I almost didn't book with The Dog Guru because I saw a review calling him "verbally abusive," and…read moreafter working with him personally, I honestly could not disagree more. Pay ZERO attention to that review. As a psychologist, I pay very close attention to behavior, regulation, communication, and emotional energy, and at no point did I witness cruelty, aggression, intimidation, or abusive behavior toward me or my dog. What honestly amazed me most was that he never said one word to my dog. There was no yelling, chaos, or "training performance." It was all action, energy, body language, timing, and an understanding of canine psychology that I have never personally seen before. Before we started working together, Daisy was going after every dog she saw. Within two hours, we were calmly walking and standing next to dogs that were within a foot of her, even sniffing her, and she was completely relaxed. The transformation was honestly remarkable. I think some people may misunderstand firmness, honesty, or structure as being "mean," especially when dealing with difficult dog behaviors, but there is a huge difference between abuse and someone confidently leading both owner and dog. My experience felt safe, effective, loving, and honestly incredible. For the first time in a long time, I left feeling hopeful and relaxed instead of anxious. I am extremely grateful I trusted my own experience instead of one negative review.

Initial impression - First thought . There is only one…read moreCaesar Milan. Second thought. No doubt an excellent trainer for the military and if that's what you're looking for he may be just your speed ! His accolades can be found in so many of his advertisements which I'm sure are no doubt accurate. If you're going to pay a sum in advance to schedule a conversation, (as I did) , you may have to call him to remind him to call you on the last day that the call was promised . While, this truth may not sit well and I didn't actually hire him, no matter because your mileage may vary. He is a busy guy. All the best to you all.

I have 2 dogs, a chaotic puppy and a fear reactive German shepherd. Before working with Josh, I…read morefelt like I was always managing my dogs but still couldn't fully trust them in real life. Now they're calm, confident, and make way better decisions on their own. I can take them pretty much anywhere, which wasn't the case before. He also helped my German Shepherd become a lot more comfortable around people and other dogs. Biggest shift honestly was me. I'm way more confident, less stressed, and actually know how to communicate and teach my dogs without relying on tools. If you want a dog you can actually live life with, I'd 100% recommend Josh!

USE JOSH - This guy is amazing!…read more My dog Nuggets, is a 6 year old 15 pound, timid, terrier mix, sweetheart, but when she is on leash she displays some pretty nasty aggressive tendencies and her demons come out. As a first time dog dad, I haven't sharpened my tools around understanding my dogs emotional state and how threatened she feels and how to react or treat such aggression. So its harder for me to empathize and as such know how to handle it. I ran into Josh while walking my dog. I always see him walking his dogs, and they are so well behaved and so focused on him. So, I inquired about their training and he and i scheduled a session. Josh shared tools to improve these behaviors first from a actual tools piece like replacing a harness with a collar and a firm leash rather than a flex leash. Next, he helped me understand the psychological state of my dog and why she does what she does, it was enlightening and helped me better understand Nuggets. Finally, Josh taught me exercises to employ to redirect Nuggets focus to me. I couldn't be more grateful for the service Josh provided. You can tell Josh loves what he does and it shows by how good he is at it. That being said, I struggle to understand how anyone could complain about Bark Busters, my experience was one in which Josh , an incredible professional, was trying to help me be a better dog parent, and for that I am eternally grateful.

Tommy helped us with our Miniature Australian Shepherd puppy when no one else would! He came to…read moreour house when she was 11 weeks old (other trainers wanted to wait until she had all her puppy shots) and immediately got us off on the right foot for behavior training. He trained my husband and me as well as our puppy! So grateful. Tommy has a gift for knowing how dogs think and he shares that knowledge as part of the session. We never felt rushed to finish a lesson when he came to the house, he just dealt with our issues and reminded us to keep practicing with our dog until next time. We even decided to enroll in his weekly puppy class so that our puppy would learn to behave around other dogs. His private dog park is a god-send as we live in a condo and don't have a yard for our puppy to play in. She loved going there and we'll be back! We highly recommend Tommy. He showed us how to anticipate what our puppy was going to do before she did it and correct her misdeeds before they take place. Five stars!

Tommy came for our first private session and it went better than I imagined. My husband and I…read morelearned a lot from Tommy. He is very relatable and has a unique way of teaching that is very enjoyable and actually entertaining, all at the same time! Now that is talent! Tommy was made for this job and well worth his price. You get what you pay for. He definitely does not watch the clock and gives you more than 1 hr and does not leave until he has answered all your questions. My dog is already doing better on our walks. Tommy teaches but you have to do what he says or you have wasted your money. I signed up for 5 lessons and looking forward to the rest. I will update when we are finished.

We started with Vladae when our Vizsla puppy was just a few months old and progressed quickly. It…read moreall made sense and yielded quick results. We were so happy with everything that we decided to progress further by sending her to his 2 week boot camp at 16 months old. When I asked why such a good dog would go to boot camp, Vladae responded with, "Same reason that the smartest kids go to university, to become all they can be and hone their skills." That made sense to me! If it was any other boot camp I would have been nervous about my baby. I know how well Vladae treats his campers though and his focus on health and exercise. "Only the tired dog is the good dog" Thank you Vladae!

As a first-time Cavapoo owner, I felt completely overwhelmed with the process of dog training and…read morehad no idea what to expect. It honestly brought back the feeling of being a first-time parent--questioning every decision, but without a nurse hotline for guidance. My husband and I were especially struggling with how to manage Chloe around our young kids. She was very unruly, reactive on walks, and difficult to control around other dogs. We found SoCal Dog Training through a friend's referral, and choosing Vladae ended up being one of the best decisions we've made. I'll admit, I was skeptical at first--so many trainers promise results--but Vladae truly delivers. The onboarding process was seamless. The initial FaceTime consultation helped set clear expectations, and I really appreciated how upfront and honest he was about the work required. What stood out most to me was his long-term commitment--knowing I could always come back for refreshers gave me a lot of confidence that I wasn't just getting a short-term fix. The training sessions are where the transformation really happens. After each session, it genuinely felt like we had a new dog--but that's also where the responsibility comes in. You have to consistently follow through with the exercises he gives you. In many ways, it reminded me that investing in my dog's future takes the same consistency and commitment as investing in my two kids. She's now quite literally my third kid. Chloe used to be extremely reactive--barking, pulling on the leash, and even jumping up on our toddlers. Vladae helped me understand the root of her behavior and showed me how to properly address it. Now she's calm, more confident, and walking her has become something I actually enjoy. Seeing that transformation has been incredibly rewarding. It wasn't an easy process, but it was absolutely worth it. Also, a special shout-out to Antonina for being so kind, responsive, and accommodating with scheduling.

I cannot say enough good things about Ryan. I have two adult Chihuahua mix dogs and had already…read moreworked with three different trainers before finding him. Nothing worked, and I had reached the point where I honestly felt hopeless and embarrassed taking my dogs out or having people over. Ryan completely changed our lives. He didn't just "train" my dogs. He taught me how to create structure and consistency that finally made everything click. My dogs are now on a schedule, walks are calm and enjoyable, and I can have guests in my home without chaos at the door. That alone feels like a miracle. The difference in my dogs is incredible, but the difference in me is just as big. I finally feel confident, relaxed, and in control instead of stressed and apologizing all the time. If you're feeling discouraged, overwhelmed, or like you've tried everything, stop searching and call Ryan. He is the real deal, and I'm so grateful I found him.

I am so grateful to have been referred to Ryan. We adopted a Pomeranian from a rescue who turned…read moreout to be very anxious in a new environment. Ryan's calm demeanor and genuine care for Sassy's well-being made all the difference with potty training, crate training, loose-leash walking, and teaching commands via clicker training like "sit", "touch", and "wait." I feel like I have a much better understanding of my dog's triggers and how to positively influence her and make her feel secure. Ryan also made himself available via text and phone calls to help with any issues in between training sessions, which I found greatly valuable.

As first time dog owners, training was a top priority for us. We have a pretty high energy puppy…read more(as most puppies are), so we wanted to make sure he started training early on. We also didn't want to go to a group lesson where we would have to re-teach "sit" 20 times if one dog didn't figure it out and ours did. All I can say is that Ryan was the best decision we could have made for training. Our 6 month old goldendoodle just finished his puppy training and is such a good listener now! Since training, he now: -Waits at the door and for his food -Stopped hopping on the top of our couch -Can sit & stay in busy places (one of our trainings was at Fashion Island during holiday time) -Walks with us and rarely pulls on his leash -Can sit, lay down, spin around, crawl, wait, etc. -Goes to his bed or crate when we tell him Ryan is quick to respond over the phone and truly cares about each of his clients' training success. He would sometimes call us in between trainings to check in & see if we were having any training issues/how training was going. I'm certain that if you go through Ryan you will 100% see a difference in your fur child!

Ryan is a fantastic trainer! Had our first lesson today with our two rescued boxer/shepherd mix…read morepups and WOW, what an awesome session. I actually felt like training was fun(?!) and our girls were already making massive progress in the hour and a half we spent together. Ryan has a way of making you and your dog(s) feel totally comfortable and confident. He is extremely knowledgeable, energetic and ready to answer any question or concern you might have. Positive Reinforcement training is absolutely the way to go in our experience (we tried other methods but it just stressed everyone out). We HIGHLY recommend Ryan and look forward to building a great relationship with he and our pups in the future. Really looking forward to our next lesson! Thanks again Ryan! (included something pics of the pups too!)

We have been bringing our 90lb Mastiff/Lab mix to OC Dog Ranch for the last few years every time…read moreour family travels 4+ days. I am so happy I found this place - was recommended by someone through word of mouth. It is wide open space for our dog to run, and I love that because it is SO much better than her being boarded in a room with 50 other dogs. Staff will send you updates - and we always get a picture of our happy dog with other happy dogs. Staff also sends a report card. Always respond asap when I reach out and ask how she's doing.

We love OC Dog Ranch... our dogs love it even more!!! We have boarded all 3 of our dogs (2 labs and…read more1 golden retriever) at the Ranch and one of ours has also stayed and been trained (1 lab). All of the Dog Ranch staff are amazing and truly care for all of the dogs. The property is a dog dream come true. The multiple acres are filled with play yards that include a swimming pool, play structures, etc. Every time I bring a dog to be boarded at the Dog Ranch something has been added or changed to improve the property. I love the new fence heights that were installed most recently (I have one jumper ). I give the OC Dog Ranch the biggest tail wags you've ever seen.

Dave came to train our pup, Hanky who had serious issues with anxiety, aggression, and resource…read moreguarding. Dave was compassionate, informative, and incredibly helpful. He took time to get to know our family and tailor Hank's training to his personality and needs. He is incredibly knowledgeable and we have seen a huge improvement in our dog's behavior. Hanky is happier and now we know how to support him in order to avoid aggression. We also started taking both of our dogs to EveryDog Daycamp and it has been amazing to have a safe place where our dogs can play with other pups without me worrying something might happen to them. I can't recommend Dave and EveryDog enough!

I was visiting from Southern California and stopped in the store just to use the bathroom. Such a…read morecute store! The worker was so warm and friendly. So many unique items. They had a good selection of MLB neckerchiefs that easily attached thru his collar that I ended up buying a Dodger one for my dog.

I chose Mike/K9 Mentor because he had a Great Pyrenees (named Dakota) like my dog Maximus. So I…read morefigured he would do best or better than others knowing the breed. In short: Best investment ever for my dog. Mike arrived at 8am. We had a 50-55 minute learning session on DOGs from their culture, through the do's & don'ts, then we brought Maximus in and slowly applied the training methods. What Mike taught us, and what he did with Maximus, is absolutely fabulous. Maximus is more calm & less "high-strung", listens better, responds to me better, seems happier than before K9 Mentor training. PLUS, his aggressiveness has seemed to diminish greatly since the training session. Mike's training is simple, straight-forward, easy to learn (& eventually master) methods. I am completely satisfied with Mike/K9 Mentor Dog Training and would highly recommend him, especially with large dogs. Happy Dog Training & Fight On!

Thanks to Marti for being a great evaluator for both Canine Good Citizen and Trick dog. This…read morehandler was a bit nervous as there was a lot of distractions. Marti just asked us to start doing things instead of reading it off of the list and my nerves subsided. We passed! Yay! This young boy even exceeded my expectations! Much thanks to Marti for our sweet scarf and ribbon too! Love it! Highly recommend!

i hired Vickie Marx for my four month old newfoundland puppy. I chose the in-home program where we…read moreworked at my house when the time was convenient for me. This costs more than a class you can take on Saturdays, but for our busy family it was best. We worked on stopping her from jumping on the counters, the coming when called command. Vickie is a professional. She always showed up on time, was good about contacting me the day before to confirm our appointment, and being flexible. The puppy loved her and I learned a lot. Highly recommend her.

I have used Vickie's pet training services since I purchased the very first dog of my own, way back…read morearound 1979. It was a Doberman Pinscher puppy named "Doody"! (As in "Howdy"!) With her "Praise and Reward" methods of training, my puppy and I took to her immediately and she taught both myself and my dog the proper and gentle methods to train what turned out to be the most obedient dog around! She made my relationship with my dog the most enjoyable 9 years I've ever had. Since then, Vickie has gone on to train many other dogs I've had since Doody passed away. All of them have been trained just as beautifully as she was, making them absolutely wonderful additions to my life and family. I can't recommend Vickie and her training highly enough and am looking forward to her training what I'm hoping will be my next new family addition, a Vietnamese Pot Bellied Pig!! I consider Vickie not only to be a SUPERB pet trainer, but a great friend as well! THANK YOU for making my life a "whole lot" easier than it could have been!! Stacey