Sarah is an awesome teacher, very knowledgeable, articulate, and patient. She is passionate about dog training. She keeps her classes small for lots of individual attention. We highly recommend her class! Steve and Brenda read more

Patti was such a great help when it came to training our puppy Winnie! She tailored every session to 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 :) read more

Highly recommend the instructors, Patti & Sarah. Training is very organized & always a positive environment for the dog & owner. I have taken my 3 dogs through Puppy Preschool, Kindergarten & obedience. Every class has been excellent & educational. A very positive aspect of the classes is the recap of training covered, question & answer period at the end of classes. This is the facility to train at if you want exceptional training for your puppy. read more

What a wonderful program! We took our sweet little rescue there, and it was a fantastic experience. 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! read more

Get Pawsitive Dog Training - Pet Training Near Me - Encinitas, California

We can't say enough great things about Patti. We adopted an adult rescue dog, Clyde, who came to us with a lot of fear, anxiety, and a few challenging behaviors from his past. From the very first session, Patti showed incredible patience, skill, and compassion--not just for our dog, but for us as a new rescue family, too. What really stood out was how personalized the training plan was. Patti took time to understand our dog's history, triggers, and personality before jumping into training. The sessions were positive, encouraging, and never rushed. Patti also sent emails after our sessions, recapping the important details and providing more information, videos for practice and ideas for treat/toys/products that might be helpful. We also learned how to read our dog's signals better and build trust in everyday situations. Our rescue is now a confident, happy dog who actually enjoys training time. We're so grateful for the guidance, communication, and genuine care Patti showed every step of the way. If you're looking for a knowledgeable, kind, and results-driven trainer--especially for a rescue or adult dog--look no further than Patti! read more

My dog and I attended the puppy kinder class and it was so worth it. We leaned some great skills using Pawsitive method and the class size was small which gave us one on one time with the instructor. We look forward to continuing our training in the next level class. read more

Get Pawsitive Dog Training - Pet Training Near Me - Encinitas, California

Great training tips with an emphasis on rewarding the behavior we want. Our puppy is responding well to Magic Mat and other Pawsitive skills. Sarah is very knowledgeable and encouraging, with lots of good tips. Highly recommend Pawsitive Dog Training! read more

We have a one year old Labradoodle rescue. She is very skittish. Libby was great at coaching me and supporting our doodle. Would highly recommend Libby! read more

We did the Board and Train "Ranch Experience" for our 10 mo old puppy while we were out of town. It was AWESOME! We received step by step videos throughout the day of Sarah training Canyon. (Which I have watched over and over to continue training the correct way.) Canyon learned confidence around the horses , to play and share the ball with Abby(her pup) and had fun walking/ running around the large field. He also learned and continues to learn calming himself on his magic mat. His boarding training was incredible. He and I learned so much. I think and am sure Canyon would agree this was more of a "Resort" and training. I highly recommend trusting your pup to Sarah. I can not say enough about her training, knowledge, valuable videos, and messages I received every through out the days. read more

Get Pawsitive Dog Training - Pet Training Near Me - Encinitas, California

We LOVE this place. Our puppy Siopao started her first class soo excited and hyper and wanted to play with everyone. Even though we had done some training with her before the class at home she could not focus without having a barrier up to block out the distractions. By the last class she was able to stay calm and work on the trainings with no barrier up. The trainers are all the sweetest people you will meet. Joanna, Lauren, and Archida we're all amazing and the tips and tools they give you will help your puppy for their life. We drove 2 hours for this class and never regretted a moment of it. read more

Get Pawsitive Dog Training - The amazing trainers and our puppy - Pet Training Near Me - Encinitas, California

I have a large Geman shepherd that became extremely cat aggressive, after a cat attempted to attack us. Because my dog is so powerful and would lunge at cats, walking him became a safety issue for me. I also wanted to travel but knew it would not be safe for others to take him on walks. As a last resort, I contacted Get Pawsitive Dog Training and met with trainer Patti OFarrell. Patti was professional, approachable, experienced, knowledgeable and understanding. My dog and I always felt comfortable with Patti as she trained both of us. In addition to training in person, Patti sent summaries of our training sessions and U Tube training videos that were very helpful. As a result of Patti's fantastic training,(including use of a fake cat), I now have more control of my dog, I can travel, and can show the pet sitter what I learned. My experience with Get Pawsitive Dog Training and Patti OFarrell was very pawsative. read more

Get Pawsitive Dog Training - Pet Training Near Me - Encinitas, California

Sarah and her team are the very best in gentle training. I had a trainer come to the house that used a prong collar and just terrorized my poor dog. This was not the way for us, so we decided to go with Get Pawsitive and I am so glad we did. They really teach you how to get the best out of your dog! They work with you and your dog and teach you all the ways to help them mind, and listen. Get Pawsitive Libby and Sarah we worked with and both were fantastic! read more

My dog and I attended Libby's Manner's class. I learned many helpful techniques to manage my rambunctious pup in a positive way. The class size was small and we received a wide variety of things to work on that help more than the average "sit, down" type of commands. Libby also helped with specific issues my dog was having. read more

Sarah and her team are the most amazing humans ever! Their love for animals shines bright and the "pawsitive" training makes it fun for both the human and the pooch. I have learned so much from Sarah and she has given me and Stella the tools to make for a happy, confident, pup as well as a happy confident dog Mom read more

Get Pawsitive Dog Training - Pet Training Near Me - Encinitas, California

The ONLY way to train your dog! Sarah guided our training path with Rocky 14 years ago. People often complemented us on his good behavior. New pup Tadhg was enrolled before we picked him up for the first time. We knew the program would make everything easier - crate and potty train were done in a couple of days! He loves clicker training and the trainers! Great way to bond with our newest pet. read more

Sarah is so patient, knowledgeable, and great at communicating her training techniques and the reasons behind them. My reactive 7 month old puppy and I only had 1 hour with her, but she helped me start to clue in on a lot of the tiny nuances in my puppy's body language that I was overlooking previously. She helped me take a step back and make things even easier for my training sessions as well because I had been trying to go a little to fast and expect too much at once. I am definitely looking forward to working more with her in the future. read more

Get Pawsitive Dog Training - Pet Training Near Me - Encinitas, California

Similar to most pandemic puppies, my dog of puppy of 1 year old struggled with separation anxiety and was extremely attached to me. He howled if I left him at home even if there were other people at home. Before I started the separation anxiety training sessions with Patti, I was not able to run errands or go to the grocery store because my dog just could not be left alone without me. Patti is extremely knowledgeable when working with me on getting my dog to become more independent. Our daily lessons were custom, personalized and never one size fit all, which really made me feel she really understand dog behaviors and was able to help my dog to become more independent. She would list out the things I need to do everyday, then reviewed my observations and notes and every 5th day, Patti would take over and observe my dog for an extended amount of time. This way, she was able to know if there was anything that I've missed and whether I am still on the right track in achieving my goal. Patti's method of treating separation anxiety truly works!! After my training sessions, my dog is now capable to be alone at home CALMLY and even go to sleep while I run errands. I am really grateful for everything Patti has taught me for treating separation anxiety. My dog's life and mine are definitely better now! read more

We just graduated from puppy preschool today and we have loved Patti's training sessions each week. Our puppy Lily even gets excited when she sees her school bag. Patti is extremely knowledgeable, kind, patient, and cares about every dog and his or her parents. While there may some who take the constructive training personally during puppy and dog trainings, we did not experience this at all at GetPawsitive. Patti, Pilar, and all of the people we encountered are continually encouraging and share their knowledge and experience with each of us. They truly love our their name - a positive learning place for pups and their parents! read more

Get Pawsitive Dog Training - Pet Training Near Me - Encinitas, California

I really enjoyed my time with Sarah. I feel confident she'll be able to help my dog Gus. She's great at explaining things and being patient.

I started working with Patti when I moved with my reactive dog to San Diego, having no idea how difficult a transition it would be for him. We were in a bad situation & I'd started to fear I'd need to rehome him. Thank the universe I found Patti. She was so empathetic to our situation & had a variety of coping skills she taught us that helped immediately; while we were able to work on his deeper issues over time. She drove out of her way to see us; she offers all the support you could ever hope for, even offering Zoom during pandemic; she arranged for sessions @ an obstacle course for us to train at! Patti & I remain in contact & my dog & I use her teachings daily. My 10 yr old dog continues to improve with consistent practice. It doesn't happen overnight, but it does happen. Patti's teachings helped me keep my dog, I cannot recommend her highly enough. She is Pawsitively a lifesaver! read more

OK - so there are NO WORDS! Sarah was referred to us by a neighbor because we brought home a 7 week old puppy and we felt so unprepared. Sarah was so kind, so patient, so knowledgable the first day we met her. She spent 2 hours with my husband and I and our 2 daughters giving us the basics of positive training. We saw an immediate change in our puppy Archie after this 1 meeting. We had a trip recently and we decided to do the Board and Train package for 11 days. All I can say is WOW. Archie came back a different dog! She made sure we had detailed notes on how to continue his training. She sent videos every day, with notes on her training so we could see his progress while gone on trip. I would HIGHLY recommend Sara with Get Pawsitive! I will begin the kinder training now for the next 5 weeks and beyond. So impressed with her and her team! :) read more

We took our dog, Benny, a 1.5-year-old rescue Jindo to Sarah's team for Adult Manners classes. We learned so much! We don't have his exact history before he was adopted from the shelter but he was very hesitant around strangers, fearful, and scrappy. We knew he needed extra attention and wanted to use a positive reinforcement approach to gain his trust and confidence. Sarah's team is fantastic. We learned way more than videos on YouTube. Personalized attention is the key! The classes addressed the reasons behind the dog's behavior (like pulling on a leashed walk or ignoring you when you call him) and why we were building positive behaviors in a specific progression. Understanding dog language was a meaningful part of the learning experience. Training is ongoing--We found you get what you put into it outside of class. It really takes consistency and training in everyday life as real distractions and situations arise. We're still building these basic skills but have seen Benny progress A LOT in ways we couldn't do on our own. We are super grateful for Sarah's guidance and instruction. Highly recommend! read more

We had a great experience with Pilar and Get Positive training classes. Pilar understands dogs and how to help their owners understand them better. We took a 5 session Basic Manners course for our 13 month old rescue pup. Pilar taught us how to reinforce our dog's good behaviors with positive reinforcement and how to understand our dog better. She was also always willing to answer any questions we had during the week between sessions. Our dog loved Pilar and our Sunday classes! read more

I have nothing to say but great things about Patti. She has been my go to for any questions I have with my new puppy. My new puppy has been extremely shy and it's been great being able to do positive training with her. It's what you make out of every class that counts. Sure you can YouTube or google some training but Patti always walks me through with my specific dog and it's worked great. I had a scare when I moved and instead of chasing my dog I yelled touch and she came running back to touch. Having a trainer is like a guide you still have to put in 90% of the work if you want to be successful. It was sad during covid times that we weren't able to meet especially during my dogs critical growth period but classes have resumed and she let my dog go into the puppy class since she's so shy. I highly recommend Patti! read more

The Puppy Pre K class is a must do if you have a new puppy! We took our 8 week old puppy to the class right when we got him. At first, he was really shy and overwhelmed, but Patti paid special attention to ease him into socializing. By the second class he had no problem and by the last class he was the one initiating the play with the other puppies! The class is really helpful in learning to understand your new pup and to make sure you start off on the right and positive foot. It's a very safe environment to learn and socialize your pup. Our mini goldendoodle is now a very confident, and social puppy. I highly recommend this class to anyone with a young puppy. You will not regret it! read more

Sarah was so kind and patient. Not only did my dog need training but I needed to build up my confidence with a bigger dog. She helped me with her calmness, confidence, and kindness. My dog was so quick to learn from her. I highly recommend working with Sarah. read more

Sarah was wonderful! We really enjoyed our puppy training and she gave us a good foundation to continue to train our puppy. It was fun for him, rewarding, and is a great value. Charlie (our doggo) loves his magic mat and his recalls are awesome. Thanks Sarah! read more

I booked Puppy Start Preschool for my 10 week old Golden Retriever. Thursday's at 9:30am. I showed up and was scolded by Pilar who was in disbelief that I purchased the class and reserved a spot. She definitely didn't seem organized even though I made my purchase online days before and booked the same date I showed up for. After questioning me multiple times I showed the receipt. I felt attacked, she was definitely not calm. And then when she found out I didn't have the list of items I needed to bring, Pilar came at me again in a very rude manor and told me to come back next week. I felt like Get Pawsitive could have done more to prepare me considering this is my first puppy. They had finally sent me an email on how to prepare myself after the class took place and offered a private orientation for more money, but I don't feel comfortable working with Pilar. I emailed and called Sarah to see if I could change days to another instructor and she has not responded. I'd like my money back at this point. If you are a working professional who doesn't have the time to train your puppy and are seeking more guidance onboarding this is probably not the place for you, unless you can get ahold of Sarah for private sessions, which seems to be rather difficult. As for the the actual dog training, I can't really comment. Hard to take them seriously when they say positive reinforcement is their go to strategy but isn't actually practiced by their trainer in terms of human communication. read more

We have been receiving Zoom sessions with Patti O'Farrell until the in-person puppy classes can begin. We brought home an 8 week old Labradoodle puppy and felt totally overwhelmed by all the challenges, in spite of reading several books and watching puppy training videos in preparation for getting our puppy. Patti has been so encouraging as well as providing us with a lot of knowledge about how to handle the usual puppy challenges of pottie training, and mouthing/biting. She spends time watching us working with our puppy, using her dogs at her home as models, sending us reading material and videos, giving us many ideas regarding useful toys, and healthy treats for us to consider. She is attentive, a very good listener and is consistent with follow up materials and videos of our sessions. We have gone from feeling overwhelmed, to calm and relaxed and enjoying our puppy because we now have good tools to meet all the challenges of raising a happy and healthy puppy. I am not sure how we would have gotten this far in only 5 weeks without her expertise and guidance along with her kind encouragement. Thank you Patti read more

Sarah does an amazing job at helping us understanding our dog's world! Our puppy is stressed by noises and strangers. We've been very discouraged but with just 1 hr with Sarah, we felt hopeful and equipped to work with our dog through his fears. She provided us with a lot of valuable and practical tools and training techniques. But what I enjoy the most, was seeing her genuine interest and investment in our dog from just that hour and in our emails. I look forward to working with her in the future! read more

I have been taking my 7 month old Goldendoodle to Patti at Get Pawsitive since he was just 9 weeks old, and she has been truly wonderful. He is my first puppy ever, and quite the little handful, so I don't know what I would've done without her. Not only has she done a terrific job in class, but she has responded to several of my emails and phone calls outside of class asking for additional advice. Class sizes are nice and small, which allows Patti to get to know each and every dog and give the attention each one needs. She's so intuitive about my puppy and what he needs to be successful. She has even incorporated my son into the training and has been teaching him many techniques to use with our puppy. I can't say enough about her. She's the best! read more

I recently adopted a new pup. The first night home we realized that we needed help so we decided to call Get Pawsitive Dog training due to recommendations from the shelter. We only had our pup for 3 days before her first class so we had no idea how she would act around other pups. The first class we went over clicker training and teaching the dog to go to her place using high value treats. I will admit that the first class was beneficial to me in learning how to use the clicker and when to treat but that's all we learned. When it came time to let the dogs out and play, my dog got a little aggressive with another dog and since my pup was the hyper one she got sent back to her crate. We spent the rest of the time feeding my dog treats on her bed while all the other dogs got to play. Every class after that was exactly the same. I signed up to get my dog socialized and to try to understand her behaviors but instead the trainers made me feel like it was my fault for not noticing the signs. I wrote an email to the trainer explaining my concern so he attempted to give us a little more attention during the final class but in the end, we were in the crate throwing turkey on a blanket while all of the other pups got to play and learn how to socialize. It was sad to think that we might have a dog that can't play with other dogs or that we can never go to a dog park because she might bite another dog. I turned to YouTube because I assumed all other dog trainers were exactly the same as Get Pawsitive. We learned more from watching Zak George's YouTube channel. It wasn't until I spoke another trainer that made me realize that it's not my fault and that my dog can be trained. They say it's very important to get you puppy socialized from 8-16 weeks of age and I recommend you look elsewhere for your training. read more

We adopted a 4 or 5 year old lab mix about a month ago. She is the most perfect companion in the world and we are trying to make up for the unimaginable hardships she went through in her prior life. It was therefore important for us to find the right trainer to help us get her comfortable getting into our car. We had one unimpressive experience before calling in Sarah! That's how I know how great she is! Our dog immediately liked her and responded to everything Sarah asked her to do. OK, getting into the car is still a work in progress, but while she doesn't just leap in, I was successful getting her in yesterday -- and that's what I wanted to accomplish! After only one session!!!! If there were 6 stars, I would give Sarah all 6! We wanted gentle, effective training and Sarah delivered at every level. I highly recommend Sarah and her staff for training your dog! read more

Sarah is AWESOME!!!!! Her approach to training has produced fantastic results for our 9 month old as well as our 8 year old aussie. She is very knowledgeable and dedicated. read more

I can't express enough how fortunate we feel that we found Sarah and had her come to our home and work with us on helping with our dog's behavior! We have a deaf French bulldog who has some serious anxiety issues which had worsened with the arrival of a new puppy. We really didn't know if this was ever going to work. Sarah came over and basically showed us that many of the things that we thought could possibly help our dogs was actually probably making things worse. She has really changed our thinking on how we need to go about getting the good behaviors out of our dogs. After just being at our house for 15 minutes, we already noticed a difference in the reactions of our stressed out Frenchie. She showed us how to calm him and what to look for from him as signs that he is really trying to relax. It was amazing. I have always felt that my Wife and I were pretty good at raising our dogs but having Sarah come over and open up a whole new mindset to our training is really going to benefit our dogs and us!!! We have used a few trainers before this but were never satisfied that we were really were learning anything ourselves or helping our dogs to the extent of which we would have expected. For the first time we really feel like we hit the jackpot! I would recommend Sarah to anyone looking for help with their dog(s). She is extremely friendly, knowledgeable, and helpful. We went from being very discouraged with our training of our dogs to very optimistic within a couple of hours. She showed us how our dogs could act with the correct approach. ......and the greatest thing about this whole experience is that she uses 100% positive reinforcement!!! I didn't think this was possible until I actually saw it and then it all made sense. We will definitely be staying in touch with Sarah and using her in the future with our dogs. She will be the top name on our list when we are asked to refer a trainer. read more

We adopted a dog from a rescue a few months ago. It is likely she was brought in from the streets of Mexico, and she has been rather anxious and high strung in our home. Sarah has helped us TREMENDOUSLY with techniques for calming her down and establishing trust with us. "Relax on the Mat" and "Checking In" are exercises that we all have embraced - and we see the results in how our dog seems so much more reassured and calm around us. In just 5 weeks, we can take "The Mat" and go just about anywhere, and our dog is happy to relax on it and not be too bothered by distractions. I highly recommend Get Pawsitive Dog Training. read more

Sarah is an awesome dog trainer. Her dog training classes were just want my dog needed. She really knows what she's doing. We had a great experience. read more

My dog and I recently completed our first puppy training sessions and I cannot give enough praise! Patti is incredibly knowledgeable and her love for training dogs shines through. All of the positive reinforcement, relax on a matt and redirection we learned has helped us survive the crazy puppy stage. I'm so thankful we went through this course! Plus Patti still answers my many questions via email. Wonderful trainer, wonderful person!! read more

Sarah came to my home and helped me work through some specific behavioral issues I was having with my sweet Kona. With her expert guidance, we've been making great strides! Kona and I understand each other much better thanks to Sarah! We give her 5 "woofs"! :-) read more

If I could give more than 5 stars to Sarah and Get Pawsitive Dog Training I would - with great enthusiasm!! My husband, our 7 month old Retriever, and I had a consultation with Sarah just the other day. What an invaluable experience for all of us. We watched as Sarah developed an immediate rapport with our little (not so little at 60 pounds) girl and opened our eyes to the life-long benefits of making training fun and easy. We learned how to continue our positive approach to training by using a clicker, games, and treats to keep our puppy focussed on us and moving forward on a path that will ensure that we are doing the best for our dog and enriching her life (as well as ours). I have rarely met a person with such enthusiasm and dedication. Our consultation was filled with Sarah's warmth, sensitivity and expert guidance. In the session she helped us overcome our reluctance to using a clicker. I had struggled with the assumption that I would not be able to handle a leash, a clicker, a treat bag, our dog - without succumbing to looking like a hopeless klutz. Once our session was over I was excited to follow Sarah's recommendations to the letter. We learned so much and are eager to continue doing so. Sarah is truly special!! read more