Pam and her entire crew at Woofingham Palace are amazing. There is no doubt how much passion they…read morehave for the pets in their care, providing training and guidance to pet parents, and providing a safe facility for the fur kids and her staff. I got a new boxer puppy that was in desperate need of some socialization and proper etiquette when playing with other dogs. I signed up for the puppy socialization classes and within a matter of a few sessions I noticed a dramatic improvement. I'd give Pam 100 stars if I could.

Pam Chandler, of Dog Sense Training is truly amazing! I've been using her classes, pack walks, and…read moreprivate sessions for two dogs over about 2 1/2 years. She truly knows dogs and makes it fun and interesting for the humans too. She recently expanded by purchasing Woofingham Palace, so her new business name is rebranding to Woof Academy. Still amazing and just added a great location for classes, socialization sessions, and boarding.

I can not thank Juli enough! She took my very over reaction rescue dog and transformed her ! Poor…read moreSasha did not know how to play and freaked out whenever she saw another dog. Through all the training techniques, tips and support Sasha now will play with her favorite blue ball on her own ( which is a miracle) and looks at me now instead of barking like Cujo at another dog in the neighborhood. Thank you

Corrina is an incredible trainer. This was our first time doing a board and training program. Our…read morepuppy went into the program chewing, nipping, and fearful and came away calmer, more obedient, and on the path to coexisting with our older dog. Corrina shows a genuine care for dogs and her craft as a trainer and continues to give us tools to continue our training at home. We feel fortunate to have found Corrina.

I have taken both my dogs through Take The Lead Canine Training…read more Cathy has the greatest advice and her style of training is very positive. I recommend her to everyone I know.

I met Cathy November 2011 while volunteering as a Canine Coach for adoptable dogs at the Rancho…read moreCoastal Humane Society down the street. Cathy sponsors an adoptable every class free of charge to improve their chances in finding a forever home and as a Canine Coach I would transport and train said animal. As if that weren't enough to fall in love with Take the Lead. I coached three dog through her 6 week course and she asked me to stay on as an intern trainer. I've been volunteering there ever since. Her methods are painless and positive. She teaches people to read their dogs body language so that we don't ask something of our dog that hurts, makes them uncomfortable or would create undue stress. Her motto is "It takes two to pull" so be prepared to be trained as well. Classes are an hour. They are fun and functional, you learn how to handle real-life situations, how to train your pet to be a good patient at the Vet, the Groomer and Dog-sitter. There are special guest speakers, games and play. Your dog is begging for you to call Cathy at Take the Lead!

Excellent place to take your dog for obedience and/or behavioral issues. Laura is very experienced…read moreand knowledgeable. She has helped me with my Great Dane, Daisy. She even helped her not be scared around big dogs ! Thank you so much ! I will continue to use Laura to have a very well behaved Dane. I recommend her !!!!

I'm really disappointed in how this business handles communication and customer service. I enrolled…read morein a 4-week group training class for my 9 month old puppy. I reached out nine days before the first session to ask about moving to the following 4 week session since I would be missing two out of four classes. I wasn't asking for a refund--just to switch sessions. My email went unanswered, and I had to call the facility to leave a message before the owner finally texted me back. I was told there are no changes or cancellations allowed, and to simply watch videos for the weeks I'd miss. One of the main reasons I chose this trainer was for the in-person group training and socialization, which can't be replaced by videos. I can find plenty of training videos online. This 4 week training was expensive, but I was very much so excited to grow with a training facility nearby. As a Carlsbad local, I love supporting small businesses, but this experience has been very disappointing. A little flexibility and better communication would have gone a long way.

Thought I would give a review since I've had Megan as my dog walker for roughly around 9 years now…read more Just goes to show how much we love her so much; we want to keep her as our own little secret! I found Megan when we had Flexo at the time. I looked everywhere for a specific type of walker. Our boy was a rescue with a rough background. He was reactive to dogs while on leash and took time to trust strangers. I definitely wanted a dog savvy walker! One who has a background in training and tough pups like ours. Since day one, I remember coming back from work and noticing our boy feeling a little more relaxed. Not as pent up or stressed. I quickly realized how much he needed this! Whatever his situation was before, I wanted to give him a better one, an upgrade. Megan helped me with that. She was very professional, confident, and worked with our boy during her walks. He eventually loosened up to her and her little girls and it was so great to hear how much he improved over time. Flexo has since passed, but we adopted another rescue, Brody. We had him at 7 months old and, although was the complete opposite of Flexo, his puppy stage proved to be quite the whirlwind, to say the least! While we did our part in training, Megan did her part with socializing and walking. He was a little ball of energy, but now at 3 yrs old, has since calmed down and is the best boy. He loves Megan and her pack (both humans and dogs)! She also does boarding and daycare. Another plus, she is very flexible! There are often times I've had to cancel last minute because I worked from home during the pandemic, and it was no issue. She also updates by leaving a message in a little notepad she provided. There are so many positives, I can't say enough how much we love having Megan as our walker. I only hope, if there comes a time when we have to move away, we can find someone just like her. She's definitely set the standard for who I want in a professional walker!

Megan and Marla are incredible! They are basically family at this point…read more After making a very late decision to visit family over the holidays, I desperately needed to find someone I could trust to take care of my dog, Wilson. I didn't want to leave him somewhere he would end up in a cage all night and most of the day. Fortunately, I found the Balanced Pack. Wilson stayed with Marla and her family during the 6 days I was gone. As any dog owner knows, a lot of stress accompanies leaving a dog with someone else for an extended period of time - even with friends. That was not the case with the Balanced Pack. I received regular updates and daily photos of a very happy Wilson. Further, it was so nice knowing that Wilson was with people who cared about him and had plenty of playtime with his canine buddies. The only concern was that I'd have to drag him back home ;-) Since then, I have used the Balanced Pack for day boarding on a regular basis. Megan picks him up every morning on time and then drops him off around 5:30pm and feeds him dinner. He is so excited when I tell him in the morning that Megan & Marla are coming. And it is amazing to come home from work and find your dog both exercised and fed. And I do mean it - Wilson has tons of energy and on days when Megan has him, he is worn out when I get home! That says something. The bottom line is that Megan and Marla are awesome. They will treat your dogs with love and care. And you will notice an extra gleam in your pet's eyes after a fun day with the Balanced Pack.

Our almost 6 month old Pitbull Terrier/Shepherd Mix/mutt puppy, Grayson, came to stay with Sierra…read moreand Shannon for a 2 week board and train while we were on vacation and it was a game changer. We toured their house prior to Grayson's stay and it's well kept, clean, with great big yards both front and back. Grayson came home more obedient, learned how to dress before going outside and "get naked" after going outside, load in and out of the car, ring a bell to let us know when to go potty, "touch," sit, down, and the biggest thing for us is he's more comfortable in the car and listening to music (he used to bark at music like crazy). He doesn't pull on his leash as much and walks are more comfortable and less stressful. Grayson even got socialized with other dogs and cats! He does not bark as much anymore, which has been great for my nervous system Grayson got a bath before he came home and came home with a wonderful goodie bag. They used primarily positive reinforcement training with Grayson with some other tools. It was very effective. Working with Shannon and Sierra, you can tell they really care about their furry clients and take a lot of pride in their work. We will definitely be using them for future boarding for our furbaby. Highly recommend!!

Shannon and Sierra's home board and train model offers security and a sense of relaxation where…read moreyour furry friend can be taught. They try to tailor their teaching to the individual pet, will take notes ahead of time on what you hope to accomplish, and do their best to ensure that progress is made for you and your furry family! My puppy came back crate trained and less timid around other dogs which is a blessing.

I cannot recommend Nikki enough when it comes to dog training. Before I started training with…read moreNikki, I was seriously considering rehoming (giving back to the original rescue) my dog as I felt ill-equipped and completely lost with his behaviors. I genuinely believe that if it wasn't for Nikki, my dog would likely not be alive right now as he probably would have been marked for behavioral euthanasia. Nikki saved my mental health and saved my dog Waldo. I hold immense gratitude for all of the help she has provided us. Nikki exemplifies what it means to be an expert in the field: her methods are evidence-based & she is always staying up-to-date with the most relevant information available. I found Nikki when researching private agility lessons for my reactive dog. While I never had any intentions of performing, I knew that my high-energy dog, Waldo, would benefit greatly from learning new experiences and confidence building. The first time Waldo and I met Nikki, I knew I wanted to work with her. She wasn't phased by his loud barking or lunging. Nikki immediately started guiding me on ways I can change my posture & breathing as well as informing me what Waldo's body language was telling her. After just one session, we discovered his reactive behaviors were actually fear-based (not solely aggression-based as other trainers had led me to believe). Then came the hard part: the (unintentional) reinforcement of these behaviors that I had caused due to my own ignorance. Nikki was realistic about progress and the time it would take. She won't lie or cut corners to tell you what you want to hear. It was her honesty and humility that had me sold. I only saw Nikki once a week with Waldo, but after working with her for almost 2 years we saw SO much progress. Waldo is much more confident in high-stress situations. I have a full tool kit of tricks I can use inside as well as outside the house. The training never stops when you leave the session! Nikki taught me so much about reactivity & threshold. That training has to happen when they are below threshold!! She doesn't assign morality to dogs. I remember saying "Waldo is a bad dog and I don't know what to do with him" and she gently corrected me by saying "Waldo is not a bad dog, he is A DOG and he is scared. What we have to do is show him that he doesn't have to be scared and that takes time & trust." We were able to slowly work our way up to having Nikki approach Waldo without a fearful response. And eventually even had Waldo take treats from her hand and respond to her giving him commands. AND THEN, we were able to have Waldo in the same space as Nikki's dog Charm. Charm was so unbothered by Waldo's barking it was honestly a comedic relief. Charm lives up to her name. She is a beautiful, smart and oh-so sweet dog. Just having neutral // positive interactions around another dog was vital to Waldo's success and confidence building. Also, knowing that Nikki trusted me and Waldo to be able to interact with Charm after we spent so much time in 1:1 training helped MY confidence as well. I learned sooo much from Nikki, I could probably write a book just singing her praises. While I was devastated when I found out she was moving, knowing that she is going to continue educating dog owners and offering these valuable training lessons helped lessen the tears. Everyone in my life that knows Waldo has seen long-lasting, impactful changes in his behavior. And all of the praise goes to Nikki and her techniques! Come to Nikki with an open-mind and a willingness to learn. She very well could change your life for the better, the way that she did mine (and Waldo's!).

Nikki is amazing. She took me and my 3YO dachshund - neither of whom had ever stepped foot on…read moreagility course - and turned us into competitors in the agility space. We are so happy that we started our training with Nikki, who is kind and patient, while also pushing us to be a competitive team while running. That means that we're not only taking home ribbons, but also bonding and having a blast on the course. Dash LOVED attending Nikki's classes; he was always so excited to run, and the courses Nikki put together were always fun and exciting while also being accessible to dogs of all skill levels. We loved training with Nikki, and if she was still in our area, we would 100% still be training with her. Because of her guidance and support, I'm a better handler and Dash is a happier dog, and we're both having a ton of fun together. Don't hesitate, try out these classes. Guarantee it will be a memorable experience.

Karma Dog Training found us exactly what we were looking for in a 100% positive reinforcement and…read morescience-based dog training. I received a message from the owner/founder of the company, Jeffrey, the day I reached out and we were on a phone call a few hours later discussing training options for our puppy. Jeffrey considered the best fit for us and selected the absolute best trainer that was both a skills and personality match for us and our labradoodle puppy. We have had just two training sessions thus far and they both have been game-changers. My wife and I feel relief that we are setting up our pup (and us) for an amazing life together with our fur baby and her big brother. I can't say enough about the integrity and communicativeness with the business of Karma Dog Training and the intentionality and skill of the Karma Dog trainer, Erik. We are so grateful and would highly recommend you reach out to Karma dog for all of your dog training needs.

I cannot express enough gratitude for Suzi and the incredible work she has done as a trainer for my…read morebaby Bagheera, my good girl and finally a service dog . From day one, Suzi demonstrated not only deep expertise and professionalism but also an extraordinary level of patience, compassion, and dedication. She took the time to understand my specific needs and tailored the training to ensure my dog developed the skills and behavior essential for reliable service and support. Her methods are positive, effective, and grounded in trust and mutual respect -- and the results have been life-changing. Thanks to Suzi, my service dog is now confident, focused, and exceptionally well-behaved in public and at home. Suzi's training has given me greater independence and peace of mind, and for that, I am truly grateful. If you're looking for a trainer who goes above and beyond and truly cares about both the dog and the person they're serving, I wholeheartedly recommend Suzi.