Cancel

Open app

Search

True Nature Dog Training

4.9 (32 reviews)
Open 9:00 am - 7:00 pm

Request information

Response time

20 minutes

Response rate

100%

Services - True Nature Dog Training

Private dog training

True Nature Dog Training Photos

You might also consider

Recommended Reviews - True Nature Dog Training

Your trust is our priority, so businesses can't pay to alter or remove their reviews. Learn more about reviews.
Yelp app icon
Browse more easily on the app
Review Feed Illustration

Reviews With Photos

My happy, smiling dog on a hike after months of training.
Dani S.

I'm really grateful to Polina for helping me train my very nervous and sensitive rescue dog. I knew I couldn't do regular group training for my dog because she'd spend the whole time lying on the floor being scared. Polina understood my dog as an individual and helped create a training plan to build her confidence and obedience. She gave a lot of great education to myself as well, which is crucial to helping my dog be well-adjusted and happy. I now have the tools I need to expand further on the basic training we've done. Thank you again, Polina!

Our rambunctious Yeti sitting and staying with Polina on day 1. Thank you for giving us the tools and confidence to work with him!

We sought Polina's services to help us with our recently adopted adult Great Pyrenees, Yeti. From the beginning she was very generous with her time (did a 50 min free Zoom consultation), and I appreciated her explanations of theory and positive reinforcement approach. She came to our home to train and was also responsive to questions between sessions via text. She really helped us learn to understand Yeti's behaviors, and I was always amazed at how well behaved Yeti was around her. Polina is a very experienced, professional, and compassionate trainer, and I highly recommend her!

A calm first meeting with Polina's dog.
Rhona G.

After about 3 months since adopted my first own rescue (1 1/2 year old) pup, i knew it was time to begin training. At first, I started with social media and media known trainers (from Cesar Milan to Matt Beisner from Dog: Impossible) to start but I knew I needed to find professional trainer locally. Researching trainers in the area were several options. I came across Polina's website that was very helpful and appreciated the initial zoom consult to better understand her approach to dog training. Polina met my pup and my pup responded favorably to Polina's methods/approach so we progressed well from our first interaction. My rescue pup experienced separation anxiety and general anxiety that resulted in very hyperactive behavior and reactivity to big dogs. Polina provided specific instructions and addressing the anxiety that was very helpful and am so pleased with how well my pup progressed. Polina even connected me and my pup with a wonderful dog sitter/trainer, Ira. My pup also has responded very well to Ira. Since I had done my research, Polina and Ira were both receptive to my suggestions (e.g., sign language as hand signals in communication) on how I've learned to bond with my pup and everything just worked to make more and more progress. Of course, we also needed to work on the dog reactivity. I appreciated that my pup was able to meet Polina's dog who is very calm and even zen in presence. My pup learned much doggie wisdom from Polina's dog during a couple times in the past year that my pup boarded for about 7-10 days with Polina. My pup is now calm around the home. My pup has also now advanced to passing the AKC obedience training classes, which Polina should be proud of my pup blossoming into a good canine citizen. Thank you Polina and Ira for all you have done in caring for my pup.

Tired and happy after a session with Polina.
Kate A.

We adopted our first dog (Luna, a German Shepherd and Persian Greyhound mix) about four years ago and worked with a different trainer back then. That trainer used positive reinforcement which was helpful enough and Luna's behavioral issues were minor and tolerable to us, so we did not look for more training. When we adopted our new 10 month old puppy (Nova, a German Shepherd/Great Pyrenees/Australian Shepherd mix) at the beginning of August we were struggling with Luna's reaction to him. After a couple of stressful tries getting them to share space together, I immediately began looking for a new trainer to work with. Polina offered a free consultation on the phone and I was immediately impressed with her breadth of knowledge and her understanding of dog behavior. She also had a very clear understanding of my two dogs' personalities, even before meeting them! When she first arrived the atmosphere in the house was tense and stressful, but even just one session with her gave me hope that we would be able to create a calm and supportive environment for our dogs to begin getting along. Every session with Polina is tailored to your needs and your dogs' breeds/personality. She is a quick and creative thinker. She easily comes up with solutions to problems and is an excellent instructor in teaching you how to implement the practices she uses. I have learned so much about each of my dogs and myself as a leader while working with her. It has been both a challenging and fun experience that is so rewarding. Our dogs get along great together and the new puppy is already so well-behaved. Even our older dog has learned new habits and it has been so wonderful to watch her transform into a more mature dog. Every time I see the two of them playing together or cuddling in the sun, I send thoughts of gratitude for Polina because she is the one who taught me how to make that possible. Training dogs certainly takes work and there is no way around that. Polina breaks it all down into manageable steps and her wonderful personality makes it a fun process. We all look forward to when Polina comes over--not just the dogs, but me and my partner too! If you need help managing the dog(s) in your household, you will be very glad that you chose Polina. She is an absolute professional and I highly recommend you book a consultation with her and see for yourself.

Mocha tries on her new life jacket before heading out on the Bay.

Polina is an extremely knowledgeable, compassionate, and effective trainer. We highly recommend her! She helped transform our rescue, Mocha, from a scared, lunging, needy, and unsocial dog to a happy, confident, (mostly!) calm and loving sweetheart who is friendly with new people and wags her tail at encountering most dogs in open and uncrowded areas (we avoid dog parks). The calming code she developed really works! Thank you for your outstanding expertise and guidance.

alex z.

We got our mini poodle a year ago and Benny has been a jolt of energy around the house. We grew to love our little Benny but he's been really tough to understand and train. Polina to the rescue !!! It was very lucky for us to be introduced to the True  Nature Dog Training. From the very first visit Polina opened our eyes to the mentality of the animal, how to respond or not to the variety of situations. Little by little the dog habits around the house stabilized and thanks to Polina Benny became a happy puppy. I highly recommend to work with Polina as she's a true professional with years of experience tailored specifically for your dog. We love whenever she comes over and adjusts our approach while delivering a calming affect on our puppy.

Polina is amazing. She was the first trainer that we used that actually taught with positive reinforcement methods. Before meeting her our trainers were always trying to choke our 6 month old puppy with ropes and prong collars. Polina listened to us, and calmly and effectively instructed us on how to direct, contain, control, and engage our very hyper and reactive dog. Our dog Winston is a mix of border collie, cattle dog, lab and pointer, and he was abandoned and left his litter early. We had a lot of issues. Polina put us on a path to success and brought a some sanity back to our lives.

Polina is explaining stages of behavior
Masha M.

Soooo happy I found Polina! When I first called, weeks before getting the puppy, Polina spent at least an hour on the phone with me, giving various tips on how to better prepare for the new family member - which I thought was very generous of her time. I watched so many dog training videos and read many books, articles, etc- so naturally, I thought that "I got it". 6 days with a puppy at home- and I called Polina to the rescue. She said that puppy consultation doesn't really require a puppy- she will go over the Dog World. And oh boy, did she! She observed my little Tovah and me, while explaining the way dogs understand the world and that are biggest issues is - communication. While Polina was explaining, she started working with the puppy, teaching both me and the dog on what to do when the pup bites. I've been implementing all the wisdom and the hands on instructions for 3 days now and - it definitely works! Now I just need to be consistent and call Polina again for obedience training in a few weeks. If you have a puppy- call Polina! If you have an grown up dog with issues, call Polina!

See all

2 days ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

9 months ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 1
Love this 1
Oh no 0

3 months ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0
Photo of Dani S.
0
25
15

9 months ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

1 year ago

Business owner information

Photo of Polina F.

Polina F.

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

2 years ago

Business owner information

Photo of Polina F.

Polina F.

Helpful 1
Thanks 0
Love this 1
Oh no 0

2 years ago

Business owner information

Photo of Polina F.

Polina F.

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

3 years ago

Business owner information

Photo of Polina F.

Polina F.

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

2 years ago

Business owner information

Photo of Polina F.

Polina F.

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

3 years ago

Business owner information

Photo of Polina F.

Polina F.

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

4 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

3 years ago

Helpful 2
Thanks 0
Love this 1
Oh no 0

1 year ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

2 years ago

Business owner information

Photo of Polina F.

Polina F.

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

3 years ago

Business owner information

Photo of Polina F.

Polina F.

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

5 years ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 0
Love this 1
Oh no 0
Photo of Karen A.
39
50
100

4 years ago

Business owner information

Photo of Polina F.

Polina F.

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

3 years ago

Business owner information

Photo of Polina F.

Polina F.

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 1
Oh no 0

4 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 1
Oh no 0

4 years ago

Business owner information

Photo of Polina F.

Polina F.

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

4 years ago

Business owner information

Photo of Polina F.

Polina F.

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

4 years ago

Business owner information

Photo of Polina F.

Polina F.

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

3 years ago

Business owner information

Photo of Polina F.

Polina F.

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

5 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

4 years ago

Business owner information

Photo of Polina F.

Polina F.

Helpful 1
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

4 years ago

Helpful 12
Thanks 3
Love this 0
Oh no 0
Photo of I. K.
0
24
0

4 years ago

Business owner information

Photo of Polina F.

Polina F.

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

5 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0
Photo of E G.
35
6
0

5 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

5 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

5 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

5 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

Ask the Community - True Nature Dog Training

Review Highlights - True Nature Dog Training

Polina understood my dog as an individual and helped create a training plan to build her confidence and obedience.

Mentioned in 30 reviews

Read more highlights

You might also consider

One Day Dog Training - Steve trains dogs of all ages and sizes.

One Day Dog Training

(225 reviews)

Steve at One Day Dog Training is truly one of the most special and remarkable people I have ever…read morehad the privilege of learning from, and an absolute delight to spend a day with. I have decades of experience fostering dogs and personally adopting many of my own, and over the years I've worked with a wide range of trainers. Without question, Steve is in a league entirely of his own. His talent, intuition, and depth of understanding when it comes to dogs is extraordinary. He doesn't just train dogs; he teaches humans how to truly understand them. What made the experience even more unforgettable was the joy he brought into the day. We laughed constantly. At one point my cheeks genuinely hurt from hours of smiling and laughter. And yet, amid all of that warmth and humor, we walked away with an incredibly clear, grounded, and practical understanding of his methods and a deep sense of confidence in our ability to apply them. Steve's approach is refreshingly doable: just five minutes of training per day, paired with his ongoing availability as a resource. That combination alone feels invaluable. We literally just completed our training day today, so I plan to update this review in a few months with more detail about long-term ease of execution and results with our dog, Griffin. But one thing I feel compelled to share now is this: throughout the entire day, even while Griffin was dramatically protesting (vocally, and with flair), Steve remained calm, steady, and completely unfazed. Griffin didn't love everything he was being asked to do, but he clearly adored Steve. He never cowered, never shut down, never showed fear. That level of trust speaks volumes. At one point, I asked Steve about scheduling an additional training day for one of our other dogs. His response was thoughtful, sensible, and deeply ethical: he told me it wouldn't be necessary. He explained that the principles I was learning with Griffin would absolutely apply to our other dogs as well, and that he'd be more than happy to answer questions along the way. That moment really matters to me because it so clearly reflects that Steve is driven by genuine passion and care for people and dogs, not by squeezing every possible dollar out of his clients. I also want to wholeheartedly acknowledge Tasha, who was incredibly kind, responsive, and compassionate throughout the scheduling process. We had to cancel our original training day due to a traumatic injury our other dog, Enzo, sustained: a spinal stroke. Tasha immediately offered to refund our deposit without hesitation. When I shared that I still very much wanted to work with Steve, she later went out of her way to find us an earlier date than originally offered after I asked to be notified of any cancellations. That level of care and humanity meant so much during a really difficult time. I am profoundly grateful for Steve and his entire team. This was one of the most positive, affirming, and empowering experiences I've ever had as a dog guardian. If you're looking for the best, congratulations. You have found it with One Day Dog Training!

Amazing Dog Training session with Steve Miles of One Day Dog Training today!…read more My husband and I were "beside ourselves" with the incessant barking, lack of focus, dog walking struggles behavior that Finn (1 1/2 yr old) Maltipoo had started displaying over the past 6 months. We had tried various tactics, treats to rid Finn of his "bad habits" We were referred to One Day Dog Training through some close friends who had worked with Steve to train their 2 dogs. From the start.. Finn really took to Steve. Steve is personable, knowledgeable, and patient. His love for dogs is felt. He put our minds at ease from the start. Through the training, Steve took time to teach us how to better understand dog behavior and how we can better communicate what we want our dog to do...It was very enlightening. It was an education for us and Finn! At the end of our 3 hour session, we were really amazed to see a transformed young dog. We are soooo proud of Finn. The 3 of us have learned so much! Thank You, Steve!

Bark Busters Home Dog Training - San Mateo County - Jared

Bark Busters Home Dog Training - San Mateo County

(67 reviews)

Jared is an incredible trainer. With just one session I was able to see such a change with my…read moreadopted pup. Words cannot describe how safe and at ease he made me and my dog feel. There was so much anxiety for both of us. I'm a complete new dog owner with little to no experience. And right from the beginning Jared was patient, professional, and really took the time to learn and explain my dog's behavior and our specific concerns. I had some concerns about leash training and how my dog responded to visitors at the door. Jared guided us with step by step approaches that were easy to follow. And almost immediately after our first visit, I started noticing behavioral changes with my dog. I even noticed the changes on our walks. The tips and techniques regarding leash training was so helpful. Things that I never even thought would affect my dog's behavior, Jared brought to light. He made the whole process feel manageable and truly gave me tools to build my confidence and my relationship with my pup. It's clear Jared truly cares about the dogs he works with and their families. He's passionate about what he does, and I'm so grateful for his help and would highly recommend him to anyone looking for an effective and compassionate dog trainer.

As first-time dog owners, bringing home our Bernedoodle puppy felt equal parts exciting and…read moreoverwhelming. She was quiet and a bit confused in those early days, and we honestly didn't know what "normal" even looked like. We started working with Jared literally the day after we brought her home, and that made all the difference. What stood out right away is that he doesn't just train the dog, he helps you understand your dog's psychology. That shift was huge for us. Instead of guessing or reacting, we started to feel like we actually knew what she needed and how to respond. He guided us through the basics like potty training and getting her to sleep through the night, and once those clicked, life got dramatically easier. More importantly, he gave us a framework we can keep using as new challenges come up. Our puppy still has some separation anxiety and can be a bit needy, but now it feels manageable. We're making steady, incremental progress and feel confident we have the tools to keep going. Jared has also been great with our whole family. He builds trust quickly, explains things clearly, and makes everyone feel comfortable and capable. You never feel judged or overwhelmed. If you're a first-time dog owner, especially with a young puppy, I'd strongly recommend working with him early. It sets the right foundation and saves you a lot of stress down the line.

Bee Positive Dog Training - Cash got his star puppy graduation

Bee Positive Dog Training

(47 reviews)

We worked with Bara to address Portia, our puppy's jumping and barking issues. It was magical that,…read moreby the second session, we already saw tremendous improvements. We didn't expect Bara would be able to address Portia's separation anxiety in 3 sessions so we didn't even focus on that; however she squeezed that into part of the training and we are seeing continued improvements already. We are more than grateful to have worked with Bara, that we finally have our lives back that we can go out and invite friends home without worrying Portia doing something crazy! Also, Bara not only just provided instructions during the sessions, she also responded via texts to provide guidance after each sessions. She truly cares about how much we are making improvements overall not just during the training sessions. We will definitely work with Bara again for future training!

We decided to work with Bara because we noticed our beloved 3 year old ACD mix, Ripley, was…read moredemonstrating concerning and unwanted behaviors towards my family that stemmed around his guarding tendencies. Before working with Bara, I was distressed that Ripley would not be able to be around my family and loved ones without causing harm and havoc. However, we already noticed a drastic difference in Ripley's attention, recall, and confidence in the short period of time we worked with Bara. She was extremely attentive and catered our training around Ripley's personality/style of learning. After working with Bara, my husband and I are confident in knowing that we now have the skills and strategies to safely enjoy family time with Ripley. We could not recommend working with Bara enough - she has been a life changer!

Personal Touch Pet Au-Pair - Myself and my girl's, Training Dogs

Personal Touch Pet Au-Pair

(40 reviews)

I fell for the pandemic puppy trap earlier this year when I decided to get a puppy! Seeing my…read morefriends' dogs and cute puppies around, I only assumed it would be great to have a companion in my life. Little did I know that cuteness overload comes with a lot of responsibility and struggles, especially since I live alone, and have never had a pet in my life. In fact, as a kid, I was extremely scared of dogs! I knew I had to get a trainer when after the 2nd week, I started feeling overwhelmed with my puppy's energy and tantrums. Thankfully I found Diane! She has been a great mentor if I could use this word to guide me through my pup training journey. We had two formal sessions - 1st one was a 3 hour phone call where she patiently answered all my questions and gave me 100s of tools and things to buy and learn to build a "puppy training toolkit". The 2nd session was a 3 hour in person training session where she introduced training collar and other tools and showed me how to stop certain behaviors. The best thing is that Diane has been kind enough to answer stupid and repeated questions from me over text or phone at any time of the day. If I've felt overwhelmed, I've always had comfort to know that I have a personal counsellor/mentor available. Diane shared a lot of tools, tricks, and methods - most of them work great, some don't - some do, but not always - but that is just because each dog is different and each dog-parent relationship is unique. I am just glad to have all those tools and information available to tap into whenever I run into any challenge. I feel super confident in my puppy's training and the fact that I have all I need to train my puppy well, thanks to Diane! My puppy Zoya has been sleeping safe and sound in her crate from day 1, and sleeping all night from the moment I reached out to Diane. Zoya is fully potty trained, and walks on leash like a confident yet obedient queen! Diane is extremely knowledgeable about dog behaviors, illnesses, eating habits, and tantrums - and I always reach out to her first, before I reach out to my vet! I trust Diane, and I promise you will also!

When we brought home our 8 week Moyen Goldendoodle puppy, we needed help with so many things. We…read morelooked on Yelp and we're connected with Diane. The stars aligned in bring her to us because she is more than a rockstar dog trainer & coach, but she is a trusted member of our family who I hold at a high level of respect. She helped us organize our apartment so that our puppy could be introduced into our space over time, she taught us how to walk our dramatic doodle for the first time, she helped our doodle meet a pack of his own during his walks, gave us food, supplement, and toy recommendations. She walked us through what to do when our puppy was misbehaving and incorporates a firm, yet loving technique so the dog knows who is boss. I can still hear her voice in the back of my head, "Christine you need to be firm, he cannot win." Puppies test your patience and Diane truly is our advocate in learning how to not only redirect his actions but build confidence in being first time dog owners. I've learned more in the months with Diane than I could have ever learned through a book or online. I am forever grateful to her, the bond that she's helped us create with our dog, the bond that she herself has created with our dog, and the continued guidance she offers as we continue to grow. I would recommend Diane to my friends and family.

The Pup School - The Pup School

The Pup School

(25 reviews)

Dan is a wonderful trainer. He is very patient and not only does he train your dog, he also…read moreteaches you on how to train your furbaby! I love the fact that he is super responsive, even when I have random questions anytime. Would totally recommend him! He also makes sure to organize pup socials which really help a dog with the socializing skills! It is worth the money to have your pup trained sooner than later ! :)

We are so grateful to have found Dan! Our 5 month old pup Loki absolutely adores him and his gentle…read morebut firm approach has worked wonders for us. Dan's valuable training techniques helped us (and continue to help us) immensely as we tried to welcome our 8-week old German Shepherd pup into our family and set us up for success early on. We feel so much more confident handling our pup with Dan's training and coaching. We particularly love Dan's positive reinforcement methods which don't require any additional tools or gadgets and come in handy at home indoors or outdoors. Besides being an awesome trainer for our pup, Dan is a wonderful person in general, and our whole family has benefited from our valuable interactions with him during his training sessions and puppy socials. We signed up for the 8-week package and are enjoying every minute of it! Dan organizes biweekly puppy socials which are a great complement to his training as well. We can't say enough positive things about Dan. We highly recommend Dan and his training approach to anyone who wants to know their pet deeply and form a fruitful, loving and long-lasting relationship with their pup/dog.

True Nature Dog Training - pet_training - Updated May 2026

Loading...
Loading...
Loading...