I had the pleasure of speaking with Suzanne Mackay today for nearly an hour, and it was truly one of the best experiences I've had regarding puppy training. From the very beginning, Suzanne was incredibly warm, patient, and knowledgeable. She generously offered me a free consultation and took the time to answer all my questions in detail, providing practical advice that immediately made me feel more confident about raising my puppy. Her passion for dogs and genuine care for both the puppy and the owner shone through in every word. I felt truly heard and supported, not just given generic tips. I'm so impressed by her approach that I'm really looking forward to working with her and continuing this journey together. Suzanne, thank you so much for your time, kindness, and expertise. I'm truly grateful! -- Daniel read more

3-1/2 years ago I adopted a deaf bully. I had no idea what I was getting into! Suzanne was so patient,not only with my boy, but with my husband and I. My boy will be 4 soon and I feel like we are so well adjusted and I can communicate with him, no problem. Suzanne has always been there whenever we had questions or concerns. She truly cares about the well being of the dog and the owners! read more

Canine Path - Pet Training Near Me

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We rescued/adopted a 14 month old male Doberman several months ago. The previous family came to the conclusion they could not keep him because they were gone all day for work and on most weekends due to sports leaving little time for the dog. He lived in the backyard most of the time. While he went to training with his previous owners, the combo of his training not being reinforced, constantly being alone, and adjusting to a new family and life created a challenging situation when he first joined our family. We have owned several dogs and currently have a golden doodle. While we have been to dog training before, none of it prepared us for an adolescent male Doberman with his history and life circumstances. In the lead up to engaging a trainer we were struggling with a list of behavior issues. Some that were worrisome and became concerning to our family and friends. Including a struggle with our new Doberman listening to or respecting my wife. It got to a point where we questioned whether we were the right family for our new Doberman and even started to consider if we would need to find him a new home - something we never thought we would even consider or think. We researched and interviewed several dog trainers where they met our new Doberman and discussed what we were experiencing. Most spent 10 minutes discussing, handled the dog for a moment and then proposed a plan. Suzanne was the only trainer we engaged where she came to our house spent over an hour evaluating our dog, our environment, evaluating us as owners, and discussing his behavior to determine the best course of action and training. Suzanne then drafted a program addressing each area of behavior, obedience and handling. We recently completed the training program. We are so lucky we found Suzanne. We have come so far in working with Suzanne. Here are just a few things we have worked on and accomplished: - Walking on leashing manners, walking in busy areas and walking pass other dogs or aggressive dogs - House manners - Sitting, staying and recall - Properly meeting other dogs - Meeting people and strangers - Barking management - Using a dog treadmill walking / jog to burn off energy - Dealing with aggressive behavior outside and in the car - Managing behavior with guest visiting the house - Going to public places and meeting strangers - Going to a dog park and interacting with other dogs The list of things we have done and worked on goes on. Our Doberman recently visited a dog day care for half day. In addition to all the things we hoped to accomplish the ability to visit a dog daycamp was a goal of ours to provide him additional socialization as well as serve as a safe place to take him when we need to be out longer than a few hours. All of the prep and training aided in him adjusting and being ready for daycamp. And it was a success. Suzanne has forever changed and improved our life. We grateful for all that she helped us through. We would recommend her to anyone seeking assistance in dog training or behavioral challenges . read more

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I have a pit mix who had developed some dog aggression after a stressful move. Suzanne chatted with me on the phone for 30 mins and answered all of my questions. She came to my home for a for a consultation and we talked, very in depth, about my dog's history and any recent changes. My dog is fairly sensitive and was scared of her old trainer, but she LOVES Suzanne!! And Suzanne loves my dog! We started doing 2 hour training sessions and my dog made amazing progress. Suzanne is great about documenting the training sessions and we always debrief at the end to make sure I fully understand what my "homework" is in between sessions. Suzanne is very knowledgeable, experienced and most importantly she is kind and loves the dogs. I would highly recommend using her service. Since starting training my dog's behavior has improved so much, I can bring her almost anywhere! read more

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I can't even explain how valuable these lessons are for my doggy. My doggy was a rescue and so fearful of life. Suzanne came and met with us, created a plan, and frequent communication and skills. My dog is now a year old and just so much happier, so are we. I would highly recommend Canine Path to help with training. The sessions are so detailed, lots of exposure, and techniques that have changed our lives. A+++ read more

Canine Path - My doggies. Both never would have done this without the training - Pet Training Near Me

I am so grateful and indebted to Suzanne for helping my sweet dog, River. I adopted River end of last year who was rescued from really awful conditions at a Native Reservation. The first few weeks I had her, she was doing so well. She followed me around the house and outside. She would hang outside in the yard until she got completely spooked by a bounce house and fireworks. I could hardly get her outside. I was able to get River at least to go out in the backyard to do her business but it was a struggle. I could not get her out the front door at all as she was too spooked. So we were not going on walks, unless I could get her in the car to drive somewhere (which only lasted a short while as she started associating the backyard and car with leaving the house). And even when I could, she would usually pull so hard, I could not control her and would have to relent. Anyways I got to a point where I felt like I did as much as I could on my own. I should mention, I had worked with 2 trainers prior to Suzanne. One had very rigid methods that were not right for River and the other did not have enough experience with a dog as shut down as River. I also spoke to a few trainers who were not the right fit either. A client of mine recommended Suzanne and when we first talked on the phone, I knew she was the trainer for me. She has so much experience as well as compassion for dogs that was so obvious in that first convo. I had 5 sessions with Suzanne (plus the initial consult) and from the first one, River started showing improvements. She showed me different ways to hold to a leash as well as the right harness to get for River and I was able to get her outside. After the first day of getting her onto the porch, each time got a little easier. I am happy to say that River is adjusting so well and is really coming out of her shell. I take her for walks every morning, she is getting more comfortable around people and is really starting to thrive. She does so much better around new places and noises and does not automatically panic like she used to. For our last session, we took River to Rosie's Dog Beach and both Suzanne and I are in shock at just how well River did. She was calm and curious the whole time, didn't show much sign of being nervous and she even was off leash in the water! I could go on and on with other examples of how Suzanne has helped me and River. I could not be happier with how she has been part of River's journey. Thank you Suzanne! read more

Canine Path - Pet Training Near Me

Suzanne is definately one of the best in Orange County to help train your puppy, especially if you need obedience training to help house train your pup. She is very knowledgeable and provides great training lessons that help you understand your pup and also help you train them at home. read more

I've owned a dog walking franchise in Los Angeles for 10 yrs., and also have pups of my own. I've referred many clients to Suzanne over the years, and she can handle them all. She's experienced with large and small breeds, puppies, and seniors. She's trained dogs out of bad habits like pulling on their leash during walks, lunging at passing cars, being possessive over toys and/or food, excessive barking, and destructive behavior associated with separation anxiety and so much more. She been working with dogs for so long it is truly second nature to her. I will continue to refer client and friends to her as she does an excellent job and it's obvious she loves the doggies. read more

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It's fair to say Suzanne and her incredible staff save our lives. With dogs fighting and what had become an unsafe environment, Suzanne gave us and our pups back the peaceful, fun and happy environment we had once enjoyed. Her deep understanding of their "language" and loving approach to our pups/babies not only taught them to get along again. But, Suzanne gave us the tools to work with our dogs from them on. We have had many dogs since we first met Suzanne and have been able to carry forward the training tools she instilled in us to give all our dogs a happy, full, obedient life so they can enjoy all the adventures like brings us. Thank you Suzanne! We will be forever grateful for all you taught us! read more

Suzanne is a wizard! Her techniques work (you must put in the work, too), she uses positive reinforcement, and she is awesome to work with! We rescued our chihuahua, Cataleya, from a stray mama's litter of three. Our goals were crate & potty training, being polite to everyone, socializing, walking on a leash, minimum barking, swimming, and an unnecessary want of having Cataleya ring a bell to go outside for potty. It's been about 5 weeks, and although she's not perfect (yet), she's made SOOOO much progress and we know she'll be a polite, well mannered adult. She sits, she stays (kinda), she shakes, we've kinda figured out why she has accidents inside & how to manage & correct it, she's doing well with other dogs of all sizes & genders, doing great on a leash, and the best one... she's understanding ringing the bell! Suzanne is a wealth of knowledge; she has a ton of experience with all types of breeds (even exotic ones), she is flexible, she'll give you recommendations for products to use (calming liquids, stain removers, leashes, etc), she'll give you schedules. She has walked into our house, told us to try one small change & Cataleya responds like she knew the trick. It's like watching a magician! She will give you all of the guidance you need to have a well behaved & polite furbaby - you will love her! read more

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We've been working off and on with Suzanne for almost 2 years now since we got our rescue, Neville who was young and needed some basic manners training. The work she did with him, and the last 6 months, with our newest basset hound rescue Lily, who is deaf, has been amazing. Neville went from an untrained crazy beagle who was awful on leash to a dog that now goes 2-2.5 miles a day without much of an issue. She's patient, and works with the owners to get them to a good place with their dog and actually teaches her clients how to properly work with their dogs without feeling intimidating for doing something wrong or taking too much time. Without Suzanne, we wouldn't have such a great dog in Neville. While we haven't done as much work with Lily, the little we have done has been great for her as she transitioned into our house from Oklahoma. We are looking forward to bringing our new baby home in January and for our dogs to make that transition hopefully seamlessly with Suzanne's help. You definitely won't regret hiring Suzanne for your dog training needs! read more

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Suzanne is awesome! We have been working with her on and off for close to 15 years and 2 of our dogs were a little bit of a challenge at times. She is a super trainer and always available to help and answer followup questions. Highly recommend! read more

I had the good fortune of meeting Suzanne Mackay when I got my first puppy...a pitbull mix named Blitz. I knew nothing about raising a puppy, I knew nothing about pitbulls, only that I wanted both, and I wanted to raise her to be the best dog she could be. I wanted Blitz to defy the stereotype, to prove everyone wrong; those who misunderstood and hated bully breeds. That is not a difficult task, because they are the opposite of what people think, but there are certain behaviors that need to be addressed with such a powerful dog and Suzanne was instrumental in raising Blitz with me Blitz virtually grew up at doggie daycare with Suzanne starting at about four months of age. She was so well socialized and so polite as a result of that environment. Blitz was also stubborn, and dominant, and would try to get away with whatever she could. Suzanne trained me how to walk Blitz on leash ... to be the alpha and make sure not give in and let Blitz have her way (no matter how cute she was)... Blitz and I developed such a wonderful balanced relationship for 12 years until she died of brain cancer. Suzanne's method of training, positive reinforcement, was especially effective with my food motivated pup. Suzanne was kind but firm and made sure that the doggie lived up to its potential, but nothing more, aware of their limitations. Over the years, I witnessed Suzanne working with anything from a 150 pound dog aggressive American bulldog to a 9 pound human aggressive Chihuahua. She allowed me to observe and taught me about some of the subtle warning signs that may indicate that a dog is about to behave aggressively and I utilized what I learned from her frequently during my 12 year career with the Los Angeles Department of Animal Services. Suzanne has an innate effect on dogs that commands respect but does not inspire fear. She is so very naturally skilled at solving behavioral problems that many people, including myself, feared were so severe they might have to give up their dog. My relationship with Suzanne continued and of course, my next puppy was another pitbull, stubborn, dominant, but sweet and wonderful. Chloe is now a therapy/service dog, given her amazing temperament, effective training, tolerance, politeness and confidence in unfamiliar settings. With Suzanne's help and guidance, I have raised two ambassadors of the "breed". Many many thanks! Highly recommended!!! read more

Cannot even explain how much Suzanne (or how I like to refer to her as Lenny's fairy dog-mother) has helped me with my border collie Lenny! From a really early age he was exhibiting some worrisome signs of resource guarding. Imagine a tiny cute pup wanting to bite your face off any time you even glanced at his bone. He also wouldn't let the vet or myself clip his nails without growling and wanting to bite. With just a couple of sessions with Suzanne those two behaviors completely disappeared and my anxiety severely lessened haha. She took the time to explain what was going on in this smart boy's little puppy brain and was more of a training session for both of us. She helped teach me how he should greet people, how to walk on a leash without pulling, and so much more. It's been about a year since I've seen Suzanne and Lenny has been absolutely amazing (see picture of me letting him hold his bone while he chews haha). The last two vet visits have not been great for him as he's getting his 1st year vaccines. He's developed a real phobia of the vet and couldn't think of anyone better than Suzanne to call to help. We now have a game plan to get this smarty to realize the vet is good and not always bad. Look no further if you are in need of a badass dog whisperer, you have found your gal. read more

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Suzanne is one of the most educated dog trainers I have ever met and what's even better is her ability to teach it! Both my dog and I were able to understand concepts and specifics immediately. I brought her a 10 year old blind dog I just rescued who nipped at people and other dogs. He was a completely different dog in 3 sessions. Hands down, worth every penny!!! I can not recommend her enough! read more

We are so fortunate to have Suzanne in our lives! She has been a lifesaver in helping us with our sweet, golden retriever rescue, Jake who came to us with boatloads of fear and anxiety. Suzanne is very patient and took the time to build trust with Jake before asking him to do anything. She is all about encouragement and positive reinforcement. Suzanne is also an amazing coach for owners! She gives clear instructions and explanations and models each step. When I first met her, I was struggling with trying to walk Jake. He was pulling on the leash and not following my lead. When he saw other dogs, he would growl, jump up, spin, and try to run away. Suzanne went to work immediately and turned Jake's walks into a safe, pleasant experience for both of us. Suzanne is very dedicated and gives 110% of herself. She does what it takes to help her clients. She even met Jake at our groomer and observed how he interacted with the other dogs in a pack-like environment. She worked with Jake and the other dogs and answered the groomer's questions about Jake's behavior and how to help him be successful there. Working with Suzanne has been an absolute pleasure, and I highly recommend her as a trainer and coach. read more

Canine Path - Pet Training Near Me

Suzanne is an amazing dog trainer! She's helped our neurotic, anxious Maltipoo Marshie so much! In a short few months he's gone from being nervous around people to being much more comfortable and friendly. She's taught us so much on how to make him feel secure and build his confidence. She truly understands how dogs think, she has vast knowledge and experience dealing with all kinds of dogs. She's very compassionate and has helped us be better dog owners. Highly recommend her! read more

I am so happy I found Suzzanne! My large mixed breed one year old started behaving like a disturbed teenager after his first birthday. In three sessions Suzanne had him back to his patient and kind self with the additional benefit of losing the tug! He is 115 lbs and super respectful of other dogs and people and a joy to be around! I highly recommend Canine Path and Suzzane!!! read more

Wow! As good as it get's is right! Let me tell you one thing about Suzanne that put me at ease right away...she knows what she's talking about and will do the right thing EVERY time! It's all about the fur babies and I love it! Canine Path is offering social distancing private lessons and follows strict protocols that makes me feel much more comfortable in today's stranger times. Knowing that my fur friends are in good hands and my safety is also being cared for means I am in the best hands possible. I'd recommend this business to friends and family. I'd also like to point out that if you have any questions, Suzanne does a free Q & A for any callers...because in the end it's all about the dogs! read more

Canine Path - Good pups! - Pet Training Near Me

I am writing this is because of a situation when I knew I needed to call in the big guns! I had been working with a regular client of mine who happens to be a 85 pound pitbull, named "Smudge". I decided I needed to put him on a treadmill because he needed some energy depletion. I.e. The walks weren't cutting it. Now, I have done the treadmill thing with other dogs and other dogs like him before. But for some reason this time I couldn't do it. So... I decided to call in the expert Suzanne aka Canine Path. Although it was a team effort, if it hadn't been for Suzanne and her ideas of how to do it, it may have not gotten done! She is thorough, determined and has a heart of gold. Smudge and I will be forever grateful for her knowledge and her enthusiastic know how! read more

Canine Path - This is Smudge after a happy work out thanks to the lesson from canine! - Pet Training Near Me

Knowledgeable & nothing short of amazing!!! She's a woman with a true passion & skill for all animals. She's one of the best I've ever seen & I am so grateful for her read more

We love Suzanne and are so grateful for her support! We adopted a young, spirited male Newfoundland who came to us in need of training and loads of TLC. Truthfully, in spite of having lots of experience with dogs, we were a bit overwhelmed by his needs. On the recommendation of a friend, we contacted Suzanne who immediately helped us to understand and correct our dog's behavior. Suzanne was patient with all of us, extremely responsive and supportive providing crucial guidance as we adjusted to life with our new fuzzy love. Forever grateful! read more

My husband would never want to be bothered with a dog. Too much maintenance. We brought home the cutest puppy and immediately asked Suzanne at Canine Path to help. I still cannot believe the magic. Our dog let's us know exactly what he wants and needs. There are no accidents inside the house. He does not chew anything that is not for him, unless you leave food somewhere he can reach. Lol! I recommend this program to everyone looking for a well tamed dog. read more