Dan is the real deal. We have a 7 year old American Eskimo who was reactive and had a history of biting other dogs and people. Due to his behavior, we had to isolate him, which broke our hearts because we wanted for him to be included in outings and family events. Interviewed 20+ trainers in the SoCal area and got no where, most of them were apprehensive in taking a 7 year old dog or had a generic "factory" approach in training dogs. After the exhausting search, we started to lose hope. Then met Dan, who really opened our minds about the relationship between dog and man. So how did things go? Super well. Dan is on another level. I believe these are the things that set him apart from the average trainer: * genuine love for dogs, dedication * deep intellect on history of dog/human relations * instincts on dogs as individual beings with their own personalities and story * lifetime of experience * his pack of 20+ dogs that help reinforce proper behaviors Our puppy is now happier and is very comfortable around other dogs & people. Rather than biting, he communicates to us. Very grateful to have met Dan and getting to know him. He works miracles !! read more

I have used Dan Irish as my backup trainer for several years. His caring heart and his expertise with dogs in trouble are the best in the industry. read more

I need to share with you the best dog behavior expert I have worked with in my 20+ years of doing dog rescue! I'm very active with dog rescue, specifically Airedale Rescue. In the last 10 months, I've had calls for three large Airedales with bite histories. All 4 years old or so; pandemic puppies I call them. Airedale puppies that were acquired during the pandemic by people who were not familiar with the breed and either didn't have the skill, the interest or both, to provide the leadership and training Airedales need during their first year. Consequently, all three of them were left on their own resulting in Airedales who thought they were the Pack Leaders and didn't need to listen or follow their owners' instructions. Each of them had a single bite incident, not a biter per se, but were setup to fail due to the situations their humans put them in. I needed help with these Airedales. I didn't need a "trainer"; all these dogs knew their basic commands; what was right and wrong. They just chose not to obey. They all needed a serious attitude adjustment to understand they were safe, their place in the pack and how to be happy in their environment. Enter Dan Irish, dog behaviorist extraordinaire. A colleague of mine recommended Dan as he had helped her with an Airedale in the past. Last December I sent the first Airedale to Dan for a month's boot camp. I was amazed with the dog I got back. She was happy, content and compliant!! No snarking, no growling, no challenging behavior. The next Airedale had been pulled from a shelter where he had no chance of surviving. He was given to me muzzled and on drugs. Another amazing turnaround! The male I got back was happy, anxious to please and essentially, a big snuggle bug. Both these dogs were placed in experienced Airedale homes where their behavior is reinforced, the dogs are adored and they are living their best lives. Next week I'm sending a third case, and will continue as long as Dan is willing to help. Teaming with Dan, we're able to save lives otherwise lost. With 50 years of experience, his approach is definitely successful. As Dan likes to say, "Unless it's genetics, I can fix them". read more

Helped me with my service dog xean dog training during the pandemic of Covid 19 he's a real blessing thank you Dan Irish

Dan is the REAL dog whisperer! Either that or he's truly a dog in human form. I've had my American Bulldog rescue (Big Mac) for a year now. Previously worked with 2 trainers who both convinced me that Mac will never be able to dog let alone be around any other dogs. He's fearful aggressive and would always react poorly/viscously. Or so I thought... Before meeting Dan, Mac would lose his mind when another dog would bark or whine; sometimes nothing at all, just a look. Mac is the hall monitor who'd rip your head off if given the chance. I'm strong enough to hold him back and walk in the opposite direction but God forbid his collar or leash ever malfunction/break - I'd lose my dog. That was my greatest fear. He'd even bark like a maniac at dogs and try to bust thru windows when he was in the car. We would do our best to avoid other dogs during walks. It was like playing Frogger, dodging dogs, hiding between parked cars. My head was constantly on a swivel anticipating the worst when escape routes were limited, especially in San Francisco. We were getting by but it wasn't fair to my dog. Constantly being in a state of high alert and afraid. Me as an anxious ridden owner didn't help matters. Dan not only built Mac's confidence but he also helped mine. Mac now trusts me to be his leader and protector. The day we picked him up was the 2nd time I've ever seen him smile. He walked with his head high, relaxed body, tongue out, and tail wagging. I was able to walk him in a perfect heel between dogs, Dan and my partner. Other dogs sniffed his rear, ran up to us, and stayed close by. Zero reaction! He was completely focused on me. Never in my wildest dreams did I think this was possible. Dan spent hours of one on one training with him and it shows! At one point Mac was eating while dogs were jumping on him, sniffing his rear, even a puppy was underneath him! Didn't care. He also takes his time eating now; unlike before when he'd inhale his food in seconds as if there were other dogs (or me) to take it away. I've looked into other board and train facilities in the Bay Area and Northern CA. No one offers what Dan offers! Dogs LIVE with him. They're not kenneled in a large warehouse while his assigned handler works with him for an hour. Dogs are roaming and sharing the same living/workspace as Dan. I only wish I'd found him sooner. Mac isn't a social butterfly but he's no longer fearful/aggressive. Truly a different dog all thanks to Dan. read more

Dan Irish - **More dogs not pictured. This wouldn't be possible without Dan's help. Mac would be lunging and barking like a mad man. - Pet Training Near Me

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I adopted my dog a few years ago and after a few incidents of him trying to lunge at people and barking aggressively I knew I needed a professional to help me train him. I left Simon with Dan for two weeks and when I picked him up, a few things were obvious. First, Dan does what he does because he loves dogs and he wants them to have safe, happy homes. This is not a "job" for him it is a life calling. Second, I had not realized that training a dog is really about training the human. Dan can train any dog. Whether the training is successful depends on the owner. I learned how to understand Simon and how I was unknowingly encouraging bad behaviors. After I got Simon home I'd call Dan every month or two with questions and he'd happily explain to me how to handle situations where Simon was not responding the way I'd like. Finally, it took me a little while to understand how to communicate with Dan. He is can seem stubborn and rigid and doesn't sugarcoat what he needs to tell you. The key is to listen to his point even if it seems gruff. He's knows what he's doing and will tell you what you need to know -- it's up to you to check your ego and do what's really best for your dog. Simon is so happy now and I can't thank Dan enough. read more

Dan Irish is a wonderful dog behaviorist. He helped me gain control of my German Shepard/Border Collie puppy. I had trouble with aggression towards my older dog, and biting of anyone that spent more than a minute with L. She spent 3 weeks with Dan and his pack of 25 dogs and came back a completely different dog. She's very responsive to the correction now and is able to be in the same room with our Golden Flynn without any issues. Dan also followed up with me to make sure all was going well. If you're having any behavior issues with a dog, I would strongly recommend taking your dog to Dan for training. He's cares for your dog as a member of his pack. I can't thank him enough. read more

I initially took my dog for non-aggressive leash reactivity which has since improved, using methods not recommended by Dan. Dan even reported he could completely trust my dog with his pack of "20 dogs," small and large. Overall, Completely disappointed with this service. My 1 year old Rottie spent three weeks with Dan. He described my dog as a "difficult case," as he hypothesized this was due to him not being neutered. He stated it was either "testosterone or genetics." He then encouraged me to neuter my dog (something I cannot take back) and requested I bring him back for two additional weeks, at no cost to me. He recommended multiple interventions such as utilizing the e-collar, choke chain, and Halti all at once. When I attempted to offer feedback and indicated I was having difficulty due to the lack of direction, he immediately stopped me and told me I was going to the "wrong place." My last conversation he said he was looking forward to having my dog back and told me numerous times I was doing well with the training. Fast forword, Dan recently left inappropriate and disturbing voicemails at an inappropriate time, that of course were concerning. When I reached out, I did not receive a response, other than he was "out," and would no longer work with me because I "just didn't get it." Needless to say, my dog did not return for his final two weeks and I am left feeling a bit scammed. Lesson learned on my end, do more research. I would not recommend. read more

Dan Irish is the best dog behavioralist ever! He totally transformed my dogs. My dogs now do things I thought they would never do. I have two rescue boxers. They had high prey drives. One had horrible fear aggression. He would bark and get up set even with animals on the Television. So I really struggled with taking him on walks. Now they both play well with other dogs. I never thought it was possible. They are so well behaved! Dan is a dog and family saver! read more

Dan is a lifesaver!! Our 1 y/o Australia Queensland/Border Collie mix Ajax had started to become food aggressive. He had bit me on a few occasions breaking skin AND also had bit a couple family members as well. I have owned dogs since I was a kid and never had anxiety when it came to my dogs but after being bit repeatedly within six weeks, I had built up concern and fear. My husband and I were at a loss for what to do with him. We found Dan and emailed him immediately. Within a few minutes Dan replied to my email and we were on the phone with him working on a game plan right away. My husband and I were relieved to hear Dan tell us that Ajax could be helped. We drove two hours out to Dan to have Ajax stay with him for two weeks. We just recently got Ajax back this week and we see the change right away. You have to be ready to continue the work from home and Dan gives you the tools to help you. He is checks in with you and responds to you when you reach out with questions and updates. Again, he's a lifesaver!! read more

Our Great Dane became aggressive towards our other dog surrounding food. Also, being a large dog he at times he was difficult for my wife to handle. A friend recommended Dan Irish for dog training. We took our dog to Dan and within approximately two weeks our dog was completely controllable and kept his wonderful goofy disposition. Thanks Dan! read more

We have 7 rescues that we love dearly. One of them (a Chihuahua mix) had a very serious anger problem towards the other dogs in relation to food, toys, treats and bed space. In other words, she was out of control with aggression when triggered and our own efforts did nothing to correct her behavior. One night she attacked the smallest of our pack (over a bone treat) and went for the head in a manner that seemed like an attempted murder. This was now unacceptable...and we were faced with having to do something no matter what. We found Dan on line and after reading through his website decided to give him a try and see if he could help us with her. We had her stay at his place for 2 weeks with him and his dog family and we are glad we did. He kept it very "Real" when we dropped her off and did a good job of explaining to us that this was not an insta-fix situation and that we would have to change our behavior with her in order for her behavior to change at home. We took his advice seriously. It has been a couple of months now that she has been back at home and she is doing better than she ever has. We have been employing the tools he gave us to the best of our ability (which is far from perfect) and there has been a definite change for the better with her that we honestly could not have created on our own. His Love and dedication for dogs is simply beyond the boundaries of common understanding. read more

Bill V., I received a 'difficult' 2yr old male dog. he is very large. i recognized he was left to his own devises with little lead training and zero recall. This dog was excellent with goats, he rejected any approach of other humans other than me or my wife. He barked very intimidating towards other people. My observation of this dog he was severely stressed. This comes from limited appropriate socialization. To this dog everything appears as a threat. I did have him neutered and the veterinarian staff thought of him as a sweet dog. I have decades of raising such dogs. His selection of situations of aggressive outbursts gave me concern to him being manageable. I consulted Dan Irish and he defined specifically what this dog was not trained in, Dan reprogramed This dog so I can recall him successfully and give a short redirection. Essentially my dog now is receptive to appropriate direction now. I rarely recommend anyone. I do have confidence in the logical steps reprograming this particular dog. Thank you Dan for the tools to make a difference in this dog's life. read more

Dan was my Hail Mary for keeping my furry family together!! It's been 2 years and I am thankful every day that I made that phone call. My pups are happy and content living together now with no signs of ever having been aggressive. If your dog has any aggressive behaviors Dan is the answer!! read more

I found Dan as a last resort on the internet. My 4 year old pomeranian had bit two people and drawn blood both times in the last two days. Before, he had attacked people and just nipped their pants. Now, he was in big trouble. I was being pressured to give him up, which broke my heart. I contacted Dan and right away I knew that he understood dogs, just by the questions he asked about my dogs actions. I have been working with Dan for two weeks on the phone and my dog has improved greatly. I know what to do and how to do it right for the dog and myself because of Dan's knowledge and direction. My dog will need about 6 weeks of committment from me to make him a great dog. I took him to a shopping center for two hours. He never growled once. Yeah!!! With only two weeks training, I still can't trust him yet. Just a little more time and my dog will understand what is expected of him. Thank you, Dan for saving my dog!!! read more

We have 3 dogs. Out of the blue one of them became aggressive toward the other two, toy aggressive, and food aggressive. Twice he bit me when I was trying to break up fights between him and our other dogs. We took him to the vet, who said there was nothing physically wrong with him and suggested a Behaviorist and put him on anxiety meds. We started contacting dog trainers. All claimed to be behaviorists. Most of them immediately talked about using shock collars, and how much it was going to cost, and how our dog was "in the red zone" and probably would have to be put down anyway. I refused to believe that this dog, who had been such a good dog for 3 1/2 years couldn't be saved. I kept searching and found Dan Irish. I read his reviews, and saw that there were several who had a situation just like mine and had great success. So I called him. We spent about 30 minutes on the phone, and the entire conversation was about the dog in question, behavior of our other dogs, everyone else in our house and their habits, etc. He gave me some suggestions and told me to call him back in a couple of days. We never even talked money until the second call. This guy REALLY eats, sleeps and breathes dogs. We sent our dog to live with Dan and his pack for 2 weeks (for about $1000 less than everyone else wanted to charge us). Dan brought him back, and spent about 4 hours at our house watching every interaction with us, our other dogs, our daughter, etc. He gave us a lot to work on (because really WE were the problem). Our dog has been home about a month. He was tentative at first, but has gotten better every day, and we've been very consistent in applying all the lessons Dan taught us. Our dog is no longer on any meds, has shown zero aggression, and has made an amazing turnaround. Dan has followed up with phone calls several times to check in and see how all of us are doing. He's always willing to take calls to answer questions, and wants to hear how our dog is doing. I can't stress enough how much this guy genuinely cares about dogs, and teaches dog owners to understand their dog and help them be the best dog they can be. Dan literally saved my dog's life. My daughter isn't afraid of him anymore, and we feel confident that he is a safe happy dog who will be with our family for many more years to come. I can never thank Dan enough for all that he's done and continues to do for dogs and their owners. read more

Our pup was acting aggressive towards other people and we knew he needed some serious aggression training in order to help him. Upon an extensive online search, I was pleased to find help was so close to home. Upon my initial telephone conversation with Dan Irish, I knew he was the best person to help our furry friend. We sent Thomas to go live with Dan and his pack of pups for two weeks. We were hopeful that we'd see some big changes. We were so excited to see that YES, there were big changes! He was an entirely different dog. Now it is up to us to continue Dan's training at home. With the tools and guidance that Dan gave us, we have what it takes to help Thomas be his best self. I highly recommend Dan Irish for all of your dog training needs. He truly is a blessing to the dog community and we are so grateful to have discovered his services. THANK YOU, Dan, for the commitment and dedication that you gave to our sweet boy. read more

Dan and his pack totally transformed my dog! My mixed breed, 80 lb puppy was having issues adapting to his new environment with 2 older dogs after we relocated from one house to another. He had issues with overexcitement and lacked focus; he was certainly not good at listening. Initially, I called Dan and via phone he gave me some very useful tips on leash and crate training, as well as use of an e-collar, however his listening skills still left a lot to be desired, so I opted for him to have a two week stay at Dan's house. Upon picking him up, I was shocked at the transformation my dog underwent in just two weeks. Dan instilled a baseline on training with my dog that I could continue to reinforce once he arrived home, and was extremely thorough and invested when explaining to me how to carry on his good behavior and positive training techniques. Dan has also continued to help with follow up phone calls and checking in on my dog, answering any questions I may have and offering support even after his training with Dan had concluded. I could not be happier with the results; I was so concerned I was in over my head and would not be able to keep my dog, however Dan completely changed my mind on this. If you are feeling overwhelmed I strongly encourage you to give Dan a call, I am certainly thankful that I did! read more

Dan worked with our dog, a border collie chow chow mix, in June of 2013. Our dog demonstrated some bad manners. She also exhibited aggression with other dogs, which came to a head when, one day, she managed to get out of our house and attack a dog across the street who was walking on leash with its owner. It was terrifying, and we worried that we would not be able to keep our dog any longer due to the fact that we have small children. We were at the end of our rope. We considered re-homing her if we could find the right family, but could not find anyone to take her, and we knew that we couldn't give her up to a shelter. We found Dan on the internet, and within minutes of speaking to him, we knew that he is the real deal. It is evident from speaking to Dan, that he is passionate about his work, and he really does speak "dog!" Dan is a wealth of information and he is devoted to finding out what makes your dog tick. Our dog was with Dan at his house with his pack of 12 dogs for two weeks, and everything that Dan predicted would happen, happened. After the time with Dan's pack was complete, Dan came to our house and worked with us for several hours and showed us how to manage our dog better. Dan made it clear that he could give her a restart, but that it was up to us to be consistent with her and to continue to work with her. Our dog is still a piece of work, and she requires a lot of management, but Dan gave us the tools to show us corrections that work. Also, we are now able to take our dog around other dogs, which we haven't been able to do in years! We also know that our dog is not violent or aggressive, and we feel safe having her with our children. It really is amazing. Dan is truly available 24/7 to anyone who is committed to helping their dog become healthier and happier. We spoke to him several times a week for two or three weeks after our dog came home. We would definitely recommend Dan to others. read more

I took a female german shepard off the street from someone that had, I believe, left her alone for two years. She hadn't been abused but apparently had been given no attention whatsoever and fed just enough to stay alive.She is a high energy, high prey drive dog, and after two years of being left to her ow device was out-of-control when I got her. I was able to bring her a long way in the two years I had her before seeking Dan's help but there was part of her brain I could not reach. If she was under my direct control she was fine but her brain would switch at moments notice and she could not hear or obey any commands, nor return to me. Dan took her for two weeks and talked to me every several days to discuss her progress, what he was doing with her. We also talked about what I thought about her behavior based on what I had seen in the time I had her. He was very much interested in knowing about her, her interaction with me and her interaction with my male GSD. When I got her back he recommended a variety of tools and strategies to continue the work that was necessary to continue her training. I am very happy to say that after 4-5 months of continuing work I can say she is very close to being what a well-balanced GSD should be. I can now take her outside off of a leash and she will obey my commands and has a very reliable recall. Still has aggressive tendencies toward small animals (she is a high prey drive dog after all) but now continues to listen to me, even in those situations. She is calm and well-balanced at home and there is no problem at all with my chihuahua/dachshund mix. Highly recommended. read more

My wife and I were referred to Dan because we had rescued a St. Bernard that was not being accepted in our home by another St. Bernard we lived with. Dan proved to be knowledgeable, patient, experienced, but most importantly, he cared. He spent a lot of time with both my wife and I explaining the reason for the behavior, along with a multistage approach on how to get it under control. Surprisingly we already had many of the items we needed, and what we did not have, Dan described where we could get the other items and for the best price. In twenty four hours everything was under control and we had a plan that reflected exactly what Dan had suggested. Dan is clearly experienced, educated, and has a strong professional approach to what he does so well. For us, the most important item was that he cared, and took the time to follow up with us, and was clearly concerned for both us, and the dogs. We are aware from the rescue we dealt with that they consider Dan a friend and he clearly loves dogs, which translates into loving what he does. We are grateful for the referral and intend to not only keep in touch with Dan but also we now have a resource we can recommend to friends who are in need. Thank you Dan! read more