I've stopped writing yelp reviews but came on here to say Jose changed our life!! We have a 1.5 yr…read morefrench bulldog who we were totally overstimulating in our home and became a terror to deal with. Resource guarding his food bowl, bad at walking, random growling at us, overstimulated by balls/dogs, and generally uncontrollable in any situation. We inquired with a bunch of different dog trainers and decided to go with Refined K9 given their holistic approach. Before Refinedk9, I had tried "positive only" trainers that evaluated Buddha for his food aggression, but they were totally ineffective and, in fact, made his reactivity towards food worse. We were also way over-feeding him and numbing him to treats. Other unqualified trainers were also unable to explain how they would properly introduce an e-collar and why e-collars are used. We were extremely anxious about having Buddha do the 4-week board and train to "reset", but we felt okay after learning Jose has many French bulldogs himself. Even though we didn't get super frequent updates, it was clear every week that Buddha was very well taken care of. Jose took the first week to evaluate our dog, his behavior, and get to know him, without "jumping" into conditioning. He took the time to understand us, our dog's behaviors, and tailored a program to uplevel Buddha slowly (place, relaxing around food, learning how to walk properly, with a gentler prong collar, and then an e-collar). He also helped Buddha learn how to 'communicate' with other dogs and 'socialize' properly in a safe space (not a random dog park). When we visited Buddha, we could tell he respected and liked Jose. I cried with happiness the day our dog came back :) He walked perfectly, he was confident, and knew how to communicate with other dogs. He was calmer in our home but still had his personality. We learned to make hard changes to our environment that was overstimulating for our dog and how to better communicate with him. Even though it's been hard enforcing changes at home, I feel so much happier with our structure. The intake process with Refinedk9 was a little confusing, as we talked to 3 different trainers over phone/email, although all of them recommended Jose for us. At the end of the day, we trusted our decision to move forward, and we are incredibly thankful to have our boy in the hands of a highly experienced and trustworthy dog trainer.

I could not recommend RefinedK9 enough! We first worked with Theo a couple of years ago to work on…read moreour dog's reactivity. The 1:1 sessions and group LRA classes were invaluable to us. Everyone at RefinedK9 has been amazing -- since then we've boarded our dogs with them many times while on vacation and it's a great feeling knowing your pet is in the care of someone who knows them well and will give them the enrichment they need while you're away. In terms of results, last weekend we went on a trip with friends and their dogs. Our dog was able to comfortably hang out in a new house with other dogs they hadn't met before. No reactions or stress -- just a happy dog being able to coexist. This was definitely something our dog wouldn't have been able to do before working with Theo & RefinedK9.

My dog, Wesley absolutely loves it here! He jumps out of the car excitedly every single morning…read morewhen I drop him off, which tells me everything I need to know. He's especially obsessed with Sofia, who will give me updates regularly on how he's doing during the day. It's such a relief knowing he's happy and well cared for while I'm at work. Highly recommend!

Our experience with Grateful Dog on Thursday, November 6th was deeply troubling and ultimately…read moreunacceptable. This was our dog Indio's first visit. When we picked him up around 5 p.m., he had a severe laceration on his lower eyelid and was visibly shaken. A young staff member admitted he was in another room at the time and that no one was supervising the dogs when the injury occurred--despite Grateful Dog's website explicitly promising "supervised play, indoor and outdoor." It was clear this employee was not trained to handle incidents of any kind. He also told us he had been instructed over the phone by his boss, Ernie, to clean the wound and apply ointment without notifying us. Ernie made a judgment call based on a dark photo instead of contacting us. As a result, our dog was left with an open, untreated wound for the rest of the day with no communication whatsoever. We took Indio straight to the emergency hospital, where he required full sedation and several hours of treatment. He remained there for nearly six hours. Both the ER team and our primary vet agreed that the lack of supervision, failure to notify us, and the attempt to treat a significant injury without consent were irresponsible. Indio is now on multiple medications, wearing a cone for weeks, and his emergency care totaled $1,295.26. When we later spoke with Ernie, his attitude was shockingly dismissive. His exact words were: "I've been doing this for 30 years -- didn't seem like a big deal." No responsible professional minimizes an injury requiring emergency sedation as "not a big deal." We then emailed a detailed summary with photos and documentation. After that, Grateful Dog completely ghosted us. No response, no acknowledgment, no concern. Accidents happen. But zero supervision, untrained staff, unauthorized medical treatment, a manager who downplays the injury, and complete silence afterward are not accidents -- they are serious failures in judgment and care. If you're considering this facility, ask very direct questions about who is actually supervising your dog and what their real protocols are. Our experience suggests there is a significant gap between what's advertised and what actually happens.

We adopted Blue, our rescue lab, on January 1 and he was a handful! We did not know how to walk…read morehim on a leash, he was reactive around other dogs, and he was wild when company came over. Thank goodness our neighbor recommended Dan Perata to us. We liked the positive training method and the focus on training us, as well as Blue. Dan and team gave us the tools to manage Blue and help him be the fantastic dog that he is. While we are all still a work in progress, we now can walk Blue without worrying about being pulled down and he is much better on leash around other dogs. He calms down more easily when we have company. We appreciate being able to attend group training after Dan Camp and always learn something new when we go. Thanks to Dan and team for helping us all.

Dan Perata is the best! We are experienced pet parents AND rescuers who adopted a very difficult…read moredog. We were at our wit's end with his reactivity, having tried multiple treat based training place (that did not work and screwed up Milo's digestion). Luckily, we found Dan Perata. NO TREAT TRAINING!! Yay!! They train pet parents as much as they train pups! We enrolled Milo in Dan Camp and could not be happier with the results. And, when we travel, Milo goes back for boarding and training reinforcement. Not lying- this business saved our sanity. We love them!!

5 stars is not enough for Ruff Paws. I truly don't know where to start or what we would have done…read moremoving to this city with out Mike! When we met Mike we were entirely new to dog walkers, pack walks and the city. Mike made the transition so smooth, put us at ease with his kind presence and indulged every question we had from the get go. Our pup Rei has the most sensitive stomach and had recently healed from a torn CCL that would act up from time to time. He was always so gentle and loving with her and would be so flexible and accommodate her needs. Rei also had intense separation anxiety that not even anxiety meds would fix and since she started pack walks with Mike that has eased tremendously, she's gained so much confidence because of it. As a pup parent it's hard to leave them with someone new but you can feel the love Mike has for his packs and we felt like she was with family. He has become one of her favorite people, she absolutely adores him! He is friendly, kind, reliable, consistent, and fully the best! Rei is a happier pup since meeting Mike! Thank you forever.

I can't say enough good things about Ruff Paws and Michael! He's been walking my dogs for a while…read morenow, and he's absolutely fantastic -- reliable, consistent, and always on time. I never have to worry because he always picks up and drops off right on schedule. My dogs adore him and gets so excited every time Michael shows up. You can tell he genuinely loves dogs and treats them like his own. He's friendly, easy to communicate with, and very dependable -- which gives me total peace of mind. If you're looking for someone trustworthy who truly cares about your pet, I highly recommend Michael and Ruff Paws. They've been amazing from day one!

I can't say enough great things about Top Dog SF! This might sound a little unconventional, but I…read morejust hosted a 10th birthday party for my dog here after he went through a really intense health journey last year so this milestone meant everything to my family and I. From the very beginning, the process was incredibly smooth. Reaching out through their website and coordinating the booking for a non-hosted event was so easy, and the communication was clear, responsive, and genuinely helpful. The space itself was absolutely perfect and exactly what I was looking for to celebrate with close friends and family. Everything came together seamlessly, which made the day even more special and stress-free. I catered food and brought my own decor and it was an easy set up and takedown. I'm so grateful to the team at Top Dog SF for helping make this meaningful celebration possible. I would 100% book here again. Thank you so much!

Top Dog changed our lives! We enrolled our puppy Donut in the Puppy Headstart program, and we could…read morenot be more blown away. They truly transformed him. As brand-new dog parents, we had no idea where to start, and Mike not only trained Donut every day, but also coached us on how to reinforce training at-home. The daily training videos they sent were incredibly helpful and made it easy to repeat everything on our own. Donut is now more confident, relaxed, and well-mannered - we're honestly so impressed and so proud of how far he's come. And the best part? He LOVES going to school. He happily trots through the door every day, which tells us everything we need to know about how well he's cared for. The whole staff has been nothing short of amazing: so patient, kind, and truly invested in every dog. Donut was especially loved by Mike, Michelle, and Raina, and we're so grateful for each of them. Natalie, the owner, is also an absolute pleasure to work with and runs a fantastic program. Yes, this program is an investment, but it is worth every penny! We could not recommend Top Dog SF more. If you're on the fence, do it. Your dog (and you!) will be better for it.

My 6 month old maltipoo Kaia, and I met Rose during Level 1 puppy class at Bow Wow Meow in SF…read more Seeing Rose's natural talent and ability to work with dogs on behavior/manner developing, we decided to schedule one on one sessions with her. After our first session, Kaia is already better with sit, down, and stay commands and is more comfortable with her crate training. Rose gave us several tips and tricks to help with Kaia's house breaking - we're finally getting her off the wee-wee pads! Rose is very flexible with my hectic work schedule and is willing to meet us at home or in the park so we can continue to develop Kaia's (and my) confidence. Thank you for all of the training tools, Rose! We're excited for our next session.

Rose has been such a pleasure to work with. I have grown up with family dogs but this the first…read morepuppy of my own. As a new puppy owner you get overwhelmed with all the different schools of thought and boatload of information out on the internet. After a few sessions with Rose, I felt a lot more comfortable with what I was doing and not only was it training for my puppy, it was also training to help me out as an owner. She was able to work with my pup (Mikey) to become such a great lil guy and also help manage my expectations, set realistic goals while gaining perspective that allows for a lot more peace of mind/ patience. The information is clear and concise and with her vast amount of experience, she will also helped guide me through various decision making processes along the way, which has been really helpful. Can't say enough good things about her :)

We cannot recommend Mutt and Tumble Dog Training enough. Bryan helped transform our two doodles…read morefrom reactive, poorly behaved dogs into calm, obedient companions who are now a pleasure to walk and have around others. Before training, we struggled with leash pulling, barking, lunging at other dogs, and nonstop chaos whenever someone came through the door. We were honestly at our wits' end. Everything changed after I saw Bryan in Jackson Square walking a calm, perfectly behaved pack of dogs. We started weekly family lessons in January 2026 with our dogs and our two 12-year-old daughters, and progress began almost immediately. Bryan quickly helped us realize the humans needed training too. With consistent coaching, support, and a board-and-train program, the transformation has been incredible. Our dogs are now well-behaved both at home and in public. We can comfortably walk them, take them to parks and outdoor restaurants, and genuinely enjoy being with them. Friends and family who knew our dogs before cannot believe the difference in their behavior. Thank you, Bryan. You really can teach old dogs new tricks.

Our dog, Maggie (2yrs - Cockapoo), is coming home tomorrow after a 2 week board and train and I…read morecouldn't wait until then to write a review for Bryan. Bit of background: Maggie has done 12 weekly group training sessions with another trainer and is generally well-behaved. However, she doesn't read the social signals from other dogs well (ex: when they want to be left alone), tends to jump on everyone at all times, doesn't respond to commands unless there's a treat involved, and lacks confidence. What I enjoyed about the program is that it includes several in person training sessions during the B&T. We got to see Maggie's progress as time went on and most importantly, we were trained on their behavior psychology and how to become the leaders of our pack. I will say I was nervous about implenting the ecollar but Bryan has demonstrated that it is a safe and effective training tool-- I got to see it used as a tool for correction that Maggie actually responded well to. Maggie is coming home tomorrow and hand-off includes an in-home training sessions to ensure her progress doesn't regress which I appreciate. From what I've seen, Maggie has become more confident, responds to recalls in distracting places (no treats involved), learned to self-soothe, and plays/greets other dogs/people with manners. Truly the best investment I've made in my dog and I'd highly recommend Mutt and Tumble to all dog parents!

Loved my experience at SF puppy prep! My puppy Sundae was always so excited to go, and I'd pick her…read moreup tired and happy at the end of the day. I think a lot of her sweet temperament and manners are thanks to her socialization and time at puppy prep. Thank you!!

HUGE fan of SF Puppy Prep for its day school, socials, and workshops! This is a long review because…read morelike other folks reading this review, when I was about to bring my puppy home, I was debating between SF Puppy Prep and similar places in SF. Choose SF Puppy Prep! DAY SCHOOL: I sent Goji, 10 week puppy to prep school as soon as I was able to. The confidence and manners he developed over 4 weeks was invaluable. When I dropped him off for school his 1st day, he was trembling with fear when I left; by the 2nd day he was leaping out of my arms at drop off bc he was so excited to be at school. I'm positive that it is because of SF Puppy Prep that I get compliments EVERY time we are in public on how well behaved he is because he is so calm. He approaches larger dogs with curiosity and confidence; when other dogs bark at him, he remains quiet and checks in with me; he is rarely afraid of new sounds and environments. He also has shown a ton of improvement with obedience /commands and crate training at home that I was struggling to train myself. I see small things come out at home that I can only assume puppy school taught him (bc I sure didn't!) that make a huge difference. For example, when I put his food down in front of him, he will sit automatically and wait until I release him to eat. He also runs into his crate and puts himself to sleep at night when he's tired. Big shoutout to Tiro, Isaiah, Lindsay (sp?), Adrian (sp?) and all the other wonderful counselors that made my puppy's days so happy! PUPPY SOCIALS: Best in the city - I've attended a LOT of them and the reason these folks are better than any other is because they explain beforehand what good puppy play looks like, they narrate what's going on while the puppies are playing, and gently include owners in intervening or helping take breaks as needed. Because of this, as the owner, I am also more educated on how my puppy should play with others when he meets them in less structured environments. WORKSHOPS: I love the specialty workshops that are offered! I took my puppy to a recall workshop as it's very important to me he functions well off leash. He was a little young for the workshop but Amrit, the teacher, was so accommodating, and what we learned has been so helpful for me to continue training my puppy as he gets older. I typed this all on my phone and my thumbs are SORE now but in conclusion, if you're a new puppy parent debating sending your dog here, DO IT!