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    Akina K9

    5.0 (91 reviews)
    Closed 9:00 am - 8:00 pm
    Updated 3 months ago

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    Services - Akina K9

    Dog boarding and training

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    Recommended Reviews - Akina K9

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    Miyu chilling

    Rich is an amazing dog trainer! Even though we had a Shiba Inu before and thought we knew most things about training a dog, we continued to learn a lot from him. From the moment we knew we were going to get a Shikoku, we knew that we would need a dog trainer as the breeder told us Shikoku dogs are rare and a primitive breed. We are so glad that Rich has been Miyu's dog trainer since we first brought Miyu home. He listens to our concerns and has helped guide us through the lessons so we have a clear understanding on how to be a good dog handler. The progress we've seen in Miyu has been great and we highly recommend Rich!

    Briana A.

    Nothing but wonderful things to say!! We did 8 private sessions and began seeing improvements in our dog's behavior immediately, after just 1 session. We did dog training years ago with a different business and it was such a stressful and high intensity experience that was just overwhelming - we didn't get that feeling at all working with Rich! He is so calm and incredibly knowledgeable on dogs and makes everything really easy to understand. He is really hands on in the sessions and taught us so much. Additionally, he gave us the tools to implement everything we learned at home. Dog walks used to be stressful with a lot of pulling and lack of focus and are now completely stress free, no pulling at all, and so much more enjoyable for all of us! Leo (our dog) listens so well now, I didn't think I would see this much improvement in his behavior and am so pleasantly surprised. Crazy to see this progress after only 8 sessions. Highly recommend and we will be continuing to work with Rich and his team. Thank you Rich!!! I am so grateful.

    Pitbull mixes

    When Akina K9 says that they can train any dog, it's 100% true. My family and I started taking our dogs to Akina K9 after we saw the incredible progress of some of his clients. We've had everything from Pitbulls to teacup chihuahuas and each has benefited from training here. For one of my dogs I did the board and train program and would highly recommend it. She came home with foundational skills that allowed us to move on to more complicated training that I haven't been able to do with previous pets. Rich is a saint. He is patient and answers any questions you have. And I have lots! He also makes himself available outside of class when I have a question about our homework. I could not recommend this company more!

    Adrian D.

    I will forever be grateful to Rich and his amazing team for giving us the tools to train our energetic lab puppy! Before coming to Rich, we had a really tough time getting our dog Chili Jalapeño to control his impulses or do simple things like sit for longer than a few seconds. We were also struggling to manage Chili's separation anxiety as he would whine constantly if he wasn't around us. Rich helped us with all of the above and so much more. No matter what question we had or issue with Chili we were struggling with, Rich would have plenty of ideas and suggestions we could try to overcome it. He's given us the gift of a well behaved goofball we love and take care of. Thank you!

    Diana M.

    We just finished our one on one sessions today and what a blessing it has been to see Marley's progress from where we started. A true transformation! He started as a very anxious and insecure puppy and today he is more confident and obedient. We had an evaluation so that Richard can see where Marley was and what he needed. We came up with a plan for 12 one on one sessions to help with all of our individual needs and 12 group sessions to reinforce all that we've learned. Suzana helped to coordinate classes and was available if I needed to make any changes. Each class, we learned something new along with reviewing anything we needed help with. I was thankful for Richard's patience with all my questions as we went along. These classes have helped to build the confidence that Marley needed! I can without any hesitation, recommend Akina K9 for all your dog training needs!! Looking forward to group classes!

    I would give Rich and his team 10 stars if I could. But, let me start by sharing a bit of my story. I brought home an abandoned puppy from the street, and as he grew, he began to show signs of territorial aggression, resource guarding, reactivity, and dominant behavior, which seriously disrupted our household. We've taken all precautions to prevent this, but it was almost like these behaviors were harbored within his genetics. It eventually became a safety concern, especially around strangers. He was always unfriendly, barking, and snapping at anyone he didn't know. This made it challenging to take him out or have new friends and family over. It felt like we were stuck, caring for a dog who might turn on us at any moment. At one point, I even considered rehoming him due to safety concerns towards my family. I had my doubts about dog training, thinking it might not work. But when we brought our dog to Rich, he conducted a thorough assessment, testing our dog's reactivity in various situations. Right then and there, it became clear that he was a trainer who knows exactly what he's doing, and most importantly, a trainer who genuinely cares about his clients' dogs. Fast forward to the end of Rich's training program, my dog has gone through an unbelievable transformation. He now behaves in ways I couldn't have imagined before. The quality of life for both my family and my dog has improved significantly, and I've never been happier. If you've ever had a reactive dog, you'll know it can be quite a rollercoaster. But I'm happy to say, life has become amazing after this training. We can now have guests over without stress, take him on walks, go out in public, and he's become a much friendlier dog. I finally feel like I have a normal dog doing normal dog things. Rich has always been responsive, answering my questions through text between sessions and providing thorough explanations when we talked on the phone. He's extremely patient, never making me feel dumb, since dog training can be hard to understand for a first time dog owner. It's clear that he genuinely cares about the dogs he trains and has an effective technique that makes communication between me and my dog clear and effective. If you find yourself in a situation similar to where I was just a couple of months ago, don't hesitate to take your dog to Akina K9. It was hands down the best decision I ever made. One more thing to note is that Rich offers boarding services for your dog, which is a huge relief when you need to go on vacation. I wouldn't trust anyone else besides Rich to take care of my dog while I'm away. He knows my dog well, and I can now enjoy vacations without any stress.

    Dog

    I can't say enough positive things about Rich as a trainer and as a person. You will not find a better trainer/behaviorist in the SF Bay Area. It is well worth the drive to Gilroy from wherever you're at. Rich has helped us with our little dog that thinks she's a big dog (Pug, terrier mix), and our big dog that had aggression towards other dogs (Belgian Malinois mix). Rich is an expert in the theoretical science behind training and its practical application. If you're willing to put in the time, money, and effort, Rich will help you get the results. Thank you, Rich!

    Nicole P.

    We did 8 sessions with Rich and loved it! He is very kind to kids and animals alike and very thoughtful when it came to catering to what our needs and wants were for our first family dog. We learned a ton and have recommended him to all of our friends who got "Covid puppies". Masks were a must and we never felt at risk with social distancing. Rich really knows his stuff, has a ton of experience and is great with dogs. I can't recommend him enough and will be a great place to board our dog when we are able to go on vacation again.

    Perfecting her " sit /stay" for photos
    Alicia N.

    Choosing Rich as our trainer was the best decision I've made for my corgi & I. We recently finished our 8 week session throughout a couple months due to Covid, and as a broke college student this was very affordable & worth it !!! Rich worked with my schedule & he can train anywhere you want. Rich was very patient with me, and most of all made me feel confident with training my very stubborn corgi . The best part about our sessions was that he would teach,and then make me do the training so that he could correct me if I needed to improve. During some training he would also use his own dog Devin to help my dog with distractions, and honestly they're the perfect training duo!! Devin is our role model. My corgi is very stubborn and before training I would get anxious taking her out for walks because of her barking + being reactive to strangers. I was struggling with how to correct those unwanted behavioral issues & my goals were to improve her recall, heel, & obedience skills. Rich helped me with what I wanted & we look forward to training sessions at home now because it's fun! I can confidently say that I'm not afraid to go on walks anymore and that I can take her anywhere I want! I'm very happy with our results. Thank you so much Rich ! We can't wait to see you soon in group class.

    We did the 20 private sessions and initially I felt like this wouldnt be enough for me to see any results in my dog, but I was so wrong! Its amazing to see how much my girl improved in a span of almost a year. From shy and hesitant to confident! I felt like not only did attending these sessions build my dog's confidence, but mine too! I learned so much like how to read her body language and this definitely helped me build a stronger relationship with her. Rich taught us many ways to make dog training fun for the both of us. I am a slow learner, but Rich patiently answered my questions and explained to me clearly what needs to be done. Even if I had questions outside of our sessions, he made time to answer them. Thank you to Suzana too for making the scheduling really easy! I always got an answer from her very quickly. After completing our private sessions, we started attending group classes. I was a bit concerned and nervous being surrounded with other dogs and their owners, but every class we attended has been such a pleasant experience. I felt very safe bringing my dog out and was inspired by other dog owners. Highly recommend Rich and his team if you want to see results in your dog's behavior! :)

    Training with the Box!
    Heidi H.

    I'm soo happy we found Rich (via Yelp!) and can't say enough great things about his training. We have a very high energy; smart cattle dog/shepherded mix who's a lot of fun, but also a lot of trouble at times. She went to basic puppy training a year ago and while she did well for a few lesson, the trainer didn't really equip us with the skills to handle her outside of the training setting. We're only 4 sessions in with Rich, but we can see a huge difference, not just in our pup but even in our own handling of her. He's great at explaining what we need to do, how and most importantly to me the why we're doing that. He's so patient even when I bombard him with hundreds of questions and takes the time to listen to our struggles and concerns. I also love that we do sessions in "the real world" such stores, parks and around other dogs. It's those real life scenarios that I find the most helpful. I'd definitely recommend Rich to anyone who's look for a knowledge and affordable dog trainer.

    Kekoa and his best friend Cali (boxer)
    Kimberly J.

    We started private training sessions for aggressive dogs with Rich towards the end of last year (~October 2020). Prior to turning 1 year old, our German Shepherd Kekoa had no problems socializing (he was occasionally scared of people but was always submissive) until he had 3 different traumatizing incidences (all with people). He began peeing out of excitement after these incidences (he was about 2 years old at this time and was fully potty trained without issues), his reactivity began to escalate very quickly (especially on leash) with both dogs and people, he became more possessive of my boyfriend and I, and it eventually led to 2 bites. The first bite occurred 4 days after his last traumatizing incident, and the second bite was 2 weeks later in which a few stitches were needed. He knew both people but had gotten surprised in the moment. We had always been doing training with him since he was 8 weeks old, and integrated a LOT of counter conditioning which we thought helped him to improve up until the two bites occurred. We were then referred to Rich by a good dog trainer friend that vouched for him. The structure and education that was provided in our first session alone was priceless. Every session we would continue to build up from the last one, learn how to understand Kekoa's body language and collaboratively work with him one step at a time. Rich helped us to stay accountable for ourselves by providing training homework between sessions regularly, allow us to follow up with questions and reflect on how it has been going in the next session. The training techniques the Rich uses are straight forward, black and white language, that puts understanding in perspective for both the dog and the owner(s). It paints a clear pictures of how training properly can be extremely effective even in aggressive dogs. The confidence that Rich helped Kekoa, my boyfriend, and I build in training largely impacts our lives. I am an extremely resourceful, well-read, and well-researched person. My boyfriend and I have always been dedicated dog owners and proactive in training since Kekoa was a puppy, but there are some things you can't learn on your own from research. I highly recommend Rich for any and all dog owners. He is very understanding, direct, humble, educational, respectful, and extremely effective in his training techniques from basic obedience to more advanced training.

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    Richard A.

    Thank you for the kind words. You and Noodles are doing so great!

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    Very kind and helpful we never had training with them but bought a box that helped our dog out alot.

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    Richard A.

    You are too kind. Thank you.

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    Page 1 of 3

    Ask the Community - Akina K9

    Do you have a location closer to San Lorenzo/Bay Area?

    We hold classes in Campbell and San Jose

    Don’t See Your Question? Ask Away!

    Review Highlights - Akina K9

    . Fast forward to the end of Rich's training program, my dog has gone through an unbelievable transformation

    Mentioned in 76 reviews

    Read more highlights

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    The most recent trainer I've worked at Primal Canine is Jess, and I highly recommend her! My…read morehusband and I rescued a 130-lb cane corso that was abandoned in a parking lot in East San Jose in Oct. 2025. Our older corso had been trained by Primal owner, Mike, so he was the first person we called when it was clear our new dog was traumatized and completely untrained. He hooked us up with Jess and I couldn't be more grateful and impressed. Jess was as patient with me as with our new dog, Ty. I typically feel like an idiot trying to get the training techniques down but she was patient and helped me and Ty build confidence training together. After 8 private lessons, a dog who for 2 months would not come inside and would not let me put a leash on him is now going for walks, can sit, lay down, and stay in place on command. With Jess' guidance, I am now crate training him and prepping him to join group classes. I love her calm yet confident demeanor and will never not be amazed at her ability to get my giant feral pup to learn things fast. He's now well on his way to being a well-behaved, affectionate member of our family, and just getting started on his training journey. Thank you so much Primal Canine and Jess!

    Harnessing Potential Dog Training - Gilroy, CA dog training 
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San Jose, CA behavior modifications
Dog training group classes 
Puppy classes

    Harnessing Potential Dog Training

    (24 reviews)

    Hi just want to share my experience with Jake n my dog(Kilo a Rottweiler) training experience! Jake…read morewas very patient and professional, and my dog learned so much in a short time. I noticed a big improvement in behavior and obedience. Highly recommend. I also love the fact that after training sessions he still takes his time to see us in a group n that helps Kilo and me. He didn't hesitate to answer any questions I couldn't chosen a better trainer. Thank you Jake.

    Edited to Add: Shortly after the business owner's response to my review, I received an email…read morestating that Yelp had received a complaint about it, in an attempt to have it removed. *** PLEASE READ *** We met with Jake in Nov 2024 for an assessment for a pup we had just rescued in Oct 2024 that has severe anxiety from egregious physical trauma. When Jake modeled how to put our pup in the crate, he had her hanging w/her 2 front feet off the ground (choking), & he then proceeded to knee her into the crate. Yes, he knee'd her. When we brought out our existing dog, he actually hit him in the face! My family & I were totally stunned. I very sternly told him that we do not hit our animals in this house under any circumstances. He was extremely dismissive. This was my first experience with a private trainer & did not know what to expect, nor did I know much about the world of dog training. As the weeks went by I did reach out to Jake again because we felt desperate & the idea of what he was selling sounded like it would be good for our dogs' needs. However, I could not get past the first encounter, nor the pit in my stomach. I, personally, did not trust Jake to treat our animals with kindness & respect that they deserved. The other off-putting thing that Jake shared while he was at our home for the evaluation was that he once put his dog in down-stay & then forgot about her. He fell asleep & awoke the next morning to find her still in down-stay, but had soiled herself. He was very proud of the obedience she had shown. I just couldn't help but feel awful for her, and continually thought that this was not a story I, personally, would be bragging about. I saw how he treated my dogs on our very first meet, I absolutely could not move forward whatsoever. I feel ashamed that I did not stop him in the middle of the evaluation. I should have. I should have asked him to leave & I did not. That haunts me. Our rescue pup is doing AMAZINGLY well with an AMAZING facility called RFRD!!! She is SO happy, calm, & every day learning how to be a calm pup despite her traumatic beginning. Their custom, well-rounded program, with honest experts, has changed the life of our pup, as well as our own. Harnessing Potential was not for our family, nor for our pups. Jake did not treat our animals with kindness or respect in our presence.

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    A very cool place. They train dogs here. Lots of them. In German. It is a sight to see on a…read moreSaturday morning. Even if you don't have a dog you can come to watch how they train, and pick up great tips for when you do get a dog. Located in Corralitos, it is a bit of a haul to get here. Probably 30-40 from Santa Cruz and 15 or so from Aptos. The training is done on a large field that has a full obstacle course. Plenty of room for 70-100 dogs at a time. There is a lot of repetition in the training which is just what you would expect. We don't take our dog here, our parents do and they love it. We go to watch and see the dogs. It is a great experience. The trainers are competent and humorous and engaging. They care about you and your pet. One final note, we saw some puppy magic last time here. A dog who just was freakin out about laying down. Yelping and nippy and upset. Willful...not willing. The trainer stopped the class and worked gently and patiently with the dog to finally get it to lay. It was amazing to see it. I didn't think it would happen. After another short walk, the puppy was laying on its own. My wife was in tears. This is the place to get your puppy acclimated to other dogs and a bit of structure in its life.

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