We had such a great experience with Stacy! Her training approach is based on what's actually happening with your actual dog and how you can use your dog's temperament and different drives to achieve the behaviour you want. Our Golden Retriever, Talley, is almost two, a typical teenager, and way too smart for her own good. On top of that, we'd been dealing with long term illness and a family issue that had gotten in the way of consistent training. Stacy met us where we were (physically and emotionally) and worked with us and Talley to identify motivators and strategies that really worked. We also love that Stacy's background is in the cognitive sciences so she comes to her training with a deep well of knowledge about how and why animals act the way they do. She's amazing. read more

Stacy's Wag'N'Train - Pet Training Near Me - San Jose, California

Stacy is extremely thoughtful and knowledgeable about dog behavior issues. She spent a lot of time hearing about our concerns and figuring out the best plan to work with our Tulip. She is also incredibly honest and has impeccable integrity. Our dog had a sort of "niche" issue and she was willing to see if she could help but felt like he was perfect every time she worked with him so was limited in how she could respond to our worries. I would not hesitate to work with her again if things came up. I really appreciate her and highly recommend her read more

Stacy has helped me with two of my dogs over the past 10+ years using positive reinforcement. She is very knowledgeable, passionate and so kind. She also is positive and never criticizes you while learning. My current dog is an excitable Golden who loves people and dogs. We can finally sit or lay down on the side to let others / dogs walk by. And, if he is lucky enough to get some pets he no longer jumps (well, most of the time) We also recently been able to control the excited jumping when people come to our house. read more

Stacy's Wag'N'Train - Nikko waiting as people walk by. - Pet Training Near Me - San Jose, California

Stacy is the most knowledgeable dog trainer in the Bay Area! Working with her to train my sweet pitbull mix was the best decision I ever made. My pibble was occasionally leash reactive toward other dogs. Because my dog's behavior was somewhat inconsistent, it was difficult for me to pinpoint the issue and figure out how to address it. Stacy was able to correct my pibbles behavior in a single session! She really understands dogs and dog training. read more

Stacy was great, for us and our dog. She worked with us since we're farther than she normally travels and is a good, clear communicator. And she was great with our squirrel-crazy dog, teaching techniques to help her from going over threshold so we could practice having her pay attention to us instead of looking for prey. Highly recommended! read more

What I love about Stacy is even though she knows everything about dogs and their behavior, she works hard to make sure that families are empowered and confident when working with their dog. I've worked with other dog professionals who just want to show how much more they know about dogs than you do. Not Stacy - she's excited to share her knowledge so that you can be the best dog parent you can be. Grateful we started Moose's training with someone who cares (and follow up!) with our family. read more

Stacy's Wag'N'Train - Pet Training Near Me - San Jose, California

I've known Stacy for many years, and have recommended Wag'N'Train to many people. Now it was my turn to turn to her for assistance in training my new search and recovery dog, Niku. Stacy understood exactly what I was looking for and assisted Niku and I on our road to success. As I have in the past, I will continue to recommend her ... and will most likely be client again. Thank you so much, Lynne read more

Stacy's Wag'N'Train - Niku, practicing his "stay" with his sister, Piper. - Pet Training Near Me - San Jose, California

Our dog, Lemon, has been extremely challenging. She's afraid of everyone and is super reactive. We tried several different types of training techniques/classes before finding Stacy. Despite how challenging Lemon is, Stacy has done a great job at helping her. She's always happy to see Stacy arrive for training walks! Lemon takes medication prescribed by a veterinary behaviorist and is making some progress with training, which is something I never thought would happen. Stacy has been super kind in offering to work directly with our veterinary behaviorist as well, to ensure consistency with Lemon. Anytime I get the chance to refer Stacy to friends, I do! read more

Don't hesitate for one second to ask Stacy for help with your dog!!! She's awesome and is everything you ever would want in a trainer / teacher. She will have you and your dog trained starting on day 1. Stacey is extremely kind and gentle, funny but firm and always someone you can count on. She's one of the best we have here in Northern CA!!! read more

Stacy is a gifted and amazing dog trainer - she did a wonderful job with our very anxious/reactive dachshund. Now I know exactly what I need to do in a reactive situation - this helps me and my dog feel more calm and confident when going out or having people over to the house. I highly recommend hiring Stacy! read more

Stacy is a natural dog whisperer!! She has a gift and love for dogs that goes above and beyond. We are first time dog owners of a rather energetic French Bulldog. Stacy has helped guide us since she was a puppy to get her to take walks with us and play nicely. She even helped prepare her for a road trip to Monterey - where our dog did PERFECTLY. She was able to interact with children, bikes, dogs and strollers with no problem or surprise all thanks to Stacy's training. We highly recommend her services. She provides follow ups that are detailed and helpful. You will see improvement with your dog and learn a lot too! read more

Stacy works training puppies and adult dogs in both group and private settings. Bella and I took one of her puppy classes at a pet-food express with about 10 other dogs. The thing I liked about the class was that Stacy really focused on training us (the owners) how to train our dogs which in my opinion is much more valuable than simply training the dog and hoping that they can keep it up themselves. She uses the clicker method (a reward based method) that the dogs really respond to quickly. This also makes them really enjoy doing their "homework" that Stacy gives so it's never a chore and ends up being an enjoyable bonding experience with your puppy. There are quite a few different classes that she offers, including the private sessions for if your dog is really shy, or has other problems, all the way to group sessions for learning fun tricks to teach them. And the price is very reasonable for the knowledge that you are getting. Classes seem to run from $125-170 for 4-6 week sessions. And there are also one time seminars and workshops that talk about everything from walking on a loose leash to aggression to getting your dog to come when you call them and everything in between. Great stuff to be found. Check out her website. read more

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I love her. My two dogs love her. She has been such a blessing for us. She's got decades of experience, a plethora of knowledge-the real kind, like based on science kind :) I've learned so much from her. My dogs learned so much from her. I learned so much! We live better lives together because of her! She's helped me with both my dogs but especially the second one that had really bad separation anxiety. The separation anxiety is ancient news now (thankful!) and I still see her to work with his leash reactivity and general maintenance and every day he's getting better and better! We love her so so much! She's also incredibly patient, kind, funny, genuine - these are bonuses but if you're gonna spend about an hour of time with someone a few times a month these traits help! read more

I've known Stacy for several years as we're both involved in the same hobby and became friends. Being a dog lover myself, we've had several conversations over the years about dogs and various training methods. I'm a knowledgeable novice with dog training, but we added a puppy to our family with high levels of shyness/anxiety when it came to new places and strangers. I know proper socialization is absolutely vital in every dog. My concern was if I didn't get him socialized correctly, the anxiety could turn to fear and aggression. I reached out to Stacy because I knew she'd be able to help. She and I were able to discuss my dog's challenges and what I was doing to address them. She was able to give me specific feedback on my current training by correcting what wasn't helpful and giving me specific training scenarios to try. She also gave me permission to not force my dog into letting everyone touch and pet him while training. My puppy is a German Shepherd Dog, reservedness around strangers is a common breed trait. She encouraged me to allow him to maintain his personal level of reservedness while overcoming his shyness and anxiety. We wanted him to look to me for guidance and trust I was in control; he doesn't have to take control or react. I am working with my dog, not against him.  He's improving greatly, showing curiosity instead of anxiety and looking to me for guidance more often. read more

Stacy's Wag'N'Train - Pet Training Near Me - San Jose, California

Highly recommend! Stacy is excellent. She worked with both of my dogs & I can't say enough good things about her.

We've worked with several dog trainers but Stacy is by far the best of those we've had. Our dog already had basic obedience training but she worked so well with us and him to help with his fear of strangers; both the consultation and the actual training work were excellent, she listens carefully to your concerns, pays close attention to your dog's cues, and gives really relevant, practical information and tips rather than long-winded speeches. As a result we made more progress in our first session than we had been able to make in many sessions with another trainer. She's also just a really excellent human being. Highly recommend. read more

We love Stacy! Guinness (9 month old Shepherd Mix) could hear her coming from a mile away with a huge grin :) on his face. Stacy takes the time to listen to both non-verbal and verbal cues of your pup as part of the learning and acceleration plan. Guinness and Stacy practiced basic puppy training techniques such as 1)Wait at the door 2) Leash walking skills 3) Go To Bed and various other commands with patience and assertiveness. We appreciated that Stacy also provided us with helpful tips to manage a puppy in our household. Guys - aluminum foil works if you have puppy that eats at the bottom underside of your couch. Training with Stacy encompassed not only 1:1 time with our puppy but also training for us as dog parents. Reward system thinking, dietician tips and third party resources to continue to assist with us raising a healthy, adaptable, respectful dog for years to come. read more

We recently had Stacy onsite for 4 dog training classes at our company. We worked in small groups of 8 dogs for one hour each time. Each class Stacy came prepared with a syllabus that was informative and applicable to the group. Which, was no easy task, because it was a group class with dogs at different levels. Stacy had multiple examples/techniques and was quick to learn each dogs triggers, quirks, etc.. She also made great jokes, gave each person and their dog 1:1 time, was very easy to talk with, and I think all the dogs who attended her course are better because of it. I would recommend Stacy to any dog owner, especially if she is able to meet with the dog consistently (and 1:1). She mentioned she typically does not do group classes anymore, but my colleagues and I are sure glad she made an exception for us. Thanks, Stacy! read more

Although Ruby made tons of fabulous progress in her group classes, I really needed some serious help with recall. Ruby is not nearly as food-motivated as most dogs, so training her to come when called was no easy feat! I found Stacy by recommendation of a family friend, and she was just what the doctor (vet?) ordered. She has a great website which made it easy to request interest in working with her. I explained exactly what I was looking for and she got back to me quickly. We set up our initial appointment (in my home) and Stacy confirmed it via google calendar, which was great! We arranged for 2 sessions. Stacy provided tons of great information and Ruby absolutely loved her. She was very interested in knowing what resources I'd used in learning about dog training, what types of classes I'd taken, and what I had tried that hadn't been successful. One of my favorite things about working with Stacy is that she made it a point to acknowledge and commend all of the work that I've done training my dog. Some trainers I've worked with have made me feel like I must be doing it all wrong if I've had trouble training my dog on certain things. Stacy, on the other hand, is much more understanding and empathetic about tricky training issues due to each dog's own idiosyncrasies. She also did not pass any judgment on other trainers I'd worked with - I've noticed many trainers are very quick to say why other trainers or other methods aren't as good as their own. Stacy is extremely professional and only wants to help you expand your knowledge and resource library. We found some good solutions that are working well, and Ruby has made great progress. A few days after your session, Stacy emails you a full, detailed report summarizing your session with tons of tips and resources to help you continue to benefit from your session together. Stacy is fabulous - highly, highly recommended! read more

Stacy is great! And so was her puppy class for my Shiba Inu. Her class was very well structured with plenty of time for the puppies to socialize under a controlled environment. My daughters even learned to train our dog. Thanks to Stacy, our dog (now 4 years old) is a social, obedient and well-mannered dog. (BTW Shibas are known for their stubbornness and independence.) I recommend Stacy's Wag'N Train to any new puppy owner! Letting your puppy socialize with other dogs at a young age is so important! I think I enjoyed the play time as much as my dog did! At the "graduation" all the puppies got to wear cap & gowns, and received a "diploma" and a treat. It was really cute! read more

I took Stacey's "reliable recall" for my dog Izzy. The classes are small so you get a lot of attention. She offered a lot of good advice and hopefully i can apply it soon. What I reeaallly enjoy is her website! She has great resources and an a very thorough events page. I have found tons of things to do w/ my dog and places to take her. read more

I enrolled my dog (Brea, a pitbull mix) in Stacy's Jump Start program. I adopted Brea at 10 months old, and (while the sweetest thing in the world) she had absolutely NO training or manners. The program included an initial consultation, a 6-week basic obedience group class, and then 2 private lessons for @ $300 (a bargain, in my opinion). First and foremost, Stacy is clearly a dog-lover who enjoys what she does... and doggies seem to greatly enjoy her (and her treats). She's exceedingly patient, and her experience with all kinds of dogs is apparent. She gives each dog the special consideration it needs in the group classes. Her lessons are peppered with personal anecdotes and humor to keep the tone light and fun. She imparts the fundamentals of doggie behavior and positive training methods (demystifying the techniques, as it were), empowering the owners to take a very active role . She celebrates successes, and helps owners take training hiccups in stride. In addition to very effective homework assignments (we did ours, and they made a huge difference), she gives lots of helpful pointers to other training resources. Last but not least, she makes herself available outside of class for questions and concerns. For the private lessons, she comes to your home and chats with you about your dog. She also observes how your doggie behaves in his/her home environment. Each private session is followed by a thorough and thoughtful write-up of everything discussed. Brea completed the group class and 1 private session, I've been thrilled with the results. I'm constantly getting compliments on my dog and how well-mannered and obedient she is. I'm able to take her to work and other crowded places with no issues. I'm sure some of it is down to Brea's winning personality, but Stacy's guidance and training methods get credit for all the rest. :-) read more

We found Stacys wag n train through Yelp and decided to go with her Puppy package private lesson. Her price is reasonable for 2 one-hour sessions. We will most likely continue with her maintenance package. Stacey is extremely knowledgeable and is so easy to talk to and work with. She has helped us so much in training our maltipoo puppy, Lili. Her website offers tons of information to help you with training. And has great information about events in your area. read more

Stacy's Wag'N'Train - Pet Training Near Me - San Jose, California

We took our pup to Stacy's entry-level class 4 years ago when she was just a few months old. This class doesn't teach the dog as much as it teaches the owners how to understand your dog and therefore how to best train the dog. We came out of the class with valuable insight on how our dog would relate to us and our commands. In the class our pup (and us) learned a few of the basics, but then we were able to take what we learned there and teach her to do things like roll over, play dead, sit quietly, etc later on our own. The socialization aspect is key as well in my perspective, having known a lot of older dogs who never got the training to learn to be the best dogs they could, and therefore also typically were not very well socialized. We wanted a dog who we would pretty much take anywhere with us without worrying and who would listen and that is what we have...she's an excellent companion. I did a bunch of research before settling on Stacy's program and it was well worth it, highly recommended to anyone considering a puppy or getting their older dog a refresher course. read more

Stacy worked with us to train our 4-year old adopted shiba inu, Azuki. He pretty much came to us with no formal training. Our biggest wish was to be able to learn loose lease walking with him because he pulled so much that it was hard to even get around the block where we live. This was my first dog, so I was pretty frustrated. After a few sessions with Stacy, Azuki is now on track to being a great walker! What I love most about Stacy is that she really helps you understand how dogs behave and think. She helped us understand Azuki so much more, which helps on so many different levels in living with a dog. We're able to communicate with Azuki much better now, so he's more well-behaved. She teaches you how to use their language to communicate with them. Stacy is extremely knowledgeable about animals. She's also the nicest person ever and you can tell that she really cares about her clients and their dogs. I highly recommend Stacy for any pet owner. read more

We were having an issue with our little rescue pup (4yr old chihuahua mix) earlier this year. We live in a condo and the sounds from our upstairs neighbor was really scaring our little guy and he was stressed. He would run and hide and always seemed stressed! I set up a zoom call with Stacy (Covid prevented in person training) and we talked through the issues, she recommended a handful of options and training practices. We've now been working with our dog on these practices and he is a much happier and calmer dog and his anxiety has decreased significantly. In addition, he hates fireworks (as do most dogs), so all that we've been doing has also made a difference for this 4th of July weekend too. I'm so grateful. Stacy continued to follow up with me to see how he has been doing; she really cares and wants to help. With Stacy's knowledge and love of dogs, she can help you and your pup figure each other out. Call her today!!! read more

Stacy's Wag'N'Train - Pet Training Near Me - San Jose, California

Stacy and her training classes are great!!! Aside from being extremely personable and funny, Stacy truly understands dogs. She doesn't judge you if you're not doing as well as you should be with your training but instead works with you to find ways to improve your strategy. My boyfriend and I learned a LOT from this class. Stacy's Wag'N'Train really is the best choice. Follow her instructions and you WILL see results in your dog. I highly recommend it her classes! read more

Zachary ( 15 month old mini Aussie) and I just finished our 6 pack training, we had such a positive experience with Stacy. I not only have seen improvements with Zachary's reactivity,but my reactivity with his behaviors. Stacy is helping both of us get to a more comfortable place with people and dogs. She has been extremely helpful that we will be doing another 6 pack to keep us moving in the right direction! Thanks so much Stacy!! read more

Stacy is awesome. We had brought Boba, our PWD, home at 8 weeks and by the time he was 10 weeks and was ready to start the training class we signed him up for at a big box store, he knew the very basics: sit, down, and stay. After the 2nd session at the big box store, we knew that training class was not a good fit becasue the trainer spent the first day (an entire hour) talking about potty training and how to teach your dogs to sit. The second class (again, an entire hour) was speant learning down. By this time, Boba has excelled past the class and was almost done learning the commands that were going to be taught for the rest of the 8 session. Not knowing what do to, my fiance and I taught Boba the best we could through Youtube videos and other internet sources. Eventually, we were stuck between basic training and advanced classes, so we called Stacy and had her come to our apartment in Santa Clara for 2 one-hour sessions. She calls it her "Puppy Package" and we paid $160. In those 2 hours, Boba learned just as much, if not more, than he had leared in his previous 2 months home with us. Stacy gave us the information about how to work with Boba on each individual skill and then demonstrated it with Boba a few times, so we got a lot accomplished each session. Some of the things Boba learned are "roll over", "boing" (where he stands up on his legs- it sort of resembles a spring,) "go to your crate", and "leave it." Boba is now in his high school training class at another training center- we tried to enroll in Stacy's levels class, but the schedule conflicted with both mine and my fiances- and he is doing great. Once he graduates we are going to do rally training, and maybe water and agility training when he is older. Working with Stacy has made all of these options possible and I would highly reccomend anyone who is considering private dog training to use her. read more

Stacy, of Stacy's Wag 'n" Train is absolutely wonderful.  She's trained quite a few pups in our San Jose neighborhood (and, need I say, their human parents too...)  Highly Recommended.  You can also find free articles and other doggie-related info and events on her website... an excellent resource for new pup owners, and those struggling with specific issues.   I credit much of my comfort in continuing to train my own pup to Stacy's firm but kind tutelage read more

I attended Stacy's Preparing your dog for baby class. It was fun and informative. She's a great trainer with practical positive applications for how to train my dog. She's great at reading dogs. I recently had the privilege of working with her one on one with my dog. She totally understands my German Short Hair Pointer (difficult to say the least). We've had some great results and would use her again for any behavior issues that might come up in the future. I've got to admit you must do your homework and really train the dog yourself but she's a great leader and quickly recognizes where we or our dog were to blame for miscommunications. read more

I first met Stacey in 1996 when I took my newly adopted 6 mo old mixed breed dog Piper to her Companion Dog I class. . . then to Companion Dog II and a third course called Fun Tricks. She is an awesome trainer and I've used what I learned in her courses in my own volunteer work at the Humane Society and San Jose Animal Control. Piper learned some manners and some great tricks. .. . though it took a while to get her to walk on a loose leash but that's more my fault than hers and I loved Stacey's enthusiasm and the way she teaches. So, when I adopted a new dog this past June (a 7 month old Pit/Lab/Border Collie mix) who needed some socialization with people and the public I knew exactly who to call! Mack & I just completed a 6 week Companion Animal I class and I have to say Stacey's classes are better than ever. Her positive reinforcement methods and the use of the clicker to lure and capture behaivours is easy to use and highly effective. In six short weeks Mack is a better adjusted boy who will sit quietly at the door before being told he can go out and knows sit & down and is quickly learning roll over (using capturing). He is, of course, not completely trained as training is a life long venture. . . just ask Piper who's now 11 1/2. . . .she recognized the clicker right away and has enjoyed refreshing her old tricks. thank you Stacey! I highly recommend any of her classes and can't wait to take another. read more

We just completed Puppy Kindergarten with Stacy and it was a great learning experience and environment for both Champ and I. Champ is easily distracted and I feel that through this course and her suggestions to go to puppy socials he has improved drastically, we still need to work on it but he is way better than the first week. My Boyfriend too has seen great improvements in Champ. We have made some great friends human and of the dog kind. We will definately be taking more courses with Stacy. read more

Stacy's Wag'N'Train - Champ Graduated from Stacy's Wag N' Train Puppy Kindergarten! - Pet Training Near Me - San Jose, California

Stacy is all the way across the country, but she's been very helpful with advice and I hope to get a chance to meet her some day. :)Kelly www.dogscoutspa.org www.goodownertraining.com read more

I was lucky enough to meet Stacy over 20 years ago, and since then, have never wanted to work with another trainer. Her knowledge of dog behaviors, and her connection to what makes them tick, makes her very effective in helping teach people how to change, in order to facilitate change in their dogs. I am always amazed at how easy it looks when Stacy is working with my dog. And she explains things to me so clearly that it is possible to continue on and make any necessary adjustments. The pandemic is keeping us in constant contact with our pets--Stacy helps up to make our interactions with them much more satisfactory. Over the years I have recommended her to friends many times, always successfully. I hope you take this 5 star recommendation and contact her! read more

Stacy is easy to work with and knows dogs (and people) she is all over the area as I see her car everywhere! She can help you learn how to train your dog or do the training herself in your home. We had a tricky doggy door with a rescue dog and she did magic! read more

We had four training sessions with Stacy, where she spent time getting to know our 8-month old labradoodle and our goals for training. She demonstrated a number of tips to teach us to manage overly excited behavior, and then coached us to make sure we could continue practicing on our own. She has a very practical approach, was very kind to our sweet dog, patient with us, and knows her stuff! read more

Better late than never! Stacy came into my life during a series of events that changed my life.....The impact she has had on my life and my relationship with my dog is impossible to put into words. I have learned to "speak" dog and I have a deeper respect and love for our four legged friends. I love my companion and best friend. Im forever grateful to Stacy. She is the best. read more

We hired Stacy for 4 private lessons after doing a lot of research for a clicker based trainer. Unfortunately, given the insanely high prive we paid, it was a huge let down. I am sure if you are just taking the group classes on general obedience she is great. But we had a set of very difficult and specific behavior issues that we needed addressed. Stacy did not help us with any of them: never gave us clear take aways at the end of each session, sent only one "recap" letter - nearly a month after our last session and only provided three session when we paid for four, unless the "assessment" session is counted as training session (where she just sat at the table and talked to us for 30 mins). Many of her recommendations included what I would not consider to be in the "positive" training category as I have read several great books on it and feel I have a decent understanding of the methodology. In all, it was a total rip off - go elsewhere if you need one on one training for difficult dogs. We are out a lot of money and still have all the same issues with our dog. read more

We came to Stacy excited about the positive reviews and referrals. She certainly gave us some resources and tools to better communicate with our pet, but it is nothing we could not have done on our own at home. Most of each class was spent walking around on a leash. For this, we consider it a waste of time and money. We specifically needed direction on skills such as 'Leave it', 'Sit/stay', or 'off' - none of which were addressed with much discussion or practice time. When we questioned specific behavioral problems, she gave us impractical responses. I tended to leave the class disappointed that she didn't introduce a new skill or upset over an unnecessary and/or critical remark to or about our dog. While our dog did make progress, I unfortunately do not attribute it to the class. read more