Several months ago, I found a husky mix on the street. As an experienced husky owner, I named her…read moreSky and decided to bring her into the family. However, I realized almost immediately that she had some serious behavioral issues--specifically intense leash aggression and barking--that I simply wasn't equipped to handle alone. After researching local options, I gave Bill at Sierra K9 a call. It was clear right away that he has a genuine passion for what he does. He took the time to listen to my specific goals: I needed Sky to truly become part of my "pack" and be well-behaved enough to join me at breweries, and events. Bill outlined his methods and experience in great detail, and we sat down to map out exactly what it would take to get her there. I opted for the two-week intensive Board-and-Train program. Bill made it clear that the training wouldn't end when I picked her up; he committed to meeting with me for as long as it took for me to feel confident. Throughout those two weeks, Bill and his wife, Shelby, sent regular progress reports, photos, and videos. Seeing her thrive gave me so much peace of mind--it was obvious she was making strides and was incredibly well cared for. On pickup day, Bill and I had a thorough hand-off session. While I was impressed with Sky's progress, Bill was honest with me: the foundation was there, but the real work was just beginning for both of us. When we got back home, I'll admit I struggled. The leash reactivity and pulling returned, and I felt completely hopeless. But Bill and Shelby didn't leave me hanging. They checked in daily, "talked me off the ledge" more than once, and quickly scheduled an in-person session at my house. When Bill arrived, he could tell I was frustrated. He calmly reminded me of the process and took Sky's leash; she immediately "snapped back into shape"--no pulling, no barking, just focus. He carefully observed my handling, gave me manageable homework, and, most importantly, helped me reframe my mindset. He taught me that training isn't a chore; it's an exercise in patience and a form of therapy for both the owner and the dog. Fast forward one month: I've been working with Sky every day and meeting with Bill weekly (and he is always perfectly on time). The transformation is night and day. While she's still a little better on the leash with him than with me (haha!), she is truly a different dog. I know now that with time and Bill's continued guidance, Sky is going to fit in perfectly. I'm actually enjoying the work, we celebrate the wins together, and I am sincerely grateful to the Sierra K9 team.

I had an incredibly positive experience with Sierra K9. I was dealing with a really stressful…read moresituation where my dogs were constantly fighting, and I honestly wasn't sure if they could ever safely live together again. Bill was patient, knowledgeable, and very understanding of how overwhelming it felt. Bill took the time to assess each dog's behavior and explained everything in a way that made sense. The training methods were clear, consistent, and focused on building trust rather than fear. Over time, I started to see real progress, not just in my dogs' behavior, but in my own confidence handling them. Thanks to Bill's guidance, my dogs are now able to coexist peacefully, and the atmosphere at home is so much calmer. I'm truly grateful for his help and would highly recommend him to anyone dealing with similar issues.

We worked with Susanna with our recent rescue pit mix. She is very experienced, kind and clearly…read moreloves dogs. She also helped us practice training behaviors and provided handouts for reinforcement. Highly recommended!

We adopted our one-year-old rescue lab, Duncan, about two years ago. He was very friendly, strong…read moreand very "active". We decided to get some professional help and interviewed several trainers in the area. Susanna quickly rose to the top based on her attitude, personality and credentials. We started with a few private lessons then transitioned to her group classes. Susanna's classes are well planned, safe, and appropriate for all types of dog personalities. Duncan quickly progressed through her AKC Good Citizen basic and advanced classes and loves to demonstrate his new skills. Duncan enjoys his weekly day at their "Dog Day Camp" and comes home very happy and tired! He also has enjoyed his stays when he has been boarded with The Canine Coach and again comes home a happy camper. Recently Duncan went through a background check, observation and testing regimen with the national Alliance of Therapy Dogs (ATD) and is now a credentialed Therapy Dog. He will soon be visiting medical facilities, schools, first responder facilities and the court house. This honor is due largely to Duncan's ongoing relationship with The Canine Coach. While there are a number of canine services in the area, you won't do better than The Canine Coach.

They are the best and our dog loves his weekly play session at doggy daycare!! He gets hours of…read moreexercise and thousands of steps in! I highly recommend them!

Lauren, Adam and staff go above and beyond for the dogs in their care. They interact with the dogs…read moreand also make sure the dogs are interacting well with each other. Our Lab, Luka loves his time here and we have complete peace of mind when we board him here knowing that he's well cared for ALWAYS!!

As I've moved around Northern California, I've been able to continue classes with Georgeanne. I've…read moretaken 4 dogs through her class starting at Santa Clara Dog Training Club. Georgeanne was one of my first instructors, and waaaay back then, many of the instructors were still using force training like pushing dogs into downs and sits. I can get any 8 week old puppy into a sit in 2 seconds so on earth would you ever need to push an adult dog into a down? Georgeanne was before her time, using praise and allowed her students to bring treats to reward the dogs-but, she's not a cookie pusher trainer. I learned a lot from Georgeanne and was able to show my dog in obedience which in a million years I never thought I would, or could because my dog didn't like being close to other dogs. After her classes, my dog learned to ignore other dogs and pay attention to me 100% of the time. A lot of trainers are set in their ways, and if you don't do it their way, then they don't like you as a student. I've quit many classes because of that. Georgeanne is different. She's sweet, patient, and never judges you. She'll also be honest with you. My last dog was pretty wild, and wasn't ready to go off leash for heeling. Georgeanne will tell you when is the right time for your dog to go off leash heeling and recalls. Nothing worse than having a loose dog disrupting the entire class. Georgeanne is talented trainer and also a good people person.

We highly recommend Georganne . While my training experience was some time ago, it has proven to…read morebe the best decision I made concerning our Dobie. It is truly a pleasure to have a dog so well behaved. Her expertise not only as a trainer but judge has been most valuable . He earned a CGC and TDI CERT.

I have taken 3 dogs through Top Dog. My older dog is very reactive, the classes gave him confidence…read moreand focus. My 2 young dogs are currently going through classes and are doing AMAZING! Lori always puts the dogs needs and emotions first. I highly recommend these classes!

It is great to have a great trainer when you adopt a puppy! Lori is extremely helpful with all…read moreaspects of dog obedience. She generously shares her knowledge and makes sure you get it.

I have every confidence in Empire Kennels that my two Chihuahuas are very well cared for every time…read morethey stay. One of my dogs has food allergies and I've never had a problem with them being aware of that and feeding only what I provide. it's a great place for your fur babies.

I'm super confused about all the good reviews but maybe I'm missing something? I went to drop my…read moredog off for the first time and asked to see the facilities. Its just like a shelter. Dog are not exercised and expected to go the bathroom in one half of the kennel. I asked when they go outside and she said they don't so I left with my dog. This is a super stressful environment for a dog with the close quarters and all the barking plus no exercise. When I called to make the reservation I was told all the dogs got one on one time. The staff person said they are only taken out of the kennel once per day while they clean it in the morning and that's it. No walks, playtime, etc unless they have "downtime," which she said they wouldn't because it was too busy. The staff I dealt with was super kind and understood my concerns. I won't be back.

We had Anna out for our first session yesterday. She was AMAZING. Our dogs learned so much in…read morejust one session - but also, so did us humans. We've always had door greeting chaos. She showed us the best ways to work on calming things down when visitors arrive, and also provided ways our children can help be involved training - and making sure our dogs are responding to small children in appropriate ways. She had so much knowledge to share, and seemed to pick up on their personalities very quickly. I am so grateful we were able to get on her calendar so quick after her year of traveling. We will definitely be referring her to anyone we know looking for a dog trainer. Hank and Waffles look forward to their next session.

Anna was seriously the best! We have peen putting off training our little pittie puppy who we love…read moreto pieces, but isn't the best behaved dog (jumps, barks, doesn't listen, is scared of a lot of stuff), and we were nervous we had waited too long. Anna gave us so many tools that our girl ACTUALLY responded to. She brought out the sweet dog that we see all the time, but others don't because of how excited and anxious she gets over everything. We learned a ton about reading body language and how to help build our dogs confidence so she can enjoy more of this world. Anna was super funny and was constantly teaching us things about our dogs and how to read them and reminding us that we are doing good! Not once did we feel judged or insecure about anything. we look forward to our next training session!

Amanda is an exceptional boarder. We know that our dog, Sully, is always in the best hands. Amanda…read moresends us daily pictures and videos in which we can see Sully is ridiculously happy playing and running around with the other dogs. In addition to treating Sully like a part of the family, we also know Amanda is highly qualified and experienced in case something happens. We never worry about Sully and he is always super excited when we arrive and immediately ditches us to go play with his friends (aka the best feeling ever for us)! We trust Amanda to take care of Sully the same way we do and we are so glad we have found her.

I was lucky to discover Sama Dog when looking for a place to board my 17-month-old Cavapoo near…read moreNevada City. Every other option consisted of kennels with scheduled exercise and social breaks. At Sama Dog my Sparky was quickly and easily incorporated into the home life of Amanda and Renee and their two dogs, Violet and Bennie. Amanda listened carefully to my concerns and desires for Sparky as he had recently been experiencing significant separation anxiety with all the changes in our lives. She sent me daily videos and messages. Sparky slept in the bed with her and Renee as he is used to sleeping with me. She worked on methods to calm his barking and anxiety. She makes healthy dog biscuits which he loves. I could tell her attention and care was focused on Sparky's well-being. It was if he was away at a private camp. Sama Dog is any pet owner's dream and source of peace-of-mind. Sparky ended up staying 8 nights due to extenuating circumstances. When I picked him up he was clean, healthy and very happy. His barking and anxiety has noticeably lessened. I am so grateful for Amanda. I can 100%, unequivocally recommend Sama Dog to any pet owner!!

We are regular customers of Sue Lester and Susan Murphy. They both take the time to explain…read morethings, are skilled and kind. The help is skilled and very approachable. No complaints, but if we could give them eight stars we would. Joan, Michael and Morty

We have a male rat terrier that we couldn't get to see a vet because he was so fearful from past…read morevet experiences in another state when we were traveling. We live in Grass Valley now and Four Paws clinic has excellent veterinarians and a nurse who specializes in trauma dog handling. We now can bring our dog there without so much stress for him and ourselves.

I can't say enough good things about the dog training and the trainer Taylor who I refer to as "The…read moreDog whisper". My dog has made incredible progress in such a short time.The training methods are positive, effective, built on trust and easy to follow. Every class felt supportive, encouraging and the way they explain everything makes it easy to practice at home. If you are on the fence about training, this is absolutely worth it. It's made a world of difference for both myself and my rescue dog Ozzy. My dog has graduated Basic Training from Take the Lead and is already signed up for the Intermediate classes in two weeks.

We have taken 2 of our dogs to Take the Lead Canine Coaching with Taylor and they have both…read morecompleted multiple training courses. Our Golden Doodle will be enrolled in advanced training this spring and we have a new dog registered for her Basic Obediance Class later this month. Taylor and Sarah are the best trainers we have used. The dogs, and the dog owners, respond well to the training and it's amazing to see the progress of all the dogs in the classes. Many of the dogs can be seen together walking on Mill Street, often on Wednesday afternoons, and they always get lots of attention from everyone. We highly recommend Take the Lead Canine Coaching.