I almost didn't book with The Dog Guru because I saw a review calling him "verbally abusive," and…read moreafter working with him personally, I honestly could not disagree more. Pay ZERO attention to that review. As a psychologist, I pay very close attention to behavior, regulation, communication, and emotional energy, and at no point did I witness cruelty, aggression, intimidation, or abusive behavior toward me or my dog. What honestly amazed me most was that he never said one word to my dog. There was no yelling, chaos, or "training performance." It was all action, energy, body language, timing, and an understanding of canine psychology that I have never personally seen before. Before we started working together, Daisy was going after every dog she saw. Within two hours, we were calmly walking and standing next to dogs that were within a foot of her, even sniffing her, and she was completely relaxed. The transformation was honestly remarkable. I think some people may misunderstand firmness, honesty, or structure as being "mean," especially when dealing with difficult dog behaviors, but there is a huge difference between abuse and someone confidently leading both owner and dog. My experience felt safe, effective, loving, and honestly incredible. For the first time in a long time, I left feeling hopeful and relaxed instead of anxious. I am extremely grateful I trusted my own experience instead of one negative review.

Initial impression - First thought . There is only one…read moreCaesar Milan. Second thought. No doubt an excellent trainer for the military and if that's what you're looking for he may be just your speed ! His accolades can be found in so many of his advertisements which I'm sure are no doubt accurate. If you're going to pay a sum in advance to schedule a conversation, (as I did) , you may have to call him to remind him to call you on the last day that the call was promised . While, this truth may not sit well and I didn't actually hire him, no matter because your mileage may vary. He is a busy guy. All the best to you all.

Amanda is an incredible trainer! She is so calm and collected. She's an empathetic listener and…read moretruly makes the effort to understand you and your pup. Amanda did great work with our border collie puppy (we initially planned to do just one week of board and train and ended up doing a full four weeks). We still had lots of work to do when he came home but that is to be expected! I live in the San Gabriel Valley and searched high and low for a force free trainer like Amanda. I have no regrets about driving to Orange County for my training sessions with her!

I can't say enough good things about Amanda. She's knowledgeable, patient, understanding of dogs…read more(and their humans). She taught me how to look at my dog and pick up on the signals he was going to react to something, and then get his attention before it escalated to the point of barking and lunging. With continued practice at home, each session has allowed him to grow and improve. She even suggested going to a park together to expose him to lots of different stimuli which was super helpful. I can tell my dog is happier and more secure and I feel more comfortable walking him knowing he won't get out of hand.

Elderly parents have an unruly female pug that loved to dart out the door whenever the door was…read moreopened. The little bitch was out of control and they needed help. Contacted the Dog Guru and he wouldn't travel that far and charged more than what the dog is even worth...he recommended one of his apprentices Eric, so I contacted him. Eric travelled all the way from south OC to LA county on a weekend to work with my parents and the dog. He came in with an alpha mentality and immediately identified the major problem; my parents. He was very patient with them and taught them about dog psyche and why the dog was acting the way she was. He transformed the dogs behavior, but most importantly my parents. He was so effective that we had to figure out ways to get the dog to misbehave so they could practice the new techniques. Eric is very knowledgeable and cares about helping and showed in the way he worked with all of us. I HIGHLY recommend his services and he is worth every penny. He was a friendly guy and about diagnosing the real issue. Eric even followed up a few days after training to make sure everything was going well and the dog is still doing good up to this day. Thanks Eric! You are da man!!!

After several complaints from my neighbors due to my dogs excessive barking and aggressive…read morebehavior, I made the decision to work with a Trainer. My dog is a 7 year old Pom mix that I rescued 6 years ago. He has always been on the aggressive side and I never understood why.. I searched yelp for the top trainers in OC, many voicemails were full, Trainers weren't taking appointments until next year, or the cost of the training was upwards of $3,000. After leaving Eric a voicemail he called me back and asked me several questions about my dogs personality and the issues I was facing. We set an appointment for the following Sunday and he even reached out the day before to confirm. Eric arrived early for our appointment and brought the tools needed to work with my dog. He helped me to understand my dog and why he was behaving the way he was which a total paradigm shift for me. We went through several rules and guidelines that I would need to set with my dog around the house, then went out into the neighborhood to test out his preferred method for walking an unruly dog. I was shocked with how fast the training was with BIG results. I highly recommend! How I would describe my dog training experience with Eric: 1. Professional 2. Simple 3. Results Oriented Thanks Eric!

Our dog is 8 years old, so we were concerned she couldn't be trained at this point. She pulled,…read moretugged and was a nightmare to walk. She can also be aggressive with other dogs while she's on a leash. Her hyper personality and will-power made us skeptical that any trainer could get her to listen. But, within 20 minutes, Denise was able to get our dog under control and walk calmly at our side. It was like having a new dog that didn't embarrass us! :) We were amazed at how efficient one training could be and that our dog actually was paying attention! It was such a great investment and we are excited to see what the future holds. Thank you so much Denise!

Denise is amazing. I spent months research dog trainers around the area and all of them were…read moreoverpriced and were in-personable. Right when I got on the phone with Denise I knew she would be the perfect one! In just THREE lessons she has taught Ollie (my 2 year old maltipoo) how to walk calmly on leash and also up/down stairs. Most importantly, she taught Ollie how not to bark at dogs while on his walks and now I am able to walk him myself down the street to the dog park!! It's been a dream come true and now he's so great that I even bring him to work with me! If you are looking for a dog trainer that has a lot of experience, patient, kind, and understanding Denise is someone you need to get in contact with! I am so glad I chose her and now Ollie's life has been so much better since he's less stressed! Thank you so much Denise! You are absolutely amazing!!

I have 2 dogs, a chaotic puppy and a fear reactive German shepherd. Before working with Josh, I…read morefelt like I was always managing my dogs but still couldn't fully trust them in real life. Now they're calm, confident, and make way better decisions on their own. I can take them pretty much anywhere, which wasn't the case before. He also helped my German Shepherd become a lot more comfortable around people and other dogs. Biggest shift honestly was me. I'm way more confident, less stressed, and actually know how to communicate and teach my dogs without relying on tools. If you want a dog you can actually live life with, I'd 100% recommend Josh!

USE JOSH - This guy is amazing!…read more My dog Nuggets, is a 6 year old 15 pound, timid, terrier mix, sweetheart, but when she is on leash she displays some pretty nasty aggressive tendencies and her demons come out. As a first time dog dad, I haven't sharpened my tools around understanding my dogs emotional state and how threatened she feels and how to react or treat such aggression. So its harder for me to empathize and as such know how to handle it. I ran into Josh while walking my dog. I always see him walking his dogs, and they are so well behaved and so focused on him. So, I inquired about their training and he and i scheduled a session. Josh shared tools to improve these behaviors first from a actual tools piece like replacing a harness with a collar and a firm leash rather than a flex leash. Next, he helped me understand the psychological state of my dog and why she does what she does, it was enlightening and helped me better understand Nuggets. Finally, Josh taught me exercises to employ to redirect Nuggets focus to me. I couldn't be more grateful for the service Josh provided. You can tell Josh loves what he does and it shows by how good he is at it. That being said, I struggle to understand how anyone could complain about Bark Busters, my experience was one in which Josh , an incredible professional, was trying to help me be a better dog parent, and for that I am eternally grateful.

We lost our 13-year-old dog named Frenchie on 2/10/26 after two long years of treatment for a heart…read moremurmur and later kidney failure. We reached out to Kara at Pet's Eye View seeking closure--not only for my husband and me, but also for her sister and littermate, Sofie, who seemed sad and less energetic after the loss.Kara knew so much about both dogs and immediately picked up on their very different personalities. Her compassion and insight brought us tremendous comfort as we work through our grief. She also helped ease our worries about Sofie, who we feared might be struggling more than we realized.It was such a relief to learn that Sofie is actually content and doesn't need another dog in the house--she's happy soaking up all the attention now. We are so grateful for Kara and the peace she gave our family during such a difficult time. Thank you, Kara. I know we'll be talking to you again in a year or so.

My session with Kara was nothing short of life-changing. She's a true angel on earth…read more Kara mentioned things about my dog that no one could have known from social media, like the silly nickname I call him, his favorite tree, his favorite smell, and our old neighbor's dog. It was absolutely wild. I have no doubt that she was communicating with him. I initially reached out to her to learn how to improve our 12-year-old dog's life and learn more about his inner world. I didn't mention this to her, but I wanted to know if he was in pain because he has a high pain tolerance and doesn't typically show discomfort. The first thing she said was that he was in significant, constant pain, and she made several suggestions on how we could provide relief. She even walked me through how to do somatic relaxation on him to help reduce his anxiety and taught me strategies to implement energy work. I love that Kara doesn't just tell you what's coming through from your pet, she actually educates you in the process. The session was both joyful and heavy, with beautiful images and heartwarming observations, and also discussions of where our dog wants to be buried and potential health problems. I'm so grateful that Kara shared all of this with us, I feel like I can give him an even better life now. My only regret is not doing this sooner. If you're considering booking with Kara, just do it. She has a gift.

I met Paolo when my pup was around 4 months old. He taught her (and me) how dogs should interact…read morepolitely, and how to communicate with each other. She is now 8 years old and is sweet, polite and happy. She is not "over-trained" and anxious, but relaxed and calm. He has the skills, knowledge and heart to help your dog live its best life. We still see Paolo from time to time and every time, my Buffy girl turns herself inside out with happiness, she loves him so much! A real testament to how a dog can learn through positive and affectionate reinforcement. I am CERTAIN that if we had not found Paolo, my dog's life and temperament would not be as good as it is. Investing in training with Paolo assures you will have a happier dog and happier life!

Paolo is hands down THE BEST dog trainer!! I have recommended him to so many people and will…read morecontinue to do so because he is so wonderful. Paolo teaches you how to be the dog's leader - and yes, sometimes this involves warning the pup that they will not get away with naughty behavior. This is how it's done in nature and how puppies are taught at a very young age. Everything is done in a calm and assertive manner - and it WORKS. We had a bad puppy biting issue, resource guarding, potty training, and so much more and he was able to work with us to correct these issues. Paolo spends time with you and really gets to know your dog. He answers all of your questions (trust me - I have a ton with a new puppy) and gives you peace of mind that you're not messing it up. Invest in your puppy and hire Paolo! You will not regret it.

We have been bringing our 90lb Mastiff/Lab mix to OC Dog Ranch for the last few years every time…read moreour family travels 4+ days. I am so happy I found this place - was recommended by someone through word of mouth. It is wide open space for our dog to run, and I love that because it is SO much better than her being boarded in a room with 50 other dogs. Staff will send you updates - and we always get a picture of our happy dog with other happy dogs. Staff also sends a report card. Always respond asap when I reach out and ask how she's doing.

We love OC Dog Ranch... our dogs love it even more!!! We have boarded all 3 of our dogs (2 labs and…read more1 golden retriever) at the Ranch and one of ours has also stayed and been trained (1 lab). All of the Dog Ranch staff are amazing and truly care for all of the dogs. The property is a dog dream come true. The multiple acres are filled with play yards that include a swimming pool, play structures, etc. Every time I bring a dog to be boarded at the Dog Ranch something has been added or changed to improve the property. I love the new fence heights that were installed most recently (I have one jumper ). I give the OC Dog Ranch the biggest tail wags you've ever seen.

Cassie helped us so much with our reactive puppy. The reactive rover class gave us so much…read moreinsight. Then private sessions helped even further with the unique crazy needs of our little guy. Other trainers suggested harsh methods or multi week "camps" that were not only questionable but expensive. Cassie and Liv were lifesavers. We have work to do but we now have tools and a team to guide us. Thank you!!

We recently did private lessons with Cassie for our newly adopted dog and honestly couldn't be…read morehappier. She was so understanding and never made us feel rushed. She came to our home, walked with us, met us at nearby parks... really went the extra mile to work in environments that actually matter for our dog's day-to-day life. She also gave us supplementary material to reference on our own which was so helpful. We've also done group classes at the Clickstart facility with our other dog and every single staff member and trainer there has been incredibly kind and patient. It's just a genuinely good vibe across the board. 100% recommend Cassie and the whole Clickstart team. Whether you're working with a new rescue or puppy or just want some solid training support.

Tommy helped us with our Miniature Australian Shepherd puppy when no one else would! He came to…read moreour house when she was 11 weeks old (other trainers wanted to wait until she had all her puppy shots) and immediately got us off on the right foot for behavior training. He trained my husband and me as well as our puppy! So grateful. Tommy has a gift for knowing how dogs think and he shares that knowledge as part of the session. We never felt rushed to finish a lesson when he came to the house, he just dealt with our issues and reminded us to keep practicing with our dog until next time. We even decided to enroll in his weekly puppy class so that our puppy would learn to behave around other dogs. His private dog park is a god-send as we live in a condo and don't have a yard for our puppy to play in. She loved going there and we'll be back! We highly recommend Tommy. He showed us how to anticipate what our puppy was going to do before she did it and correct her misdeeds before they take place. Five stars!

Tommy came for our first private session and it went better than I imagined. My husband and I…read morelearned a lot from Tommy. He is very relatable and has a unique way of teaching that is very enjoyable and actually entertaining, all at the same time! Now that is talent! Tommy was made for this job and well worth his price. You get what you pay for. He definitely does not watch the clock and gives you more than 1 hr and does not leave until he has answered all your questions. My dog is already doing better on our walks. Tommy teaches but you have to do what he says or you have wasted your money. I signed up for 5 lessons and looking forward to the rest. I will update when we are finished.