The highlight of my day is picking up my 8 month old Golden Cava-Doodle in the late afternoon. He…read moreliterally has a smile on his face and he's super excited to see me. He's had the best time of his life with his dog buddies for 4 hours and I can tell the instructors have had fun too. We've been with Woof Academy since our little boy dog was 3 months old and he loves every minute of it. He loves to play in the small pool and he's made some incredible dog-friends. I think everyone is very involved at the academy and it seems like the dogs and the humans make each other smile. It's been a great experience and I would highly recommend the Woof Academy for your puppy so he/she gets socialized.

Beautiful, clean facility, multiple training programs available, staff are experienced and caring…read moredog trainers, and the puppy socialization class is the best. My otherwise shy, fearful puppy loves the socialization classes, he comes home happy and tired after each session. We are also learning useful basic obedience skills in the puppy class. Highly recommend!

Cara is excellent training your dog. She is very knowledgeable and very patient. Has great methods…read morethat does not include a shock dog collar. I would highly recommend her!

I can't recommend Cara enough! From the very first session, it was clear that she truly understand…read moredogs and their behavior. Cara took the time to assess my puppy's individual needs and developed a training plan with the goal of forming a strong relationship with my dalmatian, Ruth. Cara was incredibly patient, calm, and encouraging. Check out her YouTube videos to get Cara's vibe for traning and see if her apporach works for you. Unfortunately, due to personal circumstances, we were not able to complete our eight-week training plan, but Cara was completely understanding and refunded me for the remaining sessions. I was beyond grateful that she was so understanding of situation. Cara has a genuine love for animals, and it shows in every interaction. If you're looking for a knowledgeable, kind, and results-driven dog trainer, look no further. I'm so grateful for the transformation in my dog's behavior (even in the short time we spent training together) and I would recommend Cara for anyone struggling to train their dog basic obedience, or develop a relationship with their new puppy, and much more!

I am rewriting my review that I left last week. I boarded my two frenchies over Easter weekend…read more There was a lack of communication and a large discrepancy on my final billing. I left the review because the few staff members I spoke to disregarded my claim that I was over billed. A Paw Commons staff member contacted me and admitted that they made a mistake. They immediately refunded me the money that was overcharged. They also offered me a complimentary boarding for my pups for the error that was made. Because Paw Commons was willing to take responsibility and make it right. I feel that it was the right thing to change my review to a positive experience. My pups were happy at pick up. There were no issues with them. The staff was friendly. They gave me a tour of the facility. It was clear and the indoor facility was nice. I will be bringing my pups back to them on our next trip. Thank Paw Commons!!!

The technicians were very professional and showed kindness and love to my fur babies Molly and…read moreWinston. Winston is a 4 month old Amstaff terrier mix and they made it a wonderful experience the first time being groomed.

What a wonderful program! We took our sweet little rescue there, and it was a fantastic experience…read more When we were worried about separation anxiety, we had another consult through the same program and were over the moon with our support that we got! We got everything we needed and more!

Patti was such a great help when it came to training our puppy Winnie! She tailored every session…read moreto our dog's needs and how we can better support/train her. She also took the time to send us a recap after every session with resources so we always had something to refer back to. We enjoyed every session and have nothing but Pawsitive things to say :)

We've been bringing our two golden retrievers to Kamp Kanine since they were puppies, and they…read moreabsolutely love it. Tyler and Hali are next level when it comes to care and communication. They send photos, pay close attention to each dog's needs, and always have them washed and ready right on time when we ask. I also really appreciate how thoughtfully they group the dogs to keep everyone happy and safe. I've tried other daycare centers, and none compare to Kamp Kanine. The drop-off and pick-up process is so easy, and I have complete peace of mind every time. M Rivera

Hi, I was a kamp client for over five years. I withstood the business closing without notice when…read morethey lost their lease, many waves of management changes and a nasty virus impacting two of my dogs. Recently, a manager raised concerns about one of my dogs who has always been "high octane" and when I engaged in a constructive conversation with the owner that included my own observations about unsafe drop off procedures, two of my dogs were disinvited from participating in camp anymore (including one kamp had never raised any concerns over). Really disappointing that Kamp would treat a loyal customer this way and after the owner, Gian, represented to me the business day before that he was committed to working towards solution. They've turned into one of those places that is interested in easy dogs and easy money, not longevity of a client base. Goodbye from a good client that paid $600 per month.

Rosa was awesome! She was so patient with us and our dog. His aggression was so bad and she really…read morebrought it down. She showed us how to react and not to react when seeing another dog and now we can introduce our dog to others safely. Thank you Rosa!!!!

When we first got Carl, he was extremely reactive, untrained, and could be aggressive in ways that…read moregenuinely scared me. I loved him immediately, but I felt overwhelmed and unsure how to help him. He had big emotions, big triggers, and no tools to cope with them, and I knew I needed someone experienced and compassionate to guide us. From the very first session, Lana took the time to understand both Carl and me--my concerns, my fears, and my hopes for him. She created a thoughtful and personalized plan that focused on helping Carl feel safe, supported, and more regulated. She also taught me how to read his signals, how to approach training with confidence, and how to create a calmer environment at home. Because of Lana's patience, expertise, and consistency, Carl has made incredible progress. The dog who once felt unpredictable and reactive now shows his sweet, loving, goofy side more and more each day. I'm so grateful for her guidance and would recommend Lana to anyone--especially those who feel scared or overwhelmed and want to help their dog become the best version of themselves.

Bark Busters came to us highly recommended. After some research and reviewing Ted Talk and…read morearticles, I signed up our two rescue mix breed ~20lb boys. We are grateful to James of BB who placed us with Jenna. Our boys issues: high reactivity outside, especially other dogs, and inside, door bell, ring cameras, etc. Coupled with greetings by jumping and owning the house. Jenna set us on a path of activities for inside and was incredibly patient letting me share and ask questions, learning constantly. As we fine-tuned and we all got more comfortable we moved our training to outside. The methodology used is absolutely amazing and, I dare say, short of a miracle. We practice regularly and introduce the boys to different circumstances. All that food luring and positive food reinforcement training certainly has its place but only the techniques of BB with Jenna has helped our boys become trusting, comfortable, and happy. Here I thought I had to scan the horizon constantly to be aware of incoming dogs to prepare myself to hide behind a car or go in the corner behind garbage cans to get maximum distance. Not true. I walk no longer with my head on a lazy susan. We all are forever grateful. Our boys can lead richer more social lives. Thank you!!!

I'm updating my original 6-month review now that it has been a full year since we hired Bark…read moreBusters to help with our rescue dog Mimi. As first-time dog owners, the early support really did help us. Having someone we could call during those overwhelming first months was a relief. Over time, though, I realized I was hoping the training would shift toward more positive reinforcement. The constant, harsher corrections worked at first but eventually didn't seem effective anymore and started affecting my relationship with Mimi. I noticed this during a family trip where Mimi, who is usually fearful of strangers, bonded more easily with my husband and his family. She gravitated toward them when scared, and I realized it might be because they weren't following the correction-heavy approach, while I was. I also asked for help with Mimi's fear and reactivity toward other dogs, but was told they didn't have dogs available for training and that I would need to bring a calm, socialized dog myself. As a non-trainer, that was very hard, but we tried by traveling many hours to introduce her to my husband's family dog. The experience ended up being chaotic since the family didn't fully understand what the process required, and new people and dogs kept appearing even though Mimi wasn't ready. Her reactivity came back in that environment, which made me feel like the training had only put a bandaid on deeper fear issues. Maybe I should have clarified expectations better from the start, but with a high-need dog and being new to all of this, I didn't know what to expect. Since then, we've switched to a positive reinforcement trainer who organizes structured group activities. Mimi is still scared of bigger dogs and can still be reactive, but she's improving slowly and has been able to meet a few smaller dogs. She's also still fearful of people, but she nips a lot less now, so progress is happening. Overall, Bark Busters helped us in the beginning, but long-term we found that a different, more positive approach has been a better fit for Mimi.

I met Cathy November 2011 while volunteering as a Canine Coach for adoptable dogs at the Rancho…read moreCoastal Humane Society down the street. Cathy sponsors an adoptable every class free of charge to improve their chances in finding a forever home and as a Canine Coach I would transport and train said animal. As if that weren't enough to fall in love with Take the Lead. I coached three dog through her 6 week course and she asked me to stay on as an intern trainer. I've been volunteering there ever since. Her methods are painless and positive. She teaches people to read their dogs body language so that we don't ask something of our dog that hurts, makes them uncomfortable or would create undue stress. Her motto is "It takes two to pull" so be prepared to be trained as well. Classes are an hour. They are fun and functional, you learn how to handle real-life situations, how to train your pet to be a good patient at the Vet, the Groomer and Dog-sitter. There are special guest speakers, games and play. Your dog is begging for you to call Cathy at Take the Lead!

Looking for a positive fun way to train your puppy? Cathy Meyer is the answer! We call her Aunt…read moreCathy and put our Havanese in her capable hands. She trained us how to have a happy, trained, well adjusted puppy. From puppy kindergarten to Good Citizen classes we always had fun and learned something new. We can take Max anywhere due to all his training. We loved every minute and 3 years later still visit Aunt Cathy at her puppy daycare. Highly recommend it

Jan is the best! I can leave town and feel 100% comfortable that my two cats are well cared for…read more She spends time sitting with them, which as older cats is what they like the most. BONUS- I have asked Jan for last minute care on a few occasions and she has always helped me out. Best cat sitter!

Jan is fantastic! She stayed with our two dogs over a 5 day period and we couldn't have been…read morehappier with our experience with her. She gave us daily updates on our dogs accompanied with pictures to let us know how everything was going. She was very responsible and respectful of our home, leaving everything clean and exactly how we left it. But most importantly to us, the dogs were happy and in great shape when we returned. I would not hesitate to recommend Jan and hope that she is able to stay with our dogs whenever we are out of town in the future. Wonderful experience!

I came into this PetSmart location yesterday morning and was greeted as soon as I walked in by a…read moreworker named Talia. I was coming in to return some cat food I had just bought, as my sweet kitty Tofu passed away over the weekend. I was having a horrible day and Talia made my experience so easy- she was so helpful in returning my items and also talked with me about my cat. I showed her pictures of Tofu and it felt so good to be able to talk about him and share funny stories. The compassion she showed me and the genuine concern is something I won't forget. It's clear this Petsmart employs people who actually care about animals and I'm so grateful she was there the day I decided to come in. Thank you Talia and the whole team at PetSmart.

My pup Honey goes to Doggie Day camp almost every day - Tabitha , Allison, Morgan , Chloe (…read moreeveryone actually ) is amazing. They treat Honey as if she was their own . My dog is so happy when she enters the doors at Petsmart ; from the enrichment games , the theme parties , and so much more - Honey deserves the best and Petsmart Encinitas is the best ! Thank you for treating her like family !! Leslie is an absolute Gem and is a wonderful resourceful trainer - and has helped me with my big pup !! Thank you Leslie !!!