I am convinced that the single biggest problem with dogs is their owners. A well behaved dog (which I believe is directly correlated to their owner's training and handling skills) is a joy to interact with and a joy to others. In my experience, Eleza is a first rate trainer, absolutely committed to dogs and their owners. Io (my Cheweenie) and I have completed Basic Obedience and are moving on to Intro to Agility and Canine Good Citizen, with intentions of additional classes. Eleza's class offerings are extensive and Playgroups are excellent socialization opportunities. Her philosophy and extensive knowledge are great resources for me as I try to model the behavior that she is trying to teach me. I recommend looking at her website as it is fairly well designed and provides lots of good information. read more

LOVE Eleza! She is the dog whisperer. My wild and crazy 6 month old aussie would not listen to anyone when I first reached out to Eleza 2/3 months ago. She came to my house, observed our interactions, and gave us some homework. I brought Coco to her house for a couple of day care/training days. We are currently in her pre agility class and my puppy loves it! She really built up confidence, focus, and a bond with me. Eleza and I both agree she is a totally different dog than she was 2 months ago and I will be forever thankful! As a side note, I did work a couple of other trainers/kennel club/agility trainers and Eleza is the real deal. She put the others to shame and is truly passionate and knows what she is doing. read more

I recommend Paws in progress to everyone I know (especillay with a puppy) even strangers. I get complments on the manners of the Lab/Shep puppy who is 6 months old from everyone we meet. The socialization he has gone thorugh through Eleza puppy preschool program and supervised playgroups makes Diego a joy to take to my friends houses or to outside festivals. He is great around other dogs, kids and even babies. We just started basic obedience and look forward to continuing on with Diego's training to advance obedience. We are so grateful we found Paws in Progress and will continue to learn and grow together with our sweet puppy. read more

I am shocked to read the review by Gail, and find some of what she writes hard to believe. We have had wonderful success with Eleza and have never heard her tell anyone to do any of the repermands that are described. Our puppy is now 6 months old and we have been with Eleza since he came home at 8 weeks. He can be rather nippy and stubborn and never did Eleza do or tell us to do anything that was described. He was very reluctant to follow through with the down command also and she did get him down with some work and that did include the slip collar and pulling to the floor, but never once was he choking. He was just stubborn and she waited him out as the human is suppose to do! He is still slow do follow the down command and we keep working with him and he does lay down on any surface. We have finished puppy preschool, & basic obedience and are starting canine good citizen next week and can't wait. We attend Friday night playgroup and it is one of his favorite things to do. Our puppy loves her and is always so excited to see her. If she was abusing him, I am sure that he would be afraid of her rather than run to her wagging his tail feverishly. Eleza is a wonderful kind person that has a great love for what she does. She is very professional and we are so thankful we found her. read more

My 3 year old Yorkie mix rescue just completed Basic Obedience. Eleza is definitely the best trainer I've known, having had several dogs & gone to several trainers over many years. Her calm, common sense approach, and high expectations for the dogs, yet with true compassion for them sets her apart from others. I so enjoyed this class and learned so much, as did my Chloe, and I look forward to participating in some of the socialization and advanced training events soon. Thank you Eleza!! read more

Earlier this month I adopted a deaf Rottweiler puppy (9 months old). She had received training from Eleza, but foster mom knew no commands. I was at my wits end! Contacted her, and drove down. She spent an hour with us, showing me what she had taught the pup. I was just stunned she would be SO generous with her time. She didn't rush me and let me take as many notes as I needed. We are now a happy family! Your pet will be in great hands. I highly recommend Paw in Progress and Eleza. read more

Zoey is a Bernedoodle and I can't say enough about the training and sociality she gets. I love the classes and Eleza Kerfoot and Anny Amato are great trainers. They change how they train depending on each dog. read more

This is the most extensive dog training I came across. It's expensive yes, but if you are having serious and consistent issues with your dog it is worth every dollar. After calling a handful of board and trains everyone referred me back to Eleza and we are SO glad we went with her program. She not only teaches your dog but she teaches YOU how to best deal with your dog depending on breed and temperament. We got ALOT of bad info from other trainers and vets, we wish we had known about this program from the start! Eleza is really patient and understanding of the dogs and the humans frustrations through this process.... which is exactly what it is, a process. You won't get your dog back in 3 weeks with everything fixed 100%. Eleza will give the dog a strong and sustainable foundation. Then she spends the rest of the program helping you build the right relationship with your dog. That being said, you have to do the work! If your willing to put the time and money in you will see big changes in your dog! read more

I can't recommend Eleza's playgroups highly enough. I have a neurotic Border Collie mix that had real trouble interacting with other dogs, to the point that she would provoke fights. I had pretty much given up on her ever being able to be around other dogs, but decided to give the Paws In Progress playgroups a try. First, we did a free evaluation, at which Eleza observed my dog interacting with her two dogs. My dog was typically ill-mannered, growling and snapping, but Eleza wasn't fazed a bit. She told me that she thought my dog would benefit from the playgroups. Of course, I was skeptical, having lived for years with what I thought was her impossible-to-fix aggression toward other dogs. For the first couple of playgroups, my pup wore a muzzle, which helped her learn that the other dogs would not hurt her (without giving her the chance to do any damage to anyone else!) My goal was just to improve her ability to calmly "be" around other dogs. After about two sessions, though, my girl no longer needed the muzzle, and was playing enthusiastically and safely with the other willing dogs, something I NEVER thought she could do. She has also improved her ability to "read" the social cues of the other dogs and to give space to dogs that don't want to play. Eleza is excellent at supervising the playgroups and checking inappropriate behavior. She has a wonderful ability to understand the unique personality and training needs of each dog. The playgroups have been an amazing opportunity for my extremely unsocialized dog to interact with other dogs in a safe environment. It's such a joy to see my formerly surly pup leaping and playing with her playgroup "friends." I have been truly amazed at how much she has improved, and it has made me feel so much happier about taking her other places where she might have to hang out with other dogs. Of course, she still has room for improvement, but each session is a chance for her to meet new dogs and learn appropriate behavior around lots of different doggie personalities. I would highly recommend Paws in Progress playgroups to anyone who thinks their dog is beyond help when it comes to socialization. Eleza has created a wonderful space for safe interaction for all dogs, regardless of socialization abilities (or limitations!) read more

We received our husky x puppy at 7 weeks and immediately took him to basic training as soon as he was vaccinated and old enough. A year later I brought home a border collie x puppy (6 months younger than our husky) and started working with basic training with her as well (we did not take her to classes as we used techniques we had learned with the other dog). We started to notice that our husky would become VERY vocal when he saw other dogs and quite frankly it sounded like we were beating him with a stick (it was so obnoxious and very embarrassing). We took our dogs to a trainer in Roseville and he taught us a few things but was not able to help us work with this on-leash aggression. I got a recommendation from a neighbor about Eleza and decided it was worth a shot. It was great because she came to our house to do the evaluation and to see how our dogs reacted in their own environment...she even brought her dog to see how they would react. We were very impressed with how she worked with them and decided to sign up for 4 private lessons. The first thing she suggested was that they did NOT need to be on a pronged-collar but a slip collar instead. Our first lessons were to work with our dogs to get them really honed in on their heeling so they weren't walking in front of us/pulling. I am happy to report that with Eleza's guidance and our consistent/hard-work ... our "pups" are doing fantastic! We are currently working with Eleza in her newly started Reactive Rover course which really hones in the behavioral issue we have with them when we see other dogs. After the first course, our husky barely reacted and our border collie only reacted when other dogs did... it's a GREAT start! I would HIGHLY recommend Eleza's training. Some items that need to be remembered before you COMMIT to using her services: -The dogs will only improve if you take the time to work with them -The dogs will only improve if you listen to the instructor and follow her instructions (if you aren't sure or are uncomfortable with something tell her so she can repeat or provide other options)! Happy Training! read more

Eleza is hands down the best dog trainer! She has been a part of our family ever since we brought home our first fur kid. Both of our dogs and their human parents have been trained by her and her staff and we are grateful! I would never consider trusting anyone else to our kids. Although we've moved out of state we continue to come back for training and events. read more

After I wrote my review, as a gesture of goodwill, Eleza agreed to refund me $50 of the $150 for the initial consult, meaning I lost $100 instead of $150 as I wrote in the original review. read more

If you are looking for REAL training and the best way to form a true bond with your dog, get quality training, then Eleza with Paws in Progress should be a no brainer to choose. You get what you pay for. I rescued a german shepherd from my work a year and a half ago. Sirius is a sweet dog but had a lot of instability in his life prior to us. He had no house training, had bad dog reactivity when on a leash to the point of people walking across the street to get away from him cause they were scared, and horrible separation anxiety from me. He's my shadow. Eleza truly listens to what you want out of training, gives you that and more. Since we finished his first program he is now house trained, separation anxiety minimized, no longer dog reactive, off leash trained, and now we are almost done with her advanced program. The advanced program is fun for both you and your fur child. Lots of extra tips and commands. The biggest thing is building structure for your dog and consistency. If you want your dog to be a well behaved citizen you need to put in the work just as much as your dog needs that time to learn what you expect out of them. Give Paws in Progress a chance and you won't be disappointed. read more

This will probably be a long review, so if you're not reading the whole thing, just know that Eleza is simply the most amazing dog trainer we've ever had the pleasure of working with...I don't know how she does it but every dog seems to worship her, including our dog, Molly! A couple of years ago, my husband and I adopted a 1 year old German Shepherd named Molly...having never had dogs before, adopting a teenage dog was probably not the best move. Molly was smart as a whip and quickly realized that we had no idea what we were doing so she proceeded to act out in all her teenage glory. She would chase the cats in our house, wouldn't listen to anything we said, and walks were becoming unbearable since she would lunge at anything that moved (cars, bikes, people, dogs, leafs...). The rescue that we adopted Molly from suggested we contact Eleza, and after a few private lessons with her, we had a brand new dog. Eleza was extremely patient with us, and she was an incredible trainer, using positive methods to teach each new command, and once she was sure that Molly knew her commands, she would do a quick correction if Molly misbehaved. This combination worked perfectly for our dog. After we finished our basic training, life slowly got in the way and we started to slack a bit on keeping up with all the training techniques that Eleza had taught us. Molly was still reasonably good inside the house but she started developing dog-reactivity. She was getting to the point that there were some dogs in the neighborhood that if she saw on her walk, she would lose her mind...barking, lunging, growling...which was both terrifying and mortifying for us. We tried using only positive reinforcement and lots of treats on our walks but she was getting even worst. So we decided to go back to Eleza to see if she could help us. After a private consultation/lesson with Eleza, she re-taught us how to stay in control on our walks, correct bad behaviors quickly before it got out of control, and also suggested that Molly needs more socialization with other dogs. We started to take her to day-training at Eleza's house, where she could hang out with other dogs for an entire day and learn how to behave. Even though it's only been a few weeks since we've started using Eleza's techniques on our walks, and have taken her to day training, the difference in Molly is astounding. She's becoming more and more comfortable around other dogs, and even in our neighborhood (where she was most territorial and dog-reactive), she has been absolutely perfect on our walks. Four of our neighbors have actually stopped us on walks and commented on how well-behaved Molly has become, one even going as far as asking if Molly was okay since she wasn't losing her mind over the neighbor's GSD :-) We would highly recommend Eleza! She is an amazing trainer for both dogs and their owners :-) read more

Excellent dog training. Eleza really has a way with dogs. It is amazing how they respond to her. In fact, I think she speaks "dog". She is confident and obviously loves what she does. We have taken Basic and Advanced and will go back for Intro to Agility and Paws Perfected. My dog loves her playgroups which are well controlled, safe fun. My dog has gained much needed confidence by Eleza's help. read more

It amazes me that out of all the positive reviews one person leaves a bad one bashing the trainer, this coming from a person who created a FB for a dog and post numerous post every day as if the dog was posting, to add to it the floor was to cold for your dog, are you serious? After seeing the FB page, and reading you think the floor was to cold, I am pretty sure I can put together the truth on what happened, you don't want to discipline your dog and don't care if your dog is out of control. Now on to my review, I came to PIP after being referred by a cashier at Pet Food Express, I have a GSD that is over 100lbs and only 8months old, he was very dog aggressive and we tried the training at Petsmart and it did not help the situation. So after making contact we setup a few private lessons, the trainer worked directly with the issues my dog had, and in just the few months he is now able to be in the play groups and also has completed the basic obedience class and starts the advanced class in a few days. I have and will continue to refer friends, family and anybody I come across to PIP... read more

My husband found Paws in Progress through reading Yelp reviews, so it's only fitting that I write a review and share the experience we had.... In September, my in-laws drove a puppy to us cross-country. They had picked out a Golden Retriever for us, potty trained and housebroken him, and when he was six months old they brought him to us from Ohio. He was really well-behaved for the first few days (when my in-laws were still here), then the first day I was alone with the puppy and my toddler, it was disastrous. He ran from me when I tried to get him to come inside, snapped his teeth at me when I reached for his collar to get him into the kennel, jumped on me, jumped on my toddler which knocked him over repeatedly, and was just wild. I was overwhelmed. After that first day, I'm embarrassed to say, I wanted to give him back to my in-laws and give up. I had never had a puppy, and I must admit I was a little afraid of him since he was bigger than other dogs I'd been around in the past. I remember that night my husband said to me, "We have to give him a chance. He wants to please, but he doesn't know how. Let's find a good trainer." Enter Yelp, enter Paws in Progress and Eleza. We signed up for Basic Obedience, which includes one private training session. When I got to that first one-on-one session, I told Eleza about each concern, and she had a solution to every one. I watched her deal with his jumping, mouthing, and running away, and even teach him the trick of staying in "place," She also taught me quite a bit, like how to properly walk him on a leash and what was reasonable play behavior, for example. That was when I realized our dog was very trainable, and Eleza really knew her stuff. The coolest thing about Eleza when it comes to dog training, and I saw this right away that first hour, is that she has a way about her that dogs just want to be around her and do what she asks of them. My little guy was eagerly following her every move, sitting with a wagging tail when she asked him to do so. One thing I really like about her attitude toward the dogs and training, is that she corrects the behavior then makes it clear to the dog that nobody's mad. It's not emotional, it's not personal, but puppy, you cannot do that/act like that. It was a great month of weekly classes. Eleza reviewed and taught us new commands each week, discussed topics such as dog parks, grooming, emergency plans for pets, and much more, in addition to answering every question we brought her. Now we have completed Basic Obedience, and we are excited to keep at it with more training. I really enjoy my puppy now, and I feel in control of his behavior. I was happy to find out that we can attend free weekly practice sessions to keep up on the skills we learned in Basic Obedience. In the future after a little more training, we can do fun things like field trips and play groups for socialization as well. You don't acquire the kind of dedicated clients Eleza has unless you are something special, and Eleza is just that. Everything you need to know about Eleza's work with Paws in Progress can be summed up in one event ~ mid October on a training night was Eleza's birthday. Five minutes before our training session was over, a long stream of owners with dogs on leashes came into Pet Food Express with gifts and a homemade banner, each letter of Happy Birthday had a picture of a dog or several dogs. All those dogs outside the training room window sat still and obediently waited until our class was done. Then after class, those loyal clients and their well-trained dogs presented her with the banner and gifts. I feel very lucky that we found Paws in Progress and Eleza. read more

Eleza is the most caring compassionate person I have met. She not only cares about the needs of my future service dog Buddy, but the needs/concerns I have. She is always very professional and knowledgeable. I trust her fully and would high;y recommend her to anyone I meet!!! read more

Elza is the best! I have a Cavailer that I have been working on training for the last 3 years and he is doing really great. I may not be the best at being consistent but he still continues to try to do all the right things. She has really helped me learn and I appreciate her constant assistance. read more

Gotta brag on our baby. New sofa delivered, a six piece sectional that they delivered and installed - one piece at a time. Big double front doors wide open and Bentley held his "place" command the entire time. The delivery guys even stopped to pet him a number of times and he still stayed in command. All those obedience classes do equate to a well behaved, amazing dog. Both delivery guys commented on how well behaved he was and what a great dog we have. Another endorsement for PIP. read more

After rescuing a 4 month old boxer who was extremely reactive to other dogs on leash we were at our wits end. We tried 2 different trainers and made zero progress. I contacted Eleza and we have been working with her for 2.5 years. My boy is doing great thanks to Eleza and her methods of training. We still continue to participate in any class that Eleza has to offer in order to keep up with socialization. I highly recommend Paws In Progress if you are in need of any kind of dog training or intervention. read more

We cannot say enough about our wonderful trainer, Eleza Kerfoot, and Paws in Progress! I have never had a dog before and I've never considered myself a dog person; in fact, I'm pretty much the opposite. When my boyfriend wanted a puppy I wasn't exactly excited. We ended up with a typical puppy--cute and loveable, of course, but bitey, jumpy and wild on a leash and off--she was your basic disaster on four legs. We lucked out when we found Eleza and Paws in Progress. We stated with Basic Obedience. Within the first 5 minutes of class, our puppy was sitting on command! Fifteen minutes later, she was walking with me on the leash, instead of running circles around me. We were in awe! Eleza made sure we understood the "hows and whys" of giving each command and that we were comfortable with the techniques. If we weren't, she would offer alternatives within our comfort zone. I learned as much as our puppy from each class, probably more. There was homework and we worked on commands each day at home, but after only two training sessions, I felt like we had a different dog. She was still a puppy, so she was by no means perfect, but there was a dramatic improvement in her behavior. Classes continued like this--we worked on sitting, laying down, staying and walking with a loose leashand our wild puppy began transforming into at a wonderful dog that listens and obeys. At each session Eleza provided great tips, letting us know what behaviors we could anticipate and how to deal with negative ones quickly and effectively. She was always willing to answer and, believe me, we had plentyfood, vets, toys, treats, you name it. She was (and still is) also available by phone, text and email for those inevitable questions that pop-up in between classes and she is great about getting back to you quickly. Since Basic Obedience, we have taken Advanced Obedience too. Building off the skills from previous classes, our puppy now performs all her commands off leash. She stays in a sit or a down even when surrounded by treats, when we leave the room and with other dogs or kids playing around her (even stepping on her). She will walk over treats too, completely ignoring them, when given the command to return to us (honestly, I didn't think that was possible)! Despite amazing training classes, it's the extra stuff Eleza does that demonstrates her commitment to our [the clients'] success in having happy, well-behaved, dogs at home and in public. Playgroups, field trips, walks, even boat trips, she offers it all! We go to playgroup 2 to 3 times a week. It's a real testament to Eleza's training when you see a 7-pound dog happily running to greet a 100(+)-pound Rottie. Even though it can look a bit wild to see 10 dogs running around playing Eleza has total control over the room. Don't get the wrong idea, just like people the dogs have bad days too, and I have seen more than one puppy (including my own) end up on time-out for poor behavior. But, I'm guessing we've been to over 40 playgroups and I've never seen an injured dog. Eleza runs a reactive dog playgroup too. She has proven herself such an amazing trainer we are willing let our non-reactive puppy stay and help socialize other dogs. Field trips help work on distraction training and behavior in public. We've gone on several and we will continue to attend. Even at huge dog events, with dogs everywhere, people approach the Paws in Progress group to complement the behavior of our dogs. They really do stand out in the crowd. We've take a "for fun" class tooIntro to Agilityand we had a blast! Our puppy loved the A frame and the tunnels and, even though it is not her favorite, she has completely mastered the teeter and will cross it without fear. We will definitely be taking Agility 1 soon. Eleza is great about working with our schedules. For example, due to vacations, classes are paused for Thanksgiving week, but Eleza has offered to schedule some extra playgroups for those of us who are sticking around town. Eleza really goes out of her way to accommodate her customers. I can confidently say I am not the only one who feels this way either. Mixed in with new faces, we see many of the same dogs at playgroups, on field trips and in different classes. Eleza's dedication and love for her job, our animals and our success has built her a loyal and quickly growing following. In fact, I even find myself handing out her card to random strangers at the vet's office, to people I overhear complaining about their dog's behavior and to friends with out-of-control dogs... and I'm not the only one. I have seen several other Paws in Progress clients doing the exact same thing. Eleza really is that great! Oh, and just in case people think this review is a bit too positive to be believable...I'm a real customer check out Eleza's Paws in Progress websiteour dog is Cali the adorable (yeah, I'm partial) white one with the rust colored spots. read more

Eleza is a wonderful trainer. She is patient with the dogs and is flexible in using equipment that is best suited for your dog and you. Everything Eleza has said to me makes sense especially from a dog's perspective. Eleza has helped me train two dogs, one my own and the other a foster. I saw great improvements in both dogs and continue to see the improvements (you have to continue to practice). Walks are much more pleasant after training with Eleza and both boys were calmer and more well behaved. Eleza's training is not just for the dogs but for us owners too. She teaches us the best techiques for handling our dogs and educates us on dog body language. Her foster drop ins are great for fellow foster parents looking to help their foster dog(s) be more obedient and therefore easier to rehome. I know Eleza's foster drop ins helped me to rehome my foster faster than had he not had Eleza's training. And Eleza's organized play dates are fabulous! What a concept...a controlled and organized place for your dogs to play and become more socialized. So much more safe than taking your dog to a dog park where it's not controlled, far from organized and possibly dangerous for your dog. We LOVE Eleza! Thank you, Ginny, and my boys Raider and Goose. :-) read more

Last July I started bringing my very vocal and excited 13 month old black lab to Eleza's classes. He would yodel and whine continually at the other dog's had tried everything (I thought) to help him overcome this incessant need to yodel and contort his body at the very sight of another dog. But Eleza was able to help him learn how to focus on me while around other dogs instead of yodeling. Then, she taught me how to help him continue this focus where ever we went. Empowered by treats, balls, and praise my lab and I worked diligently on our weekly homework! Eleza then went above the call of duty as a dog trainer allowing us to just sit in during her classes so he could practice his focus work. At one point, Eleza even took him with her when she attended a seminar at the Michael Ellis School of Dog Training. That's what I loved so much about Paws In Progress...Eleza is always continually educating herself about how to safely use training equipment and she stays updated with all types of dog training not just one philosophy or method! If one type of method doesn't work with your dog, you can be sure she has something else to try! I recommend Paws in Progress to anyone who is looking for a trainer who uses positive-reinforcement, fun, and creativity to train dogs. read more