I wish I had contacted Karin sooner! Don't wait like I did. If you want your puppy on the path to…read moresuccess give Karin a call. She's also very fun to hang out with and you will learn a lot about your puppy and tools and skills for positive behavior training.

Karin is amazing! She is a true dog whisperer and extremely diligent/ knowledgeable AND hilarious…read morefun throughout the whole process. Our puppy is a rescue with some real issues, she was honest and frank about who he is and provided a path forward. We are forever grateful for her care and support, without her training and mentorship we may not have been equipped to keep our pup. Thank you!!

Their 'training' is entirely anchored on fear-inducing techniques. We were given a contraption that…read moregenerates a harsh noise, and my dog was visibly terrified every time the trainer used it on her. All this while they constantly reassured us all their techniques are based on positive reinforcement - what kind of positive reinforcement is centered around fear?! It gnaws at us that we ever decided to go with this service. My dog - and every dog - deserves better.

Gusty us AMAZING!!!!! We saw great results after just 1 session and learn tons with each followup…read more If you keep up with her lessons you should see great behavioral improvement and management. Our dog was already amazing, but Gusty helped with the transition of our older rehomed puppy to our family. Something to note about the Bark Busters philosophy- it uses positive reinforcement with solid results...and also acknowledges that your dog is still going to be your dog. Their personality is their personality... so they teach you how to work with the dog that you have instead of the dog that you think you should have.

This is a long overdue review for Mena - he was INVALUABLE for me and pup, Brooke. Brooke was…read moreintensely 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.

I was nervous that we would never find a person who would want to walk our dog Remi. She has the…read moreworst 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!

The only board and train I'd trust. Meryl has the skills and talent to really make a difference…read moreand help people and their dogs live better lives together. I've been blown away by her knowledge and ability to train dogs for years and I cannot recommend her enough. She knows her stuff!!

The long version: We…read moreadopted a very timid, quiet pup at the beginning of October who, once he'd settled in, turned into a smart, energetic, stubborn and barking pup. That wasn't an option as we live in an apartment with WFH neighbors and going potty means walks around town with lots of other dogs. Overwhelmed, I started googling and found so many 5* reviews for Meryl from Bay Area Balanced Dog training. After a very thorough phone consultation where she took the time to talk about her process/our options and answer our many questions/concerns (we were nervous/uninformed about ecollars), we opted to do a 4 week board and train with a few private lessons beforehand. It was more than I had budgeted, but I was upfront about that, and she worked with us on a payment plan leading up to his stay. The private lessons were so helpful, and I highly recommend doing that before your dog's stay. So much about his good behavior relied on me being a good handler. This practice was also like a bandaid before his training, seriously reducing my stress on our daily outings, and made the transition after his stay easy as I already knew the basics of how to ask him for what I expected in a way he understood/had learned with the trainer. The board and train itself was easy, though be aware there's some additional cost to supply all the tools pup will need during his training. That was rough for me at Christmas. Speaking of Christmas, she was happy to keep and train him during the holidays when we would be traveling anyway. Very convenient and saved me additional boarding bills. She provided lots of daily video and picture updates on Instagram which was nice/really lessened my guilt about leaving him with someone for four weeks. He came home the same happy, sweet dog we'd sent away, except now he can walk nicely on a leash without barking his head off at every animal he sees. She also worked on recall training which is such a relief for a high energy dog I just know would chase a bear on a hike as off leash skills are really important to me in a dog. We work daily on everything he's learned and he loves it so much. It's a lot of money for what was an average dog with average bad behaviors, but we really believe that starting your dog off on the right path with the best guidance is the way to ensure a healthy, happy, safe dog. We went on our first hike just a few days ago, and after all that practice, he got to experiment with being fully off leash. He listened to every command, every time, even when there were tempting birds. I want to have a dog that is as fully involved in my family's life as possible, and now that we both have these skills, I know with consistency and practice, that's what I'll get. Tldr: The board and train is expensive, but you get what you pay for. Highly recommend. It truly saved my sanity.

----------- TL;DR: Barak's 35-day Board and Train program is…read morea major investment, but it completely transformed my sweet but highly reactive dog. It fixed his severe leash reactivity, his 4 AM barking, and his total lack of recall when distracted. The cost includes 35 days of boarding and unlimited weekly group classes. One month later, the results were surprising: we went from a stressed caretaker dynamic to true companions. I can now take him on errands without fear, and finally having the power to tell him "No" has been game-changing. Highly recommended. ----------- DREAM DOG Totoro is what you might call the dream dog. He is incredibly kind, loyal, and mostly well-behaved. However, he had a "Jekyll and Hyde" personality. Indoors, he was docile and lazy. Outside, he was possessed by his excitement. He is so gentle he couldn't even get food out of a Kong! But we had three major stress-inducing issues: ZERO RECALL WHEN DISTRACTED: I spent a lot of time training him with high-value treats like bacon and ribeye. When it's just the two of us, he would shoot out of a cannon when I called him. But the moment he played with another dog, those ingrained habits were completely forgotten. He went totally deaf, which was a major safety concern. LEASH REACTIVITY: When he's leashed, he gets frustrated at times when he sees other dogs, and he might lunge and growl at passing dogs, making walks a bit of a chore. SUDDEN BARKING: He developed a habit recently of waking up at 4:00 AM and rush out the room barking like the house was on fire. Before Barak, I only used positive-reinforcement training. Totoro knew the commands, but positive reinforcement simply could not compete with his intense excitement around other dogs. Barak is a balanced trainer, using proper corrections alongside rewards to teach boundaries that hold up under extreme distraction. I was hesitant about negative reinforcement, but Barak showed me his high-quality e-collar. I used it on myself and could barely feel the low-level stimulation, which put my mind at ease. Enrolling in the 35-day Board and Train program was a significant investment. However, I factored in that I was getting 35 days of boarding included (which I planned a trip around). More importantly, the cost includes unlimited group training classes afterward. You don't just drop your dog off and forget it. The weekly classes give you structure so your money doesn't go to waste. Barak was also incredibly responsive via text whenever I have questions (and I had many). The results are night and day. It is like the show Severance :) there is no more "Outie" Totoro, just the well-behaved "Innie" Totoro! He isn't brainwashed; he is still his happy self, just infinitely better behaved. Barak figured out his leash reactivity was just him frantically checking if other dogs were "safe." Now, we walk past other dogs peacefully. Update: One Month Later MAN'S BEST FRIEND Barak's training has unexpectedly transformed our relationship. Before, I would never consider taking Totoro on errands. Even with only a 1-in-20 chance of him being reactive, I didn't need the stress. On walks, I was constantly on guard, which can turn dog ownership into a one-sided, anxiety-filled chore. Today, we have genuinely become companions. Instead of leaving him behind, I actively look for dog-friendly breakfast spots. The fear of taking him out has completely dissipated. I enjoy his company, and I can feel our bond grow, even in year 5. He is much happier now that he doesn't feel my stress radiating through the leash. THE POWER OF NO Previous trainers taught specific commands like "leave it," but never the general command "No." For example, Totoro has a habit of licking his ankles raw, leading to expensive vet visits, Cytopoint shots, and the dreaded cone of shame. Now, I can simply say, "No." He stops, looks up, and tries to figure out what he is doing wrong. Imagine being a parent without the ability to tell your kid "No." Having Totoro understand that single word is game-changing.

We looked into several different board-and-train programs before deciding to go with Barak, and…read morewhat really stood out to us was the level of knowledge, support, and resources he provides. From the beginning, we felt like he genuinely cared about understanding Luna as an individual and helping us understand her as well. Knowing that we'll continue to have ongoing support, guidance, regular check-ins, and access to free group classes for life--even after Luna completes her 35-day program--gave us so much confidence in our decision. It's reassuring to know that we won't simply finish the program and be left on our own. Having that continued support and knowing we can reach out when we have questions or need guidance gives us so much peace of mind. We were initially hesitant about using an e-collar and prong collar, but Barak took the time to really break everything down for us. He explained how these tools can be used properly and responsibly, why they can be beneficial, and how they can help create clearer communication between us and Luna. What we appreciate most is that he doesn't just train the dog--he teaches the owners, too. We've gained a much better understanding of Luna and feel more confident in our ability to communicate with her and guide her in a positive direction. We also wanted to find out whether Luna would be suited for protection work. Barak was honest and upfront with us and explained that, based on her personality and temperament, she isn't the right fit for that type of training. He explained that protection work would go against what we're currently teaching her--being neutral, confident, and non-reactive--and would ultimately conflict with the foundation we're trying to build with her. We really appreciated his honesty and the fact that he was focused on what was best for Luna rather than simply recommending something that wasn't right for her. We are incredibly grateful for the patience, dedication, and support Barak has shown both Luna and us. We've already seen such a positive difference in her obedience, focus, and ability to regulate herself, and we're excited to continue building on everything she has learned. We highly recommend Barak to anyone looking for a trainer who truly cares about the dog and takes the time to educate and support the owners along the way. We're so happy with our decision to work with Barak and can't wait to see Luna continue to grow!

We wanted Petra's help to introduce our dog to the new furry neighbors. Our dog had shown some fear…read moreand it was really important that she and the new pups next door start off on the right foot since they would be crossing paths often. Molly likes people, but before Petra even got to our door, she was more excited than typical to meet her. I don't know how dogs read your vibes, but Petra has whatever it takes to be that dog whisperer. Molly is smart, but Petra was still able to do so much with her so quickly. It really was about teaching me how to understand Molly and interpret her signals. I have a good relationship with Molly but she could see that Molly needed more confidence and following her advice resolved some of the issues I was seeing at home. Then on another session when we did some introductions with the neighboring dogs. She had a lot of ideas that were very strategic in order for it to be successful. I tried to get wisdom online and set something up earlier, but it did not go well and I was not willing to risk a bad interaction that sent us in the wrong direction. It was well worth calling Petra and having her get the job done well. She had ideas that I had not considered and it was very positive for all the dogs involved. It also showed me some areas that I could work on to help Molly be more confident with other dogs. And the neighbor mentioned he was interested in her help for his pup's separation anxiety.

Petra Reynolds has dog sat and trained our 12 year old chihuahua, Mole' since she was a pup. Over…read morethe years her work has turned our dog from a shy, timid dog into a confident, friendly, responsive dog. When we go on vacation, Petra takes Mole' into her home and treats as if she were her dog. For dog training, dog sitting and dog walking, there is noone better! Helane Zeiger

Heather has worked wonders with our challenging, high-energy Malinois. We did a 6 week board and…read moretrain stay and follow up training. We interviewed a few trainers in the area and really liked her best because (1) she has a lot of experience working with high-drive dogs (and has her own Malinois to help socialize our pup) (2) the dogs stay in her home with her, and not at a facility and (3) she doesn't have a large staff, so you get really personalized care and attention. She's really communicative; it was really nice to have regular video and text updates of our dog's progress, and to see the behavior change in realtime. Dog trainer is a lot about training the owner too, and she's a really good hands-on teacher. I feel so much more confident as a dog-owner after working with her. The results have been amazing; when we first adopted our dog, she was literally jumping off balconies to chase squirrels; now she can walk normally on leash, come to work all day, and hang out quietly at a restaurant while we have dinner.  I can't recommend Heather enough.

Jess is so so sweet and patient, and is a wonderful teacher for both dogs & humans! She's extremely…read moreknowledgeable and has had some really helpful and creative ideas for navigating confusing behaviors/challenges that my senior rescue dog has been struggling with. She really knows how to break down training steps in an approachable, non-overwhelming way. We have only had a few sessions with her so far, but her warmth and support have really helped us both already! :) I have some health challenges, and Jess has been incredibly accommodating and understanding about my different needs. Highly recommend!! :))

Jess is a patient, insightful, and thoughtful trainer. She helped us understand and work through…read moresome of our older toy poodle's quirky and problematic behaviors (attacking certain people's feet, barking at the tv, hiding whenever it was time to go for a walk, etc). We felt very stuck and unsure of how to navigate these behaviors prior to meeting with her. We worried that our dog being older would make change impossible, but that definitely isn't the case. I particularly appreciated how collaborative she was with us throughout the process-- she made sure to check-in with us each week about how we felt regarding her suggestions, how things were going when we were practicing training on our own, what interventions we were comfortable with or not, what behaviors we wanted to prioritize working on next, etc. Jess is also in general just a lovely and kind human who clearly has such a strong passion for the work she does. This made it really easy for us to trust that we were being guided by someone wise and with the best of intentions. Highly recommend.