What a charming business. The lady who owns this gem could not be more perfect for the task of…read morelooking after your beloved pets. Not a cold environment like an animal shelter, this kind lady takes lucky dogs into her home and makes them part of her family. Warm and inviting she has opened her home so when your best buddy needs to have care during the day while you are at work....or stay longer while you are away on a business trip you simply could not hope to find a kinder soul to look after your furry friend.

From the owner: I have been professionally working with animals for nearly 20 years. I enjoy building a bond with…read morepets and gently working with them to build trust and respect. My specialty is adventure outings, where I take a small pack of well-behaved dogs out to a nature beach to run around and play. I pick them up from their home, supervise them having a great time, and towel dry them before bringing them back home. If your dog isn’t trained off-leash and you’d like for them to be, I can help! I use positive reinforcement and consistency to make progress. The first step is to build trust and a bond, and to show that coming out with me will bring great fun and rewards. When the time is right, I can slowly start to allow them to have more freedom, while training vital recall skills. If you feel your dog isn’t a candidate to go off-leash, I can also do leashed hikes, neighborhood walks, drop-ins and pet transportation to vet and grooming appointments. I have experience with newborn puppies all the way to geriatric and special-needs. Check out my website for more information, and feel free to text or email with questions or to set up a time to talk.

Literally cannot recommend Mike enough. My puppy Barbie and I work with him 1:1, at my house, and…read moreBarbie also loves the Puppy Socialization classes, in Aptos. Mike is the epitome of calm, powerful, energy - Barbie respects and loves him so much. He embodies the values I strive to implement in my dog training - positive techniques, that empower my puppy to "make the right choice." Mike, thank you so much for giving me confidence as a new dog owner. I can't wait to keep working together, to help Barbie be the best dog she can be.

Mike is an amazing trainer. He's helped my dog and I make huge progress in a short amount of time…read more Scheduling was easy, and the training is quality and clear. My reactive Aussie and I are so grateful.

Maria knows what she is doing. Within a minute she had my dog who yanks me around every where…read morewalking like a perfectly trained dog. I was flabbergasted!

Woofpack has helped my dog get socialized. She absolutely loves going and comes back so exhausted…read morefrom the walk and playing she does. All of our dogs have benefited from the Woofpack. The staff is amazing and caring. Our dogs love them and look forward to socializing. I would highly recommend them. 100% family love coming from this group.

10/10 ! I love this place and so does my dog Cowboy ! He always comes back so tired and is excited…read morewhen we drive up the drive way for drop off . They all take such good care of him and I couldn't be happier to have found Desjardins . Professional and so friendly .

Owners are professional, caring, knowledgeable, flexible and just amazing!…read moreOur newish, unpredictable dog goes to daycare at Desjardins and has also been trained there. The results are outstanding and we are so pleased to understand our dog and be able to give him a happy life. Thank you Desjardins!!

A very cool place. They train dogs here. Lots of them. In German. It is a sight to see on a…read moreSaturday morning. Even if you don't have a dog you can come to watch how they train, and pick up great tips for when you do get a dog. Located in Corralitos, it is a bit of a haul to get here. Probably 30-40 from Santa Cruz and 15 or so from Aptos. The training is done on a large field that has a full obstacle course. Plenty of room for 70-100 dogs at a time. There is a lot of repetition in the training which is just what you would expect. We don't take our dog here, our parents do and they love it. We go to watch and see the dogs. It is a great experience. The trainers are competent and humorous and engaging. They care about you and your pet. One final note, we saw some puppy magic last time here. A dog who just was freakin out about laying down. Yelping and nippy and upset. Willful...not willing. The trainer stopped the class and worked gently and patiently with the dog to finally get it to lay. It was amazing to see it. I didn't think it would happen. After another short walk, the puppy was laying on its own. My wife was in tears. This is the place to get your puppy acclimated to other dogs and a bit of structure in its life.

Lance is AMAZING! I highly recommend his services for anyone with dogs. Lance is highly skilled…read morewith years of experience. He is always professional, direct and most importantly, effective. Hands down the best trainer I have ever worked with.

A few months ago, we hired OffLeash K9 through their "Board and Train" program, for our Cane Corso…read morepuppy. At that time, he was around 7 months old. At the time I signed the training services agreement, there was zero mention of the use of an electronic training collar as part of the program. Additionally, it is not clearly described or disclosed on the OffLeash K9 website that they utilize these collars as a part of the training-- they use vague language to refer to their practices, including the use of "safe and effective methods", but no concrete examples or definitions. I did not discover that they were planning to use an electronic (shock) collar until well after I paid the $2790 for the training program, I should add. Learning this information gave me pause, and I considered cancelling the training, as I had learned through my own professional experience that positive reinforcement training is more effective to achieve results for dogs than punishment-based training. Nonetheless, I was told and encouraged by the trainer (Izzy) that this method was safe, and would not cause injury. Upon return to me after the 2 weeks, my puppy had injuries around his neck which the trainer referred to as "hot spots". The trainer informed me that it was simply due to "irritation" from the collar. The trainer stated at the time of return that our dog was "stubborn", and "slow to learn". Being a Registered Veterinary Technician, I took him home, and I shaved and cleaned the wounds around his neck, in order to better visualize the area. It was immediately clear that he had painful, necrotic pressure wounds around his neck (see photos). I administered first aid, and consulted a veterinarian colleague for further instruction. I am relieved to report that his injuries healed without the need for more invasive treatment--however, those pressure wounds are not a "normal" result of the use of electronic collars. That occurs when the collar is left in place for too long, and is fitted too tightly. This was a direct result of the misuse of the training collar by the trainer. Subsequently, our dog was fearful of the collar, and, understandably, would refuse to allow us to place it on him. He demonstrated very little obedience as a result of his training, despite our attempts to follow up with his training as directed, and he appeared more anxious than he was prior to the program. Both personally and professionally, I was left disappointed and concerned by this program, and certainly would not recommend it to any of my friends or associates. I question its validity, if management is using and supporting dubious communications, and condoning harmful practices. I have extensive connections in the veterinary medical community of the Central Coast and Bay Area, after an almost 20-year career as a senior veterinary nurse, and I have been vehemently opposing and advocating against this he use of OffLeash K9. I have dissuaded clients from acquiring their services. Furthermore, I strongly suggest that trainer Izzy of Salinas be investigated for misconduct, and potentially animal neglect. My intention in sharing this feedback is to make the community of pet owners, whom I love and humbly serve, aware of the adverse effects of this training program.

Having had previous success for dog training it was without a doubt to choose Central Coast: Off…read moreLeash K9 train to train our young dog. Miguel was very patient and skillful in handling our Maltese. Mugi returned to us confident and receptive to basic commands. We were amazed that Mugi walked off leash so obediently! We recommend CC OLK9 and Miguel and found the two week board and train program a great way to train and expand socialization to our dog.

Five Stars! I've…read morebeen sending my dog Kaya to Pacific Paw for nearly a year now, and I couldn't be happier with the experience. Kaya started with some anxiety around other dogs and had a tendency to pull on the leash, but the transformation since joining Pacific Paw has been incredible. Thanks to their skilled and patient staff, Kaya's walking behavior has improved dramatically. She's now much more comfortable around other dogs, and it's been heartwarming to see her build friendships and enjoy her time out on the trails. She especially looks forward to her 2-hour walks and daycare time with her doggy pals! Every staff member at Pacific Paw is not only friendly and communicative but also impressively knowledgeable when it comes to dog behavior. You can tell they genuinely care about the dogs they work with. A special shoutout to Michelle, the owner--she's been amazing to work with. I even booked private lessons with her to learn how to walk my dogs while managing a stroller, and her guidance made a world of difference. Pacific Paw has played such a positive role in Kaya's life. She's thriving, happy, and so much more confident. I wholeheartedly recommend Pacific Paw to any dog owner looking for experienced, compassionate, and professional care for their pup. Thank you, Pacific Paw!

We can't say enough amazing things about Deb and Michelle!! We have LOVED having our little Lucy be…read moreapart of their pack walks twice a week! Every walker they have apart of the Pacific Paw team might be the friendliest most kind humans in Santa Cruz! Lucy comes home exhausted and in such a great mood. They give your dog so much Love! Michelle one of the owners is an amazing trainer who gave us so many tips and tricks to correct a few minor behavior issues with Lucy. They also write a cute daily report and always send amazing photos of your pup and where they walked that day! Highly Recommend Pacific Paw to any dog owner!

Emily is EXACTLY what we were hoping for in a dog trainer. She's punctual, friendly, knowledgeable,…read morekind towards all and SO very good at her craft. We have a year old Boston Terrier who was nipping, bolting and pretty out of control most days. Emily came in, and within a session, we can see a big difference in our pup. We can't recommend Emily enough!!!

I called for help with my 6 month old Yorkie - he was given to me by my parents who were in over…read moretheir head with a puppy, who IMHO was taken away from his mother too young. Georgie (the Yorkie) was mouthy, marked everywhere and quite undisciplined. My only other dog was a golden retriever mix so I didn't know the difference between a dog who wanted to only please me (retriever) and the stubborn Yorkie I had inherited. After unsuccessfully housebreaking Georgie for several weeks, I decided to enlist a professional so I didn't make mistakes with him down the line. And with my busy schedule (divorced mom of two and full time workaholic) I didn't want to neglect the sweet little addition to my family. Emily was able to find four days to work with my pup that fit my busy schedule as well as give me the tools I needed as a Yorkie owner. She is patient and left me detailed notes on what I need to do to keep the commands she taught him. She even worked with my kids so they could use the same commands. She also made sure to take him around town to socialize him with other dogs and people - he came home exhausted from the fun day! I'm proud to say we still use the commands she taught Georgie (it's been about 5 months) but sadly the breed is tough to housebreak - he's smart but particularly stubborn. However, the pee pad techniques Emily worked on is pretty useful so that is a definite plus! And Georgie is pretty cute so we don't mind too much...

I would highly recommend Karma Dog Training to any dog owner!! Myra led our class and is a very…read moreexperienced and effective trainer. We adopted our sweet pup Butters a few months ago. We knew we wanted to give him solid training, but hadn't had of a dog of our own as adults. They cover the needed commands for any new pup, but also did a very good job with the socialization aspect. It's often overlooked, but very important if you want a dog you can have around other dogs, people and kids. They help you read your dog's behaviors during these sessions to know how to guide them to be better playmates. Myra was always available to give us guidance on how to address certain behaviors specific to our dog. He was a jumper and not the best at understanding when other dogs wanted to stop playing, he now keeps 4 paws on the floor and is on his way to being a very well mannered dog. We saw a lot of progress over the 7 weeks and have recommended Myra to many others.

I highly recommend Karma Dog training to everyone with a new puppy/dog! Branca is very patient and…read morecalm, which is perfect for the chaotic atmosphere that can surround first time or new pet owners. All of my questions were answered and the advice I was given about housebreaking worked! I could not be happier with these training classes!