Sofia is amazing!! We first sent our two dogs to her last year for a board and train and we came out of that experience with a better understanding of how to communicate with our dogs effectively. And the place command has been a huge life saver! Since the board and train, we've done regular training sessions with Sofia to keep up the skills our dogs learned while with her. She is quick to hop on a phone call if we need advice or have questions and she never makes us feel bad about mistakes or wrong decisions we may have made (since we are still learning!). We also board our dogs with her while we are on vacation - it is so valuable knowing they have a safe, reliable place to go to while we are away. We will continue working with Sofia for as long as she'll have us! read more

We recently engaged Sofia to train our 1-year old Sharpei/French Bulldog rescue puppy. He was starting to show signs of aggression and we lacked the time and knowledge to formally train him. Sofia clearly demonstrated her knowledge and experience in our initial phone call. She earned our confidence and trust immediately. Sofia compared him to a teenager who just needed some formal training and discipline. We agreed. After visiting our house and meeting him in person in his surroundings, she was able to assess the situation and needs. She set expectations for a 3-5 week process. At first we weren't sure that much time was required. It seemed like a lot. But she explained her process and the need for many reps. We were convinced. So we sent him with her for a 4-week "boot-camp". It was hard dropping him off, but we knew it was the right thing. She provided a list of items we would need to ensure success. Our dog responded to her immediately. He loves food and treats are used to incentivize. Sofia gave us many updates, both via text and videos! We could see the progress of our little dude as well as her technique in action. Sofia took him to places like the Lafayette Reservoir and Heather Farms which are both full of activity. Good for his training. It was clear that she has command of her craft with the utmost care for her critters. After 4 weeks, Sofia brought him back to our house and provided a detail handoff to our family members for smooth transition. Our dude came back with discipline while maintaining his natural goofiness and curiosity. We walk him every day in our neighborhood using the techniques Sofia taught. What a difference it has been! Mission accomplished. We highly recommend Sofia for anyone looking for professional help in training your dog with care. read more

Sofia is an amazing trainer! She worked with our Cockapoo (Frankie) for board and train. Frankie transformed during her time and thanks to Sofia's guidance we have been able to maintain it! Recall, general obedience and resource guarding work were amazing. We are much more confident and able to enjoy our days with Frankie so much more! read more

Our sweet rescue had plenty of love and energy to give but zero discipline. This was a struggle with two small kids in the house. He stayed with Even Keel to do 3 weeks of e collar training/boarding. He came back a different animal. He is the same sweet lovely boy, but so good and in check. Even the neighbors have noticed! I think he is a lot happier knowing how to best please his pack. It also gave us peace of mind to get lots of pictures and status updates while he was boarding. He clearly got plenty of love and attention during his stay! read more

Even Keel Canine - Pet Training Near Me

Our pups have been doing private training with Sofia for a few months and we feel confident that we have the tools to train them into amazing well behaved dogs! Our girls just completed a one week boarding with Sofia and it went fantastic! We got a few updates with pictures throughout our week. We would highly recommend using Even Keel for boarding/training. Sofia is a great trainer that will listen to all your concerns and help you work out a plan to get great dogs, as long as you put in the work! We've seen a lot of progress with our girls and can't wait to keep up the training for them in the future! read more

Even Keel Canine - Pet Training Near Me

We were fortunate enough to find Even Keel Canine to help us with our pups boarding, but even more-so for the great training he received while there! We met with Sofia ahead of time to talk about our challenges, which included poor leash walking (our lovely dog walked us) and poor recall (especially when distracted.) We decided to do the 4-week board and train to get the most out of his training, and it was such a great decision for us and our boy. When we met with Sofia after the board and train ended, we were positively happy with the results! Our pup now does the best heel, and we now walk him, which we all enjoy so much more! We never imagined we'd be able to have him off leash with us somewhere, and while we're still using a long leash while we all practice our new skills, our dog comes right back to us when we call, and actually looks to stay close to us! Sofia was also able to help us work on our dogs jumping and barking when people come over. So many great improvements. Sofia is very knowledgeable, and was very responsible with our dog. She communicated great with us each week with updates, sending the occasional cute pic! Our dog was very happy and in great health when we got him back. He was also excited to see Sofia again when we met for our follow up sessions. We highly recommend Even Keel Canine! read more

We recently hired Sofia for 4 private training sessions to help us with our dog Dusty. Dusty is around 5 or 6 years old and we adopted him from a shelter during covid. He was terrified when we first adopted him, but he's come a long way with us over the years. Dusty now clings to me, but is often nervous and skittish with my partner when I'm not around. In addition, we needed help with Dusty's separation anxiety. We tried many different training techniques, but we couldn't get Dusty to relax and stop barking when left alone. I reached out to Sofia when I saw the success my coworker had after working with her for a similar issue. During our intro session, Sofia quickly analyzed Dusty's behavior and helped us come up with a plan to slowly acclimate Dusty with being alone. She helped us understand how to train Dusty with E-collars, slip leads, and basic training commands to mitigate some of Dusty's nuisance behaviors. After just a few sessions and practicing our "homework", we got Dusty to stop barking when left alone! We still have work to, but Sofia gave us the tools we need to improve Dusty's anxiety and bad behaviors. I would recommend Sofia's training to any dog owner! read more

Sofia was a blessing for my dog Momo and me. There's so much we aren't told about adopting a dog and the mixed back of challenges that come with it. My dog struggles with pretty severe separation anxiety. I didn't realize this until we moved and I had to leave her alone for longer periods of time. It was incredibly stressful to come home and see that she had destroyed things and that we were receiving notes from neighbors about her being distributive. Cue Sofia! We reached out to her for a mixture of boarding and personal dog training sessions. We learned so much about how to be a leader for our dog and give her some structure that her anxious little brain needed. Part of this learning experience was learning that this will always be part of who she is and it is up to us to continue to train her and develop her confidence in herself and us. We are now able to leave her alone and while she doesn't love her kennel, she tolerates it and it keeps her calm enough while we're away. Her recall is terrific after a few short weeks with Sofia and she is overall much better than she was when we first engaged with Sofia. Sofia is there to help you, not sugar coat things. She is great at what she does and will not only train your dog, but most importantly will teach YOU how to help your dog be successful in their behavioral challenges. read more

Even Keel Canine - Pet Training Near Me

We hired Sofia to help us assess a puppy who was incredibly hard to train. Though our puppy is very sweet, she had a hard time following direction and very difficult to potty train. Sofia's honesty, patience and overall direction was thorough and easy to follow. After 4 weeks of training, our dog came back enthusiastic and ready to learn. Sofia walked us through the process assuring us that our dog was still very young but easily trained. It's a work in progress, as we know training will be lifelong but she provided us with the necessary tools to ensure our success. Very happy with Sofia's patience, direction and humor. Totally recommend. read more

Sofia is a gem and I am thrilled that we found her! I can't recommend her enough. We hired her after feeling very frustrated with our very nervous, fearful and highly reactive terrier dog, Scout. Sofia is truly the ultimate dog whisperer with her firm but also loving ways towards the dogs. She just knows how to strike the perfect balance to get the dogs to trust her and feel confident. Once Scout realized Sofia was there to advocate and lead him, he felt confident enough to walk on leash in very busy areas without barking or lunging. He enjoyed his training sessions and I enjoyed reading all the updates she would send twice a week. Sofia is very good at teaching the owners exactly how to handle and care for their dog. She gave me the tools and ability to also do what she did to make Scout feel more confident and less fearful on his walks. Scout is a work in progress and just went back to Sofia for a refresher board and train. I love her honesty and patience to get me and Scout back on track so we can ultimately live a more happier and stress free life together! We will continue to use Sofia for refresher training sessions as well as boarding. read more

Even Keel Canine - Scout the medium sized terrier below happy and calm around other larger dogs! - Pet Training Near Me

This is by far the easiest 5 Stars I've ever given! Sofia is an amazing trainer. She is dedicated, communicative, and good at what she's doing. It's clear she cares about our dogs and is passionate to help them become the best version of themselves. I adopted my pup at 11 months old from someone who did not train him AT ALL. It was not an easy start. I worked with several trainers and none were fully able to help me with my pup. However, Sofia really connected with my dog and he came back ten times better. He used to be extremely reactive towards dogs. I am not exaggerating when I say he would scream for 10 minutes after seeing a dog. My main goal for him was to become neutral, now I can say he truly is. I went on a walk to Lake Merrit a couple days ago and there was an off leash dog with its owner no where to be found and my dog did not bat an eye. Of course, he was confused, but he was not jumpy or loud. If it weren't for Even Keel Canine I would still be struggling. I feel so grateful for Sofia and glad I worked with her as she helped me feel more confident as well. I promise that if you book with her, you won't be disappointed and you and your dog will have so much more freedom and fun! read more

Even Keel Canine - He used to not be able to walk in a straight line and pull. Now I can take pics of him on his walks vs being on constant high alert. - Pet Training Near Me

See all

Sofia worked with our two rescue dogs through her board and train program. Prior to the board and train, she took the time to meet really understand our goals and meet our dogs. Throughout her time with them, she gave regular updates on their progress. When they returned home, we noticed immediate improvements. Not only were they much improved in their walking (not pulling, not being completely distracted by squirrels), but Sofia had trained them on a daily routine that works for our schedules. We feel that Sofia really listened to and focused on working on our goals, as well as anticipated and worked on things we didn't even think of, such as getting them comfortable with nail cutting. She was very generous with her time with training sessions, and met us in locations to work on skills that were important to us. We highly recommend Sofia for dog training, as well as feel very comfortable with our dogs boarding with her in the future. read more

Sofia helped us with our older rescue pooch Murray. He came with some anxious/reactive behaviors that were challenging to say the least. At the very first session she demonstrated how we could alter our interactions with him to make our intentions clear, which gave him a chance to learn what we needed from him. We spent (4) sessions with Sofia and now we can groom him, walk him around other dogs without him going crazy, and he is happily crate-trained in both the house and in the car. I recommend working with Sofia if you are struggling with your pup understanding what you want, she can lend clarity and bring peace to your home! read more

Sofia is such an amazing dog trainer. I highly recommend using her. We boarded our miniature poodle puppy with her for a month. Our puppy was very fearful. He would lunge and bark at cars on our walks. He would pull and be out of control when other dogs walked by. He came back much more calm and well mannered. He walks so well on his leash and he is not fearful of cars and dogs. Sofia also gave us great tools and advice for continuing with the training at home. Thank you Sofia! read more

I cannot give enough of a recommendation or praise for Sofia and her dog training skills/services. We were first introduced to Sofia in 2020 when we were searching for some help with our (at the time) almost 1-year old Bernedoodle/Aussie mix puppy. We'd taken him to several different puppy training classes (even got as far as an "Advanced Puppy" class with one trainer) but were still seeing several red flag issues with his behavior. We have three young kids at home and the main concern for us was his aggression towards our kids. He was guarding his food and water bowls around our children to the extent of growing and snarling at them when they even tried to enter the same room as him (being nowhere near him, just in the same room). He also had a lot of issues with impulse control, generally nipping and jumping on our kids all the time, despite our best efforts at correction and "positive training" tools to get him to stop. We got him to be a family pet but our kids were becoming scared of him so we found ourselves at a crossroads. Enter: Sofia. First of all, she immediately put me at ease from as early as our first phone call because I could tell - this person knows what she's talking about. We both agreed a 3-week board & train would be best for our dog and sent him off to her with our fingers crossed. I kid you not, he came back a different canine (in the BEST way possible!). He still had his goofy personality and little quirks we loved but he had a VERY clear understanding of what behavior was expected and allowed from him and what wasn't. Sofia made sure to follow up with us after the board & train ended with several in-person training sessions too. With the tools she gave us, we have successfully been managing our dog, Kylo, at home with almost no issues for the past year. She really helped us turn what was a nightmare scenario for our family into a smooth and happy home life. We love her so much that we already have our new puppy signed up to do a board & train with her once she's old enough! If you have any sort of issues with your pooch, whether it's aggression, anxiety, or just run-of-the-mill obedience things, you HAVE to make sure Sofia works with your dog! read more

Working with Sofia has been a great experience! Our dog Tai is a rescue who has gotten really protective around our house and has started having behavioral issues with guests he doesn't know / trust. We did a board and train with Sofia and she worked wonders! She really improved his obedience, but also his confidence, and has helped us to become better pet owners. My wife and I could not recommend her enough! read more

Sofia has been an amazing trainer for us and our tricky shepherd mix! Our pup started showing fear reactivity when he was about 7 months old, and things continued to deteriorate from there. We tried 2 other trainers (including one positive only) with less experience and his issues continued getting much worse, as did our stress levels. Thank goodness Sofia really knows what she is doing! She deeply understands the importance of clear communication in training and building a bond with your dog. We were originally not sure about using a prong and e-collar but she helped us understand that they are used as measured communication tools and introduced them slowly so that our dog clearly understood what we were asking of him. She is also great at helping us understand the dog that we have and to set reasonable expectations, especially aiming for him to be neutral in new situations. She has made a huge impact in our lives and I honestly don't know what we would have done without her. We recently had a baby and went back to Sofia for a few brush up sessions and it was just as great the second time around. She is amazing and I highly recommend her, especially if you are dealing with a difficult dog and are at the end of your rope! read more

Even Keel Canine - Pet Training Near Me

Sofia took a scared insecure extremely leash reactive dog that had been returned to the shelter twice because adopters couldn't handle him and turned him into an amazing confident curious best furry friend. I could barely take my dog on walks before sending him to Sofia for board and training, because he is so large and would lunge at every person, dog, car, bike, etc he saw. It's been almost two months since he completed training and he's doing great! The investment was well worth it. By keeping up with the training he heels, stays, places, and recalls without an issue and most importantly his reactions when on leash have stopped. I enjoy walking him now and can even take him off leash in open spaces with confidence that he will come when recalled. He's also trained to fetch and truly bring the ball back and give it to me without fail. It's fun to see people stop and watch with their dogs as we play fetch and for him to show off his skills. Highly recommend! read more