I like being able to drop my dog off for some play/exercise time. I really appreciate Mike practicing obedience with my dog too. read more

The Educated Pet - Practicing a group "sit/stay". - Pet Training Near Me - San Diego, California

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The Educated Pet is great for your dog and your own training. They care and guide you to do your best with your dog.

Carol and Mike are amazing instructors. When I first took my dog to their class she was terrified if anyone approached her beside myself or my wife. Molly hid behind me if Carol or Mike approached her to even get close to her. She and I have attended basic obedience, tricks class, scent work and canine good citizen classes. Molly has become very interested in meeting new people. Molly loves to go around people in our community and interact with them in a way I thought she would never be able to do. Molly can sniff out the gophers anywhere anytime after learning how to follow smells in scent class. Molly and I keep going back for more classes so i can keep myself trained. Molly is ahead of me in remembering her tasks. i have to review how to help her be the best she can be in my life, which means I have to practice! Thank you always to Carol and Mike! See you soon! read more

Carol and Mike are fantastic! We brought our Labrador pup home in May and started training with them. We now have a very well behaved pup! Their teaching is real and based on sound principles, and uses positive reinforcement not some of the negative methods others use. Not only do they teach the common behaviors, but also several safety practices such as giving up something they found and shouldn't eat like pills, sewing needles or other foreign objects. Besides training classes with the owners they offer weekly group daycare so the pup gets extra socialization and training. I can't recommend them enough! PS-They also know all the good breeders and Vets in the area. read more

The Educated Pet is great! We have been clients since we got our puppy a year and a half ago, and they have helped us build a great foundation for our dog's obedience. They provide an array of classes for all dogs big and small. We also love their SOS camp days which provide us with great quiet time at home once a week. I couldn't recommend Carol and Mikes experience and expertise more! read more

The Educated Pet has been a "constant" in the life of my precious Labrador. Dolly is now 7 years old and has been an absolute JOY...In large part because we began our journey with Carol & Mike when she was 4 month's old! Their expertise, gentle guidance and love for all their pup's was evident from the beginning. I wanted my dog to be respectful, attentive and well-behaved. I wanted to take her everywhere, a member of my family, a constant companion. Carol and Mike gave me the tools to do just that. I will be forever grateful...I can't think of higher confidence and praise for The Educated Pet than entrusting my Dolly, twice-a-week for the last 7 years! Hoping for MANY more! Lori P Smith & Dolly read more

I have trained all my pups with Carol Harris, owner of The Educated pet. I think we've been working with Carol for close to 20 years and three Laboradors. Each puppy has had a different personality and their own challenges, Carol is a dog magician, able to evaluate and give the appropriate guidance. People ask me all the time who my trainer is, and I am always happy to share Carol's info. read more

The Educated Pet - Pet Training Near Me - San Diego, California

Ugh I hate being the person to write a negative review but I was shocked at how we were treated today by a supposedly reputable dog trainer. I arrived with my 5 month old German Shepherd. Due to covid we haven't had the chance to socialize her so we were really looking forward to a class to introduce her to other pups. She was barking a ton and unfortunately her bark sounds aggressive; she typically barks and once she kisses noses with another dog she'll be fine and settle down. She's amazing with humans and us. We are very focused on training her in all facets, but there's only so much we can do when she hasn't been able to be around other dogs. Carol, the trainer, came out - didn't even look at me to say hello - stared at my dog with her hands on her hips and said "oh no this behavior is not acceptable in my class" I'm thinking yes that's one of the reasons why I'm here, cuz we need help!! She turned us away, after telling me someone in her class is scared and if my dog bit another dog (as if I'd let her off of the leash and not be careful even if she was capable of biting) she'd have to be put down. I totally understand her position, needing to be careful/protective of her business and other dogs and owners but the delivery, condescending tone and inability to help a barking dog just shocked me. I can't imagine that she hasn't ever experienced dogs that have expressed some fear/barking before, right!? Or maybe she just turns every dog who she can't handle which tells me what type of trainer she is. Dodged a bullet here. I hope you have better luck if you decide to invest a lot of money here. read more

Absolutely the best obedience training, I have ever been too. My dog Pumpkin, My wife and learned a lot. Each class built on the last, there was a lot of important homework to reinforce the learning. It was worth every minute all at a very affordable price. Thanks Carol read more

I took the 8-week dog obedience class, and my dog and I were better partners at the end of it. Carol and Mike provide a well organized class, and they're funny and engaging at the same time. Highly recommend. read more

I appreciate the approach that they use in their training. I have attended different training classes over the years and this class has been one of the most helpful. I love the positive approach to helping dogs learn to be more confident and secure. I also finally understand why dogs that are really doing well in training as puppies forget everything they have learned and turn into little (or big) wild things. Dogs experience adolescents the same as humans. Fortunately, dogs grow out of adolescents quicker than humans usually. Thank you for the education and the training. read more

The Educated Pet moved locations to the Kearny Mesa area. Right off the 163 & Balboa it is centrally located and easy to get to. I took my 3 year old Great Dane to Carol because he was becoming more reactive to some dogs & I wanted to learn some techniques to help him get over this. He's a fabulous dog, and usually likes other dogs...but over the last year had become more reactive with certain large breeds and especially intact males. We signed up for her Fiesty Fido class. I had done a lot of reading about the issue as there are some great books out there, but wanted some hands on classes. Carol and her staff were great. It was a 6 week class with only 4 other dogs it it, 2 of the dogs were large Newfies so I was pretty sure my dog would be reactive to the male Newfie and was glad I would have the opportunity to work on his behaviors (which I think stem from a fear of larger dogs). I know...he's 150 lbs, he shouldn't be afraid of anything, but he is. Carol had a lot of great advice to give and best of all practices positive reinforcement techniques during her training. She gives lots of one-on-one time, which is easy to do in a class that is so small. Her prices are comparable to other training classes I have seen offerred. Since taking her class I have seen my dog get much better with other large dogs. He seems to be able to handle having a large dog in close proximity much better and has learned instead of growling when a dog is near, to look to me for guidance and that calm behavior is always rewarded! read more

No integrity. No respect for our time. For starters, our consultative session was 4.5 hours. I appreciated the time she spent with us until I got the bill: $120/hour... We decided since we spent the time and money thus far, why not just take the 6 week dog class, which was cheaper than the initial session. Each class was 1 hour... however the first 10-15 minutes was spent listening to the trainer speak about her health challenges of the week and her family/personal events of the week. Surely enough, class always ended on time though! We resolved to not re-visit this woman when we discovered that "The Educated Pet" offers discounts to my mother's company, which was mentioned in discussion with her 2 or 3 times during our initial visit. Not only was she not forthcoming with the discount before we signed up for the training class, but now several attempts later, she's not reimbursed us the silly $13 discount. We won't be recommending this place to anyone. Ever. read more

The Educated Pet is working extra hard during COVID to ensure the safety of all participants while offering essential service. That's right - dog training is essential! We joined the COVID puppy club and our little one needed socialization during a time-sensitive period in her development. The structured socialization, playtime, and training Carol Harris has provided have been essential to the health and development of my growing dog. I am proud of my super dog & human friendly [pitt bull] dog. Thanks, Carol! read more

Trainer is great if your dog is one of her favorites - ours was not. Paid for two training classes and was given little no attention at all and our needs were not addressed at all. We even were willing to have the trainer come to our house and pay for private training. She never bothered. Like I said, if you're one of her faves, maybe okay. It is a 'fun' class but we were there for training and we spent more time hearing about other peoples adventures with their dogs than was spent on training the dogs. read more

Wholeheartedly recommend Carol, The Educated Pet! We called upon Carol weeks before we chose our golden retriever puppy from the litter we had identified. Carol gave us invaluable counsel, more than anything we'd read, on how to observe the litter and make an informed choice. We've been attending classes with Carol and her Team since Puppy Tara was 10 weeks old. She's now 10 months. Carol 's coaching and mentoring has given us specific support for raising our healthy, happy puppy...for being informed leaders, building the relationship of trust, and encouraging our puppy to be calm and confident in the world. We've participated in many classes: Puppy, Adolescent, Basic Obedience, SOS, Confidence, and Canine Good Citizenship. Each class, so worthwhile. Carol is a truth-teller. With her vast experience and knowledge, she can quickly size up the dog and the owners, and "get" what is happening. Like it or not, she tells it like it is. On many occasions, we've seen Carol zero-in on a particular family and dog, coaching, counseling, and encouraging the best for the dog and the family. As Elders raising an energetic puppy, Carol has often answered an email SOS when we felt overwhelmed. Often, just some words of encouragement, that Tara was exactly where she was supposed to be, gave us what we needed to keep the faith and carry on. Or Carol provided a specific tip or tool that helped us move in the right direction. This continues. Following Carol's counsel and with her support, we're enjoying _every_day with our active, "live in the moment", adorable puppy! It's inspiring; the way Carol sees the individual dog's potential, always interested in its health and well-being. Puppy Tara LOVES Carol! That's our first and best, 5 star litmus test! read more

Our vet recommended The Educated Pet when we rescued our lab mix, and I'm very grateful she did. We have been taking our dog to Carol and Mike for classes for almost a year now. Over that period of time, they helped us work with our dog to understand what makes her reactive and how to handle those situations. Classes are fun, and our dog starts dancing when she realizes it's time to get in the car to go to dog school! read more

LOVE The Educated Pet. My pooch has attended several classes, including: basic obedience, SOS, and CGC. Carol is great. I think my dog loves Carol more than me! :) She will show you how to get your pup trained properly. Excellent instruction & help in areas where you might have questions. read more

Was recommended to The Educated Pet by my mother-in-law who has been going to Carol for some time with her dogs. Before we got little Islay, our black F1B Labradoodle, we met with Carol to ask all the questions we could think of. Straight to the point and honest is the best way to describe Carol, all in good ways! If you are doing something that will illicit a negative behavior from your furry friend, Carol will be the first one to point it out and offer corrections. Never harsh, but always to the point. Islay just graduated puppy class and is moving on the to the adolescent class with all of her doggy friends. My wife and I have already recommended The Educated Pet to friends and co-workers! We will definitely seek Carol out for our pet training needs from here on out! read more

Daisy is our second family dog and the first dog that we have put into obedience classes. We just finished our third course at The Educated Pet. Carol and her team are beyond awesome. We have seen such an improvement in Daisy's behavior since she was a puppy, and we know that she will just keep getting better with Carol's instruction and help. She also attends the weekly SOS class. After class, she comes home and crashes on the kitchen floor exhausted from all the play and training. Carol and her team are kind, attentive, highly knowledgeable and patient. My husband and I have very high expectations and The Educated Pet exceeds them. The best part is how much Daisy LOVES going to her classes and how much she adores the staff there. Highly recommended!!! read more

Be wary of this place. Carol, the owner is very selective to which dogs she likes and doesn't like. Training methods she uses are outdated and not useful. The beginning of class is always spent discussing her personal issues and class always finishes on time, not considering the time spent talking about non-related training issues. I do not recommend, waste of money!! You would be better off going to the humane society for training. DONT WASTE YOUR TIME! read more

Carol and her staff are awesomely awesome! On the strong advice of our vet we took the puppy kindergarten glass. I'm so happy we did. The first part of the class we practiced controlling our little masters while Carol addressed everyone's concerns (amazing how most all of us have the same challenges). Then we let the puppies off leash for supervised puppy pandemonium! Not only is it super fun to watch those puppies play with each other but Carol and her assistant watch the play carefully and show us what is appropriate and how to deal with bad behavior. I can't begin to say how helpful that was for me. Our little guy just graduated from the puppy class. I can't wait until we start the next round of classes! read more

I have gone through many trainers and I think Carol by far is one of the best! She is so knowledgeable, has many years of experience and if training techniques don't work with your dog or the particular dog breed, she gives you other good solutions to help you with your dog. My rottweiler Kiera is crazy about her so she would probably run away if we decided to go to another trainer! I'm surprised to see the review that said Carol has no integrity-if anything, I feel she really cares about dogs and their owners and has a lot of integrity. We've gone to most of her classes but my favorite is her SOS class! Carol uses positive reinforcement- she's fair, fun but can be firm when needed! read more

Carol Harris is GREAT! We used her ten years ago for our first dog. Our new puppy responds to her great. At ten months our dog's transformation is astounding. Carol also trains us! Some people may not like that but it is necessary. I recommed The Educated Pet to everyone I know. read more

The best training for humans and their dogs! Carol is very knowledgeable and excellent at what she does. We have taken all of her obedience classes as well as tricks, Rally and Canine Good Citizen. The classes are fun AND educational. I highly recommend Carol and The Educated Pet. Carol is an asset to the community by helping her clients' dogs be well mannered citizens in the public! read more