This review is on the owner Tania. I've never taken a…read moreclass. My Pup Senta! (IG Senta_the_weimaraner) was booked for a photo shoot for Norton Life Lock. The shoot required a professional Handler and expert on set for Senta's protection and well being. Senta! and I were paired by and amazing photographer Michelle Russ from Hilarious Hounds who booked Senta!. I met Tania and was impressed. Her professionalism, thoughtfulness and attention to Senta's well being was above reproach. Senta! took to Tania immediately. Tania's constant attention to detail, not only to the shoot schedule but Senta's interactions with the other "talent" was on point. Tania's care to explain to others on set how to approach, interact and proper human to service Dog interaction kept Senta! overly chill and settled through the entire process ensuring maximum return for the client. I can highly recommend Tania for your needs too. Please note Senta! is very well trained but that being said the over stimulation of a photo shoot/Comercial environment is daunting even to the seasoned professional let alone an animal. Feel free to reach out to me if you'd need additional information. Please see attached photos.

Tania is nice however, given the fact that I paid almost $200 for an initial consultation I do not…read morefeel as though I received any real guidance or clarity on the issues I am having with my dog. Most of what she shared was no different from what you can find with a quick google search on the internet.

this is also a long overdue review, I have used BARK AROUND THE BLOCK for many years. and…read more her staff are excellent. my dog; Rommel, a French bulldog he absolutely loves walking with her. She socializes the dogs with the group walks offered in the afternoons or morning walk. during the ongoing months The scheduling and communication is excellent ! My dog has improved greatly in all aspects of his socialization as well as his obedienc. Believe it or not for his breed he is so chill now. He loves his group walks! The trails are varied which is fabulous and keeps it interesting for the dogs. I have been extremely pleased with the excellent level of service provided by Bark Around the Block She is deserving of the Best Dog Walker of Alameda for the consecutive years, it has been awarded to her Company!

Hands down, Christi is the best dog walker in the East Bay. She is a first a dog lover, who is…read moreconscientious, organized, and thoughtful. Her pack walks exhaust the dogs while being safe and exciting for them. Her dog sitting sets my mind at ease as she knows dogs, her level head and knowledge ensure peace of mind while we are away.

Jess is so so sweet and patient, and is a wonderful teacher for both dogs & humans! She's extremely…read moreknowledgeable and has had some really helpful and creative ideas for navigating confusing behaviors/challenges that my senior rescue dog has been struggling with. She really knows how to break down training steps in an approachable, non-overwhelming way. We have only had a few sessions with her so far, but her warmth and support have really helped us both already! :) I have some health challenges, and Jess has been incredibly accommodating and understanding about my different needs. Highly recommend!! :))

Jess is a patient, insightful, and thoughtful trainer. She helped us understand and work through…read moresome of our older toy poodle's quirky and problematic behaviors (attacking certain people's feet, barking at the tv, hiding whenever it was time to go for a walk, etc). We felt very stuck and unsure of how to navigate these behaviors prior to meeting with her. We worried that our dog being older would make change impossible, but that definitely isn't the case. I particularly appreciated how collaborative she was with us throughout the process-- she made sure to check-in with us each week about how we felt regarding her suggestions, how things were going when we were practicing training on our own, what interventions we were comfortable with or not, what behaviors we wanted to prioritize working on next, etc. Jess is also in general just a lovely and kind human who clearly has such a strong passion for the work she does. This made it really easy for us to trust that we were being guided by someone wise and with the best of intentions. Highly recommend.

The worst dog training experience ever. This woman literally took my money and refused to train my…read morepup.

Les is fantastic. She had a great rapport with our dog who generally does NOT like strangers. At a…read moretime when he was very upset about new people coming into the house, he actually allowed Les to rub his belly. Les gave us great strategies for leash training and leash reactivity, and we've used them ever since. Highly recommend!

K9K is not the first trainer we've worked with, but after moving back to Berkeley, this time with a…read morevery dog-reactive dog, we knew we needed to do more work with our dog. Our work with Buster isn't finished, but here's what's made Rachel and the K9Kommitment trainer we're working so fantastic. During the entire process, they've been incredibly positive and encouraging. Really getting us excited about working with our dog. You would think that should be a give, but it's not. A lot of trainers give the impression that their job is to teach you what is wrong with your dog, and how they can fix both dog and owner. It's a subtle distinction, but an important one. The philosophy with K9K is closer encouraging you to WORK better with your dog and establish better communication. Less about fixing, and more about guiding. At least that's my experience. More than that, Rachel offers tons of options for weekly group classes and drop-in events, so Buster gets a ton of experience around other (also reactive!) dogs. Again, Buster isn't there yet, he has a long way to go, but I've learned so much, and he's gotten so much better at managing all the stuff that stresses him out. He's a delight at home, and he's getting there outside the house. Rachel and the trainers that work with her are amazing. Consistently calm and encouraging, knowledgable, and super dog-positive (again, why isn't this a given w/ dog trainers?). I would highly highly recommend.

As a first-time dog owner, I felt overwhelmed when I obtained a rescue dog. I had no idea how to…read moretrain Miso nor deal with her strong reaction to other dogs. Rachel came highly recommended by Miso's foster mom. I immediately hired her and was thankful that I did! Rachel provided me with insight on what was going on and several tips and tricks on how to socialize Miso. Miso is improving every day. She will often use her own dogs to help train Miso and is flexible in schedules and location. She will even provide support for the simplest tasks like dog washing if needed. I highly recommend her!

So many amazing things I can say about Pack Runner, where do I start!? I am a proud dog mom of 3…read morerescues (Japanese Akita, Pitbull, Terrier Mix). Each of my pups came with their own unique issues from their previously lives. The Akita had absolutely no leash training or socialization prior to adopting him. Walking him on a leash was a nightmare. He would pull (he's 85 lbs I'm only 110) and lunge at any cat or dog he would see on the street, extreme leash reactivity. I was deathly afraid of taking him around other dogs. The Pitbull came to as a senior and is probably one of the most insecure dogs I have ever met. Sweet as pie, but scared of everyone and everything. Taking her out, I would muzzle her- not for fear of her biting anyone but there were a few times she lunged at people walking by. I was also very afraid to take the pit bull out, they already have a bad reputation so her trust issues did not give me confidence in having her in any type of social setting. In the past few years, I have been through 3 dogs trainers and one dog behavioralist. I thought that my dogs could never be fixed until I met Troy 9 months ago. It's been quite the journey with Troy and his team. I can't begin to tell you the gratitude I have for him. My dogs are completely changed. We started with a few in home and outdoor training sessions, then moved into boarding and training the Akita and Pitbull, and now finally we are at pack walks with Troy and his team. Pack Runners has provided me with so much knowledge and the proper tools to be a true pack leader. My dogs are still a work in progress but everyday they are learning and growing thanks to Pack Runners. I am no longer afraid to take my dogs out on walks, they no longer pull or lunge on the leash and socializing them with other dogs is something I now look forward to! Troy is one of the kindest, patient, knowledgeable, and professional people that I know. I'm so happy that I found Pack Runners. My pups are so happy that I found them too! We are looking forward to their continued growth with Troy and his team..

Troy help us with our German shepherd 5 month old. He gave us good tips on how to handle him, it's…read morebeen two weeks and our dog Melo has made good progress. He's assistant Fa was very helpful too, both of their energy is easy going that Melo behaved so well with Troy. Now waiting on bigger things from PACK RUNNER!

Jennifer is a masterful dog trainer. Two months ago, we picked up a 7-week old Golden-doodle, Max…read more We'd had dogs before. But it was a long time since we had a puppy. We knew that Jennifer was working with friends of ours and their dog, and they were very happy with her style and results. Knowing how busy Jennifer is, we asked them to find out if she'd make time for our new puppy. We are so glad she said yes! She is great! She trains the dog and the owner at the same time, with humor and discipline. There are two things you need to appreciate about Jennifer. First, she is a no-nonsense trainer. She loves dogs and takes the training seriously. You should be ready to do the same. The second is that she is a real expert in the science of training dogs. It's something special to watch how she treats the dogs with such a reach knowledge and understanding of what they need and when. Finally, Jennifer makes the training fun for the whole family. Our son has special needs, and it is wonderful to watch how Jennifer works with him and helps him learn how to train our dog. It is so fun to watch them together. She makes us all laugh. There isn't a better trainer around!

Jennifer has been a significant part of our dog's training for more than a year, ever since he was…read morea puppy. She understands dogs and getting the behaviors we want. She showed us how to motivate and train Leo and turn around any problem behaviors. On our first big trip out of town, she called us to see how things were going and helped us through some challenges. Recently, I wanted to do even more with Leo. Jennifer has been working with me to train Leo for AKC Rally, where he recently titled at the novice level and we're moving on! She has helped to make the person/dog relationship a pleasure. What more can you ask. Jennifer is GREAT. Knowledgeable, fun, passionate about dogs and their owners. She's also responsive, reliable and caring. She wants the best for our dog and us.

This review has been a long time coming. We've worked with Courtney for over a year with 3…read moredifferent dogs, all with very different situations, and have absolutely been blown away by her. Our first dog was a senior that we wanted to brush up on some manners with and get a refresher on the best techniques to keep her happy and well-behaved. Courtney introduced us to some minnow treats that our girl, Sadie, went nuts over. Turns out you can teach can old dog new tricks! When Sadie passed away, we started looking for a new pup a few months later. We got our hearts set on a dog from the shelter, but after some adoption couseling with Courtney (and some tough conversations), we realized that wasn't the dog for us. It was a really emotional situation, but Courtney helped us to see it rationally and we ultimately made the best decision for that dog and us and we kept looking. Most recently, we adopted a 3 year old Australian shepherd mix and have had a couple sessions with Courtney. Mazzy came to us very shy, timid and she really needed to build up her confidence in herself and trust in us. We've been using all the techniques, toys, treats and positive reinforcement that Courtney taught us and Mazzy is like a different dog after only 2 months! She doesn't cower or hide from us. She comes to us now for comfort and is so much happier. We are so grateful to Courtney and Devoted Dog for being a part of our family! She really loves dogs and is so patient with us when we ask "dumb" questions. One tip, though - make your appointments as early as possible! She's a one-woman show and in very high demand, so it's best to book her early for prime Saturday appointments. We can't recommend Courtney enough for your pup predicaments!

This review has been a long time coming. We've wanted to work with Courtney since 2019. Our dog has…read moreanxiety & noise sensitivity issues and we wanted to help her build confidence. I emailed Courtney back in October for a consultation. They responded quickly with dates and times, I booked a consultation in 11/8/2019. When it came time to our appointment, we had to be rescheduled multiple times due to whatever issue Courtney had. We didn't think much at the time, but this should've been a HUGE red flag. We ended up seeing her on 11/16/2019. Following that, we paid $310 for 4 packs of 30 min lessons on 12/16/2019. We scheduled 4 lessons around the end of January to February. We had to reschedule our lessons due to their dog passing away and health reason (totally unfortunate situation). However, in February, they said they would refund our money once Courtney recovered. We waited until March before we contacted them due to her health reason. Courtney responded via text message once on 03/6/2020 and they responded once through email on 04/5/2020 about how refunds are being worked on. They never responded again. We've emailed & texted multiple times. I really didn't want to write this bad review about a small business, but it's really unfair to take our money, not provide sessions, tell us they'll refund us, and then disappear when it comes time for refunds. All we wanted was for our dog is build confidence and now we're left with nothing. We have been waiting since February 2020 for our refund and it is currently August 2020. I have slowly come to terms that they scammed us, but I want to prevent this situation from happening to someone else. I would give Courtney 0 stars if I could. Please take your business elsewhere, there are other trainers who are more reliable all over the bay area. Don't make the same mistake we did. I attached pictures following the timeline of this whole situation.