We adopted Benny from the shelter, and for nearly 6 months we struggled with if we were going to be…read moreable to make things work - he was dog and human reactive. We had a very hard time taking our new best friend out on walks around the neighborhood. We went through two other trainers before we found Bar and just couldn't get the help we needed. Then we found bar and working with him has genuinely been the best decision we made as new dog owners. We did Bar's board and train program. After that month, Benny came home with so much improvement and skills. His engagement with us and responsiveness to us was night and day, making all things easier for us and Benny. Bar is very patient and compassionate with both dogs and people. The one thing that really sold it to us was just how much Benny loves working with Bar. Benny is always excited to see him again for training sessions and boarding when we are out of town. We recommend Bar to anyone that needs help with their K9 family members.

We are very happy with Indy's progress and obedience. Bar is patient and kind. He gets the job…read moredone. He is very knowledgeable concerning the various training methods. He knows of and advises us on what we can use to achieve the same results at home. He helps us pick out products that will make our training at home go more smoothly. We thank him for his kindness and patience

Hi Heidi, We just…read morewanted to take a moment to sincerely thank you for the wonderful training experience you provided for Lola. Working with an 18-month-old Malinois isn't for the faint of heart, and the way you approached her with such kindness, patience, and empathy truly stood out to us. Your knowledge, skill, and natural ability with dogs is honestly amazing. We were especially impressed by the variety in your training methods and how thoughtfully you tailored each session to Lola's needs. It was clear from the start that you genuinely understand dogs--not just technically, but emotionally as well--and that made all the difference. We saw real progress in Lola, but just as important, we felt supported and encouraged throughout the entire process. Your calm, confident approach gave us tools we'll continue to use long after the classes are done. We are extremely pleased with the results and so grateful for the care and dedication you showed to our pup. Thank you again for everything--you've made a lasting impact on Lola and on us. Warm regards, Wendy & Andy

Heidi is absolutely wonderful! She really helped me to become a better dog parent. I love her…read morepositive approach and how she explains what she is doing and watches as I repeat what we are teaching my dog. She provides handouts as well as a detailed email with a report of what was covered. I love her and so does my

I'm so grateful I found Happy Dogs For Life, and Morgan is a godsend! I couldn't go anywhere with…read moremy chihuahua mix. He had to bark at everyone/everything. I thought he was aggressive but Morgan actually said he was fearful :( She helped me build his confidence and we are making more progress every day! His reactivity is so manageable now!

Love working with Morgan. She has so much knowledge and patience. She's been such a huge help…read moremanaging my dog's reactivity issues along with putting together "homework " for us to work on in between sessions.

This class changed my life!!! My dog has completely transformed into her best well-mannered self…read more :))

My dog experienced worsening behavior after private training sessions with Mike, which…read moreunfortunately did not improve despite my efforts. I also participated in a group class, but it failed to yield any progress. Mike's training methods seem tailored to a specific type of dog and may not suit all breeds or temperaments. As a result, my dog exhibited increased anxious energy, with his tail tucked between his legs, ears pressed flat against his head, and heightened reactivity to stimuli. I spent $600 on these training programs, and I feel it was a poor investment given the lack of positive results. I advise caution before signing up, as the fee is non-refundable and the outcome was disappointing. He says he can help, but when there are no results, the owners are blamed. He will tell you that you have the wrong dog and are not a leader. 0 stars

This is my second review for Kim, and honestly, I couldn't not write it after what she's done…read morerecently for my dog Todd (aka Cuintli, aka Benson, aka the naked, aka sausage dog) and my friend's dog Ike. Todd has his quirks, and Ike had his own set of challenges, but Kim handled both of them like a pro. She knew exactly how to connect with each dog, address their specific needs, and give us clear, realistic steps to follow at home. It wasn't just about obedience -- it was about creating a better relationship and a calmer, happier dynamic for everyone. Even after all these years of working with Kim, I'm still blown away by her skill, patience, and genuine love for dogs. She doesn't just "train" -- she transforms the way you and your dog understand each other. If you're lucky enough to work with her, take it. Whether it's your own pup or a friend's, she's the one you want on your side.

I've worked with Kim at The Trained Canine for a while now, and I couldn't be happier with the…read moreresults. I have two very different dogs -- Larry, my feisty Chihuahua, and Ike, my big, lovable Pitbull. Before Kim, Larry had a knack for trying to boss everyone around, and Ike had some challenges with boundaries. Kim understood both of them instantly. She tailored her approach to each dog, and the results have been incredible. Larry is calmer and more confident, Ike is more respectful and relaxed, and together they're finally in sync. Kim has a gift for reading dogs and teaching owners how to communicate with them in a way that sticks. She's professional, reliable, and truly cares about every animal she works with. I trust her completely and recommend her to anyone who wants a real transformation in their dogs.

Fantastic Agility venue…read more Went to a Shape Up Agility seminar at Happy Dog last weekend and had a blast. Happy Dog is a great place to run your dog, watch and learn agility from beginner to the highest levels. Agility takes time and dedication, in reference to the poster who left a negative review and seemed to have a reactive or shut down dog it might have not been a good fit for you. Nobody is getting rich doing agility... we all do it because we love it and our dogs love it.

I have been training with Happy Dog for several years. My dog had been going to another instructor…read moreprior and was very confused and unhappy. Happy Dog has done just that, made my dog happy! She now runs around the course with a smile on her face. Three years ago I thought we would never be where we are now. I addition to the happy demeanor on the course which was what was most important to me... my dog made it to a national level of competition! What an amazing bonus for my Happy Dog! Thank you Happy Dog!!

If you are serious about learning how to have a strong positive relationship with your dog and…read moreserious about successfully training your dog at competition level in agility, then this is the place to be. Daneen Fox is a proven trainer and handler, earning multiple national and international titles with her canine partners. Her training skill sets are excellent, as she breaks down each desired behavior and works with each individual handler to correct him or her until that handler can correctly shape behavior in his or her own dog. Most importantly, she will love and advocate for your dog 100% to ensure that your dog is having fun and that your dog will be successful. I cannot complete my review without commenting on the one star review provided by another visitor. The person who wrote the review may have come to the wrong place, as his expectations appeared to be geared towards factors that show his ignorance of what is required for a successful agility dog. If you are new to agility and curious about what it takes to get a dog to the point where it will run through 20 obstacles within a fixed time, never wavering off course, never stopping to relieve itself, it is relevant to know that it takes years of training to reach that level. To the reviewer who complained about the 5 gallons of water it takes to dilute dog urine on the agility field: The grass fields at Stone Pony are used for agility trials nearly every weekend. Dogs are extremely scent sensitive. The scent of urine can stop a dog in its tracks and also encourage a dog to add its own urine to the spot. Either action during a trial run will result in a dog not qualifying in that run. Further, dog urine burns grass. If the urine is not substantially diluted, a brown spot will appear. Having fields as beautiful and pristine as Stone Pony's requires a huge amount of time, money and effort. It is a privilege to get to train on those fields.

Nice facility but a bit out of the way . Julie the coordinator was nice and knowledgeable…read more Unfortunately the woman trainer for the barn hunt was awful . She was borderline verbally abusive to me . She also called my dog a few names that were very uncalled for and mean . She was more like a drill sergeant and was insulting to me because I didn't get immediately everything she wanted me to do .She wasn't kind at all and she made the experience very negative. Too bad because it looked like a fun place for my dog .

I wanted to send you a big thank you and an update on our boy Reggie. He is the best dog I ever…read morecould have hoped for. We adore him. We are so grateful for the great choice you made for us. Training was a breeze. He walks without a leash even when another dog is passing or a rabbit hops by. he will sit on place for as long as we want. He knows "scram" which means he can do whatever he wants but not be in the area like the kitchen while cooking or at the table while we are eating. We are working on some upgraded dog tricks. We brought him home in mid November 2025 and very sadly we lost our 30 year old son in January. It has been a rough road of grieving for our whole family. We noticed how absolutely loving and attentive Reggie was when anyone was upset. If I cry, he notices even when I am not making a sound and he comes over to lay his head on my lap and provide comfort. He is so calm no matter what is going on around him. He just recently passed his Canine Good Citizen test at 9 months old. Because of his therapeutic nature we are continuing training and are planning on him testing for Go Team Therapy Dogs in October. The folks at the Go Team have met him and think he is naturally perfectly designed to be part of the team because of his incredible gentle nature and chill personality.

Beware. This breeder has horrible reviews dating back 15 years and there's good reason. Confident…read morethey do not care for their adult breeding dogs and are only interested in acquiring funds. Was able to rescue a stud from this unethical breeder and I am appalled. Owner advised he was up to date on vaccines but did not provide any documentation and did not know when he had last received his rabies vaccine. Dog had sores on all of his joints and was underweight. Owner advised sores were from laying down aggressively on hard surfaces. Dog exhibited either muscle fatigue or possible hip/joint issues when walking or when being assisted into transport rescue vehicle. Owner advised dog was crate trained, however, based on observations since his rescue, that is not the case. Owner could not recall when he was last fed at the time of his rescue. Owner advised they no longer used a specific brand of dog food due to its rising price. The collar on him, which was super tight at the time, didn't even have his name on it but another dog's name. Owner did not provide any (read, zero) documents for him. Dog was also not fixed despite advising they (the owner) were retiring (from breeding dogs) and moving out of state. I hope we can give this good boy a brighter more loving future.

I highly recommend LA School for Dogs. I enrolled my 9-month-old dog, Sophie, in basic obedience…read moretraining AND to address her growling and pushback attitude whenever she didn't want to do something. Jennifer and her team worked with Sophie over a three-week training program, and the results were impressive. Sophie now has great leash manners and has mastered all her basic commands. But the biggest success was the change in her attitude. I learned that her behavior was caused by a lack of confidence, not defiance, and Jennifer showed me how to adjust my approach to genuinely build trust with her. Sophie is now a happy, confident dog. If you're looking for dog training that goes beyond commands and actually addresses the "why" behind your dog's behavior, LA School for Dogs is it. 100% recommend.

I can't say enough good things about Jennifer and her 3-week training program! Our border collie…read moreMaverick had an issue with pulling on walks, and thanks to Jennifer, he now walks perfectly in heel--it's like night and day. She also worked on his place command, and now he stays calmly on his bed until released, which has made having guests over so much easier. One of the things that really stood out was how Jennifer took the time to get to know us as well as our dog. She found out we have a horse background and used that to our advantage--explaining training techniques in ways that made total sense to us. She gave examples that tied into the horse world, which made the process so much more intuitive and familiar. She also helped address Maverick's excitement around other dogs, which stems from his strong herding instincts. With Jennifer's guidance, he's now calm and focused on us. Jennifer is incredibly knowledgeable, patient, and truly cares about setting both the dog and owner up for long-term success. We're so thankful for the transformation she helped us achieve with Maverick!

Amanda is the best! She has been working with me for my girl, Yaretzi, a 1 year German Shepherd and…read moreAmerican Staffordshire mix that I found at the Shelter in Camarillo. Amanda has been wonderful in coming up with a bespoke plan based on my needs and more importantly the needs of Yaretzi. I have been very satisfied with all aspects of the training from the communication through to the post session follow-ups. We have completed 8 sessions and I plan on doing additional sessions in the future to see how much more we can do together!

Amanda has been helping us with our dog's on-leash reactivity. We had previously been to a group…read moretraining place nearby, but saw only minor results, and they weren't able to give us much individual attention. Amanda has been positive, patient, and kind throughout the whole process. She is always available to support us with any questions we have, and we have been seeing some great progress with our boy. We have been getting comments from friends and family about how much calmer he has been lately, and it has been a relief to know that he can learn and improve. I would definitely recommend ARF to anyone who is struggling with their dog and not sure where to start.