This is a long overdue review for Mena - he was INVALUABLE for me and pup, Brooke. Brooke was intensely fearful when I adopted her and that quickly turned into reactivity. He walked us through positive reinforcement training and helped us SO much in her first couple years. He's also a wonderful dog sitter and Brooke is madly in love with him. We moved away so unfortunately we can't use him anymore but I recommend him to everyone I meet who needs a trainer. He's a wonderful person, super knowledgeable, and was an incredibly effective teacher for me and Brooke. Brooke is now a calm, happy, loving dog and a lot of that can be credited to Mena and what he's taught me. read more

Dog Party - Brooke - Pet Sitting Near Me

I was nervous that we would never find a person who would want to walk our dog Remi. She has the worst social skills, she greets everyone no matter how many times you have met her with really loud barking, a mohawk of raised hair, all while lungeing at your crotch. If you have the courage to break her barrier of being frightened-gaurd dog, she is lots of fun and has a great personality. Somehow Mena has never had an issue with her. I think he has a dog whisperer way about him. For example once I was with Remi at a dog park and typically she stays away from people and plays with her ball or others dogs, anyone who wants to pet her she does her scary routine. This day she ran straight up to a random guy and was super happy to see him, I was thinking who in the world could that be, when I got up closer I realized it was Mena! She LOVES Mena! Also I have seen Mena in action walking a dog, he was training the dog as he was walking and he looks like a pro. I stopped the conversation I was having with my friend as we were driving by to point out Remi's dog walker! I feel like Mena is more then a dog walker he is like a buddy to the dogs. Once Remi needed Mena for an extended period of time and he took her on an adventure, not just a neighborhood walk. He send pictures and messages with updates that will settle any nervous or curious dog parents mind. Plus Mena is just rad, I'm a little jealous that Remi gets to hangout with him all the time. He also has a key to our house, we are perfectly ok with that! read more

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Ahhhh I love Mena and his dog training! We hired him for my dog Bebe and her fear and anxiety problems. We had 4 sessions and every time it was so fun! He taught us the basic foundations of dog psychology and why dogs do the things they do when they're scared. He also taught us some tricks and tips to get Bebe to stop barking at little kids and explanations for that. He's also very personable and funny and sweet! Follow him on Instagram to see your dog on there! :D read more

Mena is amazing -- reliable, trustworthy, and super customer service focused, not to mention our high energy dog Zoey is head over heels in love with him! We've used Mena as our house/dog sitter and regular dog walker since 2013. On the dogsitting front -- we've never been so impressed with a dog sitter! Zoey is happier than when we left and our house is cleaner than we keep it. As for our dogwalking -- Zoey is one tired girl when we get home. We can always rely on Mena to show up and he often sends the cutest photos of our girl having fun. I should mention that Zoey has had aggression issues with other dogs and Mena is adept at making sure she stays out of trouble. Don't look anywhere else for your dog sitting/walking needs. Mena is your guy. read more

Our little Chicken is extremely cautious around new people - Mena is literally the ONLY person who has been able to win her over from day one. His patience and compassion is truly incredible! He's also extremely reliable and an excellent communicator - we don't regularly need a dog walker but feel so grateful to be able to call him whenever we need. We really can't recommend him enough! read more

First rate all the way. What can I say Mena is one of the best dog walkers and sitters I have had. He loves dogs! He is patient, flexible and very reliable. I know my babies are in good hands when they are with him. He is a great person to have look after your lil loved ones. read more

As a new Akita puppy owner, we definitely went through some challenges the first week. So we immediately signed Cooper up for the 4 week 1-on-1 training with Mena. OMG! Mena is such a lifesaver. Each week there were clear improvements. He is incredible with puppies. Cooper was always learning while having fun. And by the end of the session, Cooper was so tired that he went straight to sleep...which gave me some much needed "me" time. Thanks Mena! read more

Mena is extremely positive and outgoing. He has great people communication skills and super with dogs. We recently got a new puppy who is fairly timid and sensitive to wearing a harness (she hates it and won't move while it is on). Mena helped us get her going walking on a leash. read more

Would 100% recommend Mena and his teaching. Mena is extremely knowledgeable with dogs and instantly developed a bond with my sensitive young pup, able to pinpoint areas for us to work on and develop together in a fun, positive manner. Now whenever Kai sees Mena, he always gets EXTREMELY excited and jumps headfirst into educational and fun training sessions. Obedience, handling, leash-training, and sensitization are just a few of the things Mena helped Kai with. Mena was not only very instructive with Kai, but with me as well, and really helped teach me how to be a more informed owner for my pup. Besides our scheduled sessions, Mena is also very accessible through phone and email, and has helped me with countless random things through text, even helping board Kai for a few days on short notice. I could not recommend Mena enough to any dog owners who may have questions on how best to train and nurture their dogs! read more

Mena is FANTASTIC. We've taken two classes with him now, and he has helped our sweet little rescue pitty become a much more well-behaved doggo. He keeps everything upbeat and fun, and we've been able to extrapolate the skills we've learned in class to train the dog with new tricks at home. She's a little leash-reactive and wants to bark at all the other dogs, and he had no problem putting up a little barrier so she could focus on her tasks. We were able to open it up little by little, and she's much better now--hopefully we can continue that outside of class! read more

Mena was referred to us by our dog trainer for a dog-sitting job, and I cannot say enough about how wonderful he is! We rescued Cassie, a 14 month-old Dobie from a shelter and then 6 weeks later, went away for a planned 10 day trip. Once we meet Mena, and he met Cassie, we knew she would be in safe, loving and professional hands. Mena loves dogs and it shows. Before we left, we spoke to Mena at length around some of the issues we had with Cassie, namely how to keep her happy when she had to be left alone in the house. When we returned from our trip, Mena had taught her to stay in her crate for up to 5 hours! He even took audio recordings of her to monitor how she did while she was alone. He went above and beyond why we hired him- to have a dog sitter during our absence. We came home to a different girl! A calmer, more settled and more responsive Cassie. We will have many occasions to need a dog sitter over the next 10+ years, and we will always go back to Mena. He has won our hearts, and more importantly, Cassie's. read more

Mena is an amazing trainer. He clearly knows he is training both the people and the dog. He notices the body language and behavior of both and can patiently suggest changes that gets the right behavior. Our dog has an 'avoidance' behavior and gets easily overwhelmed, Mena gave us suggestions on giving our puppy an 'out' from an overwhelming contact by having the stranger throw a treat a short space away from themselves and our puppy so he can learn he can break the contact himself and not feel cornered. He is just as patient with the owners. The nuances of the training can be overwhelming and Mena was able to patiently communicate the lessons to the humans. Not an easy task. I would totally recommend having lessons with Mena! read more

Mena was a great teacher for me and my puppy. Practical and most importantly, positive. It really helped me to understand techniques that would appeal to my dog's intrinsic motivation versus trying to correct behavior. read more

Yeah! I'm so glad we found Mena! He is awesome. He just stayed/dog sat for us for a week and it was awesome for all. He took excellent care of our dog, he texted me adorable pics and updates, he was responsive if anything came up, and he is a really exceptionally nice guy. He even left us a hilarious, sweet and information packed letter for us on our return that documented all the goings-on while we were away. Relieved that we have a great solution to being out of town. Thank you, Mena!!! read more

Mena is THE BEST!!!!! After rescuing yet another pup, my neighbor recommended him for some issues we were having. Mena figured out immediately it wasn't the puppy we were having problems with it was our four year old poodle mix Wally. Mena is all about positive reinforcement and building confidence. Mena walked in the door and voila, Wally was instantly in love! He taught us how to boost Wally's confidence. Wally was growling and snarling at the new puppy. Now they are best friends (although he told me not to expect anything more than tolerating each other). Wally now goes to the dog park on a regular basis, something I stopped years ago because I afraid of his reactions to other dogs. Wally is a much happier dog all around! As far as I'm concerned Mena is a miracle worker. He is so in touch with dogs and their language. He has taught me to be a much better pet owner. My dogs are so much happier because Mena walked through our door. I can't think of anyone I would trust more with my dogs. If you need a dog trainer, walker, pet sitter You will not find anyone better than Mena!! read more

We'd never done puppy school before and were concerned how our big, shy, Aussie Cattle/Blue Heeler would do. Mena was extremely patient, courteous, and clearly a dog lover. He's extremely skilled, and was excellent at communicating and demonstrating how we could help train and enable our dog Fred to be the best Fred. Thanks Mena! read more

Mena has been absolutely fabulous. I have a challenging older dog who barks and acts crazy with strangers and on walks. My dog sits obediently in front of Mena and follows all of his directions. The hotdogs and cooked chicken he brings along help. I've been really impressed by Mena's professionalism, willingness to be flexible and go above and beyond. Dog Party is heads above a kennel experience for our dogs when we go away. read more

Mena is a wonderful and caring trainer. Our puppy, Savannah the golden, was a wild little girl till Mena came into her life. He worked with us, and her, and now she is well adjusted to our big family. Cannot say thank you enough!! read more

Mena was simply born a dog whisperer. I shadowed him to learn his skills and was amazed at his ease and control with handling a pack of dogs at once. He is extremely knowledgable about dog psychology and the latest training techniques. He's also just a natural with animals which explains why everyone (including the doggies) love him. read more

My dog Remy hates most people, but he loves Mena and his walks! Mena is so good with dogs and people, and completely trustworthy. He's also priced better than everyone else it seems. read more

Mena is AWESOME. I have some high maintenance, older French Bulldogs and they love him. He is reliable, and amazing. Highly recommend!

Reached out to Mena for more information, and after some back and forth over email, we were ready to schedule a consultation. Unfortunately, he suddenly informed us we were "outside of his service area"... we're in Oakland in Redwood Heights - it seemed odd to advertise being an Oakland-based Dog trainer and not accept clients less than 15 minutes away from Temescal. I wish he had been more transparent about his "territory" from the start. read more

Mena is one of those rare people who has great rapport with dogs and their people. His positive training techniques were perfect for our adorable rescue pup, Carson, who came to us shy and full of separation anxiety. Training Carson to be comfortable with us leaving took lots of patience and time. Mena gave us the skills to help Carson become the more confident dog he is today. Mena was also patient with the humans, understanding our shortcomings and time constraints, making the training process a more positive experience for the two legged family members, too. read more

Meeting Mena was such a breath of fresh air for me and my lab puppy Spencer! He was enthusiastic and kind, but most important, tremendously educated on animal behavior! He made training fun and exciting, all we had to do was put in the work. I have had dogs my entire life and worked with many trainers over the years. Mena is truly brilliant! read more

Mena has been walking my dogs Momo and Fozzy for the last year every day and they love him!! First, he is a natural with dogs - if you met him for even 5 minutes, you will totally understand what I mean! Second, he is very reliable, a great communicator, and very trustworthy. Its also a bit nervewracking giving keys to your house and the leash of your furbabies to someone you don't know but you really don't have to worry at all with Mena! We are super sad to be moving out of state and had to say goodbye to Mena this week. I really don't know if we will find another dog walker as amazing as Mena again... read more

Hey yelpers! So I am a single dog papa. I work long hours and needed someone dependable to look after my high energy labrador a few times during the week. Mena, has always been super available, affordable, and dependable. The best thing I can say is Mena is a true dog lover. He has helped my pooch on discipline and socializing with other dogs. Whatever you are looking for whether it is an occasional walk, regular walking, or someone to really take care of your pup while you are out of town for the weekend, you can call Mena. Liz D and I are neighbors and I can back up every thing mentioned in her review. Anyhow, for great dog care, give Mena a call! read more

I cannot say enough good things about Mena! He helped us with our one year old rescue dog and was a genius, but more importantly, he is a special man who has a special relationship with dogs and a pretty great rapport with humans too! We haven't had a need for more training (thank you Mena) but we would trust Mena with our dog anytime. no matter what your situation with your daughter, no need to look further! read more

Mena is awesome! He helped us with our new Labradoodle puppy. Our puppy LOVES him and he helped me tremendously with all of my many questions. He is very knowledgable and was great at acknowledging the balance between training and managing a puppy. Our training sessions were fun and educational. He was wonderful about answering questions over email in between sessions as well. read more

Enough can't be said about Meena Kamel. We had dog 1 and dog 2 with him. He is really kind and gentle while being clear about what we are getting not quite right. It is so clear it is the handlers not the dogs who mess up. We were the worse ones in dog 2 and I still learned a ton, as did my little dog. We will repeat with Meena. read more

Mena stepped in to walk our dog twice a day during a stressful time. I never had to worry about our border collie's well being, nor whether she was getting all the exercise I asked for. Mena is uber trustworthy and I'm very relaxed about him having our house keys. Mena I loves dogs. I highly recommend him. read more

Mena is as good as a dog trainer can get. Wonderful positive attitude with both dogs and humans, and as much energy as my Golden Doodle pup. Took two Bravo Pup classes and he gave special attention to our hyperactive little guy while still appropriately focusing on all the other students. What a great trainer! read more

Mena is the best! He clearly loves dogs and dogs love him! As first time dog owners, we were a little overwhelmed by our rambunctious puppy, Curry. I think Mena trained us just as much as he trained Curry. He's patient with dogs (and their owners), quick to smile and laugh at doggy antics, and seems to take complete joy in rewarding dogs for good behavior. Couldn't have asked for or imagined a better dog trainer for our puppy! read more

Mena was wonderful in helping us with our newly adopted dog's separation anxiety. He has a method that requires time and patience but has been enormously helpful. His 4-week training/coaching gave us the tools we needed to understand basic dog psychology re: separation anxiety as well as an approach to help our dog find his capacity for self-soothing. Mena's a great, supportive coach who really knows dogs - and their humans! read more

My dog practically squeals with excitement every time Mena and his own four-legged side-kick approach our door. Mena is my dog's best friend - I'm a little jealous. In the seven months that Mena has been picking up my dog and taking him for walks around the neighborhood and to local dog parks, I have appreciated how thoroughly reliable, professional and caring Mena has been. He has even sent me videos of my boy happily gallivanting with other pooches. Those make my day. I highly recommend Mena! read more

Mena is a wonderful dog trainer, and our sessions with him have been fun, relaxed, and very productive. He included my two young kids in the session so well and taught them how to interact successfully with our new rescue dog and how to understand her body language. We intend to keep working with him, both because we see benefits and better dog behavior and because he is such a lovely person! Highly recommended!!! read more

My husband and I found Mena when we moved back to the Bay Area and needed a skilled dog trainer for boarding our 5 year old male border collie when we were out of town - our dog has a bite history, anxiety, and displays fear aggression with new people. Finding someone who knows how to communicate and work with our dog's special needs has been difficult in the past. Mena has proved to be a fantastic trainer, communicator and resource for us over the past two years - we've boarded our dog with him 5+ times. The first time we boarded with him, I was hesitant about leaving our 70 lb. dog in a one bedroom apartment with no yard. After seeing how comfortable our dog quickly became around Mena, and how confident/happy/exercised he was when we returned to get him, we've never had any concern. Mena is so smart with dogs - he reads their cues so well and knows how to respond. He obviously loves dogs and approaches them (and people!) with understanding and leadership. When we learned that Mena was going to be out of town at the same time as us, he went above and beyond to help us find another good boarding option. We can't thank him enough for being such a good dog resource for us, and highly recommend him to anyone. Thanks, Mena! read more