Jenina's visit was a huge help. She is super nice, easy to talk to and very knowledgeable. Our new puppy was handful and YouTube only took us so far. Jenina's guidance and tips took us to the next level. She helped us understand our pup's behavior and taught us fun training games to put our puppy on the right track to being well behaved. Her passion for dogs definitely shows and her positive-only methods will ensure a healthy relationship between us and our little puppy girl. read more

Smart Paws not only does training but has a pet sitting service that exceeds any other pet sitting service I have ever used. Jenina, the owner of Smart Paws, went beyond the call of duty and when my one emotional dog didn't eat, she went to Whole Foods and bought him chicken which he did eat. Yay! It gave my husband and I such peace of mind that she looked after our large fur family while we were out of the country. I would hire her again in a heartbeat and can not say enough good things about her and her company. read more

Simply the best. Top marks on ability, reliability, friendliness and, above all, dedication to the job.

You won't go wrong hiring Jenina to train your dog. She knows what she doing and can answer basically any questions you may have. She also has best prices around imo. Thanks Jenina! read more

Jenina is an extremely compassionate and intuitive dog trainer. She came to my home for several sessions to work with my two dogs and was able to help me the causes of their anxieties and misbehavior. Her understanding of dog behavior is amazing and her sensitivity and support are superb. I highly recommend her. read more

Jenina helped us immeasurably by coming to our house to help us with behaviors of our adopted dog that were beyond our abilities to handle. She made herself so available, even to talk by phone. She is very knowledgeable and loves dogs, but in a very realistic way. read more

Working with Jenina was the best thing we did for our puppy... and us as puppy parents! Initially we had a personal, in-house session with Jenina to curb a barking issue. By the end of the session, our pup was already behaving so much better and we were armed with new ways to continue to train and see results. It was worth every penny and we continue to use lessons from that one session. After that, we signed up for her six-week obedience course. We walked away from every class having learned a new basic of obedience and with enough guidance to practice it during the week and see success. Most importantly, however, was Jenina's attention to the bigger picture of how to train your dog -- how to build on success and not failure, how to create a positive and rewarding experience for you and your pup and how to see results without results-thinking. She gives each dog/owner individual time and we often came early/stayed late to ask specific questions, which she welcomed. She answered our inquiries and concerns in ways tailored to our dog and us. We continue to train and reinforce what we learned from Jenina and have a wonderfully behaved 10 month old puppy. We will probably take a more advanced class from Jenina when we have time in our schedules again because having a well-trained, happy dog (and being well-trained, happy dog parents) is a gift that she was paramount in making happen! read more

We got 2 adorable puppies but realized quickly they (and us) needed training right away, so we thought it would be a positive experience to all live in one house. We contacted many places but decided on Jenina because she had a great positive way of training both the puppies and us at the same time and we understood was a positive long term effective training program. Jenina was extremely reliable, punctual, effective and a loving dog trainer. We met every Saturday for 6 weeks where all parties learned the basic commands much faster than we anticipated. Jenina is not only a terrific dog trainer who exceeded all expectations, we are now also eager to move up to a higher level training and want to continue with more intermediate training with Jenina. The puppies just love her - as do we. You will not regret hiring Jenina! read more

This was my first experience with a trainer, and I'm so glad I went with Smart Paws--Jenina was awesome! Her private session helped me understand SOOOO much more about dogs, their relationships with their guardians, and how to be a better dog owner myself. Worth every penny! Highly recommended. read more

My husband and I are both first time dog owners, and we wanted to make sure we were teaching our dog how to be a member of our family in a positive way. Jenina helped us so much. In her group class we not only learned a ton of important commands (sit, stay, down, heel, leave it, go to your spot), but we also learned the correct ways to communicate, reward and teach our dogs. I feel like I learned just as much (if not more!) than my dog did. Jenina has a great teaching style, demonstrating each step carefully with the dogs and also sending us home with a handout so we can make sure we're practicing correctly during the week. When our dog started having some behavior problems on the leash, Jenina gave us great advice over the phone and met with us early before class to discuss what to do. I'd absolutely recommend her to anyone looking for a dog trainer. read more

Awesome trainer! Jenina (Smart Paws) was referred to us by our vet, after we adopted a young Lab mix from the shelter. We did a private session and the 6-week course. Both were afforably priced and WELL worth the time and money! Jenina was wonderful to work with, and sincerely cares about the dogs! We are very grateful for all of the training and advice she has given us. We would HIGHLY recommend Jenina and her classes to anyone who is looking for help with their dog. read more

I was referred to Jenina Schutter by a friend who has 2 rescue dogs. Jenina is amazing. She came to my home, and considering that I'm a brand new dog owner and not familiar with dog training, she explained a tremendous amount of information in a clear way that makes me interested in being a good, responsible owner. Then she sat on the floor with my new dog and miraculously began to train him his first command, almost without saying anything. She understands dogs AND people. I am truly looking forward to our next session! read more

Thank you, Jenina! We took our dog to group class and learned so much. The class is as much for the owners as for the dogs, so you can continue to use the techniques long after class is over. Jenina works with each dog's particular needs. There were a lot of different personalities in our class and Jenina worked equally well with all of them. I can't recommend this class highly enough. We looked forward to it every week! read more

I love Smart Paws! Jenina was recommended by a friend and she has been invaluable. We have a black lab puppy that we adopted at 10 weeks old. Jenina's private training helped our puppy learn basic commands that we continue to practice and build on. Jenina also helped us understand how to be good dog owners. Additionally, Jenina's dog walkers are fantastic! They have helped us on days when we need a lunchtime walker and also for overnight stays when we go out of town. I highly recommend Smart Paws for training and dog sitting. read more

First let me say that we never hired a trainer for our first pup, a lovable but untrained Wheaten Terrier. So this time around with our new rescue 6 month old poodle mix we decided it's worth spending the money. I did a lot of online research (and spoke with a several trainers) and settled on Jenina based on both reviews and her reasonable fees. We hired her for a 6 hour set of sessions. All I can say is that her methods work. At first we were dubious since as attorneys we are dubious of everything. But at the end of the first session it became clear that she truly understands dogs and how to best train them. It was amazing how quickly our dog picked up on things with just a few attempts. And Jenina was very patient with us as we didn't pick up on things so quickly! Ha! I now believe that training is essential. Watching our dog learn things and behave better has made this go round with a young pup a great experience and we owe that to Jenina. We look forward to participating in Jenina's group classes in the future! read more

Jenina is a gifted dog trainer. Whether it is a group class or one-on-one training, Jenina has a unique gift for getting dogs to listen and learn. She trained our mini dachshund, a breed that is not easily trained, to do things that I didn't even think were possible. She genuinely loves the dogs she trains, as a result they will do anything to please her. I wouldn't take my dogs any place else! read more

Jenina was beyond rude and didnt even give our dog a chance. This was our first time going to see a dog trainer it made us so disappointment and discouraged from even looking somewhere else. I would not recommend her at all. read more

Jenina is an amazing trainer. Because of her deep understaning of how dogs process information our rescue pup Nina is gaining confidence and integrating beautifully into our home. She is now pals with our cats, playing with other dogs and her separation anxiety is getting much better. All of this is due to Jenina's always gentle and sure handed approach. We can't recommend her highly enough. We were at the group class mentioned in another review, the dog was very agressive and it's owner had no control of it. Jenina spent 10 minutes out of a 60 minute class talking with the owners. That dog didn't belong in a group class. I completely agree with Jenina's decision to not allow the dog to stay. read more

I do rescue work and have three LARGE dogs of my own. Whenever I adopt a dog out or whenever someone calls me struggling with whether they should surrender their dog to rescue because of some behavior issues, I recommend Jenina. Even if the dog doesn't have issues Jenina is great because she speaks both dog and human. She can understand what a dog is trying to tell its owner and translate for them and visa versa. Jenina then teaches YOU how to speak dog and not in that stupid, dangerous Dog Whisperer way but in a very non-confrontational yet extremely effective way. I could never turn myself into the strict/stern alpha. Sure, maybe for a day but I could never follow through. With Jenina's exercises and techniques I can finally give my dogs the consistency, love and boundaries they need and crave. Anyone who is thinking about getting a dog, or has a dog should do whatever they can to book a session or a class with Jenina. She will blow your mind and your relationship with dogs will never be the same. And I mean that in a good way. :) read more

I've been involved with rescue for years which is how I first met Jenina. A couple had hired her to help them work with their dog because they wanted to bring a second dog into their home and their dog could be dog aggressive. I could not believe the difference in this dog from the first time I met her to when we were able to do a meet and greet with one of our rescue dogs. From that moment on I have been using Jenina for my own dogs as well as our rescue dogs. She does not believe in, nor does she use choke, prong or shock collars. She is all about positive reinforcement, consistency and patience. Jenina has taught me so much about dog behavior and how they communicate. She is a phenomenal trainer and makes it fun for both dog and owner. read more

I was walking my leash aggressive dog around the Silver Lake area, an a woman approached me. She noticed how my dog was behaving and told me about a group class that she and her dog were taking. It was called Smart Paws and the trainer used non aggressive training methods. I observed her class and at the end of the session, Jenina talked with me about my dog. I signed up for one of her group classes and was very impressed with the individual attention we were given, as well as how patient and gentle she was with my dog. After we graduated her class, I continued to call Jenina for pet walking and sitting. I knew my dog would be safe with her. She's very attentive to her surroundings (we have a few loose dogs in our neighborhood), and she understood all of my dog's quirks - he liked stopping in the middle of the street, or standing at a corner because Jenina would want to go one way and he thought the other way was so much better. He also liked to chase cats and bark at all the dogs he saw. Jenina helped cure him of barking at all of the other dogs so that he could just walk by another dog without yelling at him. When Jenina is with your dog, your dog is her FIRST priority. She is very loving, patient, and intelligent in her dog training. I highly recommend her to anyone. (She leaves funny notes after her walks and pet sitting days. I've saved them all:) ) July 2014 I have cats now, and Jenina and her crew come and take care of my cats and my dog. The dog in the review passed away from cancer, but I was fortunate enough to be able to save a senior German Shepherd from the North Central Animal Center. Her name is Jezebel, and she was diagnosed with moderate arthritis in her spine and back legs. Jenina and her staff come over to keep her exercising so her muscles don't atrophy, and they've been known to slip in a massage every now and then. Jezebel is spoiled by this staff. I'm grateful that each person is sensitive and caring to all of my animals. read more

Jenina is so amazing and made a huge difference in my relationship with my dogs. I found my two dogs on the streets and they each have their own issues. Jenina affirmed aspects of training that I wondered about and taught me so much about how to understand and be the leader of my home, without thinking I was being mean to the dogs. There is a lot of peace and balance now that the dogs are not in charge! I highly recommend Jenina. She is trustworthy, patient, thorough, caring and is overall a special human being. All dogs are lucky there is someone like her to help their people keep them safe and happy. Thank you Jenina! I'll be sending my friends and their four-leggeds to you! read more

We had a great experience with Jenina and Smart Paws group classes. She really understands how dogs think and teaches you methods that really get results (as long as you put in the work). It's all non-aggressive, treat-based training, so bring a lot of whatever your dog's favorite food is--Wallace would go through a couple chicken breasts per class. Don't worry if you run out, though--Jenina always has extra. It's been a few weeks since we graduated, and I'm still having great success with her methods. Very highly recommended. read more

Jenina was great. After just one session out little doggie was behaving so much better and we had fun too.

Jenina is terrific. Caring, effective, and generous with her time. My puppy and I had a great experience!

We called Smart Paws after reading reviews here on Yelp and could not be happier with the outcome! Jenina Schutter arrived with incredible spirit, knowledge and a very loving attitude toward our rescue puppy Maggie. We needed some basics with her as she was really pulling on the leash making it difficult for us and our older dog to enjoy our walks in our neighborhood. We also needed help in having her listen to our commands, etc. What happened was nothing short of miraculous. Within the first 1/2 hour of lesson # 1, Maggie was sitting on command with hand signal and going into down with hand signal at end of 90 minutes. We just had our last lesson (we had one on one for 4 sessions) and we are amazed at Maggie's progress. Jennina can get a dog to do anything with her skill, but the trick is teaching you so you can work with your dog implementing the same training rules. Maggie is walking and heeling so beautifully on the leash as we walk it is just amazing and wonderful. Our walks which were a struggle are now joyful again. And for the first time ever as the pizza man rang our bell with a delivery, Maggie sat at door, went into down and then went to her "bed". then we opened the door for our regular pizza guy. Even HE was impressed! Thank you Jenina, we will recommend you to everyone who loves and cares about their dog! read more