All their training is positive reinforcement. That is, the dogs are never forced to behave, rather…read morethey are allowed and encouraged to behave through treats, praise and attention. I had one of their trainers make a house call for my 4 1/2 month old German Shepherd puppy that I got less than a week ago to ensure that I was clicker training her correctly. He was very professional, knowledgable and it was worth every penny even though I was already doing everything right. He showed me how quickly clicker training can be effective, and gave me a plethora advice from keeping training sessions short to where I could find shepherding school to keep my girl busy. All in all, it was such a wonderful experience I had to write a review. I visited the training facility itself the following day and they had a cornucopia of healthy treats, humane harnesses, dietary supplements, and toys in front and a nice, clean, large, padded area for dogs to play and learn in. With regards to another review I saw on here about communication issues, I've had the best luck with email. We did get ahold of each other via phone but we played a little phone tag first, which was as much my bad as his. To end this on a positive note, my puppy came knowing two words - "sit" and "come." Five days later she knows "sit," "down," "paw", "target," "roll-over," "no," "her name"(means make eye contact,) and "come." In fact when I was bragging about this to my mother, my puppy started whining at me b/c I was saying all her words and she was sitting and I wasn't paying her attention. It was adorable. She's so bright!

We have attended 2 classes at Root with our golden retriever and I have to say I have never seen a…read moreteacher as good as Jody....She is a true expert. Her perspective on training dogs is unbelievably refreshing....100% positive reinforcement....We have brought our kids as well and her willingness and ability to work with our kids was nothing short of unbelievable. Keep in mind that Jody bought the business from someone else....So any of these older reviews are not valid. I couldn't recommend Jody more.

We cannot recommend Marnie enough. Her years of experience and depth of understanding of dog…read morebehaviors sets her well apart from other dogs trainers we've had. One thing was clear from the start: Marnie loves dogs and understands them. The first time she came to our home, Jasper immediately took to her, and she to him. Jasper came to us through a shelter, a very sweet, high energy, 1 year old Australian cattle mix. He was smart and eager to please in some ways but pulled hard on walks and, after we had him for several months, became leash reactive and aggressive . We tried two different dog trainers, both highly recommended, but made little progress. From our first in-home lesson, it was clear that Marnie has a depth of understanding of dogs and how to work with them that we had not seen before. She has helped with us to understand the roots of Jasper's negative behaviors, how to help him feel secure, and how to recognize and avoid trouble with aggressive behavior He has improved so much in reactivity and aggression and generally in being more responsive. He's much better at walking without pulling and getting along with others at the dog park. Marni also does both day care and boarding at her home which is surrounded by an acre yard that is totally dedicated to dogs. She gives private lessons there too. With Jasper in among other dogs, Marnie showed us how to "read" his behavior and reactions to the other dogs and how to intervene with firmness and kindness. He loves going to her place and comes back home happy and even better behaved. We cannot recommend Marnie highly enough!

My fiancé and I started with Marnie in September. We adopted a dog that was aggressive towards…read moredogs, our cat, and my partner. We were very fearful we would need to give up the dog for everyone's safety. Marnie was a literal miracle worker. She came to our home AND did work with our dog at her home. Marnie helped to make her into a more confident and safe pet. She is a completely different dog. She is able to be around other dogs and play, other humans and give love, and most amazing be around the cat and not bat an eye. All of this was achieved without any corrective therapy like shock or prong collars. Marnie was a god sent and I would recommend her to anyone with a dog. Regardless of how good or "bad" the dog is. She will help you to communicate and build everyone's confidence so that everyone is safe and happy.

Carlos is really easy to talk to. Very friendly and obviously has a ton of experience working with…read moredogs and dog owners. I will definitely go back there for doggy daycare and boarding. Maybe some training as well, although training with Carlos is not cheap. I can only afford a few more sessions.

extremely friendly, making dog owner extremely comfortable with the whole process. It was a fun…read morealbeit expensive experience. Planning on doing one more session. They definitely know what they are doing and can "read" you and your dogs comfort level for training. Great time and learned a lot.

Brandon quite literally is one of the top 5 amazing humans I know. I met him 2 years ago to work on…read moresome behavior issues with my 2 year old sheltie, Leo. I had been told Leo needed anti depressants, anxiety meds, was a bad dog... you name it. I knew this wasn't true and knew that I needed a trainer who could observe us in some day to day settings and just take the time to listen to me and understand my relationship with my dog. Brandon's approach from our first phone call, to first zoom session, to subsequent trainings at home after that was nothing more than perfect. Every single time - he listened to what I had to share, and didn't make me feel bad or judge me if I made a mistake or slipped on some of our training. He explained dog relationships in NORMAL language for me and instead of loading my dog with treats or harsh corrections - he taught me how to communicate with my dog and build trust in VERY simple ways. I highly recommend connecting with Brandon to learn more about his approach. Even as an experienced dog owner now, I hope Brandon will pencil me in the schedule when I get a new furry friend some day. Brandon - thank you.

We had our first training with Brandon for two of our dogs. He's very informative and has a lot of…read morepatience. To give insight we have two very different dogs one pitbull Scooter and one miniature pincher Lola and they have very different personalities. Scooter needs more outside training work and Lola needs inside training work. Even within the first hour we saw significant changes, now it's up to us to implement the corrections and habits. Since the initial visit is a lot of information at the end he gave us booklet of everything we went through to help with referencing back. We decided to go with the lifetime and the price is reasonable considering you always have someone to text or call with any questions or concerns. We are excited to implement the new tools and can't wait to have our dogs fully trained. Thank you Brandon and looking forward to your next visit.

I've never kenneled any of my pets until I found this place…read more LK9 is my Go-to place for my dog Harry and he's a difficult dog to train and Kennel but this place makes me feel very comfortable leaving him here because they've proven time and again to be a safe place where Harry gets a lot of individual attention and training. When I'm in Europe or wherever, I get report cards and videos of how Harry is doing and it puts me very much at ease. Matt one of their trainers is the best but all the other staff here are very nice and really make an effort to take care of your pets as they would their own. I recommend this place every time!

Training is divided into 2 week blocks, which is just too short. When I was there last year for…read moree-collar training my two dogs, Chochki and Pumpkin, got into a scuffle at home. There was a lot of confusion about when and for how long Pumpkin would be banned from the place. I was not pleased. They gave me a full refund for the advanced two-week course, but didn't even suggest I come back with Pumpkin to try the course again. They basically just wrote me off, along with my dog! It's not a bad place, but I was disappointed. I feel that they could have done better...and should have.

We've been taking our dog Piper to Julie for 10 years, both for daycare and boarding. Piper loves…read moreit at Julie's and we are happy to know that she is safe and well cared for, especially when we go out of town for extended periods of time. Julie has always readily accommodated any of Piper's special food or medicine needs, which is important as she has aged. You can't go wrong with The Village Dog!

Our beagle Lucy has been visiting the Village Dog for years, usually for boarding when we go out of…read moretown on vacation. She loves it and we consider it a "home away from home". Julie and staff are so caring for the dogs and treat them like their own. We are so lucky to have the Village Dog nearby and it's nice when we're 1,000 miles away to know that Lucy is in great hands! We wouldn't consider leaving Lucy with anyone else.

As others have stated, Veronica is truly a fantastic dog walker. I've had her walking (or jogging…read morerather) my beloved Golden Retriever for over two years now. Sadly, he passed yesterday, but he had a great life, and part of that was certainly him looking forward to seeing Veronica each weekday. Should I get another dog, I will absolutely be asking her to take care of him during the week. He loved her, she loved him, and I've never had a better dog walker than Veronica. Thank you again, Veronica.

I just moved into the Carlsbad area and used YELP to find the perfect dog walker! Veronica is a…read moreblessing, goes above and beyond. So grateful for her professional advice, time, and training of my pup. Training for walks, and little tricks, as he can be challenging. She has been a godsend. Heather O

Sara is a real professional who knows her stuff. She's not just someone who's good with dogs…read morebecause of her experience and intuition, she also understands the nitty gritty science behind dog behavior and can explain it to you in as much detail as you like! But she's not dogmatic or condescending like some trainers are, and she doesn't make you feel bad if you've made a mistake or have a different point of view. I had a Zoom session with her and follow her on social media and she's helped me so much with my puppy who was biting me (hard!) during playtime and walks and constantly eating gross stuff off the ground. Highly recommend!

Sara is such a great resource for new and old dog parents. I found her off a referral on Facebook…read more She had a puppy play and learn which was great for getting puppy energy out and for some puppy training tricks. We came back because of her unique a la carte style of classes-picks topic book it and it creates a class. We look forward to working with her in the coming months as she is positive reward based trainer but also has the background of dog behavior.