We just finished 16 sessions with Mac and our puppy Bear is truly like a new dog. Mac is an incredible trainer -- patient, intuitive, and always tailoring each session to whatever Bear needed that week (including any new, random puppy behaviors that showed up along the way!). Bear absolutely LOVES Mac and was excited every single session, which honestly says it all. Over our time together, we worked on so much: sit, stay, drop, down, loose leash walking, reliable recall, proper greetings, high five, pool/water confidence, getting in and out of the car, touching paws, relaxation protocols, mind games, and healthy play etiquette. Mac even spent extra time educating us on pet nutrition, which was incredibly helpful and above-and-beyond. Not only is Mac an amazing trainer, they're just a genuinely great person. We learned so much and feel so much more confident as dog owners. I would 100% recommend Mac to anyone looking for a knowledgeable, compassionate, and truly effective dog trainer! read more

Karma Dog Training - Bear and our other dog, Biscuit. - Pet Training Near Me - Austin, Texas

We're currently working with Karma dog training for our new puppy Goose. We couldn't be more pleased with our trainer Xandra. She's so knowledgeable and patient! We've noticed huge improvements in our pup and I'm sure he'll continue to learn lots with her guidance. read more

Wonderful experience! Great results! Shelby was exceptional with my new pup. She definitely cares about the pets she spends time with. Would absolutely use her again for training needs! read more

Karma Dog Training - My pup Feyre - Pet Training Near Me - Austin, Texas

In search of a puppy socialization class plus training information, I found Karma Dog. I didn't know anything about training except for the endless amounts of YouTube videos I watched. I was so overwhelmed the first class because Zion taught me two things I've never heard of in any of those YouTube videos that I will carry with me forever - engagement using search and default behaviors. I didn't understand the concept or the point but as I learned and trained, I started to see real strides in my puppy. She wasn't jumping or countersurfing anymore! She offers nice behaviors without being told because she knows praise or a treat is coming her way. The puppy class is fun for the dogs and they teach you how to give the dogs breaks and give you an opportunity to train while in class. Selfishly, I wish the play was longer. Then in the zoom meetings, we learn a different behavior (sit, stay, come, etc.) My pup was always knocked out by the time Zoom meetings were so I stayed on to listen and practiced with her later. I also had a few training sessions with Zion and those were really helpful watching exactly how to mark behaviors and give rewards. The most useful session focused on loose leash. Positive reinforcement training is HARD. And tiring. And I wanted to give up and did give up many times. But I'm so glad I kept trying becaus Ewith works! And Raya is happy too! read more

This company must be bogus. I can't believe these other reviews based on what we experienced. It's excruciating to read them and how hopeful I was that they would train my dog well. Unfortunately that was not the case. My trainer agreed to train my dog for two weeks in boarding training, although she requested a third week to review and solidify his lessons once more. Over the length of that timeframe, I was concerned regularly, as she stayed in little communication with me. Every text or phone call I originated. I was very uneasy letting him go to a trainer in another city, but I was sold over the phone by a scout they refer to as a 'training director', that my dog would be kennel trained and she was more than capable to handle it. Within the first few days away, my trainer praised my dog to me in text messages that I requested, and said he had no separation anxiety issues, that he was just vocal, and that he was very confident and well-adjusted and was taking well to his training. She told me she thought he was precious, smart and very good at taking commands and correction. I'm not sure what kind of employee, however, would drive four hours to pick up a client's dog and not notice a putrid pile of dog vomit in the back seat floorboard. This presentation, alone, was astonishing. And it was repeated at drop off. I should have ran away when I opened the car to put his car seat inside and saw what he would have to smell the rest of the road trip to her home. Despite what she said about my dog, he soiled his crate the first two nights back at home. He barked the entire night like he was terrified. He devolved into a condition after these three weeks away. I have had to start completely over with his training, which was not accomplished by Karma Dog Training, although I was told my dog was good to go and ready to come home with his new understandings and training. I think now that it may have been dishonestly handled, and from a long-distance behavior modification trainer who has no bio on their website. Another thing I asked for and never received- her bio. And I am still waiting on the owner to follow up after one very judgmental phone call with him, in which he said he would touch base to see how things were going after a few days. This was after he declined my request for another local Austin trainer to finish the job and tried to sell me his book! And after the owner, put the blame squarely on me and my dog, stating that my dog does have separation anxiety and that he would not have another trainer finish his training per our agreement that he was to be taught three main topics: Ease in his kennel overnight. Settle/ place. Ease with my absence. Plus, other basic potty training and commands. And what's worse- this was the feedback I received after all of this managerial reluctance in which I sent three emails and two voicemails to chase down the owner over the course of two weeks to discuss my experience. And since we have spoken on one occasion since, he has not followed up with me as he said he would a few days later, and this entire company has left me to figure it out on my own. They have treated my sweet pet like a lost cause. Absolutely avoidant. I'm am still waiting on the training recap video and instructions from the trainer in question. I'm surprised no one locally has stepped in to assist. This could have been an easy remedy by now, and what I requested from the owner, Jeff- which he declined. I am overwhelmed with the trainer's request to add in the additional third week of training and her payment request for full payment despite their lack of service and arrogance. Plus, the things that I sent with my dog for boarding came back ruined, smelly and dirty. His bed- trashed. His bowls- dented. The crate- trashed. Nothing was salvaged. She only created more work for me in the end and is not careful. I was told she was one of their best employees and yet, with her having three dogs of her own - all with different house rules around my dog in training- and her agreeing to take in a second dog mid-training with mine, has confounded me and was appalling. How could this amount of chaos be good for anyone's beloved pet? Such a regrettable experience and mess. My dog is such a sweetheart. He is easily trainable and great with people and other dogs and has no aggression whatsoever. He's is loving and wants to please. They have not handled this case well or with any expertise. Karma Dog's leadership made a mountain out of a molehill in the way they've responded to my complaint. I have not found this business listed anywhere on the BBB Website. I will ask for a refund. They also withhold pricing information on their website. Fishy business practices all-around. read more

In two excellent in-home sessions, Sara Merrell, a behavior modification specialist from Karma Dog Training, taught me and my family how to refocus our lovable but sometimes way too agitated dog. My toddler granddaughter will be arriving on Saturday and we want to ensure that the dog won't get jealous or too nervous around her. I've been practicing Sara's techniques with my dog every day for the past month and feel much more confident that we'll succeed and that the dog will even enjoy the experience! I'm even looking forward to it. read more

Shelby Ball was my dog's trainer and she was absolutely amazing! She was a pleasure to work with and communicated everything with me every step of the way. She even sent me daily updates! My dog came home like a completely brand new dog! He has been extremely focused since being home and overall so much better at listening to me. I highly recommend Shelby to everyone!!! read more

Karma Dog Training - Pet Training Near Me - Austin, Texas

Great , REALLY GREAT! I filled out the form and got helped quickly. Jeffrey matched me up to a trainer with care and what was best for MY situation with my giant schnoodle. I am actually on day 2 of training and can see improvements in my 9 month old. She was jumping on everyone and on other dogs with lots of excitement bc she was encouraged by visitors that "its ok, she is so cute". At 15 lbs she was cute standing up but at 55 lbs it is not cute in the slightest and could hurt someone. Megan is my trainer. I can not say enough good things about her. Just want to say I am SO pleased, happy, and thankful with/for MEGAN. *Professional *On time *Packs a in to the time we have to train *Nice *Knowledgeable+ *Adaptable *Never Negative to the dog or harsh. Just keeps showing her a better way. *Good ideas and complimentary ( in an informative way) to my dog and to me. ( It is important, so important for the owner to learn also and to learn the small differences in what they think is the best way and what a much better way is to do it. ) Love getting told that I actually am doing good too. Megan is shifting and correcting easily my dog and what she is doing. Along with if one way is working but other options may be advantageous too. ( If my visitor is calm I might be doing one thing, but if my visitor is encouraging my dog to jump then Megan gives me a different solution. Overall, after looking at a few other trainers in Austin and working with one briefly I can see there IS A BIG difference in Karma Dog Training. Everyone that helped me get to this training day was super helpful and attentive. Ok , enough said, I would encourage PUPPY owners to begin training day ONE and for those of us who waited , It's never too late! Patience , dedication, and lots of repetition will bring you and your dog to a beautiful place of understanding and ease. Gioia and I thank Megan and can't wait to see what we are doing after our 10 days of training in home. ( hey , this is so easy! They come to you , train in your environment so they can really see the dogs behavior. Yes it's work but the payoff is fantastic!. They could train without you but it's a dog-owner relationship that really seals the deal). OH, and they have many options to choose from to train your pup. Perfect! thanks thanks thanks... GIOIA AND ME read more

Karma Dog Training - Gioia, Big girls can learn too!! - Pet Training Near Me - Austin, Texas

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Sara is a personal trainer that does training in your house and your neighborhood. As a first time dog owners we are thrilled that we meet her! Going forward we will be only use her service. Sara is someone that has great skills with the dog and my husband and I would love to recommend her to anyone in Austin area!!! Sara is AMAZING person and anyone out there should use Sara to train their dogs read more

Karma Dog Training - Ripp our dog that loves Sara and she is entire family BFF - Pet Training Near Me - Austin, Texas

Sara's demeanor is delightful. I was at my wit's end and thought everyday I had a mistake getting my beautiful, but high energy, standard poodle puppy. She was mouthy, jumpy, and didn't respect my boundaries. She was not interested in pleasing me. Sara spent time explaining 'why' and 'how'. Hard work pays off. I hadn't considered any of the training she showed us. I had standard poodles who required very little training and I was saddened I chose poorly. Milou is now a delight at 5 1/2 months old. We still have work to do as she matures. But not only do I tolerate her, but I enjoy her, and look forward to all of our adventures. Thanks, Sara!! read more

My highly reactive rescue needed a lot of help relaxing and building confidence and trust. Odie was found abandoned on a country road 6 months ago. He has separation anxiety and fears strangers, especially male ones. I reached out to Karma Dog Training to help me ease him into my life. Zion from Karma Dog Training was amazing. I bought 7 training sessions that helped me first and foremost understand how to read my dog's behavior and feelings and how to help him gently learn to reduce his anxiety and fear. Zion provides really patient and calm instruction for both owner and pet-- and what I also appreciate is the follow up documentation that reinforces and helps me keep the training going in between sessions. Odie is a much calmer dog now because of her help, and I am a much better momma to him too! We still have a ways to go-- but I feel confident I have the skills to continue to work with him. I have learned so much from Karma Dog Training!! Highly recommend Zion!!! read more

Karma Dog Training - This is Odie now- able to relax and learning to trust humans again! Thank you Zion! - Pet Training Near Me - Austin, Texas

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When I first called Karma Dog Training, I was nearly in tears. I adopted a dog and felt like I was in way over my head. My dog wouldn't use the stairs or elevator in my complex and had severe separation anxiety. With just a few private sessions with Zion Chatelle, my pup Birdie is using the stairs and elevator with confidence, has no separation anxiety, and is the one in a million dog I thought she would be. I'm so thankful I went this route. read more

Karma Dog Training - My dog, Birdie, adopted in February 2022 - Pet Training Near Me - Austin, Texas

We had about 5 private training sessions with Zion Chatelle and our 3 year old dog, Tina, and I think we learned as much as Tina did. We came to Karma Dog to learn techniques on how to build Tina's confidence, fine tune some of her default behaviors, and ultimately become less reactive to many things pups are naturally reactive to (squirrels, cats, etc.). We're lucky we were able to work with Zion as she was able to lead us right down the path to success! We saw a huge improvement in Tina's confidence and reactivity. A lot of this was done by implementing puzzle toys for feeding and learning how to engage her and hold engagement during various activities. Zion was not only patient with Tina, but she was patient with us (we're the real problem here ;)) and bestowed her infinite knowledge and expertise upon us that I know will help us (and Tina) for years to come. read more

Karma Dog Training - Pet Training Near Me - Austin, Texas

Amazing experience! I had a rescue dog that was obviously trained and very well behaved. She was pulling on the leash during walks. I tried everything but nothing worked. I called Karma dog and scheduled a 90 min training session at my house. Sarah, the trainer came and taught us positive reinforcement and different techniques. My dog was trained to not pull on a leash in three days. So happy!!! Thank you!!! read more

We are so pleased with Sara and Karma Dog Training, and in a little over 3 weeks have been amazed at the progress so far. Leo has improved immensely and I feel that we have too, even more so! My son and I share everything we can from the zoom Tuesday classes with my wife so we're all consistent. We love the program and Sara's tips and genuine care about how we're doing. She has a wonderful sunny disposition and I love that everything she recommends is positive reinforcement based, and within the multiple methods, we can manage to find at least one that works. Our Leo is a rambunctious hound pup with a voice that could make an opera singer blush, so the fact that we can get through to him in a loving and effective way is priceless. I'm also so thankful we get the recorded video link and rewatch/practice when I'm able to. It is so helpful to have the ability to rewind and listen to everything shared, bc I often miss important details during the Tuesday night Zoom meeting... as mentioned above, Leo is quite the orator and "speaks" over everyone else! Looking forward to getting more practice with "go to bed" from this weeks's lesson and the tips for when he gets a little ornery. Bit by bit, we are improving something everyday and looking forward to more and more time with our little bundle of unbridled energy. Thank you Sara and Karma! read more

Karma Dog Training - Leo working hard to "stay" and working his charm - Pet Training Near Me - Austin, Texas

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We recently worked with Zion to help with our puppy's barking at people and dogs when out on walks in our apartment complex, and it was a terrific experience! She is super knowledgeable and gave us easy-to-understand steps, which have helped a ton. Due to Covid, we met via video chat and it was very convenient and worked well for us. We had also had a previous experience working with her during puppy socialization class we participated in earlier in the summer in which she ran weekly zoom sessions for all participants covering different training techniques, and we learned a ton during those group classes as well. I wouldn't hesitate to work with her again in the future for more training (and we probably will as he gets older). Ernie is doing great and I would recommend her to any dog owner! read more

Karma Dog Training - Ernie - Pet Training Near Me - Austin, Texas

We were connected with Kate to walk our dogs in my third trimester of pregnancy, because we knew our two high energy breeds would need extra love and exercise once the baby arrived. Over the last few months, Kate has come to feel like a part of the family. It's indescribable to be able to trust her with our dogs and know that she loves them like her own. They absolutely adore her. We're looking forward to her reverse boarding for us in a few weeks. Kate connected us with Sara when our 3 yr old border collie started showing increased aggression toward our 1 year old pointer. Sara spent a lot of time over the phone with me and came to our home for an assessment and to offer recommendations. We ultimately decided that it is best for our border collie to find a new home due to the fact that we have a new baby and would not be able to commit the time necessary for him to thrive in our home safely, but Sara checked several times in throughout our decision making process and always answered each new question that I brought her way. She also has an empathy about her that I've found isn't always innate in great trainers. I really appreciated that during this difficult season for us. In another time and place, I wish we would have been able to work with Sara and seen our border collie come through some of his behavioral challenges. read more

Highly recommend Makayla, she was very helpful during the whole process. She kept us updated with training videos almost everyday! You can really tell she cares a lot about her clients. read more

Karma Dog Training - Pet Training Near Me - Austin, Texas

Liza, aka The "Good Dog" Girl trained our dog Bruce for 2.5 weeks while we were on vacation and she was amazing. Bruce is a different dog. I felt very comfortable leaving Bruce with her. Liza stayed in constant communication with us and gave us updates every step along the way! We got videos and photos of progress and updates on how he was doing. I'm so glad to have found Liza and Karma! read more

Karma Dog Training - Pet Training Near Me - Austin, Texas

Makayla with Karma Dog Training was amazing! My dog Olive is an overactive puppy who needs all the attention all the time. Makayla was patience and friendly throughout our sessions and made the process incredibly easy. She came to my home for in person training and took the time to not only train Olive but helped me be a better dog parent. It takes patience and persistence to create a different behavior and Olive has improved in the time spent together. Makayla allowed for flexibility of our appointments and was so knowledgeable! Highly recommend!!!! read more

Karma Dog Training - Olive and Hammer - Pet Training Near Me - Austin, Texas

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I can not say enough good things about our board and train experience with Zion. 1st thing, she will treat your dog better than you treat your dog. I am not kidding. 2nd, Zion keeps you updated all along the way. Multiple daily updates and very through. 4th, Zion teaches a very dog-centric approach to training, a reward-based behavior method that promotes companionship over dominance and a balance of human and dog needs. 3rd, Zion provides all the information and additional tools you need to succeed post training. We looked into other trainers in Austin, none were as prepared and professional as Zion. After our 7 month lab doodle, Dolly, returned from her stay with Zion for 10 days, she returned a new woman. And we all have a more positive out look for our future together. read more

Karma Dog Training - Dolly Parton - Pet Training Near Me - Austin, Texas

After doing a ton of research and evaluating reviews we landed on Karma dog training to help us with our puppy Winston. Many of the reviews references Zion by name and I knew that's who we needed to help us. Between the puppy classes her and Chloe would run that helped us socialize and gain basic skills to the many, many personal sessions that transformed our crazy, out of control puppy to a model of love and obedience we enjoyed this whole experience. Zion made us better dog parents and understand Winston's motives and body language to where we can control him, not by force or anger, but by love and patience We are extremely satisfied with the outcome of our training and will continue to use the resources and notes from our sessions to better ourselves and the relationship to our puppy Winston. read more

Karma Dog Training - Pet Training Near Me - Austin, Texas

While I appreciate the mission of PAWS, I wish that my donations (done in person) were met with some sort of appreciation. It's hard to feel this way when the people at the desk (Dripping Springs location) barely look up from devices. Perhaps money is the only thing that warrants a sincere thank you. But then again, maybe not. I've donated items four time and have been met with same attitude. The problem here is me. Why do I continue to go to this organization. Well, never again. read more

Working with Zion to train our puppy has been amazing! She has helped us completely transform a very wild golden retriever into a nice, calm, and collected young lady. We had several terrible experiences with dog trainers before finding Zion and we now consider ourselves incredibly lucky to have found her so early! She has been with us on developing Sunny for a couple of months, through private lessons and through group classes, that have been so valuable. Zion's training approach comes from a really deep understanding of how dogs operate and what their motivations are, which is why it works so well. Would highly recommend!! read more

Karma Dog Training - Cute Sunny likes to lie down next to us as her default now, thank you Zion! - Pet Training Near Me - Austin, Texas

We had such an amazing experience with Karma dog training! Our puppy Simba was just 11 weeks old when we went for his first class and he loved coming to his Sunday puppy class! He graduated two weeks back! Shoutout to his awesome trainers Zion & Chloe! The private training with Zion helped us to have a more one-on-one training session and she will make sure you have all the resources to train your puppy at home. The training techniques not only taught Simba how to be a good boy but also taught us to be good pawrents! The supervised play sessions were helpful especially when we take Simba to a dog park! The classes were fun & interactive! If you are looking for a positive re-enforcement dog training in Austin without the use of those inhumane shock collars, this is the place! Highly recommend Zion & Chloe at Karma Dog Training! read more

Karma Dog Training - Chloe, Simba and Zion! Zion & Chloe were awesome! - Pet Training Near Me - Austin, Texas

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Finally writing this review! I just wanted to mention how much my French Bulldog puppy (Pippa) LOVED her Puppy Kindergarten classes. I enrolled her as soon as I adopted her because I wanted her to be comfortable around other dogs, and the classes were so so helpful. She socialized with other puppies (most of them twice her size!) and learned useful commands during the seven lessons. And she even found a best friend. Both Zion and Chloe (The South Lamar trainers) were so helpful and always willing to answer our questions. It's also a great socialization experience for pet owners, as you get to meet people that are going through the same process. The classes are very "intense," in a good way, so Pippa was always ready for long naps after training. I highly recommend Karma Dog, and particularly Zion and Chloe. We surely miss going to class! read more

Karma Dog Training - Pippa - Pet Training Near Me - Austin, Texas

Zion Chatelle is a genius and her work with our 7-month-old lab saved me when I was at my breaking point. We did the "board and train" option Karma Dog Training offers and were delighted to receive numerous videos and updates on his progress throughout his stay with her. She shared tips and insight into reasons why he was behaving as he was -- who knew doggy "adolescence" was a whole big thing!?-- and supplied us with ample resources for ensuring his training success at home. She continues to provide support and lessons with us as we move forward. I can't recommend her and the program enough! read more

I cannot say enough positive things about my experience with Karma Dog and my puppy Pip's trainer Zion! Zion had Pip for board and train for about two weeks. She is SO knowledgeable and thorough. She explained exactly what she was doing and why and sent videos showing me what she was working on with tips for how I can implement at home. She followed up after I picked Pip up and has continued to check in. My puppy has come a LONG way from the hyperactive girl she was. She has learned to self-soothe, to sit and wait, and is overall more calm. Zion also provided incredible write ups with homework, you tube videos, and other helpful information and I have made sure to make the time to work on the homework with my puppy every day and she has continued to improve. Very proud of how far my girl has come and I have Zion to thank! read more

Karma Dog Training - Pet Training Near Me - Austin, Texas

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I loved working with Karma Dog and am deeply grateful to Makayla - she is beyond awesome! She is kind and caring, patient, and happy to share her training techniques. I've learned a lot from her in a short time. Our new puppy, Henry, was a handful of excitable puppy energy: biting, chewing, and screaming whenever he was left alone. Makayla showed us how to make Henry happy and help him fit into our home. In just a few lessons she has turned him from a cute but stubborn bundle of teeth and fur into a calm and sweet natured boy. He can sit, stay, and be alone without screaming! It has been day and night - all thanks to Makayla's work! read more

Karma Dog Training - Henry happily NOT CHEWING the pillows. - Pet Training Near Me - Austin, Texas

Veronica at Karma is an incredible dog trainer. She has been working with my 4-month old Vizsla puppy for the past 2 months, and I absolutely love her training style - lots of positive reinforcement, patience, and communication. Veronica understands dogs' behavior and what makes an effective training technique extremely well. She has been helping "train" me just as much as my pup in giving me, the owner, the tools I need to continue training exercises without her present and to better understand my pup and what works for him. I would highly recommend her 1-on-1 private training sessions for individualized work as well as the puppy classes/socialization hours that she directs. I will add that there seems to be a range of different experience level of trainers at Karma, so selecting the right trainer for you is really important. For us, Veronica was by far the best fit. Training with Veronica is an investment in your pup's training and future behavior that will last a lifetime (especially when you start at a young age). She is the best of the best. Thank you Veronica! -Molly & Maksz read more

Karma Dog Training - Photo of Maksz the Vizsla at 3 months old - Pet Training Near Me - Austin, Texas

My high energy pup needed a place to go for boarding and training while I travel for work. Karma came recommended by some friends and let me just say they offer an amazing puppy bootcamp package that included puppy school as well as individualized training and ongoing classes. We haven't done board and train just yet but have been going to puppy school. The classes have been well organized and helpful. Though easily the best part is how well puppy play time is supervised. I know I'm learning a lot about my dog and how to reinforce good behavior. A special shout out goes to Chloe is great training humans and offering constant encouragement. Her suggestion to make a trail mix of a few different treats was gold! read more

Karma Dog Training - Pet Training Near Me - Austin, Texas

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I took my new puppy, (8 week old Australian Shepard) to a training here and he did so well! My puppy has been pretty good, but I wanted to learn the commands and way to train him. The trainers were very helpful, they took sanitation very seriously and worked with every pup. You can tell they have been through great training and the organization has good leadership. My pup not only learned how to go to his bed, but go to socialize with other humans/puppies in a safe place. The trainers also give good advice on everything related to having a new puppy. I highly recommend anyone with a new dog to check out Karma, very worth it and very affordable. read more

Karma Dog Training - Milo learning how to go to his bed. First time in harness, on leash, and learning a trick! - Pet Training Near Me - Austin, Texas

We had a GREAT experience with Sara giving us tools to help us with our leash reactive dog! She made things super easy for us along with the pointers she gave us with the homework made training our dog a painless experience! I highly recommend Sara for any or all of your dog needs because she is very knowledgeable and helpful! She asked us about our goals and meshed the training to fit those goals but also be helpful to our dog.  Thank you Sara! read more

We found Karma dog training via a google search, and signed up for the free trial class with our pup, Calie. The whole experience has been wonderful! Through the classes, Calie and I developed a great relationship as we worked through the various commands. We worked with Sara who went above and beyond to help us challenge Calie, and made living with a puppy the best experience possible. Additionally, the puppy kindergarten truly helped reinforce positive socialization and play and taught me a bunch about reading a dog's body language. I would recommend these guys to anyone with a new pup in the family! The price fit our budget and they even offered a discount because Calie was a rescue. I feel confident in public knowing that Calie respects and listens to me, even though she is a hyper, energetic 8 month old. Couldn't have asked for anything better! read more

Karma Dog Training - Here's Calie enjoying a celebratory bone post graduation! - Pet Training Near Me - Austin, Texas

We just wrapped up a series of 5 private classes with Sara Merrell. We have 3 Tibetan Terriers, and the one Sara primarily worked with was Kelli (14 months old). Our other two, 13.5 y/o and 10.5 y/o, also benefitted from what we learned from Sara, which was great! Kelli came to us directly from the breeder, and basically had no training (other than potty training). She'd never been on a leash, didn't sit, stay, or go down, etc. We have made SO much progress in the short 5 classes, and we are thrilled with Sara! It's now up to us to continue the training every day--even for 5-10 minute spurts at a time. We will engage Sara in 1-2 months to come back to for a refresher. Training your dog with the positive reinforcement training style is something they deserve. We've trained all three this way over the years. Realistically, it's actually training for us humans! The more your dog is trained, the happier they will be (as they know what they are supposed to do) and the happier you will be. Seriously consider hiring Sara Merrell for your dog today! She is not only a stellar human, she is stellar with dog/human training! read more

Karma Dog Training - Kelli is on the left - Pet Training Near Me - Austin, Texas

We knew we needed some help getting our newest family addition acclimated to her new home and though we were leaning towards private in-home training, I'm glad we went with Karma and their option to combine group and in-home training. Their puppy classes at Dogtopia have been a great way to help socialize our girl Skye and get her used to being around and playing nice with other pups. And the in-home training session with Sara was extremely helpful and productive for all members of our family. Sara is a very knowledgeable, creative and patient dog AND people trainer. She covered a lot of ground in just one session and provided us with lots of tips, tools and examples to help us develop a harmonious relationship with our new best friend. She checks-in with us regularly to ensure we are doing OK and offers to make herself available for any follow-up questions. I must admit before our in-home session I was feeling more than a little overwhelmed and worried that maybe bringing home a puppy for Christmas was not such a good idea. But, after working with Sara I was quite relieved and felt confident that Skye was the best friend and protector I wanted for my family! read more

Karma Dog Training - Pet Training Near Me - Austin, Texas

Sara thank you for training Penda and me on overcoming her shyness. Penda is making progress and we just ran our first 5k together! While she was still a bit shy, the techniques you shared helped! We're excited to show you our progress when we meet next time! read more

Karma Dog Training - Penda savoring her post run puppacino! - Pet Training Near Me - Austin, Texas

Karma dog training was hit or miss. I initially took my puppy to a group class on the east side and it was a disaster. The trainer seemed like she didn't want to be there and felt like a one trick pony (she seemed scripted and didn't know how to work with dogs). Eventually, I was so upset - I transferred my dog to the south location and landed on Karma's gem - Zion. After finishing a whole group puppy class with Zion - I ended up paying for 6 private lessons. She's amazing every time. She has such great depth and tools to working with dogs. She also just seems so intune with our pup! I highly recommend Zion! read more

We had a wonderful experience working with Sara during the puppy kindergarten program. The seven-week two part program was wonderful and a great way to navigate the current situation with COVID. The puppy socialization class was amazing for our puppy Zoe. Each week we noticed major improvements with how she handled other dogs and people we'd see on our walks. She entered the program as a shy and unsure puppy and left after 7 weeks as a confident, obedient, and outgoing girl! The zoom weekly classes were an added bonus in helping to teach us as parents how to train her. We as parents grew more confident in how to handle her behavior and guide her to be a well-behaved pup. Sara was always available to answer questions and provided multiple solutions to any problem we brought up. I'd highly recommend this program to any new puppy parent out there. It's a wonderful way to socialize your pup during COVID and have access to an amazing dog trainer to help guide your pup to being the best version of themselves. read more

Karma Dog Training - undefined - Pet Training Near Me - Austin, Texas

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We got Nala almost a year ago from APA, and it was clear from the start she was fearful of humans and had some anxiety. We reached out to Karma and got connected with Sara. Nala warmed up to her quite quickly, and by the 3rd visit, Sara became the first person (besides us) Nala allowed to pet and play with her since her adoption! We've still got a ways to go in her journey, but with Sara's help socializing plus the tips + tricks she's providing along the way, I think we're making great progress read more