Rachel came over to help me with my two 12 week bichon puppies. She was amazing with my dogs. She trains service dogs in her home and her training method is "user friendly." My puppies have already mastered the sit/come/down commands after one session with her. This is the best money I've ever spent on my dogs. Rachel's services are worth every penny - I highly recommend her! read more

Rachel picked and trained my service dog Olive. Rachel has been there for me every step of this process. I would recommend her and have to anyone. I get compliments all the time on how well trained Olive is. People request my dog at their party or wedding. Since getting Olive I have come off all of my meds. I no longer have nightmares and have moved and am living my best life. My story is not unique I have spoken to many others who have had an excellent experience with Rachel. Basically a well trained dog is the best investment you can make for you and your dog. read more

I have had dogs for 5 decades. I have also seen and been around trainers. Rachel is by far the best I have seen. I recently adopted a lab who was abused and neglected. I was struggling with her and decided to seek help. I was truly amazed that within 1 hour Rachel had not only taught me things but re-socialized her with her amazing dogs and instructions. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND. Andy read more

As all pet owners "should" know, success with dog training is as much about the human as it is about the pet. Rachel knows dogs and appreciates their innate intelligence and their unique needs. She will focus on the concerns that you have with your pet and identify ways that you can modify your behavior so that your responds favorably. Again, hiring a trainer is not a magical fix for a dysfunctional human-pet relationship. I highly recommend Rachel if you are willing to follow through will her recommendations . read more

I wish I did not have to write this review. It comes from a place of regret, pain and shame. I'm out $15,000. This review will also not be as organized as I wish due to the emotional toll it brings. I hope to save you the reader time, money and pain. Long story short the owner/ trainer of this company (a better pet) does not deliver as promised or consider the needs of "clients" over their own gain. Dogs who was too small for their purpose are placed with disabled people in need. You pay $15,000 to "learn how to train a service dog/ have one trained" by Rachel and you are directed to look things up online or ask other "clients" with no success. Dogs have been "placed" and returned several times with good reason. Myself and others were partnered with dogs 40lbs or less when asking for large dogs. My friend who needs deep pressure therapy was partnered with a 25lb dog who is not able to task. This dog is also nervous and unfit to be a service dog. Females in heat are worked in public while bleeding. 40lb dogs are placed with people who SPECIFICALLY asked for mobility tasks. This is physically impossible and dangerous for the animal. I voiced concerns and ended up having close friends instructed by rachel to never contact me again for calling out issues. It's a shame. I have come to terms with it but it is still painful. I am not the only victim. 2 people have sued in the past. Including myself, I know of 4 other people who have been put in a situation where we payed thousands of dollars and were matched with animals who could not meet our needs. I like most, NEED a larger dog than what was match with me. When we voiced concerns we were shot down and told it would be fine. Even when the animal is physically too small for the tasks they must do. Legally a service dog is TASK trained. There is zero focus on task training or mention of it in her "program". Or instruction given. Again you are directed to the internet to research on your own after paying thousands of dollars. Or referred to other clients to help you. This is insane. I'm not paying their other clients I'm paying the company. Because of the definition of a service animal, you are given an emotional support animal. Which require no training. Hence you are lighting your money on fire. I'm a "lucky one". I was able to find resources and have my dog do some of what I need. For others, this isn't the case. It's a mess. Please save your own money and sanity. To show fairness, I do like the vest they created. But this is the only positive thing I can say about a better pet. Perhaps if you need pet dog training only you would find value. But surely not for service dog training. I wish I was not in a place to write this review along with other current and past clients who are in a similar unfortunate situation. With any luck one of us can win the lottery and replace the tens of thousands of dollars we have wasted. Best of luck to all who see this. read more

Rachel is an excellent, top notch, professional dog trainer that trains pups specifically for people in need. We met many years ago and she has shown us that we could highly recommend her to someone looking for a service dog. We love the video of Tink her newest golden retriever trainee. Keep up the Great Job. =) read more

Paid 12,000 a year and a half ago for a service dog. I followed her protocol. I do not have a service dog. Need to hire another trainer.

I really enjoyed working with Rachel! She helped me interpret several of my dog's behaviors that I had always been unsure about. She also gave me new ideas for keeping my 8-year-old sheltie mentally engaged, learning new things, and perfecting familiar behaviors. Thanks, Rachel! read more

A Better Pet - Pet Training Near Me

These Har-Vests are amazing! I have bought several for my dog and encourage many of my clients to buy them as well They work in a number of ways. First they are the best no pull harness I have ever used and in my career, I've trained over a thousand dogs and boarded hundreds, using every no pull device on the market. Second, and I don't know if this was intentional or not, but they have an incredibly calming effect on dogs. My guess is that the straps hit certain acupressure points. My own dog was fearful of people when he was young. I put the vest on him for a vet visit for the first time, worried about him being in close quarters with so many people in the waiting room and in a small exam room with 2 people poking and prodding him. What a difference the Har-Vest made. My boy walked straight into the waiting room and went up to each person to nuzzle their hands with his nose! I was flabbergasted. In the exam room while they took blood he nuzzled his head under the vets arm. They also have handles. A friend of mine recently took her Scottie in a canoe. He had a life jacket on and she was able to, without missing a beat, reach over and pull him back into the boat using the handle of the lifejacket. She later said "All dogs should come with handles". Well, the Har-vest has handles. When my boy was little he couldn't quite get the hang of climbing into the back seat of the car. It's angled by the floor and until he learned to start by putting his left foot down, I lifted him into the car using the handle. Now, he and I are both 9 years older and I sometimes use the handle and his help to get up my front porch stairs. They have a cumulative effect too. I often have clients have their new dogs wear them for 2 weeks in a row. To calm them down in a new setting or for the younger ones just to calm the down. I love the pockets in them as well. My dogs carries his own supplies in the pockets. A client who uses her dog as a therapy dog puts all her asthma stuff in the pockets for an emergency. Plus, it's a great place to put your keys and cell phone while you're walking your dog. The pockets will also hold a bottle of water. The only problem I've had with the Har-Vest is that I work with a lot of dogs with small waists and larger chests (Aussie, Labs, Dalmatians) so they take quite a mix of straps. Sometimes, extra large for chest, large for girth and medium for waist. Rachel has been great in accommodating me in order to get the right size for each and every dog. I've stopped using anything else as a no pull, calming (thunderstorm fears), or back packing vest. The Har-Vest works for everything. Good quality, nice colors, and made in the USA. What more could you want? read more

I am currently working with Rachel and Tink, who is my Service Dog In Training. Rachel partnered Tink and I because I have extreme anxiety issues. Tink's temperament is ideal for helping me deal with this, as she is sensitive and perceptive. Rachel has the expertise in choosing service dog candidates that will serve a variety of purposes, and Tink was chosen to partner with a person just like me. Tink was 16 weeks old when I decided to bring her into my life, and she's now 7 mos old. Rachel is very professional and direct, and also very sensitive to the needs of her clients. For example, I recently made a life-changing decision, so training shifted toward the psychological areas of how Tink will be utilized in my life when things are overwhelming. I credit Rachel for knowing it was time for shifting gears, instead of plowing through with a rigid agenda. Rachel worked hard, and so Tink had her basic training and heavy socialization well on their way before we met. Our work now is consisting of me learning Tink, and Tink learning me. A series of outings are planned, both indoors and out, good weather and bad. For example, we have worked on leash manners. Rachel tethers herself to Tink's Har-Vest behind me as I walk with Tink in her proper position next to me. She guides from behind, using leash pressure when needed. After our walk we talk about areas where everything went right, and areas that need work, and how to work out that particular kink. Rachel and I meet twice per week to work and discuss progress. On my own, I am doing public access work with Tink, so when I meet with Rachel we talk about how my outings went. I use a diagram In addition to this very personal and intense training, I've had experience with Rachel helping me train my pet dogs. Well, I like to think of it as teaching my pet dogs to think for themselves. Through clicker training, learning to observe "calming signals", and socialization with new people and surroundings, and other dogs, Rachel absolutely can help you reach an entirely new level of relationship with your dog. A Better Pet is the best place to learn how to connect with your dog in ways you don't yet even know exist. Contact her, and get to know her and let her get to know you and your dog. read more