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    It's Not Magic Dog Training

    4.9 (17 reviews)
    Closed Closed
    Updated 3 months ago

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    Services - It's Not Magic Dog Training

    Private dog training

    Puppy socialization classes

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    Lola is a Maltese and is 3.5 years old.

    We had a wonderful experience working with Fiona to help our Maltese, Lola, who was showing some reactivity both during walks and at home. Fiona worked with us both outside and in our home -- helping us address Lola's reactions to people and dogs during walks, as well as her barking and excitement when the doorbell rang or when new people visited. Fiona's knowledge of dog behavior and her ability to communicate clearly with us made all the difference. She gave us practical strategies that were easy to follow and tailored to Lola's personality. We've already seen great improvement -- Lola is calmer on walks, and her reactions at the door are getting much better. We're so grateful for Fiona's guidance and would absolutely recommend her to anyone looking for a kind, effective, and skilled dog trainer.

    Walt S.

    Fiona's combination of expertise and enthusiasm makes recommending her an easy choice. We have a small, very reactive dog, and Fiona is giving us the tools we need to manage situations, recognize emotional states, and hopefully reach our goal of having a reasonable life to wrangling an anxious dog ratio. We also randomly bumped into people at a dog park who knew about Fiona as well, and it was really validating to hear our choice in trainer was shared by other people. I imagine Fiona trains a variety of dogs, but our dog is a ~10 pound female maltipoo.

    Milano loves training with Fiona!
    Rebecca L.

    Working with Fiona was the best thing we've done for our energetic pup Milano. Not only did she use positive reinforcement to train Milano to manage his excitement, she also taught us to better understand our dog and to use strategies that set him up for success on walks and at home. She is so knowledgeable about canine behavior, which was useful in explaining some of Milano's behaviors. I highly recommend training with Fiona - it has helped us connect with our pup more than ever.

    Scratch board training
    Michelle C.

    Working with Fiona has allowed me to learn so much about the relationship I have with my dog Maximus. I love her approach and all the information and help she has passed on to me. The fact that she does in home and community training makes me feel my dog is getting full service training. Maximus has progressed so much!

    We enjoyed working with Fiona, highly recommend her! She is very patient and kind and makes the training sessions so much fun that our dog didn't want her to leave. We love her training method, positive reinforcement! She also provides detailed written instructions with YouTube videos after each session which has been so valuable for us because we can go back anytime and review to continue working with our dog. Thank you Fiona for helping us with Maple. You are an awesome trainer!

    Azula
    Anahy R.

    Fiona is amazing! Walks were the most stressful things for me before but Fiona helped us with leash training and managing Azulas reactivity. Since training with Fiona, Azula has had amazing focus and recall. Big thanks for helping us feel more confident on our walks.

    Ozzy and his training certificate!

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    8 months ago

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    2 years ago

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    1 year ago

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    10 months ago

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    1 year ago

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    3 years ago

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    2 years ago

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    11 months ago

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    2 years ago

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    1 year ago

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    2 years ago

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    2 years ago

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    3 years ago

    Fiona is an awesome trainer, I definitely recommend her. She's kind, patient, and both my dogs love her!

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    3 years ago

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    Thank you so much for your kind words!

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    Ask the Community - It's Not Magic Dog Training

    Review Highlights - It's Not Magic Dog Training

    Fiona's knowledge of dog behavior and her ability to communicate clearly with us made all the difference.

    Mentioned in 17 reviews

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    My husband and I are not novice dog owners by any means, but we needed help with our newest (at the…read moretime) addition; our Aussie who presents with anxiety. Our usual tricks with trying to redirect her attention or to stop the herding behavior (with the kids, we don't herd the kids, Lola!) were going unmatched and we knew we needed help. We started with in home private lessons with Rochelle. Some of what she taught us was a bit "duh" because we weren't thinking outside of the box, but also much of it was teaching us to be better dog owners, to tune into our dog and meet her where she was at. The 1:1 training was truly beneficial as Rochelle was able to come into our home and witness the behaviors we needed help with. Over the course of several weeks we became better dog owners and Lola learned lots of new things. We then transitioned to group classes with Rochelle which I admit the mere idea of stressed me out. Lola had never done well in public and was often triggered by too many (often random) things. But to my surprise Lola performed amazingly. She often lost her marbles about 30-40 mins into each group class but the other amount of time she was spot on and eager to learn. I am so proud that she was able to be handled by Rochelle on a few occasions and has become a confident dog who thrives in the outside social world. I will forever be grateful to Rochelle for teaching ME how to be a better dog owner and for showing me the potential Lola always had.

    Mitch and Patrick are amazing! We had 5 home sessions with our two Havanese dogs. We worked on…read moretraining them to be better at greeting people and on how to get them to not make at the door when the doorbell goes off. We also worked on walking and now they don't pull! So nice to be able to go on a walk without being pulled. We then did dog greeting and reactivity and got a lot of tips on what to do to help the dogs feel more comfortable. Mitch and Patrick really went above and beyond to help us!

    Bark Busters Home Dog Training - Walnut Creek Concord Pleasanton

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    I cannot say enough about Dan and his skills as a dog (and dog parent) trainer! I adopted my dog,…read moreDoug, from a golden retriever rescue in March 2026, believing he was a golden retriever mix. From the very beginning, Dan gently pointed out that Doug might have more cattle dog in him, based on his markings and behavior. When the DNA test confirmed Dan was right, it gave me a whole new understanding of my sweet boy. Doug turned out to be a beautiful mix of cattle dog and other herding breeds, and that insight has made such a difference in helping me understand him better. Dan has been incredibly patient--not only with Doug, but with me too--as I've learned to recognize Doug's triggers, better understand his behavior, and figure out how to help him thrive. Dan's experience with stray and rescue dogs is extremely valuable. Doug is such a sweet dog, about 2 years old, with plenty of puppy energy still in him. He's affectionate, eager for attention, and wonderfully responsive to training. Dan has helped me learn how to channel Doug's energy in positive ways and appreciate just how smart and spirited he really is. Doug keeps me on my toes, and Dan has reminded me that patience and consistency are some of the greatest gifts I can give him. After just three in-home sessions with Dan, I've already seen such encouraging progress. Doug is doing beautifully--he's a star at the dog park, walks nicely on leash, and has learned to respect the boundaries I've set around attention and behavior. Things like digging up the backyard and jumping into my face have stopped, which has been such a relief. Dan's guidance has made a meaningful difference, and staying consistent with the lessons has been key to Doug's success. Dan's availability by phone or text is a game-changer as I don't have to wait until our next scheduled visit to get guidance if new, unexpected and undesirable behavior arises between visits. Next week marks Doug's and my three-month anniversary together, which feels both exciting and emotional. We still have more to learn, but I'm so proud of how far we've come already. I'm grateful for Dan's support and look forward to continuing this journey--helping Doug grow into the very best boy I know he can be.

    What an amazing team. So helpful. I was struggling with my German Shepard rescue. They helped me…read moreget him under control and happy.

    Oh Behave Dog Training - Bob is now calm, happy and secure after being attacked and becoming aggressive with some dogs. Pattie worked miracles!

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    We have a 2 1/2 year old Mini Goldendoodle - Louie and overall he's a good dog and we just needed…read morehelp with certain commands. I watched numerous training videos online and did a group training (I don't recommend that either) - nothing helps since you need hands on private training and that's how I found Patti on here. We did 6 sessions and she helped us train Louie and focused on his reactivity, basic walking commands, door bell reactions and recall. Patti came over to our house for a few sessions and the rest of the sessions we met at a park or a public place so that she can teach us the real world situations when we're out with Louie. She explains everything very well and why dogs behave the way they do. She'll take photos and videos and send follow up notes as well to help us remember everything we learned each session. It's a lot to learn and you have to continue to practice everything and you'll see a difference in your dog's behavior. We've seen a difference in Louie and very happy with the results. I definitely recommend Patti if you need help training your dog. Thank you so much Patti!

    Amazing dog training sessions with Patti. She gave me incredible one on one training with my 8…read moremonth old French bulldog Rocky. She explained the importance of consistent positive dog training. Patti did a great job of not only showing me how to train my dog, but building my confidence through the fantastic results I was receiving from her training methods. I would highly recommend Patti for any dog owner who wants one on one in home dog training at a affordable price.

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    Bark Busters Home Dog Training - San Mateo County - Jared

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    We've been working with Jared from Bark Busters for about two years, and it's been a great…read moreexperience. We have two rescue pit bulls, Panda and Boba, each with their own unique personalities and behavioral challenges. Throughout our training journey, Jared has been incredibly patient and resourceful. He's always willing to adapt his approach and try different techniques, tools, and training exercises--from various leashes and collars to using stuffed animals for realistic practice scenarios. Jared has also been flexible and responsive with scheduling, which we really appreciate since my partner and I are usually only available on weekends. Over the past two years, we've moved to different cities throughout the Peninsula, yet we've continued working with Jared because of the trust he's built with both us and our dogs--and the results we've seen.

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