After having dogs most of my life but never having them formally trained, I knew that it was time for a change. I wanted to ensure that everything was covered, and boy did Andrea come through! Over the course of 8 sessions, she took my rebellious pooch and turned her into a proper princess. Andrea has an abundance of knowledge and was always willing to help any way she could. From checking in, answering questions, and referring us to additional training videos an aids between sessions, to recommending treats that would help in the process, to being very flexible in scheduling sessions; I couldn't have asked for a better experience for me and my pup. Without hesitation, I will be bringing any future pups of mine to her a well as referring any new pet parents I may know. Thanks again Andrea and Bark to Basics! read more

My spouse and I reached out to Bark to Basics for help with reactivity training and obedience training for our two dogs. We got a quick response from Melissa, who set us up with Andrea for our training sessions. Andrea was super punctual, good listener, and gave us great information for our dog training. After each of our sessions, she would write up a summary of what we went over as well as links to helpful resources. Definitely made a difference in how we train our dogs, and gave us the guidance we needed to be confident with it! read more

Rachelle from Barks to Basics is a wonderful trainer. She is a trainer of not just dogs, but a trainer of people, the pet owners that are blessed to have a "fur baby." There is so much that goes into having a puppy, and we must admit that it has been some time since our last pupster. She reassurred us in every way reminding us that our guy was still so incredibly young, so patience is one of the first lessons that we learned. With that, she taught us ways to enforce our commands, always with positive reinforcement. We learned how to address many issues - from jumping, barking, lunging, and learning how to walk our guy with the use of the "appropriate" collar and leash. She is truly a "dog whisperer," and we intend to use the resources and information that we learned from the training courses. We have already seen a difference and cannot thank her enough! She is friendly, easy going, smart, and carries with her a "WEALTH" of good, valuable suggestions, tips and guidance. Thank YOU Rachelle!!!!!!! read more

Melissa was absolutely amazing and really turned our situation around with mine and my gf's new dog. Background, we adopted a 6 year old basset hound with a some serious issues, including separation anxiety, not house broken and fear of men. He was quite afraid of me, had trust issues, and got really stressed when my gf wasn't around. I was frankly nearing my wit's end before we got referred to Melissa. In only a few sessions I really felt equipped with the necessary tools to make progress with my dog, despite being a notorious breed. There are no magic tricks, it took time, and we still have work to do, but Melissa kept us honest and consistent with the training, modifying it as needed. We felt we were an extreme case and in only a few months we've seen a remarkable improvement in his comfort level around me (stops shaking when I come near him!), and he doesn't freak out nearly as much when left home alone. She was also extremely flexible with our schedules and after each session provided great detailed notes we constantly referred to. Bark to Basics can do wonders for you and your furry friend! Can't recommend enough. read more

We added a new Goldendoodle puppy to our family back June and hired bark to basics to do basic training. Andrea Ramos was our trainer and she was great. She gave us great pointers and I love that bark to basics do positive reinforcement training. We did 6 sessions in all and our little Ruby has come a long way. She even does a couple of tricks now. Thank you, Andrea for all your effective training!!! read more

We reached out to get our very energetic bernedoodle pup some training as he's a bit skittish and reactive. Andrea was super helpful in giving us strategies to help him stay, wait, not jump on people and stay by our side while walking. We had multiple sessions with Andrea both indoors and outdoors and we always left with more knowledge and direction than where we started from. Her follow up notes were always thorough as well and valuable to reference back to. I would highly recommend for anyone interested in getting themselves and their pup some training. read more

We went with bark to basics because of their positive reinforcement training. We got a new dog as a packmate to our 4 year 105 lb husky mix, they got along fabulously at the selter but not so much when we came home. After 3 sessions the dogs were much much better. Rachelle was positive, effective, professional, wonderful at training the dogs and us. read more

Andrea is super knowledgeable when it comes to dog behavior and tools for training. Our dog was pretty timid and wouldn't work directly with her, but she coached me through the steps and he learned some new skills quickly using her techniques. I also appreciate that she typed up notes and emailed them to me after each session. She listens carefully and gives thoughtful responses to what you share with her about your day to day experiences with your dog. read more

We have very small dogs, with ages from 4 to 10 years. None have ever had even one hour of formal training. Barking, running, lousy with knowing the difference between knowing a living room from a back yard all coming to a head one day with the realization we need help! We tried one trainer who traumatized one dog and both of us! Then we found Melissa! With her rewards and affection based training, three sessions later we are well on our way to having perfect animals who respect us more, have calmed down tremendously and oddly enough really seem to love the affectionate discipline. Cannot recommend her enough! read more

Melissa was an amazing resource as we got Gus ready for his AKC test. We did a 3 meeting package and worked through several of his more challenging issues. Will definitely be working with Melissa again in the future! read more

Rachael did a great job of training our 2 very outgoing dogs (different ages and breeds) and one older guy who is just grumpy. Great behavioral knowledge and seems passionate about training read more

I did not have a training session with Bark to Basics. After trying our best with our anxious dog for several months, we finally decided to hire a trainer. We scheduled an appointment about 2 weeks out with Bark to Basics, cleared our schedules, and turned down other trainers who got back to us about consultations. An hour before the appointment, we were told it was canceled because the trainer was 34 weeks pregnant (which would have been known before we scheduled) and that we'd need to go with a male trainer, who had no availability for another two weeks. We'd previously discussed on the phone that our dog is terrified of men and that we were eager to start training soon. Inconvenient experience. read more

Melissa is just wonderful! We recently adopted two young Maltese rescue dogs (3-years old boy and girl). While our girl is fairly friendly to other dogs, our boy is very afraid of them. When he would see another dog while out on a walk, it was quite a scene of reactive fear (barking, growling, lunging, etc). We contacted Melissa because of her great credentials and her experience with this type of problem, and we couldn't be more pleased that we did. She showed us exactly how to handle the problem when it occurs and it has really helped! I am truly amazed at how much better my sweet pup is doing now. She also helped us with other training (sit, come, etc). It's so rewarding to be able to really be able to communicate with your dog. :-) Melissa is so very helpful, professional and kind. She truly loves dogs and pets and wants to help! We highly recommend her for any type of training you need. She's the best! read more

We reached out to Bark to Basics for some training of our 3 month old puppy. Melissa arranged the home sessions for us. We had 3 sessions with Andrea and we couldn't have been happier with her help. She assessed our particular set up for our pup and made helpful suggestions as to how it could be done better. Her knowledge of potty training, nipping, chewing and other typical concerns for puppy parents were all addressed. After each session, we received a written summary of all we had gone over. She followed up after her training was completed. We highly recommend Bark to Basics! read more

Don't waste your money on getting one of their trainers. We had Rachelle as the trainer for our dog and we always had to lead the conversation and tell her want we wanted to work on. She never took the initiative to actually ask what you wanted and spent a lot of our sessions just talking at us and not even training our dog. Even the times where we specifically told her what we wanted to work on, she ignored it and went onto another topic and talked about what she wanted. Our dog actually got worse with the things she taught us and so we are basically back to where we started. She also only ever confirmed our appointment the first time which left me having to confirm with her, one time at the very last minute which wasted our time because we didn't hear back from her. Save your money and just look up stuff online. The only reason this isn't one star is because she was friendly. read more

I hired Melissa to help me train my 4 month old puppy. She was so quick in responding to emails and calls. She helped train my dog and answers emails when I have questions regarding training. I also loved how she would write down all the notes after our meeting so I didn't have to remember everything taught in class. My puppy still needs training and is continuing training, but she helped set a foundation to start with. I do feel her fees were a little pricey, but worth the money to have her come to my house and meet at parks for a different environment. Thanks Melissa! read more

Have had 2 sets of 2 dogs over the past 30 years and just go 2 new pups last August. Both from rescues and both with a lot of fear ingrained in them. Signed up with Bark to Basics, and they sent us Rachelle French. She was awsome. Came to our house and helped us with basic training and also with overcoming their fear issues. She is great and my wife, and I highly recommend her for training. read more

Melissa with Bark To Basics did wonders to our pups ! We've always had golden retrievers and it is a breeze to train them because they aim to please but then we adopted two basset hounds both around 5 years of age with no previous training and stubborn as can be. We were overwhelmed with them going to the bathroom in the house as well as bolting out the door when it was opened, major food aggression issues, and of course chewing. We were hesitant to pay someone to help at first, but then after hundreds of dollars of shoes ruined, carpet cleaners purchased, and new rugs we thought it was well worth it. Needless to say they don't chew, fight over food, go past the front door rug, or use the bathroom in the house (few occasional slip ups) anymore !! Also loved that it was super quick as well .. We tackled one problem a week ! She is super helpful and gets back to you super quick and even follows up with you! Definitely will be coming back if ever needed ! read more

We were referred to Bark to Basics from AKC Helpline. Melissa set us up with Andrea. We had a 10-year-old and a 1-year-old that we got in 3/2022. We decided to train them together. To be honest, we were unsure how training should go at first (do we do the training or does the dog trainer do the training), and expressed our discomfort to Melissa and Andrea. They were very receptive to our feedback and gave us a lot of helpful information. The answer is that it has to be a cooperative effort - the trainer shows how to do the training and does some during the session, but we need to reinforce in between sessions. We had a total of six sessions, about two weeks apart between sessions to give us time to practice. We feel like we know much better now what it takes to train a dog's behavior. Andrea is a very good trainer (for us AND the dogs), and clearly has so much love for the dog. She is always on time, emails us a summary of the training session and some helpful videos afterward, and answers all our questions. We highly recommend Andrea and Bark to Basics! read more

Rachelle is an amazing dog trainer! She has been very helpful working with my 2 dogs, one of whom is 11. As well, she is very knowledgeable on dog behavior and nutrition. I'm grateful for bark to basics for helping my family and me with dog training. read more

Melissa and Rachelle are the best! I've needed to train 3 puppies over the past few years and couldn't have done it without them. Basset Hounds are very stubborn but we learned the techniques needed to best work with them to get through the puppy phase. We highly recommend Bark to Basics! read more

We have a 1 year old Goldendoodle that needed help with a few basics. Melissa was an absolute pleasure to work with. We tackled the issues by priority. Jumping and nipping was #1 on our list. She provided us with tools to help our dog with these problems. In a short period of time, with consistent practice, our hyper dog is able to contain himself when guests arrive. If you are looking for quality in home training, definitely give Melissa a try. She is skilled, knowledgeable and professional. read more

Melissa really did wonders for our two little dogs. They love to bark and were not big on focusing long enough to stay still. After a few sessions, their manners have greatly improved. Walks are more enjoyable since they are quiet and now rarely tug on the leash. We covered the basics (sit, stay, come, quiet, leave it) and I no longer have to chase Casper to get my socks back or a paper before he shreds it. :) She also helped with transitioning Hazel from puppy pads to doing her business outside only. If the need arises, I will definitely go back to her for future training sessions. read more

I called Melissa to help train my six month old German Shepherd/ Husky. He looks Shepherd but has the attitude of a Husky. Most people will tell you not to even try till they get older but I wanted a base for the future with him. Melissa had to train me also but with three lessons my pup was sitting staying even with me walking away and coming when called. Loki will sit at the door and wait for me to tell him it's ok to come out. Taking Loki on a walk now is easy before I would need to ice the arm from playing tug a war for three or so miles. I will be using Melissa again in a few months to get Loki trained to do other things after I take the knowledge she gave me and apply it even more to Loki's training. Melissa is great and you can tell she loves dogs and does all training with positive reinforcement. read more

Melissa was referred to us by Dr. Wheaton and proved to be an excellent trainer! We rescued a sweet Dashound/Spaniel mix who suffers from anxiety, howling, and sensitivity to noise. At 6 years old we hoped she could still be trained. With Melissa's gentle, non-threatening and professional approach our sweet doggie progressed quickly and we learned new techniques together that worked. She guided us on how to handle the most difficult of situations. My favorite attribute about Melissa was she listened to our needs, observed and was flexible with solving our doggie's behavior problem(s). Thank you Melissa-so much! read more

Melissa was hired to train our severely damaged Pit Bull rescue. He is terrified and frightened beyond anything I had ever seen. She is gentle and effective. On day one she was able to get him to respond to a few commands. He is terrified of everyone but wasn't afraid of Melissa. I highly recommend her for dog training and she comes to your home read more

We had Melissa come help teach our 4 month old puppy some of the basic commands as well as help teach us how to best deal with some issues like jumping up and other little things. Melissa was extremely nice, helpful and extremely knowledgeable. When we had troubles with some of the commands she always had a few alternative suggestions to help reach our goal. We would highly recommend Melissa for all your doggy training needs. read more

Melissa was a tremendous help. We are currently caring for a dog that is extremely protective and consequently aggressive when anyone comes to the house. With her help we can now introduce new people and the dog remains calm and not aggressive-- really a sweet dog. This is not the first time we have called her. We had a rescue dog was out of control when he saw another dog when walking. With her help he was able to enjoy the walks for the 8 years that he was part of our family. read more

We signed up for training with our new pup. Before our first session, my husband and I decided with a heavy heart that the pup was not the best match for us. We called her literally two days after we met with her to let her know we would no longer be needing her services and would like a refund. We even let her know we would be willing to take a partial refund since she did take time to come out and meet with us when we signed up for the training. She wasn't even willing to negotiate with us and left us a cold message stating that there are no refunds. Basically, she was Hundreds of dollars richer without any work rendered. Think twice before doing business with them!!!! read more

Bark to basics boarding is my dogs (babies) home away from home! I have no worries when traveling that my they are well cared for and happy! Melissa takes care of just as if they were home with me & I know my they love because as soon as we turn the corner to arrive they chatter all the way down the block & continue until Melissa opens the door! Thank you for keeping my babies safe & very happy!!! read more

Bark to Basics did wonders for me and my dog! Melissa successfully dealt with aggression issues our dog was experiencing. She made us realize, it was human behavior as a catalyst to our dog's aggressive behavior. With appropriate behavior modification techniques our dog (and we) responded well. Bark to Basics does not use "TV drama techniques" but a well balanced approach to understanding why the behavior occurs -triggers, and how to progressively avoid or eliminate behaviors. Its amazing how well my dog responded to the right reward provided at the right time. Melissa illustrated how and when to respond to our dog. It has been two years and we have had no issues with our beloved hound! read more

Wow Melissa saved our rescue. Affenpincher, which is quite a lot to handle and told he was 1 or 2 when in fact 4 with some real issues problems. 'Aggressive behavior and apparently allowed to do whatever he wanted. Had 6 sessions with Melissa and each visit she gave us "Homework". All of which turned out to be very valuable. Today instead of turning him back into the shelter he is becoming a valuable member of our family. You do need to do the homework to get the results so do not fool your self there is no magic but great instruction and we did the homework, Oliver went from being a returned with probably no hope of again being adopted due to behavior problems to a loved animal. read more

Stitch stood the whole drive home - from Salt Lake City to Long Beach! He became the "perpetual motion" pup. But when he would settle and looked deeply into my eyes, he would say, "I'm trying, I know I can learn....I know I can...." Melissa has a great approach. And believes that her pups can do it!! And with Melissa's help, they CAN! Professional, and courteous. Do not hesitate - call Bark to Basics. Make your pup's dreams come true! read more

Melissa was great. We started out with a large list of things to work on and ended up narrowing it down a bit & focusing on a few things over a series of sessions. By the end of it we felt confident we had the tools to continue working with our dog & have already seen tons of improvement. It has been so great. A little pricey but hard to find any other trainers for less in the OC area. read more

Melissa was great to work with in training our new Cavashon puppy. We wanted to get started with good habits early and Melissa was great in creating a custom program over 6 sessions to train both us and our puppy. She was flexible in scheduling our in home sessions and reset expectations and goals each session based on our current issues. I highly recommend Melissa. read more

Melissa has helped us so much with our two rescue dogs! When we adopted Bella from the shelter last year, she had a lot of anxiety issues. Melissa helped us make an amazing turn around in her behavior. She stopped marking in the house, stopped aggressively barking at other dogs (and actually likes them now!), and learned to walk nicely on a leash. It felt like a night and day difference. Melissa is now helping us with our 7 month old puppy, Daisy. Daisy was a skittish puppy (terrified of even wearing a collar at first), and has had some fear-based barking issues. Again, we have made amazing progress with Melissa's help. We love that she has special experience with rescue dogs, and uses positive reinforcement. She is kind and professional, and we highly recommend her. read more

Melissa was a pleasure to work with. She was prompt for our appointments, was very knowledgeable and able to give us value tips that made dealing with our new puppy-dog a pleasure rather than a wrestling contest! She is direct and to the point, had a solution for everything we discussed, and was patient with me and my dog, helping me set boundaries, improve behavior and get results without hurting or causing my dog further anxiety. I would highly recommend Melissa to anyone who has challenges with their dogs...and only wish I had learned of her sooner. read more

Melissa with Bark to Basic was able to achieve what I could not with my 3 yr old Poodle mix. My dog is not very social and afraid of most people Melissa was able to win him over on the 1st visit. She is all about appropriate training to meet the challenges of the individual dog. Melissa listens to your concerns and goes over what you would like to achieve through training. She writes detailed instructions to cover each visit. I did not think that my dog could ever be truly house trained, and yet with her instruction, he is doing remarkable in a just a few weeks. Amazing! I like that she tries to understand why the dog is behaving the way they are and work from that angle. She is extremely kind with your dog and genuinely wants the best for your pet. read more

Melissa has been an amazing trainer for our 1yr. old Havenese. We have had 6 sessions and Melissa knew Zoey's personality immediately and was able to customize training for her. Melissa is a thoughtful, positive and insightful trainer. She provided us with helpful tools, so you could say she trained us as well! After each session we would get notes that has helped us to be successful when Melissa isn't here. I highly recommend Melissa!! read more

Thanks to Melissa, we have a well mannered 10 month old Golden Retriever puppy! Melissa not only trained our puppy, but she trained us as well! We now have the tools to maintain & continue our pups path to being the well behaved dog that we want for our family. Thank you Melissa! read more