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!

Highly recommend the instructors, Patti & Sarah. Training is very organized & always a positive…read moreenvironment 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.

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 :)

Kristen's Puppy Social hour on Saturdays has been one of the best investments we've made for our…read morerescue puppy, Frankie. After Frankie wasn't quite ready for daycare because she needed more positive socialization with other puppies, Paw Commons recommended Kristen's puppy social sessions. It turned out to be exactly what she needed. Like many rescue puppies, we don't know what Frankie's early life was like. Watching her gradually come out of her shell over the past several weeks has been incredibly rewarding. Kristen creates a safe, structured environment where puppies build confidence, learn appropriate social skills, enjoy enrichment activities and simply get to be puppies. Her years of experience are evident in the way she understands puppy behavior and thoughtfully guides each session. Seeing Frankie's confidence grow week after week has brought us so much joy. She now looks forward to Saturdays, and so do we. I especially recommend Puppy Social hour for rescue puppies. If you're looking for a knowledgeable, patient facilitator who truly understands puppy development, Kristen is exceptional. Thank you for giving Frankie such a positive start.

NEW UPDATE PER KARLY'S REPLY:…read more To clarify a few things: the meet and greet fee was not communicated to me at booking, and the fact that it was waived due to "confusion at pickup" speaks for itself. Transparency means the total cost is clear upfront, not discovered at checkout. Regarding outreach, one person called and one person emailed. The email from Karly was not an attempt to resolve the situation but rather an argument defending your pricing practices. That is not the same as making things right. No actual remedy was ever offered. Asking what would make it right without putting anything on the table is not a resolution. A gesture like a partial or full refund or a complimentary future stay would have gone a long way. Most concerning was the bath being performed after I explicitly declined it. That is not a communication issue, that is a matter of respecting a customer's wishes regarding their pet. I see from other reviews that pricing surprises are a recurring concern. I hope this feedback is taken seriously rather than attributed to customers not reading thoroughly enough. I also want to note that reading through their response, the pattern is clear: every concern I raised was met with an explanation of why I was wrong or hadn't read carefully enough. That is not accountability. The only thing they genuinely owned was the bath, and even that was buried at the end after multiple paragraphs defending themselves. A business that truly takes responsibility doesn't spend most of its response telling the customer they should have known better. -------------------------- I want to share my experience so other pet owners know what to expect before booking. When I called to make a Memorial Weekend reservation for my puppy, I was given a total price and told the first night would be free. At no point was I informed about a mandatory daily insurance fee ($5-$6/day). I only discovered it while signing paperwork at drop-off. When I called to raise this concern, Michael told me it is not their job to disclose additional charges over the phone - that it is meant to be mentioned at drop-off. So by their own admission, they intentionally withhold fee information until you are already there signing paperwork with your dog in tow. When I followed up via email, Karly shifted the explanation, saying the fee is listed on their website under "add-ons", a label that implies optional, not mandatory. At pickup, they also attempted to charge an undisclosed meet-and-greet fee. They waived it, but it was yet another surprise charge. Most frustratingly, I explicitly declined a bath since my puppy had just been groomed. They bathed her anyway, and I had to take her home wet. California's SB 478 Honest Pricing Law exists for exactly this reason. Required fees must be disclosed upfront, not revealed at drop-off when you are least likely to walk away. The facility seemed fine, but the pattern of hidden fees, contradictory explanations, and disregarded instructions means I will not be returning. To Paw Commons management: before attempting to negate this review, please know I have email receipts documenting everything stated here. A good business responds to legitimate feedback with accountability and an apology, not by attacking the reviewer. UPDATE: After posting my review, I was contacted by Ben (manager/owner). He did apologize, which I appreciated, but the call was otherwise unproductive -- no real remedy was offered, just justifications for how they run their business. He defended burying mandatory fees under the "Add Ons" section by saying they "assume" customers read through the entire site, and that having two insurance coverage options makes it too complicated to list fees upfront. That's not a valid excuse. There are plenty of ways to present two options clearly while still showing customers what they'll actually owe per night. Additionally, a meet and greet fee was charged that is nowhere on their website and was never mentioned at check-in. Surprise fees should not be how customers find out what they owe. An apology without a willingness to fix these issues doesn't change my experience.

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!!!!

Corrina has been amazing with our golden doodle, Pepper. She started working with her when she was…read morea few months old and helped bring out Pepper's best qualities. The training was great value (commands, leash, and jumping), and the ongoing ability to board is really incredible. Pepper is always happy to go with Corrina and it's a nice training refresher every time. Would highly recommend!

I cannot recommend David enough. He completely transformed all 4 of my dogs, who were honestly…read morewild, crazy, and extremely rambunctious before working with him. The difference in their behavior now is unbelievable. What truly sets him apart is how much he genuinely cares -- not just about training the dogs, but about helping them succeed and making the process enjoyable for both the dogs and the owners. You can tell immediately that he has a real passion for what he does. He was patient, caring, knowledgeable, and somehow made training fun instead of stressful. The most mind-blowing part was my one dog who was already four years old and still not potty trained. Within just 4 days, he had her fully trained to go outside. I honestly still can't believe it. We had struggled for years, and he accomplished what we thought was impossible in less than a week. I also never felt comfortable to leave my dog in anyone else's home, but David made me feel so comfortable and secure to drop my fur baby at his home for the board and train and I honestly was open to having her there longer since we trusted him so much, but we didn't even need to since he got the results done so fast. I was able to get all my 4 dogs on a plane as Service Dogs with his guidance and training and I am now living in Costa Rica with all my 4 furbabies which would have never been possible without his training. If you are considering dog training, stop searching and book with him. He is hands down the absolute best, and I truly could not recommend him more! Our dogs -- and our home -- are completely changed because of him. We all truly miss him! Thank you from the bottom of our hearts David!

We had a wonderful experience with David and Proper Pups! He made incredible progress with our dog,…read moreCali, turning around her leash manners and reactivity during the two week board and train program. Right from our meet and greet, David worked to understand what our struggles were so he could make a training plan just for Cali. We felt comfortable and confident dropping her off. His calm energy, deep knowledge, and clear methods were obvious right away. When we picked up Cali, David spent time going over everything he worked on with her. He joined us for a walk, giving us helpful tips in real-time on how we could adjust what we were doing to keep her progress going. He even gave us a detailed file of notes, which have allowed for us to seamlessly continue her training at home. David's patience and positive approach paid off, we've seen such a change. Cali is calmer and more focused when there's stuff going on around her. We can't recommend him enough to anyone dealing with leash issues or a reactive dog.

I have taken both my dogs through Take The Lead Canine Training…read more Cathy has the greatest advice and her style of training is very positive. I recommend her to everyone I know.

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!

Bert is very professional and skilled trainer with a Big Heart!…read moreWithin short 5 days working with my puppy he managed to train and accomplished thousands time more than I was able to do by myself. I highly recommend hiring Bert with your new family member

Bert is a very knowledgeable trainer with an emphasis on training the person not the dog. His steps…read moreare very simple and easy to follow so I can easily practice them on my own. After one session I noticed a change in my relationship with my dog, by utilizing the steps I learned in my sessions with Bert I was finally leading. I would highly recommend training with Bert to establish healthy boundaries with your pup and set yourself up for a lifetime of success!

Britta is fabulous! She is the best call I could have made. We adopted a rescue kitty and needed…read morehelp introducing her to our established cat. I had given up all hope and really thought about giving the new kitty back. Britta gave us background information on cats and how to read and understand our cats' emotional states. We learned how to make our kitties' environment more engaging to curb behavior issues. Britta gave us great recommendations and a plan to follow to slowly introduce our new cat to our existing one. She even introduced us to clicker training that helped us bond with our kitties and have fun! Britta recorded the Zoom Meeting and shared the video so we could go back to the parts of the process we needed to review as we progressed with the plan. She also gave us documents to review that we discussed during the meeting. I highly recommend Britta! Her expertise is worth every penny. Now our kitties are playing and getting along. Thank you Britta!!!

We had an incredible experience working with Britta's Animal Training. We reached out for help with…read moreour three cats--our newer 2-year-old and our two 6-year-old brother and sister--and Britta immediately impressed us with her warmth, professionalism, and deep understanding of feline behavior. She guided us through every step of the process with patience and compassion. She helped us understand why certain behaviors were happening, what each cat needed to feel safe and confident, and what a realistic picture of multi-cat harmony looks like. Even though all of our cats were wonderful individually, it became clear that the dynamic just wasn't working for the group. We ultimately made the difficult decision to re-home our younger cat. It was emotional, but Britta's insight and encouragement helped us feel confident we were doing what was best for all of them. And she was right--he's now thriving in his new home with a new family, and after just a month he's already doing great. Our older cats are happier too, and the stress in our home has finally lifted. We are so grateful for Britta's expertise and kindness during such a tough situation. She not only helped our cats--she helped us understand them better. If you're struggling with cat behavior, transitions, or multi-cat dynamics, I cannot recommend Britta enough. She truly made all the difference.