But trust me, it worked like magic. This is not dog training - it's communication with your dog. Brad answers all your questions, doesn't waste your time, shows you clearly and directly what will work. We're so thankful we found him!

Westside GSD Rescue is a remarkable and inspiring organization. We have adopted 2 Westside dogs,…read morethe first, a GSD that came to us by way of a sister organization close to us in Oregon, and the second, a GSD-Mal mix that we adopted recently from Westside following the loss of our precious GSD boy in June. Both dogs we adopted were/are absolute jewels; healthy, happy, and obviously well-cared for. With limited, private and volunteer resources, dogs are NOT accepted to the shelter willy-nilly, but based on their temperament and adopt-ability; and once in the shelter, if a dog is not adopted, it is assured a full life. This is not a "pound," but more a sanctuary for adoptable dogs with GSD genes. As such, it's not someplace you can just "dump" your pup. Potential adopters are vetted base on their home environment, experience with dogs, and commitment to to provide a safe, caring home. The adoption process, which includes evaluation of both dogs and potential adopters in order to assure a "good fit," is thorough and reasonable. They want adopters to be experienced and committed to integrating a dog into their family. I fully expect the negative reviews are all from either owners who want to "dump" their dog and resent being turned away or deservedly browbeaten, or from failed adopters who were denied a dog they wanted due to something questionable in their home environment. Westside's primary concern is the best interest of the dogs.

I have adopted from Westside German Shepherd Rescue before, so I came back to them knowing how it…read moreworks. This time the experience put me off entirely. We are an experienced German Shepherds owners (we had 5). I went through their website, picked out several dogs I was interested in, and sent the list. What came back was a note explaining why each one was wrong for me. When I said that bothered me, I got a longer email telling me I "just have to trust our judgment," along with a paragraph about the difference between a shelter and a rescue, copied to three other people at the rescue. I understand that matching matters and that they know their dogs better than I do from photographs. But the whole exchange was about what would not work for me, from people who have never met me, and the tone of it was more lecture than conversation. Being copied into a group email about my own complaint was the end of it for me. By that point I had no interest in making the trip.

When we adopted our 2- year old Akita/Husky/Shepherd), who was a shelter baby, we knew we needed…read morehelp getting him to acclimate to our family and our other dog. We also have a small dog (chi) at home and we were worried about how to get them to acclimate and live together peacefully. Spoiler: they are now besties! Help came in the form of Carrie! She is funny, (not only one of the funniest and KIND, humans we've ever met, but also extremely knowledgeable and professional. She spent hours with us at our first meeting and we learned SO much. A lot of dog training is about "human training" IMO, and the tools she gave us changed the game for us. Their approach is based on understanding how a dog thinks/behaves and adjusting oneself to the dog's pov. It is crazy how using the tools Carrie gave us worked and did so, fast! And there's always ongoing homework and tools to use to help correct behaviors as they come up. And that is on us to continue that work. We saw big improvements right away, Especially with our chihuahua, (because if you have a Chihuahua, you know they have a lot of personality packed in a tiny body with a lot of opinions) and the tools that she gave us helped us establish ourselves as the leaders of the pack. Carrie is really like a dog psychologist. She has an innate understanding of dogs and was able to translate a lot of the anxious behavior my dog was exhibiting and helped us to address it in a calm and gentle manner. He really responds to what we are asking of him (be calm/don't bark unnecessarily,etc. and makes a HUGE difference in the quality our lives. Additionally, a lot of the tools that she gave us helped our big (newer) dog to have more confidence and as a shelter dog, whose history was unknown, it has also been a game changer. He now can interact confidently with strangers, lives peacefully, with our little dog, and does not pull on the leash and responds to basic commands Overall, he seems very balanced. Through training with Bark Busters, we can see that our dog has more confidence and is more trusting with us and the result is a very happy dog... Moreover, as our dogs grow and evolve, we know that Carrie is always available to us by text, email and open to any visits we need as things come up. We feel that Bark busters was absolutely worth the investment and we will continue to use their services. Thank you Carrie and Pasha for explaining and helping us with our "kiddos."

We chose Bark Busters because of their promise that the high upfront cost was a lifetime…read moreinvestment. We were told we'd receive ongoing support, customized training, and help throughout our dog's life--even if our circumstances changed or we moved. Unfortunately, that was not our experience. When Henry was a puppy, we had one in-home training session and, if I remember correctly, one follow-up email much later. As he matured, he began developing some unexpected behavioral issues despite being neutered and having been a very friendly puppy. I reached out to our trainers, Paksha and the other trainer on our account, multiple times to schedule follow-up training that was included in the program. The biggest obstacle was scheduling. Appointments were only offered during the workweek for follow up. I had to reschedule once because of an emergency, and another time because I realized my husband should be present so we could both learn and consistently reinforce the training. I was told they would get back to me with weekend availability. They never did. That was months ago, and I never heard back. We paid thousands of dollars specifically because Bark Busters advertised lifetime support, but when we actually needed that support, it simply wasn't there. The contrast between Henry's training with Bark Busters and the excellent training we received years ago from a local Burbank trainer is significant. Charlie, our other dog- three years younger than Henry, has outstanding manners because of those sessions in group training. Henry never received the ongoing guidance that Bark Busters promised, and we're left feeling like we paid a premium price for a service that effectively ended after the initial visit. If you're considering Bark Busters because of the "lifetime support" promise, I would reconsider... For us, it did not live up to the expectations that were set when we signed up.

The amount of change that Dawit was able to do for my dog is a crazy amount. I'm not sure I'd be…read moreable to handle my dog without his help! My very alpha dog needed a lot of training and Dawit turned him into a more calm alpha dog who knows his place at home and in public. I'm so very thankful and cannot be more happy with how much of a good boy my dog is. As a first time dog carer, I've learned so much from Dawit and would definitely recommend his training to anyone.

Where do we even start? Our dog, Cooper, was adopted from a shelter after being surrendered twice…read more We quickly learned that he struggled with severe separation anxiety and couldn't be left alone. We became prisoners in our own home. We either had to take him everywhere with us or have one of us stay behind. It became a huge burden, and we found ourselves scheduling our entire lives around our dog. We decided to work with Dawit, and little by little, things started to improve. When we got Cooper back from training, he was like a completely different dog. He no longer pulled on the leash, was not reactive when he saw other dogs, his recall was amazing, and many of our typical worries disappeared. However, the separation anxiety still persisted. This is where Dawit truly deserves recognition. He never gave up on us or on Cooper. Our training journey probably lasted longer than most because of how severe Cooper's anxiety was, but Dawit went far beyond the typical follow-ups. Over the course of several months, the training sessions, check-ins, texts/videos, communication, and home visits finally paid off. There were times when I genuinely thought we'd never be able to return to a normal life, but our consistency combined with Dawit's continued support and new techniques made all the difference. Cooper can now stay home alone in his crate without issues. That being said, training only works if you put in the effort. We followed through with everything Dawit recommended, even when it was difficult or when we didn't see immediate results. It's easy to fall back into old habits or give up when progress feels slow, but perseverance truly pays off. Side note: Dawit is just an all-around great person who genuinely cares about what he does. Our dog absolutely adores him. We also love the boarding services he offers -- especially because Cooper comes home exercised and happy. Another huge plus is that Cooper is now off-leash certified, and we fully trust him to make good decisions. Yes, it can be costly, but it's an investment and honestly, I don't know another dog as well‑behaved as ours. I'm incredibly proud of the work it took to get here.

I was very anxious about my rescue dog because he would constantly pull on walks and was very…read morereactive toward other dogs and people. Raquel truly came to the rescue! I reached out to her very last minute, and after explaining my situation, she was incredibly understanding and was able to accommodate us right away. After just a couple of hours of training, I learned so much about how to better understand and communicate with my dog, Orion. The difference was honestly amazing--by the end of our session, he was walking so much better and no longer constantly pulling on the leash. Raquel was patient, knowledgeable, and took the time to explain not only what to do, but why certain techniques work. What I appreciated most was that she gave me more confidence as an owner and showed me how to continue reinforcing everything we learned at home. I already feel much less anxious taking Orion on walks and feel like I finally have the right tools to manage his behavior and reactivity. You can tell Raquel genuinely cares about the dogs she works with and wants both the dog and owner to succeed. I'm so grateful she was able to help us on such short notice, and I'm excited to continue working with her. I highly recommend her, especially to anyone feeling overwhelmed with a reactive or newly rescued dog.

Raquel is amazing! She accomplished in five hours what my family and I, have been trying to do with…read moremy pup for a while now. She gave my family the tools we'd been missing, and even though the price is a bit steep, it's absolutely worth it. We're still a work in progress, but I can honestly say my dog feels like a new dog. Thank you, Raquel! I wish we could keep you on speed dial forever

Alexandra & Janriel have been walking our dog twice a week, and the difference they've made has…read morebeen incredible. Our dog Ham wasn't well socialised when we first got to LA and through their patience, knowledge, and guidance, he's learned how to confidently walk alongside other dogs! Their understanding of dog behaviour is incredibly impressive and it's clear they care deeply about the dogs they work with. They communicate very well with us and are very reliable. I trust them with my dog completely! We're so grateful to have found them and couldn't recommend them more highly!!

I try to participate in their monthly pack walks. It is the best structured walk with my dog with…read morethe training exercises they do during the week. It amazes me how well my dog Mango does during these walks. So glad we found them.

Can't say enough good things about this place. We were looking for a place for the best and cutest…read moredog in the world, our Kano. We also needed something close to home but more importantly a place that was safe for our dog that he would enjoy. Let me tell you this is the place. When we first visited Waterland other owners were dropping off their dogs and we could see the dogs wagging there tails from excitement and no lagging to go in the back with staff. This was a good sign! We boarded our Kano for 18 days and upon our return pleasantly surprised to see his mood was still joyful. What Waterland did right: they sent pictures and videos daily. We could call and ask questions about him which we did. They allowed us to bring all his food, snacks, bed, favorite toys and blanket. They provided him with activities such as swimming with Nephi and agility training. Even though Kano isn't the most experienced swimmer, it's clear from the videos we receive, Nephi and the other staff encourage him! It appears Kano even had some training. He no longer jumps on people and is much more relaxed. We waited everyday for Kano's report card, videos and pictures and were very excited every time they arrived. The team at Waterland is amazing. You have to love dogs to work there! Kano is an only dog and he loves going to playcare and the staff. He also loves the activities and the team continuously cheers him on. Please see videos and pictures of our Kano having the time of his life at Waterland.

A little long but it's been nothing less than eventful with this place. I had hight hopes for this…read moreplace as the hours are so convenient for our family's busy schedules. Unfortunately, this place was a HUGE disappointment and had a huge negative impact on our pup. Long story short -- Everything here is a sales grab. The few girls care for the animals but the "managers" and men there are just there for the commission of your packages. I had a whole conversation about their unethical sales pitching with the employee while picking up my dog lol. It's "how they keep the place open" - the employee's words, not mine. Astounding. Said employee also asked what I did for a living because I questioned their sales pitch tactics -- I'm in sales. Also, If you need their VIP services for your unspayed or neutered pup, please spend your money elsewhere!! Before committing to a membership, we did a trial day and spent hundreds on drop in days, grooming, and overnight boarding to see if it was a good fit for our high energy pup. Our dog is not neutered and we don't plan on getting him neutered so we chose their VIP rooms. His breed is also extremely high energy and they promised they could accommodate. I also inquired about training multiple times and they kept saying the trainer would contact me. Everything went great after those few visits, they seemed caring and said he was a great fit for a membership so we end up signing up. Then everything went downhill. Upon the first day of the membership, our dog all of a sudden had behavior issues and needed to be picked up. In the middle of my work day I call the shift manager, and he states that if we want our dog to stay, he needs training ... (from their same trainer that I've inquired 3x about before committing to a membership, still haven't heard back). I asked why this wasn't communicated ever before committing to a membership and they didn't have an answer. I informed them that I would've paid for training before committing to a membership if they would've let me know that there were any issues. Our dog went a couple of more times until they could finally get me in touch with the trainer, 6 visits later. Actually I had lost complete trust at this facility. To add insult to injury, I was able to speak to one of their actual workers that is with the dogs and she let me know that our dog is only let out for about 10 minutes at a time, maybe 3 to 4 times a day during a 12 hour stay. This is their VIP option. So not only is he left in a room for about 12 hours a day, with dogs barking all around him, he's not being stimulated nor played with just being let out to go to the bathroom. Contradicting everything they say that they offer. Their "trainer" is also a joke. He is supposed to be from the Marines and well-versed in the breed of dog that we have. Upon washing him for 5 minutes, as I was told, he said that our dog needed to be neutered before he could be trained because of his energy. Our dog is a Malinois and is not supposed to be neutered before 2 years of age. We've since went elsewhere to get our dog trained from someone who is actually educated on his breed and he's worked on all of his anxiety and reactivity issues that our pup got because of this place.