I had low expectations of success with our 8 year old chihuahua mix, Biscuit, but we were kind of…read moreat our wits end with his barking, guarding, and general reactivity! he had also recently destroyed our blinds and two screen doors... Birgit helped us and Biscuit SO MUCH! I can't believe the improvement in Biscuit's barking and reactivity after a month and a half. we used to feel frustrated with his barking multiple times a week if not daily, that is down to about once a week!! Birgit taught us very realistic methods and practiced with us, at our home and the dog park. she is extremely knowledgeable. she is organized, has great communication, and is very reliable. she followed up our sessions with written materials that really helped me remember the details of what we had worked on. I would recommend her to absolutely anyone. on a personal note, I wish for myself and Biscuit that I had done dog training sooner. I know we are both a lot happier now. it's so worth it!!! the effort and the money!

We highly recommend Birgit Hafermann for any dog-related services. Birgit has supported the care…read moreand training of our three dogs for many years: Callie, Tipper and Georgie. It never fails that our dogs become more responsive and better behaved after her care sessions with them. At the end of two of our dog's lives, she reached out to us in a very touching way that my husband and I appreciated greatly. She is still, of course, part of our Callie's support team.

My first review just for Chantale! Here's the scene. My friend and I signed up for our sessions…read moretogether since our dogs play crazy rough with each other. I have a 6 month akita and my friend has a 1 year old husky. You know how in cartoon's when two character's fight you see nothing but a tornado cloud and random interjections flying around like $#$%. YUP! that was our dogs. Chantale corrected that immediately and by the end of the session both dogs were able to walk next to each other calmly. She also never made it seem like there was a time limit on her session. She answered ALL my questions, and I sure as heck had a lot. It wasn't just training that she provided I noticed the attitude change in my pup. She did a lot more head snapping (looking towards me for commands) and she's beginning to recall without treats! We love Chantale and will be back to her for a family training session =)

Chantale was great! Our dog is pretty well behaved, but has some issues with obedience when he's…read moredistracted. Chantale taught us that he understands what we want of him, but likes to test our authority. She had some great ideas about how we can better assert ourselves as alphas. The best part is that setting limitations for our dog like she suggested will actually make him happier and help exercise his brain. Chantale was punctual, polite, knowledgable, and my dog loved her. What else could you want?

Kayla and Mike have been taking my dog, Cross, on hikes and boarding him for about the past 4-years…read moresince he was a puppy. Among many other things, they've been an integral part of his development and socialization over the years. Most importantly, these dogs go on legit adventures daily! Professional, flexible and cool people. I highly recommend their services.

Kayla is the BEST! We've been using her services for the past 4ish years and are so happy we found…read moreher! She is very communicative, responsible and competent. I fully trust her with our high-maintenance boy and that's saying a lot coming from a serious helicopter dog owner! :) She will love your dog like they are her own and it is obvious how much she loves all her pack. She is flexible and adaptable - our lives can be chaotic so we cancel/add services at the last minute and she is very accommodating to our needs. She goes out of her way to say hello to our foster dogs to help with their socialization - whats not to love? Mike is great as well, every time my dog sees him he lets out excited happy barks and I know he loves our talkative dog and his silly antics. We have tried out other dog hiking services in the CV/Hayward area in the past and none compare to Kaylas Pet Services! Look no further if you need someone to look after your furry loved one!

I came to Judge as a last ditch effort in trying to train my dogs after trying a couple of…read moredifferent trainers in the Bay Area. I initially came to him to see if he could board & train my dog, Soju, but within 30 seconds of meeting Soju he could already tell he would not be a good fit for board & train due to his bad aggression and recommended the 12x12 training; which made me appreciate his honesty and prioritization in safety. We are now in the group training and I cannot fully express how grateful I am to see the immense turnaround I see in Soju (as well as the other dogs we've been in class with!). We've gone from avoiding other dogs on our walks and walking across the street to actively looking for dogs for Soju to walk next to and see him not react at all when passing by. While we are still working on some behaviors, it's been a night & day difference. Judge is honest in his work and you can tell he is truly passionate about training you AND your fur best friend. He takes the time to learn each dogs' unique personality and quirks and tailors the training to their needs. I am forever grateful to have found Judge and little Soju loves saying hi to his new friend every week :)

Amazing training from Judge! The individual and group training classes have given both my dog Rio…read moreand I the confidence we need for her to work on her reactivity and challenging behaviors. We have the foundation we need to keep growing and building on what she's learned. Thank you for an awesome experience!

My husband and I are not novice dog owners by any means, but we needed help with our newest (at the…read moretime) addition; our Aussie who presents with anxiety. Our usual tricks with trying to redirect her attention or to stop the herding behavior (with the kids, we don't herd the kids, Lola!) were going unmatched and we knew we needed help. We started with in home private lessons with Rochelle. Some of what she taught us was a bit "duh" because we weren't thinking outside of the box, but also much of it was teaching us to be better dog owners, to tune into our dog and meet her where she was at. The 1:1 training was truly beneficial as Rochelle was able to come into our home and witness the behaviors we needed help with. Over the course of several weeks we became better dog owners and Lola learned lots of new things. We then transitioned to group classes with Rochelle which I admit the mere idea of stressed me out. Lola had never done well in public and was often triggered by too many (often random) things. But to my surprise Lola performed amazingly. She often lost her marbles about 30-40 mins into each group class but the other amount of time she was spot on and eager to learn. I am so proud that she was able to be handled by Rochelle on a few occasions and has become a confident dog who thrives in the outside social world. I will forever be grateful to Rochelle for teaching ME how to be a better dog owner and for showing me the potential Lola always had.

Mitch and Patrick are amazing! We had 5 home sessions with our two Havanese dogs. We worked on…read moretraining them to be better at greeting people and on how to get them to not make at the door when the doorbell goes off. We also worked on walking and now they don't pull! So nice to be able to go on a walk without being pulled. We then did dog greeting and reactivity and got a lot of tips on what to do to help the dogs feel more comfortable. Mitch and Patrick really went above and beyond to help us!

Sesame has been hiking with Eva since she was 10 months old. To say Eva is a great dog walker…read morereally doesn't capture how wonderful she is--I think of Eva more as Sesame's guardian. She takes care of Sesame like she is part of her own family. She picks burrs/foxtails out of Sesame's fur (this is no small task because Sesame is a furry labradoodle), is concerned when Sesame is not well, gives me great advice on dog care/training, and even hand fed Sesame when she was staying the night at her place because Sesame was being picky with her food. Sesame always has a great time on her long hikes and is exhausted when she returns. I occasionally will take Sesame to Funston myself on a day off work and have run into Eva there with her pack--she really keeps those dogs moving! They are having a great time playing together and chasing the ball. But most importantly, it's very noticeable how Eva truly cares for each of her dogs. She watches them closely and talks/interacts with each one. No wonder Sesame is always wagging her tail (and entire butt) when Eva comes to pick her up.

After working from home for the past couple of months, we realized quickly that we needed a…read moresolution to keep our dog from crying and whining when my schedule finally changed. We found Eva off Yelp, and met with her to discuss the possibility of "half day doggie daycare," which is actually just taking the pups down south to her large, sprawling property where dogs can do whatever they want. Our dog is an old grumpy gentleman who prefers to bask in the sun, sniff all the things and enjoy his time in nature, so this seemed like a perfect solution for us. We are incredibly happy with Eva's services so far. Her prices are more than reasonable, she texts us for updates and posts videos and photos on her instagram (ruffridersk9) and keeps us updated on how Clark is doing. If I am home and if she brings Clark home, she updates me on his condition and lets me know how he's doing there. It's clear to me that she brings Clark home happy, well exercised, and safe! She thoroughly explained her services, and Clark loves her-- she's even given us some suggestions to help with his training. I would highly recommend utilizing Eva's services for dog walking and training. She clearly knows and understands dogs, and has a way with them.

I found Glenn when looking for a trainer for my very stubborn two year old English bulldog…read more Not only had her behavior improved with just one lesson, but I learned so much about how to improve our trust/bond. Glenn definitely knows his stuff! Thanks to him, I have a well behaved best friend for life!

We have a 12 year old rescue dog (poodle-lhasa apso mix) who is so loveable ... except when we walk…read moreher. She barks at bicyclists, skateboarders, mail people ... and especially at other dogs. All she really wants to do is approach other dogs and "say hello", but her bark sounds so menacing, we basically turn around and walk the other way. To train her, we've tried treats, other dog trainers, methods we see on Instagram - none have worked. Enter Glenn. A friend of mine recommended him, and we have seen a huge improvement in Lulu's temperament. Each lesson is basically an hour walk in my neighborhood, ending with teaching Lulu commands in front of my home. We've also gone to a local dog park. We've had about 6 lessons, and I enjoy walking Lulu a lot more now. She no longer barks at people on skateboards, or the mailman, or dogs across the street. She is still learning to behave when dogs approach her, but I know it takes time. We're moving in the right direction. Glenn is very patient and friendly - he is willing to answer all questions, during and after lessons. Sometimes he'll record parts of our lessons and text them to me so I can review and remember what happened during the lesson. And remember! He is not only training your dog - he's training you! I highly recommend Glenn as a dog trainer.

----------- TL;DR: Barak's 35-day Board and Train program is…read morea major investment, but it completely transformed my sweet but highly reactive dog. It fixed his severe leash reactivity, his 4 AM barking, and his total lack of recall when distracted. The cost includes 35 days of boarding and unlimited weekly group classes. One month later, the results were surprising: we went from a stressed caretaker dynamic to true companions. I can now take him on errands without fear, and finally having the power to tell him "No" has been game-changing. Highly recommended. ----------- DREAM DOG Totoro is what you might call the dream dog. He is incredibly kind, loyal, and mostly well-behaved. However, he had a "Jekyll and Hyde" personality. Indoors, he was docile and lazy. Outside, he was possessed by his excitement. He is so gentle he couldn't even get food out of a Kong! But we had three major stress-inducing issues: ZERO RECALL WHEN DISTRACTED: I spent a lot of time training him with high-value treats like bacon and ribeye. When it's just the two of us, he would shoot out of a cannon when I called him. But the moment he played with another dog, those ingrained habits were completely forgotten. He went totally deaf, which was a major safety concern. LEASH REACTIVITY: When he's leashed, he gets frustrated at times when he sees other dogs, and he might lunge and growl at passing dogs, making walks a bit of a chore. SUDDEN BARKING: He developed a habit recently of waking up at 4:00 AM and rush out the room barking like the house was on fire. Before Barak, I only used positive-reinforcement training. Totoro knew the commands, but positive reinforcement simply could not compete with his intense excitement around other dogs. Barak is a balanced trainer, using proper corrections alongside rewards to teach boundaries that hold up under extreme distraction. I was hesitant about negative reinforcement, but Barak showed me his high-quality e-collar. I used it on myself and could barely feel the low-level stimulation, which put my mind at ease. Enrolling in the 35-day Board and Train program was a significant investment. However, I factored in that I was getting 35 days of boarding included (which I planned a trip around). More importantly, the cost includes unlimited group training classes afterward. You don't just drop your dog off and forget it. The weekly classes give you structure so your money doesn't go to waste. Barak was also incredibly responsive via text whenever I have questions (and I had many). The results are night and day. It is like the show Severance :) there is no more "Outie" Totoro, just the well-behaved "Innie" Totoro! He isn't brainwashed; he is still his happy self, just infinitely better behaved. Barak figured out his leash reactivity was just him frantically checking if other dogs were "safe." Now, we walk past other dogs peacefully. Update: One Month Later MAN'S BEST FRIEND Barak's training has unexpectedly transformed our relationship. Before, I would never consider taking Totoro on errands. Even with only a 1-in-20 chance of him being reactive, I didn't need the stress. On walks, I was constantly on guard, which can turn dog ownership into a one-sided, anxiety-filled chore. Today, we have genuinely become companions. Instead of leaving him behind, I actively look for dog-friendly breakfast spots. The fear of taking him out has completely dissipated. I enjoy his company, and I can feel our bond grow, even in year 5. He is much happier now that he doesn't feel my stress radiating through the leash. THE POWER OF NO Previous trainers taught specific commands like "leave it," but never the general command "No." For example, Totoro has a habit of licking his ankles raw, leading to expensive vet visits, Cytopoint shots, and the dreaded cone of shame. Now, I can simply say, "No." He stops, looks up, and tries to figure out what he is doing wrong. Imagine being a parent without the ability to tell your kid "No." Having Totoro understand that single word is game-changing.

We looked into several different board-and-train programs before deciding to go with Barak, and…read morewhat really stood out to us was the level of knowledge, support, and resources he provides. From the beginning, we felt like he genuinely cared about understanding Luna as an individual and helping us understand her as well. Knowing that we'll continue to have ongoing support, guidance, regular check-ins, and access to free group classes for life--even after Luna completes her 35-day program--gave us so much confidence in our decision. It's reassuring to know that we won't simply finish the program and be left on our own. Having that continued support and knowing we can reach out when we have questions or need guidance gives us so much peace of mind. We were initially hesitant about using an e-collar and prong collar, but Barak took the time to really break everything down for us. He explained how these tools can be used properly and responsibly, why they can be beneficial, and how they can help create clearer communication between us and Luna. What we appreciate most is that he doesn't just train the dog--he teaches the owners, too. We've gained a much better understanding of Luna and feel more confident in our ability to communicate with her and guide her in a positive direction. We also wanted to find out whether Luna would be suited for protection work. Barak was honest and upfront with us and explained that, based on her personality and temperament, she isn't the right fit for that type of training. He explained that protection work would go against what we're currently teaching her--being neutral, confident, and non-reactive--and would ultimately conflict with the foundation we're trying to build with her. We really appreciated his honesty and the fact that he was focused on what was best for Luna rather than simply recommending something that wasn't right for her. We are incredibly grateful for the patience, dedication, and support Barak has shown both Luna and us. We've already seen such a positive difference in her obedience, focus, and ability to regulate herself, and we're excited to continue building on everything she has learned. We highly recommend Barak to anyone looking for a trainer who truly cares about the dog and takes the time to educate and support the owners along the way. We're so happy with our decision to work with Barak and can't wait to see Luna continue to grow!