Danyel helped our socially awkward terrier learn to be around other dogs. We started off with private in-home sessions so she could assess our dog's behaviors. Then Danyel slowly introduced her own well-behaved dogs one at a time, plus other dogs that she has worked with. We were so glad that Danyel could witness the behavior we were concerned about. She reassured us that Mochi wasn't an aggressive dog, she just doesn't like it when new dogs get her in face. Danyel taught us what signs to look for, the proper way to introduce dogs and what to do if Mochi wasn't comfortable yet. We learned so much! First meetings were a little iffy, but each time she saw the same dog again, she gradually came to not care if they got close to her. We were also pleasantly surprised at how well Mochi did when we joined Dannyel's group for a pack walk with at least 10 other dogs and for group lessons. That never would have happened before we started working with Danyel! read more

Smart Pits Academy - Group lesson - Pet Training Near Me

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Danyel helped our dog and our family immensely. She taught us how to train the dog - and did everything right alongside us. We had several 1-on-1 visits and then did a half dozen long walks with her and her other clients on weekends. She really knows dogs (and people) and while she's not cheap, you absolutely get what you pay for. read more

Rescued a 6 month old Jack Russell, suffice it to say very smart dog but this owner not so much. Danyel was referred by neighbor and great results. Danyel made sure she understood our "perspective" on dog training so no "confusion" on goals. Excellent results and of course on-going training but she taught me the tools necessary for success and very happy with "Rocko's" training and the tools she gave me to continued training independently. Very happy in all respects. read more

I was in dire need a dog training service, since I had just bought my first big dog. I was referred to Smart Pit Academy through a friend, but little did I know I would get good service and decent prices throughout the whole process. I started with Dannyel in August 2023 with the puppy package. The course was a month long and we received one-on-one training 3-4 times a week. She created achievable goals for the week and gave decent homework that worked with my hectic schedule at the time. She also goes as far as to recommend grooming services and healthy choices for dog treats and food. Dannyel is more then what I could ask for in a trainer. She was flexible and understanding through the course. A bonus to signing up for her courses is that she has training on the weekends that focuses on boosting their confidences, strengthening dog-to-human bond, and socialization skills. Sidenote: I did look into other options in the area and wasn't able to find something of this caliber. She definitely has a passion for her work. The proooofff is in the dogs. :] Hit her up and ask about her 10 for 10 standards. It puts things into perspective. -Aza read more

Smart Pits Academy - Aza - Pet Training Near Me

Who said you can't teach old dogs? It's not true! Smart Pits Academy taught my Coton de Tulear, 8 years old, how to behave around unfamiliar people and the most difficult, children. Although it took some work, she's now a therapy dog and we go to assisted living facilities. We are scheduled to do Sacramento's Dog with Jobs event in April. I am so grateful for the training we did with Smart Pits Academy. read more

Smart Pits Academy - Moorea - Pet Training Near Me

Danyel is an outstanding trainer. We worked with her for 1:1 early puppy training (if I'm being honest she was really training us, the owners) and have also used her for week-long boarding. The 1:1 training taught our puppy basic manners and participating in the pack walks and group classes helped significantly with socialization. We were nervous to leave our puppy while on vacation but Danyel shared photos and updates which immediately put us at ease. Our puppy was treated as part of the family and got lots of playtime with Danyel's wonderful dog Lulu. Danyel is patient, loving, and also firm when she needs to be. We are so grateful for her expertise. Highly recommend her services! read more

Dannyel is not our dog trainer, she is family. I first found her contact information while taking my dog to the dog park. It was the height of the pandemic and I truly needed some support with a rambunctious Jack Russell. She not only trained my dog with simple commands but provided her support to assist in my disability. I'd refer her to anyone who asks. She really knows her stuff and she will love your pet as her own! LOOK NO FURTHER! read more

Dannyel is a miracle worker! Best trainer in Sacramento. My cockapoo puppy is too smart for her own good and would not listen to me at all. My dog was a challenge to walk and was constantly pulling me. After just one day with Dannyel I saw improvements. I am actually able to walk my dog and have my dog walk next to me and not pull me. Dannyel Is the most educated trainer I have met. She not only loves dogs but has amazing customer service with humans and understands that we need to be trained as well:) Look no further as Dannyel is the best! Your money is well spent. read more

I am so pleased with how Dannyel has trained our dogs. She has been a blessing from the start! She communicates effectively, knowledgeable, and goes out of her way to find an answer for your dog's needs. When she says "I'm your dog trainer for life" she means it! Her prices are fair compared to other dog trainers. I once asked Dannyel to watch one of our dogs overnight and she was glad to do so. It was priced fairly in my opinion because she even made sure to care for her medical needs. I'm glad we found someone we can depend on when we need someone to care for our pup. We worked on off leash training within 3 weeks and I was shocked our dog picked it up so quick. Dannyel doesn't only work on your dog but she also works on you. She makes sure to teach you the right techniques and commands. I am a lot more comfortable letting my dog off leash because of how she taught me. And I appreciated the homework's she left us to do while we weren't doing training. Our dogs have improved significantly since we started doing training. Highly recommend! read more

This program is excellent - my dog improved so much from the individual classes and pack walks. I'm super grateful for the time we spent training with Danyel. My dog is so much more calm on walks now and well behaved, and she LOVES Danyel. I really like the style of training - firm and direct but not overbearing at all. The classes we signed up for focused on socialization which has been hard for me to find elsewhere. read more

I reached out to Dannyel after Waggers' staff referred me to her. I have a standard poodle who is overall very well behaved, but I had 1 major thing I wanted to work on with her - she became laser-focused on other dogs during walks. It was nearly impossible to get her attention or get her to obey commands once she saw another dog, because she wanted to go say "hi" SO badly. Since my dog was already good with her basic training, I went with Dannyel's 2-week program. In that time, Dannyel taught us methods that made a huge difference on our walks. These days, while my poodle is still interested in saying hi to other dogs, I now have tools to redirect that behavior back to me when it occurs if it's not an appropriate time to greet another dog. I have found it to be very effective and it has made walking her so much easier. In addition to that, during our training together, we discovered some smaller behavior that could be improved and worked on those too - further improving greeting calmly at the door, not reaching for treats, socialization and behavior in stores, sitting when stopping on walks, etc. Dannyel also has weekly pack walks you can join in on once your dog is ready for that step. We finished training back in December 2022, but even today we still continue to go on the weekend pack walks on weekends when we are available. They are extremely fun, and it's great socialization for my friendly, but docile dog, and a great way to meet other like-minded dog owners and possible playmates. My dog was an easy case, but on the weekly pack walks I have met many other owners with dogs that Dannyel has worked with that started out more difficult and have since been able to be trained to have better behavior and be able to enjoy everything that comes with that. Dannyel has a great many methods for training dogs and her love and passion for them is evident in the quality of her work and instructions. I highly recommend working with her if you have any training problems with your dog! I will surely be going back to her if I need future assistance with dog training, there's no one else I'd want to go with. read more

Danyel helped my little dog get over her reactivity to other dogs! My dog has been able to make friends with my sister's much larger dogs and has doggy friends to play with now. read more

Dannyel is amazing and the absolute sweetest! She goes out of her way to build a great working relationship with all of her clients and focuses on a positive reinforcement training method. My dog has seen such a huge improvement since we started seeing her and joining her pack walks! read more

Wow! I can't say enough good about our trainer, Dannyel Geremew! She actually puts in the work with your dogs and give detailed instructions for homework. I started with training only one dog and because of her diligence, I included my older dog! Who said you can't teach an old dog ! This academy gets 10 stars, finger snaps and hats tipped! She specifically gets treats that the dog want to have and Is committed to seeing your dog succeed. In such a short time my animals love her firm approach and dedication to their behavior modification I now have two genuinely polite service animals who obey on commands. We are traveling the world thanks to our trainer, Dannyel, and Smart Pits Academy ! You can't go wrong with this choice!! L. Clark read more

Dannyel is fantastic! We worked on off leash training, leash pulling, resource guarding, confidence and more with our pup Dani! She answered all of our questions/concerns and would tailor all training sessions to fit exactly what we wanted to work on. Even if there was a new concern she was flexible and would switch gears in the moment to make sure those concerns were addressed. She consistently followed up on homework/tasks outside of training. She really emphasizes the importance of consistency and practice outside of sessions with her. She also goes above and beyond to care for your dogs. During our training we thought our pup had ear mites. She gave us advice and even went the extra mile by coming to our home to help. We also attended group training classes on the weekends for extra socialization and generalizing skills in the community (e.g., local dog parks). Highly recommend!! read more

Dannyel is a great trainer for our Dog Brody. He is still working on his confidence but is getting there with Dannyel's tools and help. I have been amazed at some of the training I have been able to master with Brody that I never thought possible. We have homework to do, which is a big part of training your dog. You have to be willing to put in the work required. It's not all down to the trainer. Brody loves Dannyel and can't get close enough to her and gets so excited when he sees her. She is always available for questions and helpful advise. We can't recommend Dannyel highly enough. read more

Let me preface my review with I'm not a dog person. Our family got a popular breed for families and the puppy was driving me nuts. Smart Pits Academy was recommended by a neighbor Just in time. Dannyel was super prompt and broke down the puppy package including price right up front and was flexible to accommodate our needs and schedule. The meet & greet is where she gets to know your dog, you and the family. Very professional, friendly and like part of our family now. We love her and so does our pup. He tried to smother her in cuddles every session and would go to training mode right after. We got homework training and tools to prep for each session and they work. If they don't, Dannyel will pivot to another style until your dog is responsive to the command. After two weeks, people are amazed at how much our puppy has learned. I highly recommend Smart Pits Academy if for new puppies. We will be using Dannyel service for more training as our pup ages. read more

Danyel is an extremely talented dog trainer. I've gone to her for training, grooming, and boarding and highly recommend her for any of your dogs needs read more

Dannyel is amazing and truly a professional in what she does. She knows her dogs well and she creates a great personal bond with her clients. When we first had a meet and greet, I expressed my concerns and she assured me that she could do it with no problems. I have an entirely new dog and I couldn't thank her enough. I absolutely recommend her if you're in the Sacramento area. read more

Danyel is amazing. Our dog was so anxious and his anxiety came out as aggression. We couldn't take him out for walks around other dogs or people for fear of his reaction. After a month of training with Danyel, Marley is a whole new dog and has a much better quality of life now. She is so encouraging, knowledgeable, and understanding. We are very thankful to her and highly recommend her for any of your dog needs- bonus she also grooms! read more

So glad that I found Danyel. She's EXCELLENT with my little maltese puppy. I got a new dog, for the first time and had NO IDEA on how to deal with it. Luckily I found Danyel. Danyel not only did a fantastic job on training my puppy, but she also educated me on proper care, puppy behaviors, feeding, potty training and overall how to raise a puppy. Her help and support have really enhanced my experience with my puppy. She's very professional, personable, does her job well, and works great with pups and pup parents. I continue to use Danyel for boarding, grooming, and advice. I highly recommend her services!! read more

Danyel knows dogs! I was amazed how quickly she figured out why my dog (Murphy, a standard goldendoodle) is leash reactive. I had been struggling with how Murphy would bark and lunge at triggers when we were out walking and she immediately recommended the two week one on one course. It was great! Since other dogs are triggers for my dog, she had us meet at dog parks where we could get a lot of practice. It was also nice working with her other clients who's dogs had similar problems so we could practice with each other. Between the one on one trainings and the weekend group classes, I feel I am now able to walk my dog peacefully and know how to direct him. She is very encouraging and positive, which is really helpful when you are dealing with a stressful situation (like an out of control dog!). Once you finish your one on one training she will invite you to her weekend group classes, which is awesome for more practice and maintenance. She said she specializes in Pit Bulls, but honestly she specializes in dogs, period! Thanks Danyel read more

Working with Smart Pits Academy with my two pitties has changed mine and my hubs life forever! Our dogs are now easy to walk and make walking our neighborhood enjoyable. I can walk with my stroller and one of them no problem. We have the tools we need to continue training on our own & are getting closer and closer towards having our dogs be calmer in the sight of another dog. Our babies were taught to fence fight before we got them & now we're able to enjoy our time in the yard with our neighbors dog present in their backyard without them attacking the fence. One of our pitties leaves the fence alone completely and the other is able to be called off the fence just from a command. Thank you Smart Pits Academy! The summer boot camp with you has made a world of difference and makes life with our newborn and pitties feel manageable. I did the training with our dogs just after having my first baby and they were so accommodating to my family's needs. The trainer we worked with was Danyel. Thanks so much for everything! You inspired & inspire us to keep up with our training. read more