Before choosing a dog trainer, we looked at countless options online. Ruff House was the only one that got back to us and was accepting new clients, or in some cases, got back to us at all. We weren't sure what to expect, as we are new to dog training. We scheduled an initial appointment for private in-home training that was $150 and was listed to be up to an hour and a half. Following the payment, we received an email with the trainer's availability and requested a time within it. We then had to go back and forth to find a time that worked for the trainer. It would have been much more helpful to just receive a list of dates/times that were still available instead of just a general schedule for booking. Again, we weren't sure what to expect but got up bright and early for an 8:00am session in our home the morning after Thanksgiving. The trainer was 8 minutes late. I know that isn't a huge amount of time, but it was our first meeting and we were ready on time and waiting. We received some helpful tips on how to start working on the main concerns we had with our dog, but felt like we didn't receive clear instruction on what to do if the dog didn't do the command, etc. We contemplated booking more sessions, but ultimately decided against it for the amount of money we paid vs the information we received. Maybe dog training just isn't for us. Maybe we just didn't mesh with the trainer. This was our experience. read more

This review is my personal opinion and not that of OVPD. We just completed Intermediate Behavior class, which is another in a series of classes I have had the privilege of taking with Ari. They do an outstanding job of training both the dog and me. They have transformed Ari from a hyper uncontrolled dog to a well behaved sweetheart. Thanks Ruff House! read more

Ruff House Dog Training & Behavior Modification - Ari with her graduation cap. - Pet Training Near Me - Tucson, Arizona

I can not say enough amazing things about Crystal. When we brought home our new puppy our older dog wanted to attack her. He showed aggressive behavior and couldn't be settled. We resorted to keeping him outside when she was inside. I had no idea how I was going to have them in the same room. Not only can they now be in the same room they are now friends who love to play together. It really does feel like a Christmas miracle. We have our older dog back and it's just awesome. read more

Ruff House Dog Training & Behavior Modification - Playful - Pet Training Near Me - Tucson, Arizona

See all

I have taken many classes with Ruff House. Each and every one i have come out with more knowledge than I had expected. Crystal and Ariel are very patient and pleasant. You can tell they just love animals. I would give them more than a 5 star if that were an option. If you are looking for some awesome training for your dogs look no further. read more

I highly recommend Ruff House for private training. We've had an absolutely wonderful experience with our Labrador Retriever puppy, Teddy. During 2021, we had the pleasure of working with both Crystal Blaker and Ariel Berger. Both are talented, kind, problem solvers who adjusted their training styles to fit Teddy's unique needs, and he was a tricky one (too smart for his own good, and persistent). We first inquired about private training when Teddy was ~5 months old, to assist with puppy mouthing and jumping, before Teddy became too large to handle. Ariel helped us tweak our training techniques to fit Teddy's needs, and these issues were quickly solved with the help of a few private sessions and a group puppy obedience class. As Teddy matured, we faced some new behavioral challenges during his "teenager" phase that we hadn't dealt with before - separation anxiety (due to the pandemic which kept us from leaving Teddy alone during his puppyhood) and hormone related behaviors (Teddy is our first male pup). We were able to enroll Teddy in a combination of private training options, including in-home private lessons, the "Home Extensive Program" and "Day Train & Play". The results have been remarkable. Teddy is now 15 months old and he is the best boy. He is able to join us at hotels, restaurants, dog-friendly stores, and we receive compliments everywhere we take him. No one can believe that he is a 1-year-old pup. Ruff House has exceeded all of our expectations with Teddy, who is now working toward his Canine Good Citizen certification as well as his Rally Obedience titles. THANK YOU Crystal and Ariel!!! read more

Ruff House Dog Training & Behavior Modification - Pet Training Near Me - Tucson, Arizona

Great experience with Crystal, a top notch trainer who is very kind a patient! 5-star!

My only regret is not hiring Crystal sooner. Incredible, fast results! Thank you so much!!!

We completed puppy 1&2 4 week training. Excellent! This was very helpful with socialization and simple command training. The trainer, Crystal, was very knowledgeable and helped us understand some basic behaviors and how to cure bad behaviors. I highly reccomend! read more

Ruff House Dog Training & Behavior Modification - Finn the cairn terrier - Pet Training Near Me - Tucson, Arizona

Crystal trained our dog when we first got her. We did private training and it was very helpful and made training fun. The manual she gave us was very helpful as we continued working on training. It was money well spent as we have a happy and obedient dog. I've recommended Crystal to several of our friends and they have all been very pleased. read more

Each time we train a new pup it seems the methods have evolved. Crystal from "Ruff House" is on the cutting edge. We totally embraced her methods and are having great success with the new pup. The classes are fast paced and packed with information. She's not just training dogs so you must do your homework. Best of luck in your new relationship. read more

We have 2 standard poodles that Crystal trained when they were each puppies. Both dogs are a now a wonderful part of our family, they play well with kids and among the most confident dogs we have ever experienced. We are thankful to have had Crystal teach us how to communicate with our dogs as the training is more about us than the dogs. Highly recommend!! read more

The recommendation to prevent my dog from carrying out an undesirable behavior was to "bonk" him. In other words, to startle him by smacking him with a rolled up towel. It took me a very long to write this review because every time I think about how this scared the daylights out of my dog, it makes me sick to my stomach. I have taken my dog through proper training since, but I still can't believe that I paid someone to tell me to "bonk" my rescue dog straight. read more

Ruff House Dog Training & Behavior Modification - Part of the article I was sent - Pet Training Near Me - Tucson, Arizona

My new puppy KaleiKai and I greatly benefited from Ruff House training with Crystal. She's now almost 2 years old, just finished a 3rd class, and she is a happy & well adjusted sweet girl. Everyone in the neighborhood compliments us on how sweet & well behaved she is. read more

Ruff House Dog Training & Behavior Modification - Pet Training Near Me - Tucson, Arizona

Crystal is our Caesar Milan in Tucson. She is a knowledgeable trainer and teaches both her dog and human clients training their difficult dogs. A+! read more

We just got back our puppy, Sadie, from Crystal's board and train. It was the best experience and has made a world of difference for Sadie and our family. She learned so much in those three weeks and the training and support we got from Crystal and her team was beyond exceptional. Her lessons and tools are practical for our busy lifestyle, and we love how we can go back and reference videos of her applying the skills with Sadie. We can't wait to continue other training classes with Ruff House (and neither can Sadie :))! read more

Crystal is the best dog trainer ever! 3 years ago I worked with her in one on one training with our new Vizsla puppy, Cooper. He's a well mannered boy now. So when we got another Vizsla puppy, Cheyenne, last summer while we were away from Tucson, I thought I'd work thru the lessons and get her started on my own...but that was easier said than done. By fall she had sit, and little else! She needed to learn some manners, quick, so I checked with Crystal to see if Cheyenne could do a two week Board and Train session. We called it Charm School....which she just finished a week ago. And I'm happy to report that Chey is well on her way to being a good dog! I have some further work to do with her, to polish her skills, but now Cheyenne knows what's needed, and wants to charm us! Its especially nice because what I learned from Crystal 3 years ago in our one on one sessions, works with Cheyenne. And she showed me how to work with both dogs, together to refine their behavior. She has so many tools to help you learn, and visualize the training, available on the internet, and she shows you via on line video the techniques she using with your own dog, so you can transition to the trainer easily. And she comes to your home after a week to see how things are going. It's really an amazingly effective training process, of both the dog and the owner! I highly recommend Crystal and Ruff House as the best dog (and people) trainer! And she really cares for the pets placed in her care, they become part of her family, and they come back to you much more rounded out, as a result. read more

Ruff House Dog Training & Behavior Modification - The Vs! - Pet Training Near Me - Tucson, Arizona

Absolutely excellent, knowledge, and reasonably priced dog training. My rescue pup has completed a private lesson, puppy classes 1 and 2, and a loose leash walking class. These have all helped set her up for success, educate me, and helped us work through challenging behaviors. Thank you Crystal and the Ruff House team! read more

Great beginning puppy training for our newest family member, Crystal is great! Highly recommend! read more

We love Ruff House Dog Training! We adopted a 2.5-year-old dog who was so reactive and wild that the last words the foster parents said to us as we were going out the door with her were "By the way, you can't walk her." We started with private lessons with Ruff House (Ariel was the trainer) because our little girl couldn't even be in a classroom with other dogs. Then we moved onto Basic Obedience 1, the Park Class, Basic Obedience 2, Fungility, and Novice Agility. Now we're getting ready to do the AKC CGC test and get her started as a certified therapy dog. With the training and guidance we got from Ruff House (from both Crystal and Ariel), the wild animal we adopted is now a joy to be with and well on her way to becoming a helpful therapy dog! This journey has been so sweet and gratifying because, with Ruff House, we had the best possible help along the way! read more

I would highly recommend Ruff House for your puppy and adult training needs. They effectively teach you how to communicate effectively with your dog so that you get the best out of them with positive, successful methods. The Loose Leash Walking Class is the best class I have ever taken as my goal for my puppy is to be able to walk him without pulling and to greet other dogs and humans in an appropriate manner. I have learned all the skills necessary to do this from Crystal and now it's up to me to continue to develop those skills in my pup. read more

We just finished an 8-week puppy obedience class with Ruffhouse, and we definitely got our money's worth! Crystal is super knowledgeable about dog training, and we learned a ton from her. I feel like our 5 month old puppy is now set up for success. She learned how to sit, lay down, stay, wait, drop it, leave it, come when called, walk on leash and much more during the class! Crystal even helped us out with common puppy problems like biting, digging, chewing, etc. I really liked how after each weekly class you receive a "class recap" the next day. It was helpful to have a written description of what had been taught. It also included a handy "homework" list of things to work on that week. If you have a dog and need training assistance, I highly recommend Ruffhouse. You won't be disappointed. read more

Crystal is amazing. she is so knowledgeable, patient and kind! she truly loves dogs! she did wonders with my stubborn heeler mix! you wont be disappointed! read more

We paid for five private classes and only got four They refused to refund or give us our class. Crystal can't justify that not with any amount of lies. I wouldn't want to see anyone else get taken advantage of. Crystal is not trustworthy and the training wasn't very good compared to the competition. read more

We've used several dog trainers over the years, and Crystal and her staff at Ruff House are hands down the best! I would definitely recommend them. read more

We just finished the 8-week puppy obedience course with Crystal and Ruff House and it was incredible. She uses all positive training techniques and our puppy really responded well to her training. Crystal is patient, and the classes are small enough that she has plenty of time to help you individually if you need it. I could go on and on but I'll end with saying that we're going to be signing both of our dogs up for agility and further obedience training. There's nothing more enjoyable than having awesome pups that behave on top of being so cute ;) read more

From the first class we were given solid guidance on basic commands. They know their stuff at Ruff House. They teach people to teach pups. Great experience. read more

BEWARE we got ripped off! They are a very unprofessional, unethical company. Don't trust your money with them. They had us sign up for reactive private sessions for our puppy to be able to join the group classes. They charged us five sessions for $585 but they only gave us four sessions and refused to give us our fitfh session or a refund. They either don't know how to do reactive dog training or they just don't want to, after they took our $585 they referred us to a list of dog trainers that actually know how to train. They failed to train our dog, it's not saying much, but Petsmart did a much better job on the dog training. read more

Ariel with Ruff House is outstanding. Our two German Shepherds, each with their own quirks and personalities, responded exceptionally to Ariel and we learned so much and are now better positioned to be pet parents. We also have lots of training guides to reference going forward when we need refreshers. Thanks Ariel and Ruff House! read more

We have nothing but great things to say about Ruff House and Crystal. We took our 10-month old Bullmastiff to her board and train program. We loved that our dog got to stay in her loving home with her dogs and lovely family. Both we and our dog learned so much! We appreciate her positive approach to training and her insights into increasing communication with our dog. our big dog is mellow and well-mannered and we credit Crystal for giving us a great foundation. read more

We completed our puppy class 1 at Ruff House and have been so happy with their knowledge and methods. Our vet recommended them after taking her puppy through their training. We can't wait for the Puppy 2 class and to move beyond. Ariel (and Crystal) explained techniques and problem solving clearly and completely. I appreciate their use of positive reinforcement as a basis for their training. Our puppy loved going to class and thinks that we're going to school every time we get in the car. There are a lot of choices when searching for dog trainers and you cannot find a better place than Ruff House! read more

Do a nice loose leashing walking right over to your phone and call today. If your pup doesn't know how to walk nicely on a leash then don't delay! Ruff House can help. We have been training in many capacities for four years now. After puppy class we didn't want to stop! Crystal has helped us to raise a sweet well behaved dog that LOVES to learn! Ruff House offers so many fun ways to train with your dog. We highly recommend Crystal and her team. read more

Ruff House is such an amazing resource for dog owners! Crystal has a love and understanding for dogs that is unmatched. She is knowledgeable, patient, and professional. We have worked with her for many years and in many classes and private sessions with multiple dogs. We have always had a positive experience, saw our dogs behavior and confidence improve, as well as our own confidence as dog owners when having to deal with challenging behaviors. We highly recommend Ruff House to anyone looking for training for their dogs for fun or behavioral concerns. read more

We did Crystal's Puppy class. Boy did we all learn a lot! Crystal is knowledgeable, funny, and patient. I highly recommend her for any training needs! read more

Ariel has been our trainer and she has been very knowledgeable, patient, and kind to our girl Sadie. Ariel always follows up each session with an email attachment containing the information just practiced to help us reinforce the desired behavior. We adopted Sadie two months ago. She was an out of control four year old. We have only had four sessions thus far and in that time, Ariel has trained Sadie not to jump up on the counter, not to jump up on people, not to run into the garage when we open the door (a definite safety concern), and most recently, staying back away from the door when the doorbell rings. This one is a challenge but with Ariel's guidance, I feel confident that we will get there. I would highly recommend Ruff House to anyone looking to modify their pup's behavior. read more

Ruff House is an exceptional small business who helped me immensely with my senior dog Kona. She would rush at the door any time someone attempted to open it causing some safety issues with her, me and my kids. Ariel, one of of Ruff House trainers, came to the rescue and helped me and Kona work together on a solution. Now, Kona waits nicely while we greet people at the door and I am so relieved! She also helped us with loose leash walking, better manners surrounding food/treats and barking. I highly recommend Ruff House! read more

Crystal Blaker is amazing with dogs! We adopted our Hank from her as she was fostering him to save his life. He came to us already a good boy after overcoming some resource guarding and aggression issues, thanks to Crystal. But then we proceeded to take the training classes with Hank and our other boy, Cooper. It has made such a difference! We absolutely recommend Ruff House to anyone who wants a well-behaved, trained, relaxed dog. read more

I have been in some difficult spots with my dog Bruiser. I love him so much, but some of his behaviors were really hard. I was considering medication when my vet recommended Crystal. The work we did together is nothing you find on the internet and most importantly she listens to what your dog's particular issues are. We practiced walking and got his leash aggressiveness down to a minimum. I'm a super proud mom when other dogs are walking by going wild and he's able to walk by them without going wild as well. He's a happier dog. Out last two sessions were months if not a year apart and for a totally different issue we pinpointed possible sources of anxiety and multiple options for managing the behavior. WE LOVE HER! read more

Ruff House Dog Training & Behavior Modification - This is my guy! - Pet Training Near Me - Tucson, Arizona

We love Crystal! She is such a great dog trainer-caring, professional and effective. I am so glad we found her!

So happy I decided to send my two dogs to Crystal. I knew my pups had some issues but didn't know how to deal with them. What a difference their training has made. I'm glad that I now have the knowledge and skills to keep them on the right path to a much happier life...for them and us. Thanks again Crystal. read more

I haven't used this company but I can say I was not satisfied with their communication regarding the possibility of working with them. Someone text me to say go to the website and complete the form, this was after I asked if they did aggression modification. So after having to spend lots of time explaining the situation with Mr. Beau I explained I wouldn't be around to speak until Monday (I completed the on-line information on Saturday). So I get a call on Sunday! On Monday I get a call after providing them all my personal information like address, email, phone number, etc., that they do not do this type of behavior modification, even though their website says they do this an a whole lot more. After explaining this in a voice message back to them and asking for them to please delete all the information I gave them, I get a call from whom I believe was the secretary for the owner who is out. She states it was her fault and maybe they can help us in the future. Well, maybe I won't need any help in the future if I find a good reputable company. So then she calls me back but instead of hearing a reply from her, I hear her boss lady say, Don't delete any of her personal information and type this on her file all in caps DON'T TAKE HER AS A CUSTOMER! Way to make friends and references, right? RUN...RUN FAR AWAY! This is not a good company. It sounds by the reviews they may have had a good trainer or two but they have no idea how to be nice to a potential customer. So glad I never started with them. read more